1.

S.IV. Of the Prayer against Perfecution.

He way being prepared by the preceding Verficle, the Prieft is now beginning to pray for the People alone: But left they should think their Duty is at an end, as foon as the Refponfes are over, he enjoyns them to accompany him in their hearts ftill, by this ancient and pious fummons [Let us prap:]And the Petitions in this Form are fo excellent, that they do alfo invite us to joyn in them; for the Matter of them is very profitable,and collected fome of it out of Holy Scripture, the reft out of primitive Forms. But take it altogether, and it is a piece of the Western Churches Devotion, among the Offices whereof it antiently flood with this Title (d): [For Tribulation of heart] which Infcription we have left out as not so very proper,but the Prayer it felf we have retained as very useful in this place, if we fay it with Understanding and Devotion, to which we hope the following Method will give fair affiftances.

(d) Deus qui contritorum non defpicis gemitum, & maren. tium non fpernis affe um,&c. Miff. Saris.

fol.33.

2 In this Prayer are three Particulars

The Analyfis of this Prayer.

I. That which encourageth us to ask

1 Gods gracious

nature

God merciful Fa=

Ether

2 His Pity to the af- the fighing of a con=

fli&ed

Chat defpifcft not

trite heart, no? the

Defire of fuch as be

fozzowful

That thofe Evils which the Craft and Subtilty of the Devil og Man work= eth against us, be brought to nought, and by the Provi= dence of the Goodnefs they may be di= Sperfed

That te thy Ser. bants, being hurt by no Perfecutions, may evermoze give thanks unto thee in the Holy Church though Jefus Christ our Lozd. A

men.

A

A Practical Difcourfe upon this Prayer.

3. God merciful Father who despiseft not the Aghing of a contrite heart, noz the defire of luch as be (ozzomful:]

If we behold the Antient Chrtstians, and obferve their manner of saying the Litany in times of publick Calamity, we fhall find they were clad in Sackcloath, and went bare-foot, they fafted and prayed with deep fighs, and many tears to God their merciful Father. And how proper this Introduction is for fuch an addrefs every one may fee. The Original of this Sentence is from Holy Scripture, where David crys out, Lord thou knoweft all my defire, and my groaning is not bid from thee,Pfal.xxxviii.9. And God himself hath promised, that for the comfortless troubles fake of the needy, and because of the deep fighing of the poor, he will arife and help them, Pfal.xii. 5.6. And we are affured, that God will not despise a broken and a contrite heart, Pfal.li.17. All which being put together do give us good reason in our forrows to cry to our most merciful Father, who can spell a figh,and read the Language of a tear, and will not fail to pity them. The Prayers which we make before God, in all time of our adverfity, ought to be joyned with fighs and groans, with tears and unfeigned forrow, and our comfort is that we have a gracious God, who cannot despise those Supplications, which have fighs and tears for the Companions as well as the witneffes of their fincerity. If the expreffions of our forrow be forced and feigned, Theatrick and Hypocritical, he will defpife them, because he fees our hearts are different from the external pre

tences:

tences: But if they proceed from a contrite heart,and a real forrow, none esteems them more highly, or entertains them with a more tender compaffion. The holy Spirit intercedes for us with fighs and groans, which cannot be uttered, Rom.viii.26. And when we imitate that Interceffion, our Petitions shall prevail beyond all the Oratory in the World. If we go to Men, even those who have ability and Obligations to help us, do often defpife our fighs, and flight our forrows, they hear our groans, and behold our tears many times without the leaft remorse; but God dealeth not fo with us. When the poor Ifraelites fighed,and cryed out in Egypt under their cruel bondage, Pharoah was obdurate,and his Servants did not regard them, but their fighing and groans pierced the cars of the Almighty,and moved him to deliver them, Exod.ii.23,24. Oh how happy are we,who have fuch a Father, as will never despise the sorrows of a contrite heart: Our fighs must not only be the expreffions of our affliction, but of our Repentance alfo, we must be forry for our Sins, as well as for our Sufferings, and then he will be effectually moved to relieve us: Why then do we spend our time in the days of our Calamity in making a doleful relation to obdurate man, who does not pity us, and will not help us, why do we weep and figh, and fue in vain? Behold here is one, who will certainly pity us, and can always help us, let us bring all our griefs hither, where we are fure they will not be defpifed, if they be joyned with contrition and fincerity, and let us call upon him in the words of the Sacramentary, Hear O Lord the fighs of thy people, and let not the offences of our Sins cry louder than the Mercy thou art wont to fhew to the tears of thy Suppliants. S. Greg. Sacram. pag.206. Which is not much unlike this of ours only turned into a Petition. I fhall only add, that as it is a very great happiness to have our

fighs and tears considered, and pitied by our Heavenly Father, fo it is a great Duty, that we imitate our God herein, and always fhew our felves compaffionate to thofe, who figh and cry to us in their Calamities, it being excellent Advice of the Apocryphal Author, Turn not away thy face from any poor man, and the face of God fhall not be turned away from thee, Tobit.iv.7. We defire fuch pity should be fnewed to us, and we can more effectually move the Lord unto it than by fhewing the like to our Brethren.

4. Dercifully allift our Prayers, that we make befoze thee in all our troubles and adversities whenloever they oppzels us, and graciously hear us:]

Prayer is so proper for a state of Affliction, that all forts of men fly to it, when they are in that Condition, Pfalm.cix.3. Ifai. xxvi.16. For howsoever Prosperity may puff men up, and make them forget their neceffities, and their dependance on an higher Power; Adverfity will make them fober again, and teach them to call upon him, whom, in the days of their jollity,they either forgot or defpifed: Now when any man in his Diftrefs fhall feek for the Divine pity and help,it is a difmal thing to be rejected, If thou bearest not(faith David) we shall become like them, which go down into the pit, Pfal.xxviii.1. When God will not hear us our laft refuge fails, and we have nothing left,but despair,and miferable Expectations: Wherefore we are infinitely concerned to delire, that all the Prayers which we make in our troubles and adverfities may be devout and acceptable, and fo we pray here, that he will affift us in making them,and accept them,when they are made. We can never pray well without His affiftance, and therefore we need his help as well in the Prayers of our Af

fliction