Part. I. Aliction as in those of our Profperity, and though it is of most concernment, for the Supplications of trouble to be free from exception, yet unless God help us therein we shall fail, either we fhall be fo dejected, we cannot pray at all, or fo difcouraged as not to be able to pray with Faith and Hope, or fo difturbed and vexed, as to fill our Prayers with murmuring and complaining: So that left the Supplications of our affliction should dafh upon any of thefe Rocks, and so never attain the Port, we first befeech the Lord mercifully to affift us with Faith and Hope, Courage and Patience, by which qualifications we shall be enabled to pray well, and then our next Request is, that he will gractoufly hear us in the day of our Trouble, when a denyal would be most of all terrible. And if we can but prevail fo far as to be thus affifted and accepted in the Prayers of our Adverfity, we are fafe whatsoever our Calamities be: He that hath the Gate of Heaven open to him, hath a fure retreat, whosoever come against him: No Affliction nor Perfecution can hurt that Man, to whom God grants fuch Grace, that he can pray prudently and devoutly in his Trouble, and on whom he fhews fuch favour, that he heareth and anfwereth him in them. Which is a feafonable Admonition to us, who are now faying our Litany, that is, our Prayer for an afflicted Estate, that we may defire to be affitted in repeating it, and answered in all the Petitions of it at this prefent time, and not only fo, but at all other times, whenfoever we fhall have occafion to use it,because our troubles do opprefs us; and withal fince we have fo extreme need of God in our affliction, we must not neglect him in our Prosperity, for he will be most likely to affift and hear them in their troubles, who have been conftant and devout Petitioners to him in their Felicities. The wife man directs us to Honour the Phyfitian before we have need of him, Ecclus.

(e) Cole Deum pri "fquam ejus auxilio tibi opus eft.Did.R.R. Jure venit cultos ad fibi quifque Deos. Ovid. de Pont.1.

I.

(f) ὅπως ὅταν ir Xpoin gevejusda παῤῥῶντες αυτές πα pœnaõμw, as 'dwas ovτas non ginus Xenoph. ap. Plutarc.de tranqu.

Ecclus xxviii. 1. And the like we fhould do by God (e). Xenophon adviseth us to get the favour of Heaven in Prosperity, and then in our need, we may go chearfully to God, as being our friend already, and pre-engaged to our affiftance (f): Whereas if we never pray in earneft, till neceffity compel us thereunto, he may juftly rejed us, as once he did the Ifraelites, Jud.x. 14. Go and cry unto the Gods which ye have chofen, and let them deliver you in your Tribulation, whom you bave ferved in your ProSperity. Be we therefore in peace or in trouble,it is neceffary for us to be frequent and fervent in our Prayers, but most especially in our affliction: To want inclinations or abilities to pray then, is to be deprived of our chiefeft fupport, and means of relief, and not to be accepted when we do make prayers in our Troubles, is the faddeft aggravation of all our Miferies, which whofoever well confiders, they will doubtlefs moft heartily put up this excellent Petition.

5. That

5. That thofe Evils which the craft and subtilty of the Devil oz Man, wozketh againß us, be brought to nought, and by the Providence of thy goodnels they may be dispersed.]

.

The Church of God, and every faithful Member thereof, have many and mighty Enemies, which are continually exercifing their Wits, and ufing their utmost craft and fubtilty to do them hurt: The principal of these is Sathan, wh is the Captain, the Leader and Incourager of all the rest, and under him are lifted many malitious and bufy Agents, whofe designs are contrived fo closely, and carried on fo cunningly, that Human eyes cannot discover them. Wherefore the Church hath taught us to pre-engage the Almighty, whofe wifdom will find them out, and his Providence bring them to nought, fo that if our Prayers can but engage him to take our Part, we shall be safe in despite of all, that Sathan and his Inftruments can do againft us. The Lord is on my fide (faith David) so that I will not fear what man can do unto me, He taketh my part, therefore fhall I fee my defire upon mine Enemies, Pfal. cxviii.6,7. And if God be for us, who can be against us,faith St.Paul, Rom. viii. 31(g). 31(g) They must conquer him, before they can harm us: Upon thefe grounds we defire, that in all our Troubles, we may but be able to pray acceptably, and then we shall obtain the aid of Heaven, and need not fear the power of Hell it felf. The Liturgy of St. James,hath aPetition'exactly agreeing with this of ours; Look down from thy merciful habitation and hear us, do with most bumble Supplications pray unto thee; and deliver us from every Temptation of the Devil and of Men, and turn not thy help away from us,&c. And we may,

(g) Nemo vos laferit, nifi prius Deum vicerit. Aug.

who

note

po

(b) Arbitrium enim Domini Perfecutio nem, minifterium inipropter fidei probatioquitas Diaboli propter perfecutionis inftructionem, ita eam per Diabolum fi fortè non à Diabolo evenire credimus, Tertul.de fug. cap.7.

note,that though the words be general [thole Evils] and may comprehend any kind of trouble, yet it feems probable by the following Sentence to be meant, efpecially of Perfecution, which (in the Opinion of the Antients) is ftirred up by the Devil (b): He inftigates evil men to endeavour by all their might and licy to fubvert the true Religion. The Devil is the head to contrive all Perfecution,and evil men are the Hands to execute it, and when they are thus fet on, they are more cruel and mischievous than the Devil himself, who could not act without them (i). When therefore we confider, how Sathan and evil men envy our Peace and our quiet Enjoyment of true Religion, we need not doubt, but they are plotting and defigning with all poffible craft to divide and difturb us, by Faction and Schism, or to destroy us by cruelty and perfecution:How far thefe defigns have gone, or how foon they may break we know not, only the Malice of Sathan and his Inftruments do affure us, that if ever there be an opportunity offered, they will not fail to execute their Intentions. What remains therefore, but that we do fly to our heavenly Father, whose Goodness engageth his Providence to watch over us, (and thence it is called the Providence of his goodness) and relying on him, that we beseech him to discover and disappoint the defigns,and scatter and disperse these whofe unions are the Confederations of mifchiet; The Lord bringeth the counsel of the Heathen to nought, and

(1) Homo malus ipfo Diabolo eft nocenhominem Diabolus titior, juftum fiquidem met, impius contemnit, Diabolus homini nifi permiffus non nobitus. Author op.imcet,malus etiam probiperf. in Math. hom.

24.

maketb

maketh the Devices of the people to be of none effect, Pfal xxxiii.10. On which place thus St. Auguftine, When they Said,let us take them away from the Earth, and the name of Chriftian fhall be no more in remembrance, if we kill and torture them, and infli&i fuch and fuch things upon them, thus they difcourfed,and yet the Church flourished in the midst of all these things: So he.These Prayers which the Church ever did, and ftill doth make, are her conftant Armor and defence,for I make no question,but that they always did,and ever fhall, either divert Perfecutions wholly, or fupport the Chriftians under them, and if we fay them devoutly, many evil defigns will be defeated, and those that do in fome degrees prevail, fhall not laft long, nor spread far, for our God will foon check them, on whose Goodness and Providence we do moft firmly rely.

6. That we thy Servants, being hurt by no Perfecutions, may evermoze give thanks unto thee in thy Holy Church through Jelus Chzikk our Lozd.]

The ultimate end of this Requeft is that which ought to be the highest aim of all our Actions, viz. the Glory of God, and fo this is a very proper conclufion for any Prayer; and in the Liturgy of St.Chryfoftom, the Litanick Supplications are concluded with like words, That we being alwaies preferved by thy might, may fend up our praises to thee, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, wul, &c.p. 72. now and ever, Amen (k), and that Litur.Bafil.p.163.

endeth, Deliver us

Prayer which was lately mentioned out of theLiturgy of St. James thus God for thy goodness from all the

miferies and troubles of this world,that we approaching to thy Altar with a pure Confcience, and finging the blessed

Trifagium