(a) Filius David, ponitur pro Meia. Mat.xxii.42. c.xxi.

9. Imo cap. 3. ver. 1. Iefu Chrifti filii David, i. e. Iefu Chrifti Media.

ty our Cafe, our Requeft fhall infallibly prevail at last› it may be deferred a while, but finally it fhall be granted,and whatever Requests Jefus hath accepted,favourably and mercifully heard, we need not be follicitous about them any further, for we have lodged them in a fafe hand, where they cannot poffibly mifcarry: On him therefore we call again in the Language of thofe poor blind men mentioned in the Gofpel, Don of David have mercy upon us,Mat.9.27.chap.xx.30,31.The Meffiab had long and earneftly been expected among the Jews by the Name of the Son of David(a): So that these two Men, whofe bodily eyes were closed, did by the eyes of Faith difcern Jefus to be the Meffiah and Saviour of the world, and being in a moft uncomfortable eftate of blindness, they cried to him for Mercy,whom they call the Son of David; for as he was the Meffiah,they were affured he had power enough to open their Eyes, and as he defcended from the Family of Holy David, they did hope he would have pity enough to exercise his power on them; wherefore they ingeminate their Cryes to him,and finally do prevail, for he had Mercy on them, and gave them their fight again: Wherefore we may be encouraged by their fuccefs, when we are in any grievous trouble to cry unto Jefus for Mercy, with their affections as well as in their expreffions, with the fame Faith as well as the fame Words, and we shall be heard also: 'Tis true, our Redeemer is not now upon Earth as he was then, he is moft glorious in Heaven, but he beholds and hears us from thence, and though he be the Son of God, yet he is the Son of Dabin alfo, he hath not left his Humanity,nor his compaffions behind him, but in the midst of all his glories, he retains an infinite

pity for us, and when we invocate him, by the name of the Son of David he will remember all the miseries he fuffered in that Eftate, and accordingly pity us, who are in the like Circumftances: It was God's promife to David, that he would fet his Son upon his Throne, whofe Kingdom fhould be for ever, and the Church doth keep a Memorial in this Petition, that God hath fulfilled this Promife, for to this very day we go to the King of Glory, and call on him in our neceffity by this obliging Title,on of Datib, and fo he fhall be called to the end of the world.

10. Both new and ever vouchlafe to hear us, D Chrift: Gracionfly hear us,D Chzik,gracioudy hear uz,D Loza Chzift.]

The Sum of all thefe Supplications are contained in that often repeated paffage of the Divine Pfalmist, have mercy upon me, and hearken to my Prayers, Pfal.iv.1. and Pfal.xxx.ii. We begged Mercy before, and now we defire the acceptance of our Prayers, and they who cenfure these repeated Cryes to be Tautology, do declare they are ftrangers to the paffions that afflicted fouls do feel: We efteem it a Demonftration of David's vehement defire, when he by fo many synonymous phrases prays for Mercy,Pfal.li.1. Or the acceptance of his Petitions, Pfal.v.i.&c. And can we be condemned for folJowing fuch a Prefident? However men speak of it, we doubt not but if we be fincere and earneft in these reiterations, our God will efteem it a pious Importunity:

And verily the hearing of our Prayers in a time of Diftress is a Mercy fo great and fo defirable, that we cannot ask it too fervently, nor too frequently: An Afflicted man that hath prayed long, and is not anfwered is tempted fometimes to doubt, whether his Prayers were ever heard or no; in complyance with which infirmity

firmity, yet in order to it's Cure, the Church gives the Mourning Soul opportunity to renew it's doleful Cries at the Throne of Grace, that it may be fatisfied it hath called with all poffible earnestness: Our Lord Chrift is the Father's anointed, and reigns both now, and ever fhall,as far as Eternity extends; wherefore we defire he will hear us now, and for ever hereafter, when at any time we shall call upon him: We defired him to look graciously upon our Affliatons before, and we now entreat him gractool to hear our Papers, even as Holy Daniel in those excellent Devotions, Dan. ix. 18. O my God encline thine Ear, and hear,open thine eyes,and bebold our Defolations &c. And may ours be,as his was, prevalent and fuccessful: He whom we pray unto is Chrift, the Lords anointed, yea he himself is the Lord, and can by his own power both hear and help us, to him therefore will we cry again and again, that these many,great, and neceffary Supplications may not miscarry nor return from Heaven empty.

11: Lozd let thy Bercy be thswed upon us: as we do put our Craft in thee Pfal.xxxiii.22. Finally, we conclude thefe Alternate Supplications, as David concludes that excellent Pfalm xxxiii.22. And as St. Ambrofe ends his incomparable Hymn, the Te Deum,where we have spoken briefly of this Verficle and Refponse,Part.the I. So that we fhall only add, that St. Auguftine calls this a brief, but most profitable Prayer (b), and with him obferve that we crave Mercy by the beft motive in the World, not because we have merited it, or that God is bound to beftow it on us, but only because we truft in him alone for it, as we have

Q 4

(b) Poft hæc fitoratio brevis de falu bris [Fiat mifericordia tua Domine fuper nos] quo merito? [Sicut fperavimus in te.] Aug. enar. in Pfal.33

demonstrated

demonftrated by our repeated and redoubled Cries to him for Mercy: We have no confidence in our felves,or in any other Creature, we have not made application to any Saint or Angel in our Litany, but folely caft our selves down at his feet,intirely depending on his Goodnefs, and doubtlefs he will not caft us off: The Roman Church indeed repeat this Sentence in their Litánies alfo, but as they have now corrupted their Do&trine with Merits, and depraved their Offices with Invocation of Saints, it neither agrees to their Principles nor to their Devotions, but remains a reproach to their Innovations: I fhall only with, that as it futes better with our Religion, and our Prayers, fo it may be faid by us with more affection and true Devotion. A

men.

1.

S. 6: Of the Prayer for Grace to fanctifie onr
Troubles.

Τ

IT hath been a ufual Inftrument to render these Prayers odious to men of trong Paffions and weak reasonings, to fay they are taken out of the Roman Mass-Book, which as it is manifeftly falfe of fome of our Forms, fo it is impertinently charged as a Crime on any of them, because it is most evident, that even where we have taken anyForm from thence,our Church was ever careful to find it Orthodox, or make it fo; whereof this present Prayer is (among others) an illuftrious inftance, concerning which the Reader may know, that in the Sacramentary of St.Gregory there was a fhort and pious Form, which ran thus, We humbly befeech tke,O Lord,mercifully to look upon our Tribulations, and graciously turn from us thy wrathful Indignation, which we most righteously bave deferved, through Jefus

Christ our Lord,Amen.Sacram.S. Gregor.pag.206. But in the Breviaries of Salisbury fol.25. This Prayer feems to have been corrupted, for there it runs thus, We bumbly beseech thee, O Lord,mercifully to look upon our Infirmities, and turn from us all thofe Evils, which we must righteonfly have deferved by the Interceffion of all thy Saints, through our Lord,&c. So that what was of old,and is by us now begged of God alone through Chrift, was vainly, if not impioufly,asked through the Interceffion of the Saints: but fuch was the Care and Prudence of the excellent Compofers of our Liturgy,that they did not only leave out that corrupt Sentence, and reduce it to it's firft Innocence, but to Antidote fuch Contagion, and utterly deftroy the Doctrine of application to any Creature in our Diftrefs, they have added this Claufe [And grant that in all our troubles,we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy Mercy. And now how much folly and malice will he betray, that after all this, fhould charge this Prayer, as Popish, or count it criminal as taken out of their Service: I have been larger in this to Thew,what we are to think of fuch frivolous Objections elsewhere, for the like care hath been taken in all other places wherever need required: Now as to this Form (as we have it) doubtless it is an admirable Prayer, not only to be used in the Conclufion of these general Supplications, but also is exceeding fit to be faid in private by any afflicted Chriftian, who is fenfible of his evil-defervings, and groans under his troubles, being defirous they may be either averted or fanctified unto him, and every one will be convinced of this, who will but take pains to confider it in the following Method.