CERTAIN PRAYERS FITTED To several Occasions. AND Are to be used in His Majesties ARMIES.  
Published by His Highnesse Command.  
LONDON. Printed in the year, 1648.   

 royal coat of arms 
dieu. ET MON. DROIT    

psalms to be Said or Sung, upon the setting the Guards, Psalm. 80. three last Staves, or Psal. 134. Psal. 127. v. 1, 2.  
Upon marching forth, Psal. 23. or first staff of Psal. 144.  
Before a Battle, three first Staves of Psal. 68.  
For Deliverance, or Victory, five first Staves of Psal. 76. or the last part of Psal. 69.  
in time of distress, psal. 20.  
For Peace, psal. 122.   

A Psalm preparatory: Collected out of several passages in the book of psalms.  
Psal. 27.1. THe Lord is our Light, and our Salvation, whom then shall we fear? the Lord is the Strength of our Life, of whom then shall we be afraid?  
Though an Host of men were laid against us, yet shall not our hearts be afraid: and though there rose up War against us, yet will we put our trust in him.  
Psal. 46.1. God is our hope and Strength: a very present help in the time of trouble.  
Therefore will we not fear, though the Earth be moved: and though the hills be carried into the midst of the Sea.  
Though the Waters thereof rage and swell: and though the Mountains shake at the Tempest of the same.  
For the Lord of Hosts is with us: the God of Jacob is our Refuge.  
Psal. 44.5. Thou art our King O God: sand help unto jacob.  
Through thee will we overthrow our Enemies, and in thy name will we tread them under that rise up against us.  
For we will not trust in our Bow, it is not our Sword that shall help us.  
But it is thou that savest us from our Enemies, and puttest them to confusion that hate us.  
Psal. 35.1. pled thou therefore our Cause, O Lord, with them that strive with us, & fight thou against them that fight against us.  
Lay hand upon the Shield and Buckler: and stand up to help us.  
O let not them that are our Enemies triumph over us ungodly: neither let them wink with their Eyes that hate us without a cause.  
And why? their communing is not for Peace; but they imagine deceitful words against them that are quiet in the Land.  
Psal. 62.4. Their device is onely how to put him out whom God will exalt: their delight is in lies, they give good words with their Mouth, but curse with their Heart.  
Psa. 35.22. This thou hast seen, O Lord: hold not thy tongue then, go not far from us, O Lord.  
Awake, and stand up to judge our quarrel: avenge thou our Cause, our God, and our Lord.  
Psa. 144.7. sand down thine hand from above, deliver us, and take us out of the great waters from the hand of strange Children.  
Ps. 18.50. For this Cause will we give thanks to thee, O God, among the Gentiles: and sing Praises unto thy Name.  
Great Prosperity giveth He unto his King: and sheweth loving kindness unto David his anointed, and unto his seed for evermore.  
Ps. 56.10. For in Gods word will we rejoice, in the Lords word will we comfort ourselves.  
Yea, in God have we put our trust: we will not fear what Man can do unto us.  
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.  
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.   

A Prayer to be said at the setting forth of an Army, or before they March.  
GLorious Lord God of Hosts, in whose strength the Israelites marched of old, and prevailed against their Enemies; thou who wast then pleased to go before thy People, as their guide, and behind them also( when need was) to be their defender; hear us, we beseech thee, and be present with us, who, in the humility of our minds, and sincerity of our hearts, do now call upon thee, for thy protection. It is not our own Arm, O Lord, nor any Child of man that we trust to; thou thyself hast  told us, that there is no help in them. All our desires are wholly to thee: We go not out, but in thy Name; we do not arm ourselves, but in thy Fear; nor shall we ever attempt any thing, but by thy Power. The race is not to the swift, nor the battle to the strong: to thee alone belong the issues of War, nor shall we hope for any success from any other; For whom have we in heaven, but thee? and there is none upon earth that we desire, in comparison of thee. O be thou our guide then, and our defence, our God, our Shield, and our strong Salvation; So shall five of us chase an hundred, and an hundred of us shall put ten thousand to flight. Our Enemies shall come out against us one way, but they shall fly before us seven ways; and thou, even thou alone, shall be glorified in their confusion. To this end, regard, O Lord, not the cry of our sins, that press thee hourly for more vengeance, but the justice of our cause, that pleads strongly for some favour. It is not Ambition, or Malice, that hath thrust us into this posture, but the necessary defence of thy Church, thy Truth, our Laws, our Liberties, and the Obedience which we owe, under thee, unto thine anointed. O let us ever remember what thou hast so strictly commanded, that when we go forth with the host, against the Enemy, we should then( as at all other times, but then especially) keep ourselves from every wicked thing. Teach us, good God, and assist us by thy Spirit, that as we carry our lives in our hands, so we may also have thy fear in our hearts, thy praise in our mouths, thy great goodness in remembrance, and thy grace to led us in all our ways. Let us fear thee, as we ought, and none but thee, that so we may not fear what man can do unto us. Put away far from us, as all presumption and vain boasting, so all faintness of spirit: Let us not thus turn either to the right hand, or to the left: Onely let us be strong, but in thee; and of a good courage, but onely in hope of thy Salvation. Make our Battels wholly thine, that they may end in Victory; and in thy good time crown all our Victories with an honourable and a Christian Peace. In the mean time preserve us, as from danger, so from want. Sustain us by thy Power, and supply us by thy goodness. Continue and confirm unto us the blessing of health; Make us all of one mind, and of one heart, and drive away that evil spirit of Division far from us. As oft as we arm this outward, let us not forget the inward man. Let him also put on the Breast-plate of righteousness, the Shield of Faith, the Helmet of Salvation, and the Sword of the Spirit, which is, the Word of God. As oft as we move, and march, let us fix our eye, the eye of Faith, as they of old, on the Land of Promise; so we, on that heavenly Canaan, the new jerusalem, which is the mother of us all. And because there is no way thither, but thorough the read Sea of our Saviours Blood, open us, we beseech thee, that passage, and let all those spiritual egyptians, our Sins, find there an eternal grave, where we hope for everlasting Salvation: that after all the toilsome motions of this mortal life, when we have finished our warfare upon earth, fought a good fight, and kept the faith, we may at length be admitted unto that blessed vision of everlasting Peace, in the glorious presence of thee our God: and that for Jesus Christ his sake, to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghost, three Persons, but one eternal and onely wise God, be ascribed all Honour and Glory, Might, Majesty and Dominion from this time forth, and for evermore. Amen.   

A Prayer for the Souldiers, to be said at the Parade, or setting of the Guard.  
O Almighty & most gracious God, who hast made all things by thy Power, and watchest over all by thy Providence, hear us, we beseech thee, in these our Prayers, and let thy blessing be upon us, in this our duty; that being undertaken out of loyalty and conscience, in thy Fear, it may accordingly be discharged, with all due care and fidelity, under thy Protection. Teach us, O Lord, in those our corporal Enemies, to remember and consider the spiritual, how much it concerns us to stand upon our guard, as against the one, for the safety of our Bodies; so much more against the other, for the salvation of our poor Souls: Let this present posture mind us of what thou hast so often commanded every Christian, in his particular station, to Watch and to Pray, that he enter not into Temptation. In the dead silence and shadow of the night, let us contemplate the horror of that everlasting darkness, where is nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth. Gracious God, raise up in us, and sanctify to us, these wholesome Meditations, and grant us Grace so to think of those things, that we may never feel them. To this end, let thy loving kindness be towards us, in the day time, and in the night season, let us sing of thee, and make our Prayer unto thee, who art the God of our life. But since we have it from thine own mouth, That except thou keep the City, the Watchman waketh but in vain; guard us, we beseech thee, and this place, O thou who art the great keeper of Israel. Thou that dost neither slumber nor sleep, Watch with us, and Watch over us; Save and defend us from the hands of all our Enemies, that we may serve thee without fear, in Holinesse and righteousness all the daies of our life, through Jesus Christ our Lord.   

A Prayer before the Battle.  
O eternal Lord God, in whose hands are the Issues of War, the Lord of Hosts, and the God of Battels; We, thy unworthy servants, appeal unto thee at this time, as to the Judge of the whole Earth, who only judgest equally between the Sons of Men, humbly beseeching thee to look down from Heaven, not on the Sins of our Army, but on the Cause, which we stand ready to maintain. See our Religion questioned, and threatened to be rooted out, the Crown of the King struck at, and our Laws, and Liberties ready to expire; and having seen it, judge this day between our Enemies and us. If it be thy Cause( as certainly thy Cause it is) for which we now stand ready to Sacrifice our Lives, show to the World, that the disorders and Sins of Men cannot make thee utterly forsake it. Defend it, we humbly beg of thee, though it be by the hands of Sinners; be in the midst of us, in our leading on, and in our coming off, and sanctify us by the presence of thy Holy Spirit: Let Him be wisdom in the Breasts of our Commanders, Strength in the Hands of our Souldiers, Courage, and Piety in the Hearts of all, And that we may with the more Security meet our Dangers, Seal to every Soul here, this day, the forgiveness of all our Sins. And howsoever it shall please thee to dispose of us in this Battle, Thy blessed Will, Holy Father, be done; Be unto us, both in Life, and in Death, advantage; and grant that we may either come off with Victory, and live thy Servants, or expect our Garland in the next life, and die thy Martyrs; and that for his sake who hath  shed his blood for us, even Jesus Christ the Righteous, to whom, with the Father, and the Holy Spirit be all Honour, and Glory, this day, and for ever. Amen.   

A Prayer for a place besieged.  
O Most just God, the Lover, and Rewarder of Truth and Loyalty, and the Protector of them that put their trust in thee, afford, we beseech thee, the Shadow of thy Wings to all Persons and Places who in Obedience to thy Holy Commands, as yet, continue loyal to the King, especially such as are now straightened and besieged by thine, and our Enemies. sand thy Holy Angels to be a guard unto them, and let thine own presence be as a Wall of Fire about them. Strengthen their Hands, and Hearts, take away their Fears, prevent Treachery, supply their Wants, let not the meal in the barrel, nor the oil in the cruse fail them, till the time of their deliverance come. And as for those who now come about them like Bees, let them be extinct as the fire among the Thorns, deal with them, O Lord, as thou didst with the Host of Senacherib, or if not so, yet fasten thy Hook in their Nostrils, and turn them back at least with shane, and dishonour, as many as have evil will at Sion; so shall we, that are thy Servants, glorify thy Name, and say with thy holy Prophet, The snare is broken, and we are delivered. Grant this, O God, through the Mediation of him that pleads for us. Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

Prayers in the day of Battle.  Min. 
Lord have mercy upon us.  Peop. 
Christ have mercy upon us.  Min. 
Lord have mercy upon us. Our Father which art in heaven, &c. O God make speed to save us.  Peo. 
O Lord make hast to help us.  Min. 
Arise O Lord, and let the enemies of thy truth be scattered.  Peo. 
And let all them who hate it, flee before thee.  Min. 
Be thou our present help against our Enemies.  Peo. 
For vain is the help of man.   

A Prayer for the Civill State of this kingdom.  
ALmighty & everlasting God, founder and governor of Monarchies, and kingdoms, who dost plant them in mercy, and dost destroy them in justice; we thankfully aclowledge that thou hast in mercy, blessed us, and our forefathers( throughout many Generations) with a most happy Government, under a King, as Supreme; and we humbly confess also, that for the many sins, & beymous abominations of this land; Thou mayest now in justice, pluck us, up, and root us out, that we be no longer, a Monarchy, and kingdom: And now Enemies are risen up, and conspire against it, and are confederate together, saying, Down with it, Down with it; and even now make themselves ready to join Battle with us, that they may overthrow it, and that One man may no longer reign over us; But in thy name, O blessed Lord, and in obedience to thy tommands, we now go forth, to help the King( whom thou hast set over us) against the mighty: And therefore we most earnestly beseech thee( O thou Lord of Hosts, who hast commanded us into arms) that thou wouldst whet the edge of our swords, and sharpen the points of our spears, and that thou wouldest give us victory in this day of Battle: O thou King of Kings, suffer not them whom thou hast put in subjection under thy Vicegerent, our King, to prevail against him, and rule over him; nor the sceptre which thou hast given to him, be wrested from him. O Lord, our rock and our strength, protect thou us, that no weapon formed against us, may hurt us; and assist us now against our enemies, for in thee onely is our trust, and our hope: Oh restore us we beseech thee( by the good success of this Battle) to our ancient order, and peaceable government: Deal not with us, O Lord, according to our sins, nor reward us after our iniquities, lest our Armies and we all be utterly destroyed, and our whole Land wasted: But satisfy us again( we beseech thee) with those mercies, which thou hast shewed to us ever of old, and in this needful time of danger, visit us with thy salvation: Let thy mighty hand now again establish the ancient foundations of this kingdom, and thine out stretched arm bear up the pillars of it: Then shall the King rejoice in thy strength, O Lord, and under him we shall be godly and quietly governed. Grant this, O Lord, for thy Son, our blessed Saviours sake, Jesus Christ; Amen.   

A Prayer for the ecclesiastical state of this kingdom.  
ALmighty God, who hast builded thy Church upon the foundation of the Apostles and Prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the head corner ston; and by whose inspiration our godly Reformers built upon that foundation, the gold of pure doctrine and discipline, in this our national Church; we most humbly beseech thee, that thou wouldst be pleased to continue that pure doctrine, and discipline amongst us; let the same holy spirit guide us, and our posterity to the ends of the world: Especially at this time, now so many are become our enemies, because of that truth, now O Lord defend it, we most earnestly pray thee, and establish it among us: They are increased, O Lord, who hate it, and they who pull down thy precious gold, and instead of it, build stubble, are many in number. And now, O God, seeing thou hast put zeal and courage into the hearts of us thy servants, to go out with our Armies, and to defend that truth against them; oh, be thou our guide, and our Captain. Blessed Lord, teach thou our hands to war, and our fingers to fight, and subdue thou the people that rise up against us: Arise, o arm of the Lord, arise, and put on strength; for the time is come that thou put on strength, yea, the time is come: O Lord, if ever, at any time, now also help us, for we are at the very point to put from thy City, thy Temple, and the laws of them; from the order and service of thy worship, and from the public profession of thy truth, the very beauty of holinesse, now therefore if ever at any time, now also help us: we have sinned, we have sinned O Lord, do thou unto us what shall seem good in thy sight; only deliver thy truth, in these extremities of danger: O let it grow mighty again, and prevail against the errors of our enemies, and suffer not the glory of Israel to be changed, for that which doth not profit: Arise O Lord and help us for thy truths sake, that it may now, and ever, flourish in this thy Church, and be from hence, propagated to the ends of the earth. Grant this, O Lord, for thy Sons sake, our blessed Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.   

A Prayer for the KING.  
O Most righteous, but withall most merciful Lord God, who in thy secret judgments hast suffered thine Anointed to fall into the snares of wicked and deceitful men; look down we beseech thee with thy compassionate eyes on his long, and bitter sufferings. Hear the prayers and cries which are offered up daily for him. show some token on him for good, even now. O God, when he is at the lowest, desamed, despised, imprisoned; his Crown tom from his head, and the Sword which thou committed'st to him wrested out of his hand; this is thy hour, O Lord, this is thy time; now save him from the great waters that are come even into his soul, snatch him out of the jaws of these Lions, from among the horns of the Unicorns; now show thyself thou that art the Judge of the whole earth, vindicate his cause, confounded his enemies, restore his rights. Do it, O Lord, but do it after thine own way, and with thine own stretched-out arm, that the amazed world may say, See, see, this hath the Lord done, and the work shall be wondrous in our eyes, so shall both King and people once more rejoice, praising thee, and saying, Glory be to God on high, in earth peace, good will towards men, from this time forth for evermore. Amen.   

A Prayer for the PRINCE.  
ALmighty God, who dost establish the thrones of Princes, and the succession in those thrones, by giving thy judgments to the King, and thy righteousness to the King's Son; bless to us, we beseech thee, the great pledge of thy favour, and the earnest of our hopes, the Heir of these Kingdoms, Prince CHARLES, sanctify his younger yeares with thy fear and love, and the whole course of his life with the guidance of thy spirit; order him in all his ways, that he may prove a man according to thine own heart, precious in thy sight, and dear to all thy people. And since it hath pleased thee to show him to the world in these troubled times of danger and confusion, arm him with all advantages of counsel and success, set evident and early marks of thy favour on him, restore him to us in due time, with safety and with honour, and make his innocent hands the happy instruments of supporting his Fathers crown, and restoring peace to this distracted Church and Nation. Hear us, O God, for thine own Sons sake the prince of peace, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

A Prayer for the kingdom.  
O Most glorious Lord God, whose dwelling is above the heavens, and yet humblest thyself to behold the things that are done upon the earth, who seest our miserable distractions, who knowest the causes, and canst onely apply the remedies; be gracious and merciful to this wretched people; subdue powerfully their hearts & their affections to thee their God, and to thine anointed servant the King, infuse into them once again the spirit of Christian loyalty and obedience; undeceive their seduced souls, that they may no longer join with them who imagine mischief as a law, and would pull down him, whom thou hast exalted. O let the precious blood of thy dear Son expiate the crying sins of this Nation, remember thine old mercies and that soon, for we are brought very low, call in the destroying sword, and prevent the shedding of more blood, if it be thy blessed will, and by thine unspeakable wisdom, where all human wisdom fails, set such an end to those bloody and unnatural divisions, as may be most for the glory of thy name, the settlement of thy Religion so long professed among us, the honour and safety of the Kings sacred person, and the good of all his people. Grant this, O God, for the mediation of thine only Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

A Prayer for the Army, and Navy.  
O Most gracious & powerful Lord God, in whose hands are the hearts of all men to turn them as thou dost the rivers of waters; We humbly aclowledge it to be thy work that thou hast begun to open the eyes of this seduced people, and to see in this their day the things that belong unto their peace. And as this hath proceeded from thee alone, so let thy blessing be upon all them who in a deep sense of their bound loyalty and duty, do at this time put their lives in their hands, and are ready to venture them with all that is dear to them in thy cause; O strengthen their hands and their hearts, both on Land and Sea, that they may not faint and fall in the day of battle; be with them in their counsels to guide them, and in their attempts to prosper them. Kindle more and more the affections of the rest that are as yet but lookers on, that all thy people may at last join as one man to restore their King, and to regain their former peace and happiness. As for their enemies let them no longer glory in their wickedness, and triumph in the ruin of thy Church and people, but either convert them in thy mercy, or confounded them in their pride, that they may know, and feel their ways are hateful to thee. In the mean time, keep us, O God, under the shadow of thy wings, till this tyranny be overpast; hear the prayers and groans of the oppressed, raise up some Moses to stand in the gap, and to turn thy judgments from us, that we may serve thee without fear in holinesse and righteousness all the daies of our life. Amen.   

A Prayer in time of distress and danger.  
O God, O God, look upon us, why hast thou forsaken us, and art so far from our health, and from the words of our complaint? O God, we cry in the day time, and in the night season also we take no rest, yet thou hearest not; Our Fathers trusted in thee, and were not confounded, they called upon thee, and were holpen: but as for us, how long shall we cry, O Lord, and thou wilt not hear, even cry, unto thee of violence, and thou wilt not save! why dost thou still show us iniquity, and cause us to behold grievance? for there are that raise up contention among us; spoiling, and violence, and blood are before us; the people are risen up as an enemy against us, a bitter and hasty people, which march thorough the breadth of the land to possess the dwelling places which are not theirs; and we have prayed unto thee, O Lord, but thou dost not answer us; we have called upon thee, yet thou dost not deliver us; But thine indignation is powred out upon the land, more and more, and thine anger burns like fire. The sword is drunk with blood, and the carcases of the people have been cast as dung upon the face of the earth; and we also are all numbered to the slaughter. Yea, Lord, the mean man is risen up, and prevails against the honourable, and fire out of the Bramble devoureth the lofty Cedars; for how is the beauty of Israel slain, how are the mighty fallen, and the Nobles vilely cast away? and how is he, who is the breath of all our nostrils, he who is worth ten thousand of us, in hazard and danger, as though he had not been Anointed with oil. And in this height of our distress, thou, O Lord, standest still afar off, and goest not forth with our Armies; thou makest us to turn our backs upon our enemies, so that they which hate us, laugh us to scorn; but we will still seek unto thee, O thou King of Kings; we will still call upon thee, O thou preserver of men. Spare us( O Lord most gracious, O God most merciful) and be not angry with us for ever; Spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood, and let not thine heritage be brought to utter confusion; oh hid not thy face from us in this time of our great trouble, but incline thine ears now we call; oh hear us and that right soon. Thou which buildest, and none can destroy, in the power of thy most tender mercies, repair the breaches of this thy Sion, and prevent the desolations of this thy Jerusalem; make us once again glad with the light of thy countenance, and now at last refresh us with the blessings of peace. O Lord according to all thy mercifulness, wee beseech thee, let thine anger, and thy fury be turned away from us; O Lord, hear, O Lord, forgive; O Lord harken and grant; defer not for thine own sake, delay not for thy truths sake, O Lord our Saviour. Then shall the King rejoice in thy strength( O Lord) and we, and all his people shall be exceeding glad of thy salvation, and shall bless and praise thy glorious name, ever, world without end. Amen.   

O God, merciful Father, that despisest not the sighing of a contrite heart, nor the desires of such as be sorrowful, mercifully assist our prayers that we make before thee, in these our troubles and adversities now they oppress us; and graciously hear us, that these evils which the craft and subtlety of the Devil & man worketh against us, may be brought to nought, and by the providence of thy goodness they may be dispersed; that we thy servants being not hurt by these persecutions, may evermore give thanks unto thee in thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  
WE humbly beseech thee, &c.   

LOrd raise up we pray thee, thy power, and come among us, and with great might succour us, that whereas through our sins and wickedness, we be sore let and hindered, and through thy heavy judgments upon us, for them, almost consumed, thy bountiful grace and mercy( through the satisfaction of thy Son our Lord) may speedily deliver us; to whom with thee, and the Holy Ghost, &c.   

A Prayer for Peace.  
O God which art Author of Peace, and Lover of Concord; which makest men to be of one mind in a Kingdom, most hearty we beseech thee of thy goodness and mercy, to grant us thy peace all the daies of our life; unite, O Lord, the hearts of the people in this land to their King; make us all( perceiving his tender care and love towards us) to return the tribute of loyalty and honour toward him; and duly considering whose authority he hath, faithfully to serve and humbly obey him, according to thy blessed word and ordinance. And unite, O Lord, the hearts of us all, each to other; and inflame our affections with love of thy truth; that we all, being members of the same body, through love, may be united one to another, & to our head Christ Jesus; and serve thee in the unity of the spirit, and the bond of peace. Grant this, O Lord, for Jesus Christs sake, our onely Mediator and Advocate. Amen.   

A Thanksgiving for deliverance from danger.  
O Almighty God, which art a strong tower to thy servants, against the face of their enemies, we yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed; it was not our care, counsel, or strength which rescued us, but thy goodness, thy goodness only it was, that we were not delivered over as a prey unto our Adversaries; not unto us therefore, not unto us, O Lord, but to thy name be the honour and praise; and we beseech thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know, that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.   

A Thanksgiving for Victory.  
O Lord God, which didst of late wound us for our sins, and consume us for our transgression, by the sharp sword of a prevailing enemy, who slay and subdued our dear brethren with a rage, which reached up to heaven; and even now purposed to assault us and keep us under as Bond-men, and Bond-women unto them; we bless and praise thy glorious name, O Lord, that in the midst of judgement, thou hast remembered mercy, and comforted us after the time thou hadst afflicted us, by giving us this Victory over our enemies; scattering, and destroying them who threatened destruction to us; O God, mighty in battle, it was thy right hand and holy arm which wrought this wonderful work for us; therefore unto thy fatherly goodness, we offer ourselves, our souls, and bodies, which thou hast delivered from fear, and exalted with comfort, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, and will always praise & magnify thee for these thy mercies in the midst of the Congregation, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.  
FINIS.