SAMPSONS IAWBONE against the Spiritual Philistine.  
Containing sundry Godly and Christian prayers, necessary and convenient for all estates and occasions: by Ed. Hutchins.  1. Peter, 4.7. Now, The end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober and watch in prayer. 
Printed by Peter Short. 1601.  
HONI SOIT QVI MAL Y PENSE 
H D   decorative border incorporating the Royal Arms and printer's device of Peter Short   

To the Honourable and his approved lady and Aunt, the Lady jane Wentwoorth, Edward Hutchins wisheth all happiness in Christ Iesus.  
THough many yeers since, being in Oxford but a young Student, I took some private pains in the composing of Dauids Sling; and since that time haue had small leisure to attend any further travell in such respect: yet to show my thankful mind of your Honourable favours towards me, I haue striven by stealth of houres to draw this short prayer book, beseeching your acceptation thereof.  
I haue therein delivered that matter, which I trust is sound and necessary for particular person, and case: And pray God, it may redound to the profit of the Reader, as occasion serveth. Thus hoping of your Honors countenance, I offer it as some pledge of my bound remembrance, and so commit you and all your cares to the Almighty. The sixth of april, Anno 1601.  
Your H. to command, EDW. HVTCHINS one of the Prebendaries of new Sarum.   

To the Christian Reader grace and peace, from God our Father by the merits of our alone saviour Christ Iesus, be multiplied.  
THe Christian exercise of sacred and sanctifying prayer( christian Reader) is of that excellency, necessity, and efficacy, as that it neither needeth, nor is possible worthily to be expressed or commended by the tongue or pen of man. For if we consider first the Author thereof who is the holy lord of heaven and earth, infinite in power, wisdom and mercy, we must needs confess he would not haue commanded, and so often enjoined his seruants to the zealous and constant practise of this principal and most powerful duty, had not he who is onely wise, nay rather who is wisdom and goodness itself, seen it to haue been most necessary and profitable for them. 2. The manifold and effectual precepts& exhortations of the Prophets, Apostles, our blessed saviour Christ Iesus himself and his faithful Ministers from time to time, to admonish and incite us to the practise hereof. thirdly if we consider the constant and continual practise of all the faithful patriarchs, Prophets, and Apostles, yea moreover of the ordinary and continual use hereof by our most holy, immaculate, and most glorious saviour and of that innumerable cloud of witnesses of Saints, Martyrs, and all others the faithful servants of God: as Abraham and his posterity, Moyses, Ioshua, samson Gedeon, Elias Daniel, and all the rest of the Prophetes and holy men of God, did vs●●llie in all their distresses strive with God, as jacob did wrestle with the angel. Fourthlie the necessities& occasions that daily and hourelie even force and compel all the lords deere Children to the constant and faithful practise hereof: for whether we look unto the benefits of almighty God past, present, or to come, which every hour and minute of our life we haue, do, and expect to enjoy which are innumerable; or to the dangers, miseries, afflictions, or judgements haue befallen us, hang over our heads, or may every minute seize vpon us, we are called, yea forcibly summoned to this holy and most necessary duty. fiftly if we regard the most gracious and merciful promises, freely made unto us to 'allure us hereto, and that for our own good. joy the heavy judgements threatened and executed vpon the profane and careless neglectors of this duty. And lastly the continnall daily lip-labour and fruitless and ignorant, yea sinful blasphemous mumbling of the sottishe Idolatrous papists, whose constant practise in this case shall rise up in iudgement against many millions of Christians, that make no conscience to consecrate some daily opportunities or hours for this special duty. These motives( good Reader) with infinite more which I can not remember unto thee, ought to spur thee forward to the constant and conscionable practise of this exercise of holy and fervent prayer, and for thy help and furtherance herein, the gracious, wise, and merciful providence of our heavenly Father hath raised up many of his faithful seruants and Ministers, to set down and publish sundry and diuers forms of godly and Christian Prayers, for thy furtherance and direction at all times, and vpon all occasions. And further, least thou shouldst be glutted, and so begin to loath this most wholesome and necessary spiritual food of thy soul, the Spirit of God hath disposed so, that diuers of the said treatises of prayer do carry most amiable and delightful countenances as it were outwardly, the rather to affect and win thee to the love and embracing of at least some of them. As if thy heart be set vpon treasure, there is one carries that title of, The treasure of gladness; an other The Pathway to salvation, an other The godly Garden, also The enemy to security, and one amongst the rest bears this title, Dauids Sling, which godly and profitable Treatise was many yeares ago published by this Author, to the great comfort and benefit of many thousand the seruants of God. These goodly titles no doubt were put upon these treatises purposely, the rather to affect and delight the Readers with the love of this exercise, even as the discreet& careful physician doth often deal with his weak and ill affectionated stomach and eye of his patient, who when his stomach hath been cloyed with taking many medicines and his taste offended with the bitterness of them, his eye also begins to abhor the sight and colour thereof: I say then the physician doth many times cover his med●cine, whether pill, cordial preservative, or restorative with fine gold, that both the eye may the rather be delighted therewith, and the palate kept from the taste thereof, and so the patent enticed to receive the same for his own good. Now if all these and very many other means haue been devised, to draw thee to the love and liking of this most necessary and christian duty, and that for thine eternal good and salvation, what remaineth but that thou at length confer with thy own soul of these things diligently and faithfully, and if thou hast been careless and negligent herein, repent and call earnestly to the Lord to renew reform, direct, and assist thee: If thou haue made some conscience of the daily and conscionable practise of this duty, proceed& increase, knowing that he that putteth his hand to the plough and looketh back is not meet for the kingdom of heaven; and that only he which endureth to the end shal be saved. Thou seest how watchful and malicious satan is now his kingdom is almost at an end, to stir up millions of his instruments& ministers in these dangerous daies of ours, as many cursed Atheists& abominable Papists, with sundry other damnable heretics, and false and carnal Protestants, to extinguish the blessed light of the glorious gospel of Christ Iesus, and the most worthy and sacred instrument thereof, even our gracious and dread sovereign, the blessed and comfortable light, of this Israell of God. It standeth us therefore in hand to be sober and to be watchful unto prayer, and to look to our lamps and to our oil, that at what hour of the day or night the Lord shall call for us, we may bee found in the knowledge and true faith of the Lord Iesus, and in the obedience and practise of his commandements; that so we may enter with him into that happy and glorious rest, prepared for all the adopted children of our heavenly father: which he grant us for his Christ sake, Amen.  
Farewell in Christ. E. H.   


A CONFESSION OF sin.  
I Ought( O lord) to take heed to my ways, that I sin not against thee: but, alas, I am frail and ready to hault: I ought to follow goodness, but I follow evil for good; nay, alas, mine iniquities are gone over mine head, and as a weighty burden, they are too heavy for me. O Lord in this case what shal I do? I haue no comfort in myself, but on thee will I wait; my heartshall pant after thy sweet comforts, rebuk me not in thine anger;& if thine arrows light upon me for my sins, yet( O Lord) remember me in thy mercy, make me sorry for my foolishness, that I may taste of thy sweetness: and to the end I may bridle myself, and run my race in thy ways, give me grace to think upon mine end, and the measure of my daies, how small it is, and howe there remaineth after death a iudgement: that so living in thy fear, I may live by thy love, partaker of thy mercy, and free from damnation, through Iesus Christ my deere redeemer, Amen.   

A prayer for remission of sin.  
O Lord GOD, thou art a lover of righteousness, and hater of iniquity; and I miserable creature, haue hated righteousness, and loved iniquity: and therefore( O God) if thou shouldst mark what I haue done amiss, I were never able to abide it; if thou wouldest dispute with job, he were not able to answer thee one for a thousand; and what am I to a job? O lord, therefore where thou knowest my follies, how I am laden with sin, give me grace to be weary with the burden thereof, that I may come to thee, and find ease by thee; let me not fear, but be of good cheer in thee; strengthen me with thy spirit, sand him to be my comforter, to cry it in my heart, that thou art my loving Father, that I may never despair of thy favour; assuring myself, that thy grace is sufficient for me, even as mighty as thyself. Remember( O Lord) the prodigal sons repenting, and upon repentance the ioy of his Father in forgiving, and finding his son that was lost; O Lord, be thou the like father to me, to give me shoe and ring; thy fat calf is killed, O let me feed vpon him, and taste of his sweetness, Purge me( O Father) in the blood of thy son; love me in him thy beloved, that I may live by thy love. sin deserveth a curse; but in Christ made a curse, free me from thy curse: forgive, forget all my sins. grant this( O Father) for his sake, who knowing no sin, became sin for my sake, to save me from sin, Amen.   

A prayer for mortification.  
SIn, O God, is only and properly evil, that made of a good angel a divell, who watcheth like a Serpent craftily, and like a lion mightily to snare us in sin: O lord, therefore give me grace to eschew sin, to repress evil, that I may escape the fiery darts of the divell. My duty is to keep sin from reigning, to destroy the body of sin, to crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts thereof; this is the charge which thou hast cast vpon me and all Christians: but( al●s) wretches that we are, of ourselves, we are so far from thy will, that every man is of himself a very satan, enemy to god, and therfore to all that good is: O Lord, therfore able me to do thy will, give me grace to do what thou commandest, and then command what thou pleasest, that I may please thee, and for ever praise thee for thy mercy. grant this I beseech thee most merciful father, for Iesus Christes sake, my onely saviour and redeemer, Amen.   

A prayer for amendment of life.  
O merciful God, where thy will is, our sanctification, I beseech thee pardon all my sins, to create a new hart, and to renew my spirit within me; strengthen me( O Lord) to deny myself, to follow thee in wisdom, like a Serpent; in simplicity, like a dove; in humility, like a lamb; O give me grace in all my pilgrimage to make thee my way, against the father of lies; to cleave to thee for my truth, against all the works of darkness; to follow thee for my light, that my faith may be seen by good works. Let me not( O Lord) be like the figgetree, green with leaves: for bare saying is not the way to be saved: figs, O Lord, do please thee, and without figs the figtree is cursed. O Lord, it is a hell to haue thy ( nescio:) give me grace to bee wise, to watch for thy coming, with lamp and oil, that I may haue thy ( scio) to be known of thee, that I may know, and knowing may follow thee in heaven for ever: give me grace to haue peace with all men, as much as is possible, that I may bee blessed with the peacemaker: to be lowly and meek, that I may be blessed with the poor in spirit; to hunger and thirst after thy kingdom; to hear thy voice, and to follow the same; that I may never perish. And now( O lord) I instantly beseech thee, the rather to guide me in the ways of thy will, because the world is like a Sodom, and it is a special grace to bee a Lot in sodom. Noe was perfect in his generation, the daies of Noe are come vpon us; give me grace to bee perfect, to follow S. Anne in fasting and prayer, father Simeon in piety and dnuotion, S. Mary in humility and obedience, our saviour in charity and godly life: give me grace to keep myself purely religious, to visit fatherless and widows, to feed thee in thy hungering, to refresh thee in thy thirsting, to cloath thee in thy naked, to comfort thee in thy comfortless seruants, and to keep myself unspotted of this present evil world, which lieth wholly in wickedness; that so I may be found one of thy sheep, to be placed at thy right hand, to hear from thy mouth the blessed sentence, that I am the blessed of thy Father, to possess heaven thy kingdom prepared for all the elect. Grant this( O Father) for Iesus Christes sake, our only mediator and Redeemer, Amen.   

A complaint, with a prayer against sin.  
O Lord God, this is that late and lamentable day of the world, wherein the divels flood increaseth, and thy drop is very little: the world is full of sin, and so full of temptation, that jacob cannot escape from halting, wrestle he never so well: O God, therfore be thou my dear father; I pray thee therefore preserve me from evil. I haue heard of thy Almighty mercy, whereby thou couldst and didst keep thy secret ones to thyself in the midst of a wicked and perverse generation: Tread of job in the land of Hus; of Lot among the Sodomites; of the bishop of Pergamus, even where the seat of Satan was: O lord, show the might of thy grace towards me, so far as to keep me within thy ark. Many are the Goates, let me bee one of thy lambs and little flock; give me thy spirit to assist and guide me to walk in thy way, the onely truth and life, in Iesus Christ thy only son; let him be mine example to follow, let his promise encourage me, let him be my reward, that I may live with thee for ever, Amen.   

A comfortable Meditation in time of temptation.  
O Lord God, nothing grieveth the godly so much, as to seem to bee forsaken of thee, if thy face turn from them never so little, they are troubled: but yet this is their comfort, that thou hast care of them, when thou seemest to steep: and indeed thou seemest to sleep, to be careless of them, that in time of tempest and trouble they may despair of themselves, and flee for succour to thee. It is thy use to cast cares vpon them, that they may learn to cast their cares vpon thee, who carest for them; for they are thy beloueds beloved, written by thyself in the book of life, and thou canst not but care for them, whom thou hast vouchsafed to writ in so loving a book; so that though the flesh, the world, and the divell, and al the gates of hell do beat against them, yet the godly cannot but stand as sure as mount Sion; they are built vpon a rock, they shall never be removed. They are thy gifts( O heavenly Father) and by thee given to Christ thine onely dear son, salvation itself; they are so given to thy sons charge, that yet thou cariest care of them, thou houldest them in thine almighty, fatherly, and therefore favourable and safe hand, whereout no power shall be able to pluck them: O Lord, this is the dignity and security of thy seruants: and although I bee unworthy of the least of thy mercies, yet thy spirit assures me of this my excellency and safety in thee, so that I count by faith my sins no sins in thy sweet son, made sin for me, and fear not that wicked one, that seeketh to touch me: I am by thy grace one of thy little flock, and therefore I will not fear: It is thy pleasure( O Father) to give a kingdom, and therefore why should I fear? thy son hath bought me, his hearts blood was the price, his own blood is near, and therefore I cannot but be dear unto him: This is my faith, my Meditation; O Lord, I thank thee for it, and beseech thee to continue it, through Iesus Christ my lord and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer for peace.  
O LORD God of peace, the onely giver and lover of peace, we beseech thee to give peace in our daies: the devil, that wicked one, and ancient murderer, spites and persecutes the woman, and strives to drive her into the desert. His head is broken, yet he is always nibbling at the womans heel: but now especially doth he roar, like a lion full of wrath, because he knoweth his time to be short. And therefore, O Lord, cut him short of his will, tread him under our feet shortly: look not, O Lord, upon our sins, but vpon thy sweet son. We deserve trouble and confusion, but yet for his seek be thou merciful unto us, and cause thy face to shine vpon us: take from us all infidelity, distrust, disobedience, all hardness of hart, contempt of thy word and commandements: take al rebellion from us, that we may eat the good things of the land without sword, in peace. And to this purpose, O Lord, we pray not onely for ourselves, but for our enemies, desiring thee for the time past, to pardon their cruelty and folly; for they haue persecuted thee, and know not what they haue done: it is hard for them to kick against the prick: he that toucheth thine anointed, toucheth thee, thy very eye. O Lord, touch them with remorse of Conscience, smite them down as thou diddest Saule, call them to thy fold, and gather them that now are devout in scattering. And if it please thee still to suffer them to be pricks in our sides; so that we can haue no peace with thē in thee: yet( O Lord) never let us be without thee, and peace without them in thee: for he that hath peace in thee, needeth not care how little peace he find in the world; because this world doth vanish, and thy peace endureth, and shall never end bless us therefore( sweet God) with peace, especially peace in thee, and with thee: so shal we be sure, that our trouble in thy good time shall cease, and wee find everlasting peace, through Iesus Christ, our only true peace and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer for peace of conscience.  
O God, I am assured by the Prophet Esay, that there is no peace to the wicked, and indeed, where there is no true peace but in thee; so they being against thee, and therefore without thee, can haue no true peace: And yet there is no peace to be had with thee, but by faith in Christ, in whom alone( the peace of all the faithful) thou art appeased, and well pleased with the faithful. Indeed, the wicked haue their peace, and pleasure many times in the world. The Scribes and Pharisees may agree, but yet against Christ: O Lord, sand me rather war, and a sword then such peace with evil in evil. give me grace, O Lord, to fight against the lusts, that fight against my soul, to defy satan, to be heartily sorry for my sins, to be weary of the body of death, to fear mine own doings, to despair of myself, and raise me up by a lively faith, that I may be justified, and being just, may be at peace with thee, through Iesus Christ my Lord; who is that one, and onely seed of the woman, that hath foiled the Serpent,& dissolved his works: so that now he is but a nibler, and cannot be a conqueror of the woman. O lord it is thy work if man beleeue, work thy work in me, that I may beleeue, that thy gospel may bee my peace and power to save me. And where the devil is a prince,& layeth before my conscience my manifold and grievous sins, thy iustice& zeal in punishing sin; O lord, make me strong and cheerful in faith, to lay sure hold of thy almighty mercy, which is yea and Amen, to all thy faithful, in the dear death of thy son, which is the only death of death,& merit of life everlasting; wherein( O lord) give me grace to rest, that I may live in safety: grant this O father of mercy, for Iesus Christs sake, our only mediator and advocate, Amen.   

A comfortable prayer, in time of adversity.  
O Righteous God, it is thy nature, even in thy soul to hate iniquity, and therefore thou art wont to correct thy children, and to chasten them, that so thou maiest reclaim them from iniquity, so that thy rebukes are tokens of love, for this thy mercy, O Lord, we give thee hearty thanks. david found good by thy humbling of him: and thy gold is never clearer, then when it is tried, for then it is fined. John Baptist lost nothing by the loss of his head. the head Christ in heaven was safe, who for his sake broke the Serpents head, and will in his good time restore his head, and whole body unto him again, in state like to his own glorious Body: But yet, O Lord, as for the wicked who persecute us, it is for thy quarrel, that they hate us, they are thine enemies, and therefore keep not silence, suppress their rage, and save thy Peter from their girdles if thy good will be so: if not; thy will be done, that thou maiest be either by life, or death advantage to him. give us grace that the wicked, can onely kill the body, and not the body without thy sufferance, who sufferest thine to bee tried no further then shall fall out for their good, for death itself to them in thee, is as it was to paul, a dissolution, a desired sleep, no death but a step to eternal life: it is but a separation of their bodies, and souls for a time, which shal be coupled a gain, never to be put in sunder, but to be glorified together in heaven for ever. O Lord, let this be my comfort in all time of discomfort, through Iesus Christ our Lord: to whom with thee, and the holy ghost, be all honour and glory, world without end, Amen.   

A prayer against desperation.  
O God, the Father of mercy, be merciful to me a Sinner; though my sins be many and grievous, yet thy Grace hath superabounded where sin did abound: yea, thou art that God of love, which didst sand thine only son into the world, by his poorenes, to enrich; by his bands to free; by his smiting to spare; by his condemning to absolve; by his dear death and passion to faue; not the just, but grieved sinners. It is my comfort that he came to heal, not the sound, but the sick: to call, not the righteous, but sinners to repentance. O lord, I trust not in myself, I am sore, I aclowledge my sins, I haue no hope of health or safety for my soul, but in the sorrows of thy sons sweet soul:( O Lord) be thou faithful and just to forgive me my sins, and to cleanse me from unrighteousness; thy mercy bestowed vpon the dog of Canaan, vpon mary Magdalen, vpon Peter thy denier, Paul a chief sinner, the lost groats finding, the straie sheeps saving, the Samaritans oil and Vnguent, stay me from despairing, and guide me, to cast all my affiance in thee, who art the God of compassion, and hast the peace of favour, for all distressed sinners, who in faith make recourse to thee for thy favour, as thou hast not only promised, but sworn thy favour to such: I grounding myself vpon thy power and will, which I am assured of by thy word and oath, I deny,& defy Satan, and rest bold against all my foes bodily or ghostly. This is my onely comfort, O lord, that my comfort may increase( sweet Lord) increase my faith, and continue my course in the same, that I may bee blessed, with thy blessed ones, in thee my good God, whose name be blessed now and ever, Amen.   

A prayer for Parents.  
O Lord God, thou father of fathers, wee beseech thee, not only to give us thankful hearts, for thy goodness, in respect of our own selves, but also in respect of our children, the fruit of the womb is thy gift, and singular work, whereby thy church is enlarged, and continued vpon the face of the earth. O lord, therefore give us grace, to use our children, as thy gifts, that wee may carry godly care towards them, as to teach them to remember thee their Creator, even from the daies of their youth: for thy righteous seruant justifieth only, not all but many, and those onely who haue the true knowledge of him. Most parents regard nature, and drawn with blind& cruel love, provide only for the body, for the health, wealth,& worldly promotion of their children: But( sweet Lord) what is it to leave unto them the whole world, if at length they loose their own souls? And there fore give us thy grace, that wee may be their parents in respect, not only of nature, but grace, to bring them up in thy fear and love, that we with them may live with thee, and together enjoy life everlasting, through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   

A prayer for a married man.  
O gracious God, and lover of mankind, the first founder of marriage, I beseech thee to give me thy grace, that I may carry just care, no way to disgrace so honourable a state, assist me with thy spirit, that I may love my wife, as not another from me, but one of me, and with me: give her also, O lord, a due regard of her calling, to be my comfort, and helper, in my vocation. And because the divell is busy and crafty, and oftentimes useth the woman, to the hurt of man, as appeareth not onely by John Baptist, david, and Solomon; but also by Naboth, job, and Adam, our general father: I hearty beseech thee to guide my wife in better course than eve her mother took before her; save hir from temptation, and tempting of me, and let hir bee my fellow helper in all things, but especially in thy service: and if it bee thy will make hir a mother, and me a Father of such children as may do thy will, that they may bee thy Brethren, Sisters, and mothers; so shall they be sure to be loved of thee, and loved everlastingly, which is the onely true ioy of Parentes, and children: grant this, O Lord, in Iesus Christ, Amen.   

A Prayer for a married Woman.  
O Lord, although the woman first fell, yet it was thy singular mercy, to comfort her in thine own and only son, who became man, of the seed of a woman betrothed to a husband, she was thy seruant,& lowly handmaid. The consideration of the son, doth assure me of the high honour of marriage, and the virtues of the mother were fit ornaments for a state so honourable. O Lord, make and continue me fit for such a calling, wherein it pleased thy son to be born. I see much contempt in this miserable day of so holy an ordinance, by outrage of lusts: fornication and all vncleannes ought not once to be name among thy saints: it doth not them: our bed ought to be undefiled, and the bodies of thy seruants ought to be kept pure, as members of thy son, and fit temples for thy Spirit. But( O Lord) thou knowest all, I miserable wretch am before thine eyes, and humbly entreat thee to confirm me against all disgraces of marriage, thy holy ordinance. give me grace to condemn the soosenes of our daies, to pity them that amend not, to pray for their amendment, to keep myself purely religious,& unspotted: yea to detest the breach of wedlock as the devil: for it is a vile, a shameful& pernicious evil; it overthroweth private persons, whole families, yea, whole kingdoms: it destroyeth mens bodies, yea, and souls. O Lord, therefore deliver me from this evil, for Iesus Christs sake, Amen.   

A prayer for chastity.  
O Lord, the bodies of Christians are the Temples of the holy ghost, and holinesse becometh the house of so holy a spirit, give me grace to keep myself holy to thee: set joseph before mine eyes: if any tempter tempt me, let me as joseph did, less esteem peril of body, then loss of my chastity: So did Susanna, who regarded her Chastity more then her life: give me the like grace O Lord, for nothing is gained but wrath, by favouring and following the lusts of the flesh. To this purpose I read of the burning of Sodom, nay, the whole world was drowned for this sin, and these examples with others are written for our learning, that we should by these and the like judgements learn to flee alfornication, and lusts, for fear of thy judgements. And therefore let me be one of thy virgins, whether I be unmarried, or married, to keep myself and my bed undefiled, that I may bee one with virgins to follow Christ, my lamb in heaven, wheresoever he goeth. grant this( O Father) for Iesus Christs sake, our mediator and advocate, Amen.   

A prayer for a woman great with child.  
O Lord. great, and yet deserved is the pain and peril of child-bearing: I beseech thee to forgive the cause, which is my sin, and ease me of the pain, that sin doth merit. In the pain I aclowledge the vileness of sin, the uprightness of thy iustice: O lord temper thy iudgement with mercy towards me; if it be thy good will, grant me speedy and safe deliverance: the fruit of the womb is thy marvelous work: O lord haue care of thine own, and make me a joyful mother in thee. give me care to take due care of thy work; grant my child life and health, if thy pleasure be so, if not, O lord, I am in thy hands, and commit both myself and my child into thy hands, to deal with us according to thy mercy, desiring thee both in life and death, to be an advantage to us both, that whether we live or die, we may be thine: grant this, O Father, for thy Sons sake, Iesus Christ our lord, Amen.   

A prayer for Children.  
THy Scripture, O lord, written with thine own hand, doth charge me to honour, father, and mother; nay, this is the first commandement with promise. O Lord, give me this grace, first to serve thee, and in thee, to obey them, that it may be well with me, and that I may live long on the earth: and so moderate my parents, O Lord, that they provoke me not to wrath, but may carry that just care which belongeth unto them, to bring me up in instruction, and information of thee to train me up in thy word, which is truth, and able to make me wise to salvation. Make me( O Lord) a Timothy, a Theophilus, that I may honour, and love thee, and so live in thy love which is assured to al them that love thee, who art love; not because thy love can be deserved, but yet is of thine vndeserued grace promised to all such as living do love thee. O lord, thou hast done wondrous things for me, to frame me in my mothers womb, to nourish me before, and since I was born, to suffer me to be the child of christian parents, to live in time of the free course of the gospel. I haue no friend in heaven or earth like unto thee, and therefore give my parents grace to be thankful for me, and make me thankful for myself, to do whatsoever thou commandest. Assist me ever with the strength of thy spirit, that I may hate and shun all the vanities of youth, that being a child by nature, yet I may be old in grace and care of duty, to the performance of my holy oath in baptism, whereby I am bound to thee( O God) to forsake sin,& to serve thee as wholly thine. O lord, I am thy work, create and continue in me, a true heart, that I may walk as one created to good works, which thou hast prepared for thine to walk in. give me grace to be holy in my thoughts, holy in my words, holy in my ways, that I may haue the comfortable witness of conscience, that I am thy child, who art father onely to thy secret, and holy ones. This( O lord) I beseech thee to grant, for thy sons sake, who liveth and reigneth with thee, world without end, Amen.   

A prayer for schoolmasters.  
O Lord God, forasmuch as we haue charge of children, who are thy gifts; give us hearty and earnest care of their education, not only to bring them up in civility fit for this world, but to ground them in sound christianity, as fit for thee and thy Church, which it hath pleased thee to choose out of the world. And whereas most of us make no account of their religion, so we train them up in human learning; and many care for nothing so they may gain by their profession: O Lord, and master of all, teach them that are such, better lessons, and give me a better care of my calling, that my schollers may be thy schollers, no liars, where thou art truth, no swearers where thou hast given this lesson, swear not at all, not given to sin, where thou hast charged all to keep thy lawe, which forbiddeth all sin: so shall I haue Christian schollers, and be a joyful master of good Children, to my comfort, and thy praise; through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   

A prayer for Schollers.  
ALL good gifts come from thee( O Father in heaven) and without thee we can do nothing; we beseech thee to frame our wills to learn what is profitable for us; but above all things howe to serve and please thee: for all learning is folly, if it be not directed according to thy will, and to keep the glory of thy name. And therefore bless our Parentes, with sufficient store and care to bring us up under Christian Tutors, in thy faith; and fear us with a dutiful regard of our time, that we spend it to their comfort, our own good, and to the increase of thy Church, to the honour, and praise of thy name; through Iesus Christ our lord and only life, Amen.   

A prayer for Maisters of families.  
O Lord God, it hath pleased thee to make us maisters on earth, give us grace to discharge it, guide us from threatening contempt, and detaining of deuce, remembering that there is no respect of persons with thee, who art also our master: yea, O Lord, they are Chickens of thy hen, and lambs of the shepherd of souls: be they never so poor, yet are they chosen to be rich in faith, and coheirs of thy kingdom with thine onely heir, as well as others. And therefore give me godly care to esteem of them as of my seruants, and yet thy heires: give them grace to serve thee first, and me in thee; and strength me so, that I may account of them in thee, not as flaues, but as christians,& brethren. And to that purpose( O Lord) let me haue thy fear before mine eyes, not onely to require of them the service of their bodies, but thy service in spirit and truth, to the saving of their souls, discharge of my conscience, and praise of thy name; through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   

A prayer for Seruants.  
O lord God, thou art the Lord of all, and all estates depend upon thee, give me grace to do my duty, so to serve men, that I may serve thee. Grant( O Lord) to my master and Mistris, that they may do unto me, that which is just and equal, knowing that thou art, not only ours, but their master in heaven: and assist me with thy spirit and grace, that I may be obedient to thee in all things not with eye service, as a pleaser of man, but in singleness of hart, fearing God; that whatsoever I do, I may do it heartily, as to thee, and not to men, knowing that I shall receive a reward of the inheritance, as the seruant of the Lord Christ Iesus, in whose name onely I crave sufficient grace for my calling, that I may be thine in all duty, to my comfort, and thy glory, Amen.   

A prayer for the good bringing up of children.  
CHildren( O Lord) are thy special Blessing, thy Church consisteth of them, and is continued in them. That they may be holy, fit members of thy Church: thy holy Church admitteth none as appertaining, but such as being baptized, vow to thee to be holy, as thou( O God) art holy. bless therfore this good course of thy Church, and give all thy people care of their children, that they be apt Seminaries of Christians. Let them never forget thy commandement given by Moses, that they are to teach their Children, not what they please, but may please thee. david being near his death, for a worthy farewell, did diligently instruct his son& heir apparent, Solomon: Susanna had such parents as brought her up according to the law of Moses: That worthy mother exhorted her seven sons to die in thee, before they should deny thee: Tobias the elder taught his son to fear God, even from his infancy: O Lord, sand us many elect Ladies, and sand them such sons as may walk in thy truth: Fill thy Church full of Timothees; that so we may be parents of souls, as well as of bodies; to thy glory and our comfort, through Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.   

A prayer for watchfulness against Satan.  
O Lord God, and gracious father, thou knowest whereof I am made, I am dust, a frail creature, subject to sin, and by course of corrupt nature, onely given to sin: I am not able so much as to think any good of myself: this is my wretched case( O God.) But yet, alas, wretch that I am, I am not so weak, but my enemy is as strong, he is a lion, yea he is merciless, he hungers, he roars, he gapes, he compasseth every way to use my weakness to my own destruction. give me grace therefore to bee sober, and watch, that I enter not into temptation: let not that wicked one touch me, and if he touch me with sin, which for this life cannot but be in me; yet let him not touch me so, that my sin be mortal to me. O Lord, consider my desire, and harken to my prayer: the divell never sleeps, he is never idle, he watcheth against me waking and sleeping: O God, therefore let not thine eyes close; watch for me, and let me watch in thee, that the divell may haue no dominion over me: keep me( O Lord) from presumptuous sins, and though sin be in me, yet let it not reign, but make me strong against it, through Iesus Christ my saviour, Amen.   

A necessary prayer for our time, and for all Christians.  
WE thank thee, O gracious God, for all thy goodness bestowed upon us; for of thy fullness it is, that wee haue either nature, or grace, for without thee, we were nothing: and yet thou madest us something; nay, thou didst create all things before us, and for us; and at last thou madest man, after thine own Image, like to thyself, and prince of all beasts, fowles, and fishes. Nay, wherein, or rather with our first parentes,( in whose person, all mankind was included) wee disgraced ourselves, displeasing thee, and incurring thy just offence; so that thou mightest haue cast us into hell fire, which never shall bee quenched: yet it was thy good pleasure to pity us, and of thine infinite pity to sand into this evil world, thine own and only natural Image, Christ Iesu, thy dearly beloved, and onely begotten son, to restore us to thine Image again. Yea, he came being God, to bee man, not by deposition of the Godhead, but by assumption of true manhood; that being one with GOD, who was offended, he might be one with us, who had offended; and by the passions of his guiltless manhood, joined to the infinite might of his Godhead, he might remove our guiltshippe from us, and set us at one with God. O immortal God, for these thy woonderous favours, we give thee immortal thankes: but yet alas, how unthankful are wee, who for all this thy love, do not love thee again? For the ox knoweth his owner, and the ass his masters crib: but we know not thee, we do not understand, insomuch that heaven and earth may be called upon to witness of our miserable unthankfulness. For as for this our realm of England, thou hast been every way a Father, and favourable unto us the inhabitants thereof; thou hast not dealt so graciously with any people living, as thou hast done with us: and yet alas, what are we but a sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of the wicked, corrupt children? do wee not provoke thee to wrath? thou hast smitten us in these respects, but yet most gently: and yet alas, we make none use of thy favourable rebukes, which are arguments of thy love; for we fall away more and more. Nay alas, the whole head is sick, and the whole heart is heavy, from the sole of the foot to the head, there is nothing whole therein; but wounds, and swelling, and sores full of corruption. O Lord, therfore what may wee look for, but to haue our Land wast, our riches burnt with fire, strangers to devour our Land in our presence, to see it desolate, like the overthrow of strangers. This, O Lord, we deserve; but yet we beseech thee, O Lord, to spare us: and to that purpose, O Lord, wash us, make us clean; take away the evil of our works from before thine eyes: give us grace to cease to do evil, teach us our lesson to learn to do well, to seek iudgement, to relieve the oppressed, to judge the fatherless, to defend the Widow, to be sorry for our sins, to amend our lives, to he are thy voice, and follow the same: to consent,& obey, that we may eat the good things of the Land, and bee saved from the devouring sword. O Lord make our Crimson sins as white as Snow, let our Scarlet sins, be as wool, through Iesus Christ our only saviour, and redeemer, Amen.   

Another.  
O LORD, we haue sinned: nay alas, the people of our daies are proud in their sins, and all that do wickedly are stubble before thee: if thou wouldest thou couldst sand vpon a day that should burn us as an oven, and leave neither roote nor branch: but yet, O Lord, thou art a pitiful God, and givest us space to repent. give us grace to know the day of thy patience, to redeem the time, to look to our steps, to walk more warily than as yet we haue done, that we may escape the great and fearful day, which is the day of thy wrath, wherein the wicked shal not be able to stand. For thine own sake, O lord, make us not to be despised, and vile before all people: but be thou our Father, prepare us to walk in the way before thee; let us bee unto thee a flock, and spare us as a man spareth his own son that serveth him. convert( O Lord) the wicked, or if that bee not thy will, confounded them, that say: it is in vain to serve thee, and that there is no profit in keeping thy commandements, or in walking humbly before thee. O lord, give me grace to hate them that hate thee, and to be a companion of them onely that fear thee, that living in righteousness, I may live without fear before thee al the daies of my life. And because it is the innocent that shal deliver England, and the safety of al places and persons, resteth not in the arm, or wisdom of flesh and blood, but only in thy faith and service: I pray, O Lord, not onely for myself, but for others, desiring thee to increase Lots little family, that so thy mercies may bee continued towards us, which yet the world now no better then sodom contemneth, crying peace to itself, where there can bee no peace to a sodom, if Lot bee not in sodom. Increase therefore, O lord, thy kingdom; clock and call many chickens under the wings of thy son. Let him be our Hen, and let us haue will and heart to kiss him, that we may be safe under him, who is thy salvation: Grant this, O Father, for his sake, Amen,   

A prayer for Preachers.  
O Lord of the harvest, I humbly thank thee, that thou hast vouchsafed me this high honour, to bee one of thy labourers, unworthy( O Lord) I am, to unloose the latchet of thy show: but yet by thy grace, I am that I am; I beseech thee let not thy grace be vain in me. give me thine assistance( O Lord) that I be thankful, bold, and wise, to do thy will; keep me from speaking any lye in thy name; guide my mouth to speak nothing, but from thy mouth, that so he that heareth me, may hear thee. And because nothing disgraceth the course of thy gospel more than life repugnant to thy word, and I by thy word am a light of the world, strengthen me with the light of thy grace, that my light may shine by good works before men, to the discharge of my duty, the confirmation of thy weak ones, the confusion of thy foes,& to thy glory. Let me be one of thy voices, to cry for amendment; and not onely by word, but by works, living as becometh thy gospel,( which is thy power to save thē that beleeue, and therfore such onely as make proof by godly life of their belief) least while I preach to others, I myself bee reproved; rather( O Lord) let me beat down sin, and crucify the world to myself, and myself to the world. grant this, O Father, for Iesus Christes sake, Amen.   

Another.  
O Father of heaven, light itself, in whom there is no darkness at all, it hath pleased thee to call me most unworthy of the least of thy mercies, yet to be partaker of the light of thy gospel, and by thy gospel to be a light to the blind and ignorant.  
O lord, therefore be gracious to me, open mine eyes that I may see, and my mouth that I may speak, and my heart that I may beleeue nothing but thy truth. give me grace no way to fear flesh, and blood, but with courage to fight out my fight, and finish my course: and where he that doth evil, hateth thy light, bless me so, that I may hate, defy, and contemn the hatred and pride of the wicked. Moses checked pharaoh, Elias checked ahab, Helizeus spared not Ioram, the Prophet spared not jeroboam, John Baptist rebuked herod, and Stephen thy seruant, was not afraid to check and chide the Iewes. give me( O Lord) the same spirit of constancy, and boldness, to contemn the threatenings, and cracks of the wicked: be thou with me, and my comforter, against all those that cannot away with thy word, and ministers thereof. And if thy good will be so, grant thy word a full and free course, convert the hearts of sinners unto thee, seek the lost groat, give the prodigal son grace to repent, to come to thee to confess his sins, that he may taste of thee how good thou art, if it be thy will: grant this( I beseech thee) in Iesus Christ our Lord and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer after the hearing of the word preached.  
THough Paul plant, and Apollo do water; yet O lord, all is nothing without thee, unless thou give grace, wee cannot bear away the fruit of thy word: wee beseech thee therefore of thy great mercy, to make us always profiting hearers, as chickens to come unto thee at thy call. O Lord, let me not bee grave in profession, and dry in conversation: I know that green leaves cannot please thee, faith and figs thou dost require; make me apt and able to do thy will, for that( sweet God) is all my desire: it is a thing that makes thy name blasphemed, because we haue much profession,& small proof. O Lord take away this shane of our time, and so guide me to profess, that I may in life express; so to hear, that I may follow; that my fruits may witness to me, and to the world, that I am one of thy good trees, safe from hewing down and burning, sure to grow,& flourish in heaven with Christ Iesus, for whose sake grant this, O father of mercy, Amen.   

A thanksgiving to God for his benefits.  
HE is not, O Lord, fit to receive new blessings, that will not be thankful to thee for received blessings: jacob was blessed by thee, and he was thankful: thou didst deliver Israel out of egypt, it was thy will it should bee remembered; when Moyses and thy children had passed the read sea, they did sing unto thee; when Tobias had received his sight, his wife, and all his acquaintance glorified thee. O lord God, the Scriptures are full of thy graciousness, and of thy seruants thankfulness: surely thou hast been in as great measure gracious to us, thy people of England, as ever thou wast to the people of any Nation: wee haue been unworthy of the least of thy mercies, give us grace to be Iacobs: wee haue by thee escaped the darkness, and bondage of egypt of Rome; give us grace to sing as Moyses did, with thy people a song of praise for our deliverance: thou hast granted us, not only with Tobias the sight of the body, but of thy will in thy word our light, and by the read Sea, the precious blood of thy son, our only and most deere captain, we haue escaped not a mortal, but an immortal pharaoh, the divell himself. And therefore( O Lord God) we beseech thee, to give us soft and thankful heartes; for these thy mercies be many, and marvelous, and deserve thankes. Wee ask this grace of thee in the name of thy son Iesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate: to whom with thee, and the holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever, Amen.   

A prayer for the fear of God.  
ALL Christians( O lord) are bound to fear thee, for without thy fear( O lord) there is no wisdom, but folly and peril of soul; for the defect of thy fear is the cause of sin. And therefore Abraham could say to Abimilech, I thought in myself, saying: Perhaps the fear of God is not in this place, and they will slay me. O Lord, therefore keep me from this people, and places where thy fear is not: for thy blessing and grace followeth them that fear thee, and first seek thy kingdom The Midwiues of Egypt, the famed of judith widow, the manifold blessings powred upon thy seruants, fearing thee do prove it: in this respect thy word commendeth Simeon, Luke 2. Cornelius, Acts, 9. job. and others. Oh, therefore bless me so, that I may fear thee, and fearing thee, that I may work righteousness, that so I may bee accepted of thee; yea( O Lord) strengthen me, so that I fear no man, but as far forth as in fearing thee, I may fear thee: so shall I be sure to live without fear of them, who can onely kill the body; yea, and without fear of Satan, who can do nothing against them that fear thee, but as thou shalt please to give him seaue to their good, and the divels further confusion, as thou didst suffer him against thy seruant job: who fearing thee, was secure in thee, to the divels shane, his own comfort, the Churches confirmation in patience, against passions be they never so grievous, to thine immortal praise, and glory, through Iesus Christ our Lord and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer for courage against the fear of the wicked.  
O lord God of hostes, thou God to whom power belongeth, give me grace, not onely to profess, but in life to express the Faith of Abraham; to bee a Nathaneel, an Israelite indeed; to be a man after thy heart, as was thy seruant david: be with me( O Lord) in all that I do, then shall I not need to fear, what flesh can do to me. The words of Abimelech to Abraham do prove this point unto me, that thine assistance is able to secure, yea, and to make the wicked afraid of them. And therefore Abimelech could say unto Abraham: God is with thee in all thou dost; swear therefore to God, that thou hurt me not. Thus when the Egyptians pursued after the children of Israel, accounting of their overthrow; yet when they saw the unconquerable power in conducting them thorough the read sea, they could say, Let us flee from Israell, for God fighteth for them: and so did Saule( O Lord) fear thy david, when he saw thou wast with him O Lord be thou likewise with me,& the whole land, wherein I live, strike thy fear into the hearts of all those Egyptians of Rome, spain,& other places that groan day and night, to make havoc of thy people. save us by land& water; let them know that thou fightest for vs. O strike thy fear into the hearts of all, that fear thee not, but are enemies to all them, that fear thee; that so the divell may be ashamed of his attempts, thy Church may increase, and we sing unto thee just and immortal praise, through Iesus Christ our lord, Amen.   

A prayer for Patience.  
O Lord, where mans life is full of trouble and danger, and thy Children are sore, and continually assaulted, not onely by flesh and blood, but with the divell, who is a power, principality, and spiritual wickedness: I beseech thee, by thy spirit to assist, that I may resist the divell, and he may flee from me. job thy seruant was sore thrust at, afflicted in body, deprived of his children, spoiled of al his goods; yet could he say that he would trust in thee, although thou wouldest kill him: Tobias was greatly tempted, when his own parentes could flout at his alms and his hope; and yet was he bold to check them with patience: Susanna thy seruant was vniustlie defamed and charged, and yet is it said of her, that her heart was fixed on thee. O lord, howsoever it shall please thee, to lay thine hand vpon me: yet grant me patience to endure thy trial, that continuing thine to the end, I may bee thine, world without end, Amen.   

A prayer against pride.  
THe angel( O lord) was for his pride cast out of heaven;& where man had principality given unto him over Fishes, fowls, and Beasts; yet the devil in Serpents shape, tempted, and eve consented to eat of the fruit forbidden, so that pride was her fall: she offended God, and became captive to sin, by seeking to be God: with this sin was Saule infected, and therfore he would needs haue Samuel to honour him before the elders of the people. O Lord, the world is full of diuers possessed with it: But what did pride profit any of them? Proud Aman gained a pair of gallows: Nabuchodonizor would needs be like unto the highest, and became like unto a beast: Antiochus& Herod were devoured of worms. when the Disciples said unto Christ, divels are subject to us in thy name; Christ checked thē saying: I saw satan like lightning fall from heaven. O Lord, save me from so vile a sin, give me grace to remember what I am: for I am dust, and ashes; and what cause hath dust to bee proud? Let me never( O Lord) forget the humility of the Saints thy seruants: but especially of thy chief seruant, my saviour Iesus Christ, who was content to be a seruant to man, to wash till it came to his disciples feet, in water: and not onely so, but also their bodies, and souls, in his precious blood: O lord, make me a lamb of thy fold; bring me unto thy Christ, who was that lamb, that by his own example doth charge me& all christians, saying, Be humble,& meek as I am: Strike into me( O Lord) care of this duty, and give them grace to bee ashamed of pride, who are dust, where thy son was humble, and humbled to the death, even the death of the cross, to save us from death. Assist me always, to submit myself under thy mighty hand, whereunto all creatures do bow. O Lord, bless me with a broken, and contrite heart, that thou maiest be my health against satan; let me be poor in spirit, that I may be sure to bee blessed in thee, who art God blessed for ever, Amen.   

A prayer against sinful anger.  
O Lord God of anger, save me from the danger of the wicked: they are angry with that which is pleasing to thee. cain spited Abel, for his serving of thee: and Balaam cannot bless Gods people, but Balac is offended: It displeased Saule, that david after conquest was commended: Naaman disliketh the good coumsel of Elizeus: so did A●a of the Prophet Hanani: Nay, alas, paul could not withdraw the people from the worship of Diana, and of gods made with hands, indeed no gods, but Demetrius angry. O Lord, this is worldly anger, and their dislike, who like all things, but thy glory& their own salvation. If any Tobias do speak against theft, or any sin; O Lord, give me grace to use myself better, then did the wife of Tobias: not to bee angry, but glad of such a friend, whose buffets are ever better, then the oil of the flatterer; who deceiving himself, deceiveth others, running and causing others to run headlong into destruction: for he that is angry with my sin, is angry with my mortal enemy. And therefore give me grace to be thankful for such a one, and while I live( O Lord) sand me such friends, as will not be angry with that, that good is, but that which nought is in me: and give me grace to be such a one to others; so wilt thou( O Lord) be no God of anger, but a God of love unto me. Which grant that I may live by thy love, who art my only love, in Christ thy dearly beloved, Amen.   

A prayer for Godly anger.  
IT is thy will( O Lord) that I should be angry, but not sin; and therefore give me grace to be angry, but not to sin. Moses was angry with pharaoh, when he saw that pharaoh would not hear him: jonathan was angry with his own father Saule, he would not eat for anger to consider his fathers wicked mind against david: Nehemias was angry, when he heard the out-cries of the people, who were pressed with usury: nay, good david was angry with the man, indeed with himself, whom the Prophet touched so privily by a parable. give me grace( O Lord) likewise to be angry, not with thy creature, but with the corruption of thy creature, to hate sin in others, yea, and in myself: for if sin displease me, I am sure to please thee, who hatest nothing, no not in the divell, but sin. And in that respect, strengthen me so far, as to condemn, yea, and to crucify the body of sin, to the discharge of my duty, comfort of mine own conscience, and praise of thy name; through Iesus Christ our lord and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer against gluttony.  
NAture, O Lord, is content with a little; and therefore it is against nature to exceed: yet alas, such is the corruption of man, that not only the wicked, but thy seruants often times do exceed: Esau sold his Birthright for a mess of Pottage; the rich glutton lost his soul by it; it brought the prodigal son to beggary. Nay( alas) it was the sin of thine own people: Lot, Noe, our first parents offended, breaking Christian measure in meate and drink: a grievous sin, O Lord it is, to abuse thy creatures, to break thy will against nature, tending to the weakness of nature, discredit of christian profession, and peril of souls. Adam and eve were sore punished for it; it was one cause of the drowning of the world, burning of sodom: For this sin the houses fell upon the Philistines, while they were banqueting, and making merry. It was an occasion of Amons and Holofernes death: Nay( alas) thou, O Lord, dost not only punish it temporallie, but eternally, in all those that without repentance run on in excess, as though they were fruges consumere nati, born to be wasters. O Lord, I read it will be sufficient cause to condemn a wicked man, if he do not according to his ability feed thee in thy hungry, and relieve thee in thy wanting members. Alas, then what will become of them, that make no account of thy blessings? but are given by vain excess to make wast of them; which might according to thy will, charitably be bestowed upon thee in thy needy feruants: And yet( alas) what sin is more common in this our miserable daies, wherein we cannot meet neighbourly without course, indeed without excess out of course; in which respect, if God plague the whole land with dearth and death, to teach us, to carry more due regard of his blessings, it is no marvell. O Lord, keep me from affecting or favouring this kind of sin in myself, or any others; give me grace to dislike it, condemn it at all times: but especially at such times, as by thy Church are ordained for abstinence, justly binding us by order to some abstinence, who of ourselves would never live in compass. And to this purpose give the Magistrate care to execute, and me to perform this point of necessary duty, to the beating down of the flesh, and lusts of the same: grant this, O father, for Christes sake, Amen.   

A prayer against covetousness.  
NAked, O lord, I came into the world, and naked I shall return to the earth, from whence I came: give me sufficient( O Lord) that I may serve thee, and my daily bread let me never want. give me grace first to seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof; so shall I be sure never to want. And if it please thee to bless me with riches( O Lord) forbid that my heart should bee cast vpon them; but rather incline me in charity, which is the badge of thy Children, to bee good to all, even to mine enemies: but especially to the poor of thy household, that being a faithful servant, I may lay out my Talent to gain: and by giuing of my riches( thy benefits) to the poor, I may bee rich in good works: for what is all the world to a man, if he bee not rich in thee; and what is it, to be a beggar, even of a crumb of bread? All riches without thee are nothing: dives proveth it, they could not save him from hell: all want hurteth not, if a man be rich in thee. Lazarus was not worth a crumb of bread; and yet his want could not bar him from heaven: he that is thy seruant, be he never so poor, he onely is rich. And therefore save me, O Lord, from the sin of covetousness, and let me covet onely after thee: through Iesus Christ my lord, Amen.   

A prayer against bribes.  
BRibes( O Lord) are called the reward of iniquity, and it is written, that Balaam loved the same: I beseech thee save me from all tempting Balacs, and bribing Merchants: or if they attempt to corrupt me, yet( O Father) which art in heaven, deliver me from evil, and tempting divell. give me better grace than Balaam had, not to love, but to hate the reward of iniquity. For what cometh of such bribetaking? Iudgement is perverted: it is found true in the sons of Samuel. What cometh of it, but deceit and danger? Dalila proveth it, and samson felt it; Gehezi was plagued for it. The divell( O Lord) by this sin maketh gouernours the companions of theeues: by this sin he tempted to draw thy daniel from thee: yea, he offered thine onely son, the heir of al things, all the kingdoms of the world, to forsake thee. O Lord, he that tempted him, will not spare to tempt them that be his: and therefore I beseech thee to give thy grace to me, and to all thy people, but especially to them that be in authority, to bid satan avaunt, and with Daniel to set nought by the offer of Balthazer, or bad men whatsoever: for what is it to gain a whole world, and to loose our souls? Assist me therefore with thy spirit, that I may carry such special care of my soul, that no reward of iniquity may draw me from that duty, which I haue vowed to thee in heaven. And as for them that bee great men, and Gods among men, strike this consideration into them, that if they bee takers of bribes, they will prove no Gods but Idols, and divels companions in hell. keep and sweep Simon Magus out of thy Church, wheresoever he lives: give all thy Pauls grace to follow Paul, if any Foelix, or any other look for a bribe, yet to offer nothing. save al thy people from this grievous sin, for Iesus Christes sake, our only mediator, and advocate, Amen.   

A prayer against discord and malice.  
O Gracious God, thou art the God of love and peace, and thy blessing is vpon the peacemaker, and man that loveth thee, and man in thee: keep me from all hatred and malice: bow my hart( O Lord) to keep thy commandements of love, and let my condition be rather to be an Abel, and hated, then a cain to hate. give me grace to beleeue in thy just son, that my works may bee just to please thee, and all, but that displease thee. save me from the peace of the wicked, who haue no peace that good is; because they haue no peace with thee, who art only good: but let me be zealous of peace and unity with them that are thine. Dissension( O Lord) is a rent, that overthroweth not only private state, but whole kingdoms: and therefore for the surer and larger propagation of thy kingdom; give me thy grace, as also to all them that profess thy holy name, that we may live in joyful love, as brethren, not only in nature, but grace. I red, that thine own children haue sometimes iarred so far, that Abraham and Lot could not dwell in one place together. If the like infirmity fall upon us, that fell vpon our father Abraham: give us grace to follow his example, to compose all quarrels, to forgive, and forget, no way to break the bonde of peace; or if wee do, yet with true repentance, and unfeigned hearts, to knit the same again: that so wee may be fit seruants for thee, to promore the glory of thy kingdom on earth, which no way is hindered more, then with jarring. In this respect( O lord) convert, or if that bee not thy will, confounded all the brawling Spirites of our miserable time; Atheists, Papists, Anabaptists, Brownists, Barrowists, heretics, schismatics and Libertines whatsoever, who by profession, pen and practise, disquiet thy Church, and study nothing else, but how to rent it in pieces: And endue all thy people with the spirit of love, that serving thee the God of love, they may live by thee. Grant this( O Father of mercy) to me and all thy seruants, for thy sons sake, Iesus Christ our Lord and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer for true love.  
NOthing, O lord, can displease thee more, then want of love, where thou art love. We are above all things bound to love thee, by whose love wee live: but yet none can love thee but he that loveth man; for these two be inseparate, to love thee, and man in thee; thou hast commanded the love of both, and yet without thy grace( who art love) we cannot love: give me grace therefore, O Lord, to love thee, and then to love all men, hating onely their sin: but especially to love them that love thee, and in love are like unto thee. Guide me to love my neighbour, as jonathan did love david, even as mine own self. keep me from hating of any thing, but that Serpent that warres against the woman, and all her seed; for he that loveth the Serpent, cannot love thee, or thine; because the Serpent Satan hateth nothing more thē thee,& those that be thine. And seeing that all mankind came but of one man, let us haue the grace to live together as one, because wee came of one. Besides this( O Lord) I see the love of thy foes, how they love one another, though it be in evil: if Saule die, his squire will die. Let us not bee slack in true love, that so thy kingdom may bee promoted, and thy name may in us be Hallowed; through Iesus Christ our Lord and only redeemer, Amen.   

A prayer for hospitality.  
O Lord, mankind is so greatly multiplied, and so many are thy poor seruants, and so little is their relief in most places, that dogs may fare better then thy poor Lazarus, in many a place. O Lord, we profess ourselves to be the sons of Abraham, and our hope is at length to be received into his bosom: but, alas, our hearts and bowels are in most places so straite against the stranger, that a man can hardly see the step of Abraham. There was but one Lot in sodom; and alas how few be the Lots, that now adays do courteously entreat others: nay( alas) though the poor, be thy poor, and thou art poor in them; yet may they as soon in many places, get a check, or a whip, or a worse turn, then a morsel of bread: The rich gluttons of our time, are so rich in the contempt of the poor, indeed of thee, O Lord. look down from heaven, and give ear to the complaint of thy seruants, though never so poor; yet bought by the dear death, and purged in the pure blood of thy son, as well as any other. turn the hearts of the covetous, and open their hearts that they may see better to their duty then they haue done: strike them with some fears, that they may learn to fear thee, remembering that they were not made for themselves, but according to thy will( unless they will incur the danger of thy displeasure) to bee good to others: it is shane that the rich should live, besides their livings, to fill their own purses, and to let thine go naked in every place, and little regarded. Lay this shane before their eyes that are rich, that they may bee ashamed of their cruelties past, and learn for the time to come to be charitable. Elizeus found a Sunamite: but now alas what comfort is there in most places? Howe rare is the Gaius whom John may commend? O how many are they whom the example of Lidia may condemn? few be our Aquilaes,& Priscillaes. Where is Zacheus almost now adays to be had? We haue few Tanners like to Simon; few women like to Martha; few Rebeccaes; few Labans; few gouernours like to Publius. Alas, how few be the Philemons of our time? O Lord, this is nought, amend it, or end it; thy poor seruants crave it of thee, their groans are great, they pant after thine ordinance: and therefore as all reformation is in thy power, so pity thy poor, for Iesus Christs sake, to whom with thee and the holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, now and for ever, Amen.   

A prayer for the poor.  
AL states( O lord) depend vpon thy will, which cannot be, but for the good of thine, whatsoever their estate bee: give me grace( O Lord) to rest vpon thy will, to be contented with thy pleasure, be it never so poor, assuring myself that I am thine, and thine Angels my servants, whether I live or die, in more want then the dog of a dives. Lazarus my brother found it: let me find the like favor in thy good time, casting al my cares on thee, who carest for thy poor ones, that they may be rich in thee, be they never so poor. And here( O Lord) I pray not only for myself, but for all my poor brethren: give them grace to be patient, and abide such trial in their condition. And if it be thy will, soften the hard hearts of the rich, who haue not onely sufficient for themselves, but for thy poor servants. Vouchsafe then( O Lord) this thy grace for the time to come, and for the time past, be thou merciful to them, forgive them their vnkindnesse to us their poor brethren, or rather to thee in us, who in earth do bear thy person. grant this( O Father of mercy) for Christes sake, our onely mediator, and advocate, Amen.   

A prayer for Grace to rebuk sin in the wicked.  
WHere the wicked( O God) cruelly destroy themselves by sin, whose wages is death, it is our duty to show our care towards them, in reprehending of them; it is a work of mercy, and becommech thy children, who art the Father of mercy: but alas, now adays, where is this grace almost to be found? Lying, swearing, whoredom, hatred, all sins abound: and yet almost where is he or she to be found, that doth control it? Abraham checked Abimelech; and so did Lot mildly rebuk the Sodomites; yea jonathan found fault with his Father Saule, for his unjust pursuit of david. But( alas) now the husband may fall; but where is Abigail? now the people may sin; but where is Helias? now where is Nathan, that dare speak to david? or a Daniel, to a Balthazer? Oh, where is he almost that soothes not, but is sharp against, the sins of the wicked? Nay( alas) Aman found a flattering wife to hurt him; so did ahab to his loss, deceiving prophets: herod flattered the Iewes, and so do men now adays, not check sin, but sooth them in sin, and praise them in evil, which is the next way to send man to the divell. O most miserable misery, that ever men, and such as run under the name of Christian men, should flatter themselves in sin, which is an evil as bad as the divell, if not worse, because sin made a good angel a divell. give me( O Lord) better grace, to take sin for my enemy and deadly foe, to repent it, to deny it, to condemn it in myself and others; that it may never come in condemnation against me: and turn their harts to wisdom, that make no account of thy will, but rather of sin, and care for nothing more then howe they may fulfil the course of their sin. O Lord, stop them in their evil course, as thou didst stop Paul, when he was a Saul, and the son that once was prodigal, and the thief, who yet vpon the cross became thy true and bold Saint dying for sin, and yet stoutlie rebuking sin, and was saved from sin, by thine onely son made sin to make him, and al such thy righteousness in him. Grant this( O Father of mercy in thy son Iesus Christ, i● whom alone thou art appeased, and well pleased with thy Seruants: to whom with thee, and the holy Ghost, three persons, and one God eternal, bee all glory ascribed, for ever and ever, Amen.   

A prayer for the grace of compassion in any time of trouble.  
AL Christians are chickens, and their Hen, they are lambs, and their shepherd, they are branches, and their vine, they are members of one body, and their head is one, thy sweet son alone: so that not onely, they are bound by nature, but grace to bear one anothers burden in compassion, counsel, and other comforts. But( alas) now adays, if Lot bee captive, where is the Abraham almost that strives to redeem him? joseph was in danger of life, but yet he found a reuben: Iezabell did persecute the prophets, and yet they found an Abdias: It made Nehemias many daies to weep, to hear the miserable state of jerusalem. When Senacherib reigned, and hated the children of Israel, yet found they a comforting Tobias; who fed the hungry, clothed the naked, and butted the dead, O that we had such Abrahams, and Rubens now a daies: Oh that wee had Iobes in this day of poverty, wherein the needy cry for succour. O lord give us grace to respect, not onely ourselves, but our brothers case; yea, and not onely our brother in grace, but in nature: for the bowels of Christian compassion ought to be general. Samuel( O Lord) did mourn for Saule, and david for absalon, and the Prophet Esay for babylon: Paul grieved for the Athenians, and Christ himself wept for the Iewes. Guide me( O lord) with the same spirit of love towards all, to weep with thy saints weeping,& to pity thē, that no way pity themselves; but wilfully run into the very jaws of Satan, and mouth of hell, which is large, and always gaping to swallow up the wicked. O lord, if it be thy will, call them from themselves to thee; soften their heartes, that they may yield to thy will, and bee saved by thy good will; through Iesus Christ our onely saviour, Amen.   

A prayer for grace, not to bee offended at the offences of the wicked.  
IT is, O Lord, a thing to be pitied, that thy servants cannot discharge their duties to thee in any measure, either in judging themselves, or in correcting others for their sins; but the wicked are stra●ghtwaies offended with them. For this cause Asa King of Iuda could not abide Hanani: in this point Zacharias the son of joiada found a joas to command him to bee stoned: in favour of Bell, that false God, the lions den was thought a place good enough for Daniel: nay in this respect the Galileans proved fools, they counted Paul their enemy. truth it is, that truth could never yet find good liking in the world, neither can it, because the divell that Father of lies, is God of the world. Nay( alas) if man find just fault with his own sins, and do reclaim himself, and meddle not with others,( whereunto yet charity bindeth every Christian,) what falleth out but contempt of such a person? So that now nothing is more common, then to set nought by the groat that hath been lost, and yet is found: to flout the son, that of a prodigal is become a thrifty son. O world full of sin, nothing is more usual, then to mock the man that is become of a deceiver, simplo; of a fool, discreet; of an usurer, free; of a wanton, chast; of a hater, a lover; of a swearer, a praiser of Gods holy Name. It is a common thing, to scorn the man that becomes of a sinner a Saint; the wicked make such a one their laughing stock, because he doth by his amendment condemn their wicked lives, which best liketh them: O miserable blindness! O Lord, open their eyes, that they may judge their selves, and judge better of them, who judge themselves, and condemn their own sins. And if it bee so, that I live among them, who are scorners of thee, and thy seruants, Lord give thy grace, that I be no way discouraged in my christian course, by such devilish contempt: but that I may fight out my fight, finish my course, and keep the faith, and by faith keep myself purely religious, against all offences whatsoever. Grant this( O Father) for Iesus Christes sake, our only mediator and advocate, Amen.   

A prayer against lying.  
THere is nothing more common among us( O Lord) thē to profess thy service, who art the God of truth, and yet in our lives to be lying seruants, by disobeying thee, and obeying the father of lies. It cannot be( O Lord) but a grievous thing to lye, because that all lies be of the devil, who was the first liar that ever was: nay, alas, it is a dangerous thing to lye. For what got Adam and eve by believing a lye, and the liar? O, what shall become of them, that do not only beleeue, but tell lies? This was the sin of pharaoh, the sin of Ananias; the sin of Aman against Mardocheus; the sin of princes and people against ieremy the Prophet; the sin of the Iewes against steven, and against our saviour, the Saint of all Saints: But, alas, what did these wicked persons, or others at any time get by their lying? Ananias got a sudden death: Lord, save me from it, and from lying the cause. Haman got at last a gibbet: Lord preserve me, stop my heart, and mouth, that I do not lye: King pharaoh at length was drowned with others, and numbers haue felt in this world thy heavy hand for this sin. Whereby thou hast made it known to all the world, that as thou art truth itself, so thou canst not abide a lye: nay to fear us from this sin, if temporal punishments will not move men, thou hast denounced the plagues of hell against the liar, which might be sufficient, to work in us hatred of all lying, if any thing might serve. But yet, alas, all is nothing to whole multitudes, they way not either thy temporal, or eternal punishing of this sin. Lying was never so common If it be thy will( O Lord) take from men the spirit of lies, and endue them with the spirit of truth, both by word, and work, according to the oath of baptism, to glorify thee: And give me that strength of thy spirit, that I may keep my mouth from lying; but especially( O Lord) let me not be a liar in life. I haue promised to serve thee, and therfore I am a liar, an abominable liar, if I do not serve thee: and yet without thee I cannot serve thee, except thy grace do make me able. Able me therefore( O Lord) to serve thee, for Iesus Christes sake; to whom with thee, and thy spirit be all honour, Amen.   

A prayer against treason.  
ALL power is of thee( O Lord) to whom power belongeth: by thee it is, that Kings do reign; thou art the God, that hast said, they are Gods: their estate in thee is commended unto us, for they are thy ministers: nay, thou hast commanded all men to honour and obey them; not only forfeare, but for conscience sake: but yet, alas, many men, in all ages haue proved so miferable, as not onely by Doctrine to disgrace, but by practise to overthrow this thine ordinance. david found an Absalon, Zacharias the King of Israell found a Shallum, Senacherib was smitten by his two sons in the Temple, as he was praying: O unnatural! O devilish treason! nay, alas, as it was of old, so is it now, that none can live less secure then the Magistrate, if Amasa might fear the kiss of joab, when but now the wicked are in league, if they might compass a Nehemias it is their desire. But no marvell though the wicked do so spite thine ordinance, seeing thine own, and onely son, could not bee free from Treason, and the servant is not above his master. Yet( O Lord) if it be thy pleasure, make soft the hearts of such persons, who any way seek to stand with the divell, and withstand thy Gods vpon earth. especially( O lord) cast thy favourable eye upon England: long preserve our gracious princess Elizabeth, and all her faithful seruants from the treachery of foreigner, or privy, or domestical foe whatsoever; as thou hast done, so do still, that thy gospel may haue free course, the divell may be foiled of his purposes, that we may still be comforted, and thou haue the glory; through Iesus Christ our Lord, and saviour, Amen.   

A prayer necessary for this our time.  
O Lord God of wonders, who hast alway been wonderful in thy saints; as careful of them, as any Hen could be of her chickens, or any man of the Apple of his eye, or Mother of the fruit of her womb: work the wonder of thy mercy upon vs. True it is( O Lord) that the latter times, and therefore the sinful times, are come upon us; and therefore such times, as do not onely deserve, but upon desert cry out, for an end of our time: O Lord, therefore look not vpon our sins, but turn thy face away from them, and behold us in the face of thy son; for his sake( O Lord) forgive vs. The blood of Abell crieth for vengeance, but let thy sons blood cry for us in thine ears, not vengeance, but mercy: And for the time to come give us grace to live better, then as yet wee haue done, to led that life that beseemeth thy gospel. And where thy gospel hath had free course among us these many yeares; give us thankful harts to thee, and defend the free course of the same against all such as spite the glory of thy name; for now the divels time groweth short, and therefore now he threatens by his Pope and spaniard a short and sharp time, even within three daies, to set their bloody feet in England. But the cause is thine own( O lord) and thou hast these many yeares been the onely patron of it, and at this time their wild fire balls thou hast disclosed. Arise therefore( O God) still, and maintain thy own cause; thou wast able to save Noe from the flood, Lot from sodom, Daniel from the lion, Paul from Nero, and Peter from the chain: yea, at thy Almighty will, Holofernes was nothing to a judith, nor goliath to a david, nor herod to a worm, nor pharaoh to a frog. O lord, thou art but one, and there is no shadow of change in thee: thou art everlastingly and equally strong; strengthen us therefore( O lord) show thy might in our weakness, the more weak we are, the more shal be the glory of thy power in our defence. Make thy fools sufficient to confounded the wife, and thy weak ones able for them that crack of their might. Pope and spaniard count us vile things, as nothing to them: they haue said it in their heartes, and sworn it with their mouths, that there is no God to save us from them. O Lord, thou sittest and seest all, laugh them to scorn: thou madest of their invincible armadas, no better then a Babel. O Lord, stil make good thy power against those proud divels, who having felt the hand of thy power; yet will not aclowledge thee: they are but chaff to thee: O God, it is an easy thing for thee to featter them: make thy drop sufficient for the flood, let not thy little flock fear, but be of good cheer in thee. save, O Lord, our gracious queen, long, and long maintain her: guide, O Lord, her honourable council, in all their consultations. bless the ministery of thy word, and give us religious and pitiful magistrates. Haue mercy vpon all the Commons of this realm; give us all tender heartes, with Peters eyes to lament our sins: teach us to prove our religion by good works, in all our works to depend on thee; to cast our cares on thee; so canst thou not but care for us; and if thou care for us, we care for no more. O Lord, therefore in thee give us grace to put our trust, that wee may not be confounded. Grant this, O Father of mercy, for thy sons sake, to whom with thee and the holy Ghost, be al praise and glory now and ever, Amen.   

Another.  
almighty and merciful Father, we humbly beseech thee to be merciful unto us, forgive us our sins, and for thine own sake, spare us good Lord. O Lord, be thou our buckler, and shield: teach our hands to war, and our fingers to fight, that we may do valiant things in thy name, to thy glory, and our comfort. And now especially( O sweet God) look down from heaven vpon us, for now the divell is angry, and hungry to devour us, he is a Serpent and subtle lion, and mightily doth he attempt our desolation: and therefore he threatens by Land, and Sea, and practizeth every way to compass vs. He hath said within himself, that he will be at out heels by Land, and in the face of death by water against vs. But sweet God though pharaoh were at our heels, and the waters in our face, and death gaping upon us; yet art thou that mighty God, that art able to close the nouth of death, if it be thy will the waters give place, Israell doth safely pass, and pharaoh drowns; thou conquerest him that maketh full account of a conquest: O Lord in like maner deal with us: where the Pharaoes of Rome, and spain do reckon of our final decay, if it be thy good mercy stop their attempt; if not, yet Lord stop their intent, and give not thy enemies that event, that may make them proud: but if they pursue us, pursue them again: O God, let them drink of Pharaoes cup, that offer to thy Israell so bitter a cup. give long breath to our gracious queen, and give her grace above all things to serve thee, and knit the harts of all her subiects, first to serve thee; and next to serve her faithfully in thee. favour all, O lord, that favour her cause, or rather thine own cause; defend her person, defend her religion, thy religion. O God defend all that fight for thy truth under her Banners, whether they bee for her by land or sea; follow them with thy power: guide them, O Lord, in this service, the glory shall not be ours, but thine: and therefore for thine own sake hear us: bee thou their counsellor and fortress, a wall of fence to them, and al that are with them. This, at this time, we( O Lord) do crave of thee, in whom resteth our whole and onely comfort, for without thee all wisdom is folly, and all might is infirmity; but in thee the very sight of a hand may dazzle a Balthazer: Goliahs beam is nothing to a sling ston, no nor many weapons to an Affes lawbone: And therefore O Lord our God, we will sit under thy shadow, beseeching thee to cover with thy wings all such, as by Land or Sea do fight in the quarrel, and cause of thy son. Howbeit because thou hearest onely such as beleeue, and none beleeue, but such as do not onely profess, but in godly life express true religion: Therefore( sweet God) give us repenting and believing hearts, and give us grace to live according to thy word; that so wee may pray, and praying bee heard, and being heard may still triumph against all the fiery darts of satan to our comfort, and thy glory, through Iesus Christ our Lord; to whom with thee and the holy ghost, three persons and one God, be all honour and praise, world without end, Amen.   

Another.  
O Lord God, king almighty, all things are in thy power; if thou hast appointed to save England, there is no man that can withstand thee: for thou hast made heaven and earth, and all the wondrous things under heaven: thou art Lord of all things, and there is no man that can resist thee, which art the Lord. O lord, show thy power, h●●●e our prayer, and be merciful to thy portion; rebuk the tempest, and command us a calm, forgive us all our sins, and save us from that proud Haman of Rome, who spites to see Mardocheus in peace, because he will not prefer the honour of a man, above thy glory, and will not worship but thee onely his lord. hereupon it is( O lord) that they imagine howe to bring us to nought, to destroy thine inheritance, to shut the mouths of them that praise thee: yea, and if they could in one day with violence thrust us down into hell, to the intent that their affairs might be without contradiction or trouble. Thou knowest this( O Lord) who knowest all things, and therefore haue mercy upon us thy people: turn the threats of the time into peace, that wee may live and praise thy name. Let the light and the Sun rise up, let the lowly bee exalted, and the glorious be devoured. Grant this, O Father, for Iesus Christes sake Amen.   

A prayer against heresy and schism.  
O Lord God, as thy onely sons coat was woven, and without seam or division; so ought all thy Seruants to bee one, and knit together in one faith, in one hope, in thee one, and their onely God: but yet alas, the divell is busy to make rents of thy seamless coat, and by heresy& schism to overthrow the profession of thy name. And to that purpose knowing his time to bee short, he hath played his spiteful part in these latter times, troubling both state and church with sore separations. O Lord, heal these wounds; if it be thy will, give us all thy grace to be of one mind; and if that be not thy will, I beseech thee to cut them off that do disquiet other Churches, and this thy Church of England: Anabaptistes, Barowistes, Brownistes, Chamishe, Martinistes, the family of love, which no way loveth thee, heretics, schismatics, al Epicures and Atheists. O lord, either of thy mercy convert, or in thy iustice speedily confounded them, so shall thy little drop be safe against all the water floods of satan. Indeed I cannot but confess and lament many imperfections that be among us: O Lord, open our eyes to see them, our heartes to aclowledge them call them home again that bee scandalised by them; and give me grace no way to separate myself from thy Church for any frailty: but rather( good lord) I beseech thee, to confirm me in thee, against all offences; to redress in thy good time, what thou knowest to bee amiss, to stop the malicious pens of all them that are given to pen some truths; but yet to the credite of many manifest lies, arguing upon the blemishes of men, against the pureness, yea, and truenes of thy Church among vs. O Lord, show this thy mercy vpon this thy Church of England, and give us thankful hearts to thee, for the course of the gospel, least by unthankful division we loose it, and all blessings with it. Grant this( O father of mercy) for Iesus Christes sake, Amen.   

A prayer for grace, to carry a true reverence towards Gods word.  
WIthout the knowledge of thee( O Lord) it is unpossible for any man to be saved: and how shall a man know thy will, but by thy word? Which word thou thyself didst first vouchsafe to writ in wans hart, and afterwards with thine own finger, in Tables of ston: so that if I either care for myself, or thy reverence, I must reverence thy word My sweet lord, thy onely son is my onely delight, in whom thou art wholly delighted, he himself delivered thy word, and afterwards sent his Disciples to declare the same to the world: yea, and by thine own word, wee ought to reverence thy word from their mouths, as though it were from thy own; for he that heareth them, heareth thee. many other arguments( O Lord) there are, which ought to persuade men to carry a due regard of thy word: but yet( alas) this is the misery of our miserable time, wee care for nothing less then thy word. The liar contemneth thy word, the swearer, the adulterer, the usurer, because thy word condemneth their lying, whoring, swearing, usury, and all the sins of the wicked: Nay, alas, such is the misery of men now adays, that they will vpon occasion of their sins, that profess thy gospel, condemn thy gospel, and also speak most vilely of it. O lord, save me from such temptations, and give them the spirit of reformation, that haue yielded to such gross illusions: for thy word dependeth not upon man, but it is to be taken, as it is indeed, for thy word whosoever doth utter it: truth is truth, though Cayphas do prophecy; and the father of lies, doth not always lye; though he call my saviour thy son, I must beleeue it, because thy word is so, though not because he speaketh so. O lord, therefore give me grace to carry a due regard of thy word; though Iudas do preach it, give me grace to way not who speaks, but what is spoken. Grant this, O Father of mercy, for Iesus Christs sake, our onely mediator, and advocate, Amen.   

A prayer to God for them, that are troubled in mind.  
O lord God, thou Father of mercy, be merciful unto me, and look vpon me thy poor creature here distressed. O Lord, the divell is a malicious and merciless enemy, he spiteth all thy creatures, but especially thy seruants, and all such as haue desire to please thee, because he is contrary to thee: yet( O Lord) the divell can do nothing, but as thou shalt please to suffer him, and and oftentimes it pleaseth thee, not of thy wrath, but for trials sake: and therefore in thy favour to give him leave, not only to spoil job of his goods, but of his bodies health; yet reserving his soul safe unto thyself. O sweet God, therefore thy sweet will be done, I thy poor servant haue deserved greater trouble then this, and by thy will it is, that job was, and I am troubled; O lord, therefore I beseech thee, be unto me a gracious God; if it bee thy pleasure, restore me to perfect strength, and use of my body: if not, yet( O lord) haue pity vpon my poor soul. Remember not( O Lord) my sins, mark not what I haue done amiss, enter not into iudgement with me, but remember thy sweet, and dearly beloved: remember his bodies tearing, and his souls suffering for me, and stop thine ears against the cry of mine offences, and open them to the cries of thy son: harken( O Lord) to the cry of his blood, his head did bleed, let that cry; his hands did bleed, let them cry; his side was wounded: his head did bleed( O lord) al; al his body was in a sweat,& what was that sweat but like drops of blood trickling down to the ground? O lord, harken to those manifold cries of his precious blood, running from all partes of his body, and wash me clean from sin therein: but especially( O Lord) remember his sweet soul, heavy even unto the death, to save me from death, by reason of sin my due. O remember howe thou hast punished all the sins of al thy Seruants in him, and for his sake, being made sin, to save them all from sin. With them I desire thee to respect me one of thy distressed creatures, labouring for, and only coming unto thee for ease. The woman of Canaan had a daughter, and she was miserable vexed with a divell; her mother was a dog, and not worthy of a crumb that might fall from thy childrens table: yet( O God) shee cried for mercy, and found mercy at length. O Lord, bee the same God of mercy to me, who here pray for myself, not in mine own name, but in the name of thy son, who became the son of david. As he was( O lord) unto the woman of Canaan and her daughter, so be thou to me in him, an ease in trouble, the God of my salvation, against all the temptations of satan whatsoever. O Lord, haue care of me, and love me in Christ thy beloved, who loved me to the death, to save me from death by his death, being life. Good Lord, I beseech thee for thy mercies sake, be thus merciful unto me, forgive me all my sins, and tread satan under my feet shortly. In the name of Iesus Christ. O Lord, grant this, I beseech thee, Amen.   

Another.  
FAther of mercy, without thee I am miserable, and better nothing, then any thing; O pity thy creature, and do not forsake me, seek him that is a stranger, sweep for me( O Lord) without thee a lost groat, repress the rage of satan; thou canst do it( O lord) I beseech thee, in thy sweet son to be willing. give me strength of grace to withstand, and so to shane the divell; as job did by his patience rest himself onely in thee, so let me possess my soul in patience. I know( O Lord) that thing cannot be lost that is committed to thy hands: and therfore as thou givest me grace to do, so do I commit my body and soul into thine hands: Thou hast made& thy dear& onely son hath bought me, and therefore in thy own son take me forthine own, and let thy right hand be my defence and comfort, against all discomfort whatsoever. give me the assistance of thy spirit, that I may bee sorry for my sins, that I by them haue displeased thee any way. O lord give me grace to displease myself in all things, wherein I haue not pleased thee, that so by displeasing myself through thy good spirit, I may please thee. Grant this, O Father of mercy, for Iesus Christes sake, in whom now and ever, I commend myself unto thee, Amen.   

A Prayer for them that are visited with sickness.  
O GOD of health, I thy sick seruant, haue none in heaven or earth, that can comfort me besides thee: to thee nothing is unpossible, and therefore if thou wilt, thou canst make me whole: thy will be done, O lord, whether it please thee to restore me to my former strength, or else to take me to thy mercy: thou knowest what is best for me, and I know that thou workest all good things, to their good that love thee. Yea, O Lord, by this thy Fatherly correction thou provest thy love towards me, for thereby thou dost humble me, and make me to remember my sins, and teachest me to run for my ease unto thee, which is the next way to be strong in weakness, merry in heaviness, cheerful in distress, to be in life, when wee are in death, it is heaven to the man that is in hel, and extreme affliction: and therefore in this thy chastening of me, I find thy love assured to me; thou teachest me to come unto thee, being laden with the weight of sin and sickness, that I may find some ease in thee. O Lord, if it be thy pleasure come and ease me quickly: assist me with the spirit of patience, let thy grace make me strong against al temptations whatsoever: forgive me all my sins, and for thy dear sons sake, be thou merciful unto me. I beleeue that he suffered sufficiently, and fully to save me from satan: O Lord, increase this my faith, and according to my faith, so let me be heard: Thou art a gracious God, and thine ears are always open to the grieved and weary person, that pants after thy comforts: and therefore as I thirst after thee, and none but thee, so manifest thy grace vpon me: be thou my comforter, my fortress, and rock of defence; let thy dear sons bloody death stand before me and thy iustice, and speak peace to my conscience, that whether I live or die, I may live to die, and die to live, assured of eternal life in the death of Christ, whom I beleeue by death, to be my onely life: Grant this O father of mercy, for Iesus Christes sake, Amen.   

Another.  
DEath, O Lord, is the wages of sin; and therefore, O Lord, I confess, that I am worthy to die: but yet sweet God, in the death of thy son, whom thou diddest punish sufficiently for my sin, be thou merciful unto me, to for give me my sins, and turn death to mine advantage in him, that it may be a sweet sleep, and no death unto me; dying not to die, but by death to come to thee, that I may live with thee everlastingly. This( O Lord) is all my desire; O let my cry come unto thee, give me grace whensoever I leave this wretched life, to make a blessed end, that I may depart in peace in Christ thy son, mine only peace, and contentation: his birth, his life, his death, his resurrection, all that he is, and is his, by faith, O Lord, I count it mine own, as my sins were his, and lai● vpon him who never knew sin, and yet was made sin, that I might be thy righteousness in him. O Lord, increase this faith in me, and according to this faith which is thy work, do thou respect me, for in myself I haue no cause or colour of comfort but onely in thy son, in whom I know thee to be only well pleased. O sweet Christ in him thy beloved, love me, and be well pleased towards me thy sick, and weak creature: God be merciful to me a sinner: Iesus receive my spirit: Father into thy hands I commend my Spirit, Amen.   

A prayer needful for all the people of this Land.  
THY Name( O Lord) is the Lord of hostes; and therfore they are fools, that do provoke thee to anger; and yet, alas, such fools we haue been, and thou( O God) knowest our follies: O Lord, impute them not unto us, but haue mercy vpon us: give us soft heartes, broken hearts; make us weary with the weight of our sins, that wee may learn to fly to thee for succour. O lord, if thou wouldest, thou mightest bring us to hell, we haue deserved no better a lodge then jonas did: but we know that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness. jonas could pity a small thing, and bee angry for the withering of a gourd, Ion. 3. which yet he neither laboured nor made to grow; and wilt not thou( O Lord) be merciful to the people of England? Indeed( O Lord) jonas hath been among us, and hath cried yet 40. daies; nay not onely daies, but yeeres: and yet we are not like to the ninivites, that yielded not onely vpon 40. yeeres, but daies. O Lord, give us better hearts for the time to come, give us grace to put on sackcloth, to cry mightily unto thee: Assist us so with thy spirit, that every man may turn from his evil way, and from the vileness that is in their hands. Thou sparedst niniveh that great city, and madest to jonas this merciful question and check; why he should be angry for the loss of a gourd? and why thou shouldst not spare niniveh that great city, wherein there were sixscore thousand persons, that could not discern between their right hand, and their left hand, and also many cattle? O Lord, if thou be so merciful to beasts, be merciful to us; let thy love, and the light of thy countenance bee shewed upon us: break up our fallow ground, and sow therein the seed of righteousness: where the tempest is great, and the surges of the Sea, O Lord, if it bee thy will, to sand a calm: give every jonas grace to repent, and turn to thee, lest our ship be troubled for his sake, and he himself at length devoured: or if it be thy will for our sins, to follow us; yet( Lord) give us grace, when we are in hell, to cry vpon thee, and sand us some Whale to restore us, if thou sand one to swallow us; thou art almighty, and canst do it; the glory shall be thine. Grant this( O Father of mercy) for Iesus Christes sake, our only mediator and advocate, Amen.   

A Prayer for her majesty.  
THE Prince of this world( O Lord) is not able without thy leave to touch any creature of thine, though he bee malicious, merciless, and mighty; yet his might is nothing, if it please thee to restrain him of his will: O Lord, wee know this thy strength, and that thy only strength is sufficient against him. We beseech thee therefore to pardon our sins, we aclowledge them, and heartily lament them, we abhor them, O Lord; and therefore( O Lord) abhor not thou us, for thy names sake, cast not away the throne of thy glory. jer. 14.20.21. Our trust is not in any of the Gentiles vanities, but onely in thee: and therefore hold thy merciful hand towards us( O Lord) be not weary of repenting, jer. 15.6. though thou presently threat the plagues: yet give us new hearts, that thou maiest repent and spare vs. Especially( O Lord) be favourable to thy servant Elizabeth, our most gracious sovereign, come against her enemies, as against thorns solden one in another: destroy them with the breath of thy mouth, if thy good will be not to turn their hearts, to favour thy name and us, that favour the same. save her( O lord) and all her people committed to her charge, from the fowls of the heaven, and beasts of the Land, and fishes of the Sea, that they do not devour or destroy them: keep from us the tearing dog, and slaying sword O Lord, remember thy old mercies, and be the same God of mercy still unto us: writ our merciful princess in thy merciful hand, and let her be as the apple of thine eye unto thee, and sand thine angel to pitch his tent above her, and all thy faithful seruants, that serve for hir any where in all the world, to the comfort of thine, to the shane of them that spurne against thee and thy secret ones. Grant this( O Father) for Iesus Christes sake, our onely mediator and advocate, Amen.   

A Prayer for faire weather at any time, as well for committing fruits to the earth, as for there ceiuing of them and other blessings.  
O Lord God, we beseech thee to give us grieved hearts, and sorrowing souls; for our sins are many and mighty, and wee know that thou art a holy God and just: and yet, alas, lying, swearing, whoredom, malice, usury, pride; alas, what sin is it that aboundeth not in England? O Lord, these be great sins in the heathen that know thee not: howe much more grievous in us who haue professed thy knowledge, and haue vowed obedience to thy Holy name. And therefore seeing we serve thee not accordingly, we cannot but most highly displease thee: of which thy just displeasure, thou hast shewed us of late yeares especially, sundry and memorable tokens. We haue been visited with pestilence almost general, and threat of Sword: It is not long since, O Lord, that our harvest was short, and corn so scant, that thereupon there came such want among us thy people, as never was known in the memory of man now living: And thou seest, O GOD, that the most are never the better, or in life amended thereby: the dear year is forgotten by the most, wished again by many: the rich of England think corn too cheap, the poor bee not thankful for the plenty; all states for the greatest part, are given to riot and waste, as though there could not grow a new want. It is true, O Lord, and thou seest it; and therefore now thou dost smite us again with unseasonable weather, so that wee cannot commit our corn to the earth( or receive thy blessings from the earth) in due season. O Lord, bee merciful unto us, and give us grace to judge ourselves, and to condemn our own sins, which are the cause of sickness, poverty, persecution, and all calamities. give the proud of England grace to remember, they are but dust; the covetous, that they came into this world naked, and shall carry nothing but sin to condemn them, unless they repent. give the liar grace to speak truth, the swearer to fear thee; give al wantons the grace of Mary Magdalen, to weep; give the extortioners of the land, the gift of Zacheus, to make restitution; and all thy people, O lord, bless them with true contrite hearts, that so we may fear thee, and in fear serve thee; and in our serving of thee, seek thee first: so shall wee bee sure to sow and reap, to begin and end, and to continue, till wee come to a blessed end, which in thee shall last in heaven, and never haue end. grant this, O lord, for Iesus Christes sake, our onely mediator and advocate, Amen.   

Another Prayer after receiving of the fruits of the earth, with a complaint of the time.  
O LORD God, as all things are thine, because thou hast made them, and all Creatures ought to be thy seruants, because they are thine: yet, alas, where all other creatures are ready to do thy will and serve thee, which art the maker,( fierce to punish the wicked, but easy to do good to such as put their trust in thee:) such is our misery, that wee either know not, or weigh not of duty. O Lord, when did not the Heauens declare thy Glory? when did the earth refuse to be thy footstool? At thy word the Sea swelles not, the wind blows not, the funne steps not; yea, the sun runs not: the earth doth open to swallow, the water is firm to bear up a heavy body: if Peter doubt, he may begin to finke; till he doubt he may walk vpon the water. At thy will, O Lord, Snow and ice will abide the fire, fire will burn in the hail, and sparkle in the rain. What creature is it, O Lord, that may not come in condemnation, not onely against Iewes, Turks, Heathens, and Infidels; but against such as run under the name of Christians: amongst whom there is now adays to bee found little faith, much falseness: much doubling, little love without dissembling; much pride, small humility; great covetousness, little pity. The most live, but without repentance, as though they were in hope of heaven without repentance; as though there were no God, because no just God, who cannot bee just, unless he reward every man according to his deeds. O Lord, in respect of our manifold and grievous sins, thou hast smitten us sundry ways, that wee may learn to remember ourselves, what we are; and thee, what a just God thou art: unless we repent and amend our lives. The very beasts of the field haue mourned for want of grass and water: thou didst put us in fear of a short and vnseasonaharuest: O lord, spare thy poor creature, fill with thy blessing every living thing: sand us our daily bread, and make us thankful for thy goodness: it is by thee, that our harvest is so well gotten in. grant us, O good God, a seasonable time to sow, and true sorrow of heart for our sins, that in thy good time we may reap again. And if it be thy will to punish us, yet( O lord) chide but for a time; beate us with a fatherly rod, and be not angry with us forever. grant this O Father for thy sons sake, our sweet saviour, to whom with thee and the holy ghost be all honor and praise, both now and ever, Amen.   

A special prayer for her may sties royal person, and the good estate of England.  
O Lord, thou art that only light, in whom there is no darkness at all: thou art all eye and seest all: there is nothing hide from thee, but all things are naked to thine eyes, with whom wee haue to do. Nothing can bee attempted or intended, which thou knowest not, who knowest what is in man. And, as thy knowledge comprehends it, so thy power is sufficient to effect attempts, or to prevent all wicked intents. But yet( O Lord) we haue deserved, not onely danger of bodies, but damnation of souls: our sins are many, mighty, and the mightier to crave and cry out for iustice, because we haue not of so long time made better use of thy manifold, manifest, marvelous, and therefore memorable favours; whereby thou hast blessed us above all other countries round about vs. We haue not been thankful to thee for our gracious princess, nor for our long and yet continued ioy by her gracious reign. The most loath Manna, they lust for the fleshpots of Egypt: thy word( O God) in words is truly and thoroughly protested; but thy word looseth grace by the graceless and ingratefull life of the most. For faith is grown scant, love is frozen, sin aboundeth: Lots family in England is little, but Lots grief is not little to see it so little. Many haue faith in lips, how few in in life? Our Churches are open, how few come to pray? howe cold is devotion? What daies are for the most part and by the most more profaned, thē those daies that be appointed for thy service, O God? We haue rents and schism, many profess heresy: nay, alas, instead of superstitious papism or holy protestation against heresy, schism, and other sin; what numbers profess with mouth or at least by vnchristian life, the divels high service, no better then atheism? O Lord, howe shall I complain? England is full of dross, our silver is little: what multitudes favour sin? How few are zealous to stand in the gap by true repentance and prayers against sin, which threatens on all sides( and without speedy repentance) a speedy and woeful end? O sweet God, give us new harts, that we may serve thee in newness of life: let the old man die, that the new man may live, and wax strong in life. bless us all, that we may be truly sorry for our sins, and so prevent all feared and deserved sorrows. Cut off, O lord, all heretical, Schismatical, and factious spirites, if it be not thy good will to sosten their hearts, that they may renounce their damnable& dangerous course. Plant in them, if thy goodness bee such towards them, true fear and honour of thy name, that they and we may worship thee( who art love) in faith and love, without rent or dislike of hearts whatsoever; that so we may join at home together against foreign force or foe whatsoever, to the good of thy kingdom, comfort of thy people, and praise of thine alone praiseworthy name. Otherwise in iudgment make an end of them all, that shall attempt or intend with settled and resolute hearts, to work their own hearts desire by treason, rebellion or faction whatsoever, to the danger of this land, to the grief of all faithful hearts, and discomfort of our gracious Queen; who for her gracious cares over us from time to time, to the manifold peril of her royal person, for the maintenance of Christs true religion and virtue against Caiphas and Cain, should bee absurdly rewarded with irreligious and factious course to her own disquiet and the danger of all. O Lord God, thou knowest her gracious heart how desirous she is to haue thy religion defended and continued with peace, to the good of our souls: prevent the divels malice, who knoweth that a kingdom divided cannot stand; and bless her royal person and godly desire, divide and scatter them, that lust to be divided. bless her majesty with long breath, that wee may long breath peaceable breath by her breath, and give us all zealous hearts to pray for the peace of England: Be the God of peace unto us,& tread satan under our feet shortly. Grant this, sweet Father of all mercy and comfort, for thy sweet sons and our saviours sake; to whom with thee and the holy comforter be all honour ascribed, now and ever, Amen.   

A thanksgiving to God for the discovery of treason or faction whatsoever.  
O Lord, maker and possessor of heaven and earth, as thou art careful of thy Saints, so by thy goodness the hidden and malicious endeavours of satan and his seruants against thine anointed and her people, haue been and are discovered. In thy just will, thou mightest haue suffered their rage long before this time to the ruin of all; but it is thy gracious good will, to spare, where thou mightest punish: good Lord, give us soft hearts, that we may truly sorrow for sin, and carry just thankes to thee in heart and mouth, for all thy goodness. For we haue had long and late trial of thy mercy: and by this wee know, that thou fauourest thine anointed, our gracious sovereign, and us her people committed to her charge, because thou hast not suffered, nor yet sufferest her enemies to haue dominion over her. O Lord, make us thankful for received graces, that grace may succeed grace, least by ingrateful course thy old favours being forgotten, new graces in thy iustice be denied. O Lord, what had been our life, if thou hadst not been the stay of our life: by thee it is that our life and light yet liveth and shineth, to the spite and malecontment of such as could best bee contented with the quenching of our light and loss of our life. Blessed be thou, O our God, blessed for ever, for thy defence yet continued: continue it still like a provident God; restrain the rage of men, that it may turn to thy praise by manifesting thy marvelous care over thy little, despised, and spited flock in England. Be thou our light against darkness, ourstay against sliding, our might against weakness, our castle of defence against al dang●rous attempts: be thou our truth against all treason, our God of peace against rebellion, our wall against foreign invasion, our life against death, and our salvation against intended desolation. Grant long peaceable, and prosperous breath to our gracious queen Elizabeth; bless her honourable counsellors in all their consultations; bless her nobility, magistrates, and the commons of this land with faithful heartes, and with an unfeigned touch of true loyalty: give us new hearts, peace with ourselves, and among ourselves in thee, who art the God of peace; that so we may escape their bloody hands, that in heart, mouth and practise, envy the peace and prosperous state of England. Grant this( dear God) for thine own sake, wee beseech thee, Amen.    

A brief NARRAtion of Dauids case, with a brief Application of the same to the people of England, whereunto is added what Dauids disposition was in his condition, what we should in the like, if we like and love the good estate of England:  
Grounded upon the first part of the 17. v. of the 59. psalm.  unto thee, O my strength, will I sing. 
By Edw. Hutchins, one of the Prebendaries of new Sarum.   

A brief NARRATION OF DAVIDS CASE.  
DAVID an elect man, beloved of GOD, a type of Christ his first and best beloved, assured of happy estate in princely throne; yet found he in the world diuers enemies, trouble on every side, Saule himself did assault him: yea and the particular affaies that he made against david were perilous and great; and that not onely in time of Dauids strength and health, but when he was sick and kept his bed, he sought the death of david. From which cruel intent and attempts, not onely did the Prophet make his prayer to God for help, but by faith he found no less then he craved: and therefore with thankes here he concludeth this psalm, magnifying God for his might and mercy in saving him from the furious assaults of Saule his mortal foe.  
For the better sifting of which Scripture, I note two points principally. 

1. The Scripture itself.  
2. An application thereof.   In the first I note two things. 

1. A Promise.  
2. A Reason.   Touching the Promise I note these two points.  

1. Something in respect of God.  
2. Something in respect of david.   
In respect of God I note, 

1. An Appellation.  
2. An Application.  
1. He calleth God Strength.  
2. His strength.   For the first point, I note two points. 

1. What name david gives unto God.  
2. What reason he gives of the same.   The title is worthy to be noted: that predications are verified of God not only in concreto but in abstracto; not only( as the grammarian speaks) in the adjective but in the substantive: and indeed, to speak somewhat darkly, but yet truly and as plainly as I may: In whom may the substantive be true but in God? who is in divinity substantia prima; and is that only nomen substantiuum that doth per se subsistere: all other things are adjectives without him. To this purpose, as he is called, not onely righteous but righteousness itself, not only priuatiuely, because he is void of sin, but positively, because all righteousness is of him, and in him: as he is said to bee sometimes, not only wise but wisdom itself, not only by negation, because there is no folly in him, but by assertion, because all wisdom is in him, and of him: as sometimes not onely Deus illuminans, a lightning God, but lux ipsa, light itself, not onely because there is no darkness in him, but all light is of him, and in him: as sometimes not only a loving God, or God of love, but love itself, because he hateth nothing, but loveth all things that he hath made: not onely a living GOD, but life itself, not onely because he is not subject to age( though the ancient of daies) but also because all life is of him, and dependeth vpon him: So here by the Prophet he is called not onely Almighty, but might, a strong GOD, nay he is called strength itself. And justly, for strength he is: not onely in respect of himself, for he is essentially just, wise, light, living, loving, strong; and therefore iustice, wisdom, light, life, love, or as the prophet here calls him strength itself: but Relatiuè, in respect of the creature universally, and man especially: almighty in himself, of himself, and mighty in all. At this time to stand onely vpon the relative proof: God is strength, quoad esse, in respect of nature: for who could make all things: from the very worm to the very Angel, from the low Isop to the tall Cedar, from the leaf to the oak: and not only so, but made all things without a helper by himself, without tools by his word, without long time in six daies, and made al things of nothing, but strength itself: and therefore what is God but strength? Strength, quoad conseruari: for, who is it that could by the power of his word uphold all things, being so many, mighty, and so contrary, but only strength; and therefore what is God but strength itself? Oh, why do not the heauens fall vpon us, and the earth fail from under us? who is it that doth or can uphold without pillar, or else stay in his only hand, heaven, earth, and all the world? It is the marvelous and inestimable work of God, and the very work proves God to be strength itself. thirdly, strength quoad dominari: for who could dispose and govern all things at will, but onely trength itself? who could only by commandement give the cloud strength to rain, or the heauens strength to give showers? who gives the fire strength to burn? the Sun strength to shine? not any among the Gentiles vanities can do it, but only the Lord our God: And therefore what is God, but Strength itself? Who can open the doors of heaven? nay who can deny the heauens Strength to give due? Remember the prayer of Helias: or the fire itself strength to burn? Remember Moyses, and the bush: or the Sun itself strength to stop or run? Remember Iosua and his prayer: or restrain the lions strength to feed? Remember Daniel in his den: who could by a very raven relieve a Prophet in the time of need, but only God? And therefore what is God but Strength itself? Who could smite the rock, though never so hard, and make it overflow with streams? who could give the wheat of heaven, and feed man in his hunger with Manna, the bread of Angels? Who could divide the Sea,& make it to stand like a heap, that his people might haue way to pass? Who could rain flesh as dust, and feathered fowle as the sand of the sea, but onely strength; and therefore what is God but strength? To be short, the wind doth blow, the sea doth ebb and flow: the moon decreaseth, and yet recovers strength of light and increases: All things haue their virtue, and strength, but yet in god the strength of al. Strength? For in God the weakest things are strong; a frog to fear a pharaoh: a hand to fear a balthasar; a worm too mighty for a herod: the shaking leaf may terrify a sinner: in him goliath is too weak for Dauids slingstone, the Philistine for Sampsons Iawbone: the little flock of Iesu Christ sufficeth against ●●e fox, and his drop to swallow up the flood of Antichrist.  
And therefore, what is God but strength itself? Strength? without whom the strongest things are weak: the Whale restores and cannot keep a jonas: the lions strength is nothing to a david: the caterpillar, fly and grasshopper are of sufficient power to amaze the power of egypt. Holofernes fought for the proud god of the world, but God fought against him, and chopped off his head to the shane of his dust god, by the hand of judith, a woman, a widow. All strength and power is of him, and therefore if he withdraw his power, no power is left to any thing: the heauens prove to be as brass, the earth cannot be fruitful: or if it bee, yet is he of that strength, that he is able to destroy the vine with hail, and the wild figtree with hailstones: he is able to give our cattle to the hail, and our flocks unto the thunderbolts: he can forsake us, as he did Shilo, and make the Philistine sufficient against us: he can deliver his power into captivity, and his beauty into the enemies hand: and when he hath done, he can awake as one out of sleep, and as a strong man, that after his wine crieth out, to smite his enemies on the hinder parts, and put them to a perpetual shane. Oh, what shall I say? The divell himself is called not onely wicked, but spiritual wickedness, not only strong; but power, principality itself, the Prince and God of the world; and yet what is his strength? The very pig is safe from such a Prince, from all his power and threat, unless the lord do give him strength: And therefore what is God but strength itself? Nay, what is man but dust; and what is dust but weak to withstand a strong wind, yea or a puff? and what is the hair of mans head, but weaker then man? And yet the divell is so weak, that he cannot vex man no nor pluck one hair from his head; he dare not lay any hands vpon a job, unless he borrow strength of God: And therfore what is God but strength itself? Strength? For, who could overmatch the Kite by a hen; the hawk by a Sparrow? the hungry lion by a lamb? principality by weakness? The God of the world by a cross? The God of death, by the death of life? Who could overmatch the divell by his sons infirmity? to speak the mighty work of the gospel: who could feed men by hunger? refresh them by thirst? relieve the wanter by want? Who could strengthen by weariness? clothe man by nakedness? crown man by a cross? iuslifie, and save man from the Lord of death by the death of life, of Christ his son, but only God? And of all works, this strong work proveth the devil of himself to be weak, and God to be strength. Howbeit, this appeareth to bee true, not onely quoad caput, but quoad corpus. For if God be strength against the devil, power itself; what is he( to the proof of the point) but strength against the powers of the world, who are subordinate unto him? Indeed the powers of the world may set themselves, as they do against his seruants: but what then? all wisdom is folly, all strength is infirmity, unless God give strength, all flesh is as light as vanity, and what can vanity do? But to follow the point: david calls God Strength, and his strength. Here is the 2 point, where I note 3. points, 1. a Commendation, 2. a Collection, 3. a Confirmation. 1, A commendation of david, who doth not call God indefinitely strength which all Creatures in their manner, are bound to confess; but he calls him Strength, and his strength: he makes application of the name, wherein I find the faith of david: for the nature of a true and lively faith doth not rest in general verity, but doth apply: for otherwise where is the difference between mens Faith, and divels faith? which doth not apply, but resteth upon general verity.  
My Collection therefore in the 2. is, that all the Elect, and therefore wee, if wee count ourselves Elect, must do as david here doth: wee must not content ourselves to beleeue generally, but wee must apply and call GOD Strength, and our Strength. Thus Thomas could beleeue, and believing apply, my Lord, and my God: Thus Paul could beleeue, and believing apply, Christ loved me, and gave himself form: Thus job could beleeue, and believing apply, I am sure that my Redeemer liveth: Thus david here doth beleeue, and believing could apply: unto thee O my strength will I sing: And thus with david wee must beleeue, and believing apply, or else wee beleeue unprofitably. Ferus writing vpon the 19. of job, saith thus: read( saith he) what job speaks: he saith not I am sure that a Redeemer liveth, but I am sure that my Redeemer liveth: this is emphatical( saith he: Quid enim ad me quod Christus redemptor sit nisi meus quoque sit redemptor, nisi me quoque redemptionis suae fecerit participem? novit quippè Satanas Christum redemp●orem esse; said suum redemptorem eum appellare non potest. Ad hanc igitur discamus rectè formare fidem nostram: non sufficit, si credamus, nisi& cum fiducia quadam credamus.  
And so say I; if wee will bee saved as david was, wee must beleeue as david did, God to be God, and our God: Strength and our strength. And why not? for what was God, but Dauids strength; yea, and the strength of all Dauids, of all the Elect? For alas, what had david been to Saule his foe? or what are Gods anointed to the wicked? in number so many, in power so mighty, in affection so malicious, and open practise so merciless, were not God their strength, which is the strength of al. But yet, though in brief, to open the point: what were the best Paul, to the buffets of his own flesh? what were the best job to bear about him and out, his sorry coal of sores? what were the stoutest Esay to feel and suffer the saw within his bowels? what were the best Latimer, or any of Christes little ones to fight, not onely with fire and faggot, with the divels Bonners, and bodily divels: but also with the divell himself, the God and Prince of death and darkness, were not God their light to comfort, their strength to vpstay and defend them? To this purpose God hath often given the godly feeling and sense of their infirmity: Paul himself could not bear a buffet, and yet the grace of God made him sufficient: job, the mirror of patience, sometimes grew to impatience; and yet the Lord so strengthened him by the Spirit of patience, that he could protest, that he would not renounce him, although he would kill him. The very godliest haue cried oft in trouble, and thought God too long in deferring his help: Domine quousque? and yet the Lord against all hope, to the better trial of his Saints infirmity, and of his own strength, hath come at length to help and to rescue them.  
Shall I say all? God is their strength, and so strong in them and for them, as passeth al conceit and understanding. For, where the condition of Gods seruants seemeth hard and miserable, yet God is strength itself, and turneth their very misery to the good and felicity of them that are his. The divell hath a sword for Abell; a sharp and biting bed of ashes for a job; nothing but a sorry coat of sores for a Lazarus, no want of want for his belly: a block he hath for Baptists head, Stephen found and felt his stones, and Peter found a girdle of chains. Act. 12. Nothing hath the devil but a press for our saviours Grape. a furnace for his Gold, a slaughter-house for his lambs, dogges to devour his darling. david was endangered in time of health, and in his bed: Oh, when shall david die, or the Name of david perish? The devil hath nothing but marks and great trouble, for all that carry the seal of the living God in their foreheads; and yet notwithstanding God is strength itself, and so strong, that he makes all safe, and their estate in him to bee secure, and sure against the gates of hell, that beate against him. Yea so sure, that he bringeth them, by their sorrows to secondary, by their pains from pain to eternal pleasure, by a cup of vinegar to pledge Christ in a cup of new wine in heaven; by loss to gain, by darkness to light, by wounds to health, by their crossing from all cross to the crown of immortal glory. And howsoever satan assault them and seem to insult and exult over, and against them; yet indeed he cannot oppress, though he press them: he may nibble at their heels, but his own head is broken, and theirs can he not break: nay, indeed against his will, the devil doth them good, when he doth press them. For, the gold of God is purest in the furnace; his wheat clearest when it is winowed: John Baptist may loose his head upon earth, and finds the sooner a better head in heaven: God is strength, and in spite of the divell he works the very infirmities, passions, and death of his Saints to their good; who is otherwise strong, if he will, when he will, and as he will, to deliver them from bodily trouble: as he could and did to the proof of his strength deliver Noe from the waters, Lot from the sodomites Susanna by daniel, daniel from the lions, Peter from the prison, paul from Nero, and david from Saule.  
And, if he please not to deliver his temporally, yet is he a strong God to deliver them spiritually, and eternally. He is to his servants this way without fail, in discomfort a consolation, his spirit is a comforter, his spirit is their guide and crier. Abba Father, is proclaimed in their hearts, they are sure by life and death to haue advantage by Christ: their very death they know to be precious: in a word, by many troubles he makes an end of their trouble; he makes their death a sweet sleep to their bodies; and a way whereby their souls come the sooner to his presence. And therefore what is God but strength? He was the strength of david, and is the onely strength of all that will be saved. But of this more hereafter. Thus we see the name of strength by the Prophet given to God: howbeit in this place the Prophet doth call him his strength in special respect of his power, whereby he saved him and secured him from Saule, that dog that gaped to devour him: as appears by the Prophetes reason, which contains a restraint.  
Now therefore, what doth the Prophet promise to God his strength? I will sing to thee. First he promiseth to sing: therfore it is lawful to sing, yea and godly: but yet vpon like occasion as david had. For david promiseth nothing here, but what good was, and upon a good ground: and( as we red in the New Testament) Christ with his disciples song a psalm. Yea, and it is lawful and godly to sing not onely in private places, but in public assemblies: yea, and to sing to the Organ: as the very word( psalm) doth plainly prove against the precise men of our time, though cantus operosus, if it run notes without heart, be utterly unlawful. But, to go on: david promiseth a song and to sing unto God: unto him, as if he had said: Though Saule haue assaulted and sought to slay me; and my heart in that respect might be heavy and my soul disquieted within me: yet, good Lord, I know that all flesh is grass, and man but dust, and dust is nothing unto thee, who art my strength, and hast saved me by thy strength: therefore will I sing and be ioiful in thee.  
A point of discretion and duty in david, and Gods saints after trouble and deliverance, to give just thanks. So when Abraham returned from his slaughter Melchisedec the high priest met Abraham, and said: Blessed be the high GOD, by whose aid thine enemies are in thy hand. Gen. 14. So upon the conquest of Sisera, Debora, and Barach, sung and said: whosoever they are that haue willingly offered themselves to danger, bless ye the lord. judic. 5. Second part applieth. And therefore to make use of this Scripture: was ever david more spited by Saule then our david hath been and is? Did the flood seek to rush upon him, and not vpon her? Hath not privy peril been within our walls? Is not Saule open in heart, and in open warres against us? Hath not the spiritual Saul of Rome, yea& his greatest favourite of spain, yea and that under the pretence of successive right in religion to Peter and Paul, not only spoken the word, but drawn the sword vpon us? What shal I say? was ever sparrow so far past hope in Fowlers eye? was ever lamb more in danger of the fox in Foxes eye, then our gracious princess, her people, and country hath been, and is in the will and eye of her foes? Indeed the divell of old threatened, but now knowing his time to bee short, he makes the time sharp, and seeks not by persuasion, but by open force desolation to our Sion, utter ruin to our walls, cruel death to come to the very babes of our Bethleem: to bring us for plenty, deceiveableness; for peace, war; for mirth, heaninesse; for life, death and destruction of them: all his whole study is to make our sweet waters bitter; our acceptable daies, daies of weeping and wailing. Oh, what is practised to the utmost power and spite of Pope and Spaniard and their favourites without and within our walls, but fear of wo, yea and fullness of woe to the good estate of England? privily, perillously, diversly, of old, lately, almost how presently hath the matter been attempted. But to proceed, I appeal to you al; how is it that Saule hath assaulted, and yet hath not prevailed? how is it that our david was in danger, and yet hath escaped? how hath the snare been broken? the fowler caught, and the sparrow been saved? how hath Iudas kissed the gallows, that came by a kiss to betray us into the hands of our enemies? I need not to assure you that the Saule of Rome and spain haue mumbled up their masses apace, hoped and groaned for the contrary: there hath been no sparing of Indian treasure vpon treason at home, and force from abroad, to work their spiteful and bloody hope. And therefore where Saule hath not seen his lamentable wish, darkness, where light; war, where peace; the sword, where quietness as yet of Gods mercy and goodness is among us; surely I cannot give any cause hereof, but Dauids cause: God is Strength, and hath been our strength; for many a day before this day the fox had worried our lamb; our Vine blossoms had been destroyed, the love of God had been awaked; yea, and banished: that woman of the Reuerlation had been assaulted, yea, and driven to the desert: wee had all wished doves wings to flee far enough for some rest. Shall I say all? Our daies had been full of woe, our state had been as Daniels state among the lions: nay, no less then Abels; the sword had been in our bowels, had not the Almighty been our mighty GOD, our strength to cut off cain, that spited his Abel, and thirsted after his innocent blood among vs. And surely as all Nations may call GOD their strength( for all power is of him;) but most truly, and to their comfort, such as favour the truth of God, and do harbour his favourites;( for they are as mount Sion, God himself is their wall, they cannot be removed:) so among and above all other christian countries under the cope of heaven, we may for ours truly and most thankfully call God our strength.  
For, where in other countries there is not only question about the true candlestick of Christ, whether it be golden or not; but also, whether it shall stand, where it is most certainelye known to bee golden: and, to that purpose, the Saule of Rome hath got in his foot, and by the force of foreign power or false course at home hopes to be full head; and hath attempted no less then to border among us: and to the same purpose hath had his Iesuites and Priests to play the Iudasses at home and extern power prepared to help the practise; and yet hath been kept off oft and very strangely from us; surely we thank none but God: God? for he is strength, hath been, and is our onely strength: no mans might or policy, but his own right hand hath done it. Our God is in heaven, and doth whatsoever he will, and hath done of good will unto us, more then for any people now living.  
To pass then on, from point to point: seeing that God hath been the defence of this our land, and for the comfort thereof hath made his strength apparent, and known to all the world: seeing, that to this purpose beyond the reach of mans conceit and divels hope, he hath these many yeeres kept, and still keeps the state of sweet Elizabeth, whose daies God long and long maintain against the hope of unhappy Saule or rebellious spirites, that gape for an end of our peace for our woes without end. Oh what shall I do, but with the Prophet promise, and perform hearty thankes unto God? let us sing a new song and rejoice in God our strength, for the happy estate of England. Let our state therefore( deere beloved) be ever before our eyes, let our deliverance bee always fresh in our memories, let us never forget Gods eyes, and might in defending of us; and let us all and always praise him for the good estate of England.  
Let us remember other nations how they lye in darkness, in superstition and blindness: howe the people are polluted, and by authority permitted, yea and forced to follow after Baalim how they are like the swift dromedary that runneth by his ways, running always to and fro to worship their Idols both in valley, and hill. jer. 2. how they play the spiritual harlots their kings, princes, priests, Prophets, and people say to a three thou art our Father, and to a ston thou hast begotten us: how they haue their Gods according to their number of their Cities, and withall howe God hath planted and kept us; how he hath placed his golden candlestick, and his star giveth light in this our land, in spite of the Serpent of Rome, and lion of spain: and let us all, and always sing due praises unto him for the good estate of England.  
Let us remember in other Countries, howe Saule is abroad, and hath drawn his Sword; and not only bids battle, but also for the sins of the people, cuts off the heads, and visible stays of the Church: Let us remember howe the glory of jacob was turned away, howe the emptiers emptied them out, and marred their Vine branches: Mich. 2. And withal let us not but remember how the waters of queen Maries daies were turned to comfort in sweet Elizabethes time, and be not as yet turned to blood: our bones cleave not to our skin: the voice of our groaning is not so great as yet: wee haue not been as yet as owls of the desert, or bottles in the smoke, though david himself were so; we be in our houses, and not on the tops watching and left as sparrows alone.  
To be short, in merit you know ashes might bee our bread, but wee haue not eaten them; God hath preserved, and yet doth, the peace of our jerusalem against the conspiracies and cruel intents of all the wicked: and therefore let us al, and always praise him for the good estate of England.  
Let us remember our long plenty and peace, our manifold blessings by land and Sea these many yeares; how oft, and how wonderfully God hath been for us: how dangerously Saule hath assaulted, and yet howe strongly and strangely GOD hath saved us: that, howsoever Pope or Spaniard threaten and breath, yet their breathing is hindered by sweet Elizabeths breath;( under him the breath of us all:) and let us all, and always sing unto him, and praise him for this good estate of England.  
Lastly, let us remember that God hath knocked these many yeares, and yet doth, at the hart of every one for true repentance and amendment of life: howe long, and how loathe he is to punish us in rigor. Let us never forget his gentle knocks, and calls by his manifold mercies, yea, and of late yeares by sharper threat of warres, by death. Oh, let us remember howe for our sins he hath sent a dearth, a famine in the land: yet in mercy and so, that he hath not utterly broken the staff of bread, though some wanted, yet Israel hath his joseph in many a place: and it is the will of our gracious princess, that Israel shall haue his joseph in every place: and if in every place her majesties good will to her Subiects be not performed, let us pray to GOD to amend what is amiss, that God may continue our thankes to him for the good estate of England.  
So shall wee do what his mercy deserveth; so shall wee do what the glory of his strength of right forceth from us; so shal we do that whereunto duty bindeth us, and this example of good david leads us, if wee take up our song and praise God our strength for the good estate of England. Yea, and seeing that david did it, a man elect to be a Prophet and a King, let us all do it: for God hath been and is our general strength of our prophets, people, yea and of our david: the peril hath not been particular, but general, and so hath been the escape: and therfore all the Prophets, people, yea and rulers, yea and the gracious david of this our Land, are bound to sing continual thankes to GOD our onely strength, for the preventing of our woes, for the confounding of our foes, for his diuers and vndeserued defence of the prosperous state of England.  
But( alas) here what shall I say? there was never any nation under the cope of heaven more blessed then this our Nation hath been and is; never had a land a princess more gracious: never was any church any where more wonderfully preserved and defended:( for never had any country more close& malicious foes at home, more stout and desperate enemies abroad:) and yet never was Gods mercy more manifest in the defence of any, then of this our land:( Oh, besides other blessings singular and sundry, which I do not repeat:) and, yet where is he or shee almost that sings to GOD our strength, thankes him for his mercy, and doth praise it for the good estate of England?  
What shall I say? as yet wee are not in Daniels den; the Viper as yet hath not light upon our hands: Abednago was in the oven, but so were never we: Peter walked on the waters, and so haue we; but Peter began to sink, and so did never we: Our saviours hand that saved Peter from sinking, hath saved England, that as yet we haue not begun to sink: for this mercy the sacrifice of praise is due, but where is it offered? the cup of salvation should be taken in hand, but who takes it? the sacrifice should be bound with wards to the horns of the Altar; but who binds it? Nay, alas, were not for his own sake, who hath been our strength, so many be the Peters of England, that are so full of doubling in the point of religion, that wee deserve no better then sinking.  
For, run over all places and persons, and what shal you find? In all sodom there were not ten righteous to be found: in Iuda one righteous man could not be found: jer. 5. Micheas looked for a cluster, Ca. 6. of grapes, but he found not one: but alas, if we run to and fro by the streets of England, and look into most of the open places thereof, we shall hardly find one grape: how shall we find a cluster? I will not say, that the best is a brier, and most righteous sharper then a thorn: but this I say, many are on earth, but few that haue their mindes set vpon God our strength in heaven. For, what may wee find in every place but no thankes? nay, almost no thinking of GOD; so godless wee are, and thankless and thinkelesse of him, though our onely strength, that hath upholden and still doth, the prosperous state of England.  
For, alas, for one son, how many bee our prodigals? for one Peter that sins and doth weep, how many be our Peters that hear the cock crow and yet do sin, and do sleep? for one Zacheus that makes restitution, oh how many be our publicans, that delight in extortion? for one job that pities the poor, how many be they that for their own private gain study howe to make others as poor as ever was job? Nay are we not grown to be unnatural? What say wee to long baire, and to the vncut head of cutters? are we not grown to this miserable case, that we profess pride, which is of the divell? wee are proud in our looks, proud in our gates, proud in our speeches, proud in our diet, proud in our building: Oh, we haue forgotten dust our mother! Oh, what shal I say? In stead of truth, lying is common; in stead of religious fear, swearing is common; in stead of love, malice, yea muther is common; in stead of chastnes, how common is wantonness, in stead of free-giuing and lending, howe common is covetousness and usury? Alas, what is now more common then to commit sin, yea to profess it, and without all shane to defend it? GOD was never more merciful and mighty towards us, and yet were we never so thankless: oh where is he or she almost, that with pure and penitent heart, sings due praise unto him for the good estate of England? Nay( alas) there is such general corruption among us: such spite in hart, such vainenesse and bitterness in words, such falseness and cruelty in deeds, such watching to do evil,& slackness to do good in all: such scantness of faith, coldness of love in every place: after so much preaching of the gospel, yet so little care of amending: To be short, there is after so many marvelous and manifest trials of Gods mercy and strength towards us in saving us, yet so little care to thank him; yea, or almost to think vpon him; that I fear, least we by our sins shall provoke God to anger, indeed to make an end of the good estate of England. For, no doubt, our sins that are many, are mighty; and as they are mighty, so they mightily cry to God for our woe: and howe can they but cry? seeing that wee sin, and yet do know that the figles figtree that was green with leaves, was cursed, and did whither: how can they but cry? seeing that we sin, and yet do know that there is an ax to hue down the barren three, and unquenchable fire to burn the chaff: how can they but cry? seeing that we sin, and yet do know, that before the wicked shall want a rod, the creature itself will rise up in open arms against him: the wicked to drown, though it bee a whole world; the fire to burn though it bee all sodom: the earth to swallow up a Core; the very worm to gnaw the bowels, though it be of Antiochus: the heaven itself to frown, and the earth itself to lower vpon our corn, grass, cattle, or other creature to deceive vs. Oh how can our sins but cry, seeing that we sin, and yet do know, that it wee seek not first the kingdom of God, God cannot long minister his blessings unto vs. For to him that knoweth what it is to do well, how to do it, and doth it not, to him it is a sin, a greater sin, indeed a mighty and crying sin: and yet( alas) thus it is; men take small care to repent, which is the next way to prevent woe. For, howe slack are men to come to Church daily, to hear the word reverently, to reform their lives accordingly, to think vpon their duty, to thank God for his strength and mercy, which yet is the next and onely way to make secure, and for ever sure the prosperous state of England.  
Alas dearly beloved, this should not be so: our God who hath been our strength, hath deserved better thanks then so: and if we will not learn to give him better thankes, he cannot choose but take his mercy from us, and bestow it upon some other Nation, that shall give him better then so. For what? shal the word of God bee cast behind our backs? shall men swear among us, ei her by no gods, or vainly, or falsely, and commonly by the true and living God? Shall words bee among us, which are clothed with death? shall adulterous men& whormong rs be in the land to whom al bread is sweet? shall blood touch blood? shall men break out by swearing and lying and killing, and whoring? shall the divels service be so common from them that profess the true service of Christ? and shall not the Lord visit us for these things? shall not his soul be avenged upon such a Nation as this? Surely without hearty and speedy repentance, the lord cannot spare us for this; but he will make the Land mourn, and every one that dwelleth therein, will he cut off, with the beasts of the field, and the fowles of the heaven, and also the fishes of the sea shal he take away. For if we haue sinned, and do sin against him, as his benefits were increased and are vpon us; so what will follow but a change of our glory into shane? for he that worketh evil shall be wrapped in evil; vexation lurketh for him as a Lion. Ecclesiast. 27.  
And therefore, sith it would do you no good to see the lamp of God put out, that now shineth among us: the glory of the Lord to lye in the dust: nothing but death to your own bowels, and death to your children: nothing but sword and shedding blood in our eyes: nothing but howling and crying in your streets: if rather you wish the good estate of the land; then from this time forward see that ye renounce your sins haue understanding, that this land may be still, and let your feet be oft in the house of your God; give ear to his word, that you may walk in his law and in the ways of his commandements: amend your lives and be thank full unto him. Oh remember the manifold blessings he hath vouchsafed you: what peace? what plenty these many yeeres? what a Church, what a gracious princess, what a nurse, what a mother, how long and how oft, of old and how lately he hath been her staff, and in her, our strength and stay, our defence and merciful God? and see that you all sing just praise unto him, for this good estate of England.  
And then, so doing, I can and do assure you, that howsoever Saul be abroad and hopes to be at us and to work his will on us; his will? which is to wash us all, man, woman and child, in our own hearts blood; yet shall he never obtain his purpose: Christ himself will bee your rock, neither shall wind nor water overthrow you. By men of understanding the city is inhabited, Eccle. 16. The innocent haue delivered islands, and shall deliver England: they shall be as mount Sion, that shal never be removed; they shall be unto God, as the apple of his own eye, that shall be secure; the Lord himself will fight for them; and he will bee your strength by land and sea, to maintain still the prosperous state of England.  
But perhaps some will say, that their forces are strong, their preparations long, their treasure is great, and as it in creaseth, so increase they in malice: men are false, and malcontents now adays: Et ad quid non mortalia pectora cogit auri sacra fames? They will do almost any thing upon Iudas point, upon what you will give me; and so they reason, but yet without reason, in doubt of any continuance of the good estate of England.  
For I answer easily; be our aduersaries never so strong, be they never so crafty, let the divels, Iesuites and Seminaries, with their catholic cain of spain, and Caiphas of Rome do what they can; yet do you as good david did: call upon God, and hearty thank him for his mercy and might in defending of you for the time past: and then will God still maintain our cause, or rather his own: Pope or Spaniard may do their worst: and yet God is strength, he is able to break the iron. jer. 15. He can and will be our strength, to crush them like the leaf, and turn them like potters vessels into dust. And though perhaps they think they dwell in the clefts of the rocks, and take their habitation to be high, and say in their harts, who shall bring us down to the ground? yet what then? vpon our repentance and thankful service, assure yourselves that the pride of their heartes shall deceive them. He which spared not the old gentiles, which were rebellious, and trusted in their own strength; neither spared whereas Lot dwelled, those whom he abhorred for their pride; the same God will bee mighty to forgive us our sins, and give us peace, and mighty to power out displeasure against your enemies: he will smite the head over great countries, that smites at all Christian heads, that he might be a Monarch; and suffer you to haue your desire vpon him, that you may still enjoy the happy estate of England.  
Otherwise I will bee plain with you; if the slackness of prayer and of amendment of life be continued amongst us, which now is so general; if you will not learn, in stead of excess to be abstinent; in stead of lust, to be continent; in stead of hatred, to love; in stead of reuenge, to forgive; in stead o● usury, to lend freely and give; in stead of impiety and sin, to learn the practise of piety and religious life, or godly conversation; to be short; if Gods mercy towards us, and strength for us by land and Sea, be still forgotten, which of old and of late time hath been, and yet is so manifest manifold and marvelous, to the view of the whole world; if we do not open our mouths, and that of fashion or show onely,( which is the common and bad fashion of most;) but also with hearty and true devotion to sing to him due praise for it: Surely it cannot bee, but God will at length put songs of lamentation into your hearts and mouths; his iustice cannot spare to shorten the prosperous state of England.  
And to reward us with the fears that without speedy repentance are to bee feared; in stead of light, with darkness; in stead of Manna, with the fleshpottes of egypt; in stead of prosperity, with want; in stead of peace, with war; in stead of Christ the true vine, with the thistle of Rome to prick us in our side, if not to run thorough vs.  
And therefore men, Fathers, and Brethren, beloved in the Lord; think vpon yourselves, and upon your Children; remember the daies wherein you haue lived and live; remember Saule what and how he threats; remember what Caines he hath had abroad and among us, and perhaps yet hath, who wait for Abels throat to cut it: how ready they are, and howe they grieve and groan to suck the blood of Abell like ravenous Dogges: remember how God hath been and yet is our strength and buckler: and thorough and in him, how man and wife, parent and child, old and young, the basest and best haue possessed, do and onely can possess the peace and secondary of the Land, and see that hereafter you serve the Lord, continue this your resorting to service and sermons: pray unto God for his mercy and might for the time present and to come, and sing praise unto him for his manifold mercies, and manifested might for the time past: so shall you bee sure in spite of spiteful Pope and Spaniard, Papist and Atheist whatsoever, to enjoy still the happy estate of England.  
But here perhaps as some will say unto me; what needs all this, we haue continued in our sins these and these many yeares, and men are so far from singing thankes unto God for the peace of England, that most do never or seldom think vpon God, but upon the world, and upon their own gain: and yet we haue enjoyed, and still do enjoy the prosperous state of England.  
I answer indeed, that as God hath been merciful from time to t●me in being our strength, so the most haue scarce thought vpon his goodness and strength in saving of us: howe few are they that haue thought or think vpon our memorable and late delivery from the Spanish force by Seas, yea and of our later success against the Paul and Philip of spain: and yet notwithstanding all this unthankfulness, we enjoy still the good estate of England: and hereupon the wicked presume to be graceless, because God is good and gracious, and doth not by and by punish. But I answer first, that as I read of people among he Iewes: jer. 7. They would steal, murder, and commit adultery, swear falsely, and burn incense to Baal, and walk after unknown gods: and yet they would come and stand before God in his house, whereupon his name was called, and say; we are delivered, though we haue done all these abominations: So( alas) it is amongst many in England; when they hear without repentance the word of the curse, they bless themselves in their hearts, saying: we shall haue peace, although wee walk according to the stubbornness of our own heartes: thus adding drunkenness to thirst, a pitiful thing: shall the Lord be merciful to such men? shall not his wrath and jealousy at length break out against such?  
Secondly, though it bee so, that many and multitudes of thankless persons bee among us; yet I hope wee haue had and haue yet some Dauids among us, some thankful harts, that do not forget to praise GOD for his mercy, and pray still for his strength: and for their sakes I doubt not but God hath continued, and yet doth continue, the happy estate of England.  
And as for the wicked, I pray GOD give them better heartes, thankful heartes like to Dauids heart, or at least to decrease the number of them: otherwise I appeal to you all: what do the practices of diuers at home, and the professed malice of foes abroad, but in manner threaten present punishment for our slackness in serving of God, and singing praise unto him? Oh, what do they say in effect to every hart, but fear? we are the messengers of Gods iustice to England, unless England repent and learn to thank God for his goodness in preserving of it.  
Oh, therefore live no way careless of duty and thankless to God: but from this time forward, let the fear of God be in your heartes and with the Prophet carry his praise in your lips: so ought you to do, yea and so will you do if the glory of our daies, if the grace of this our accepted time be accepted of you, and dear in your eyes; if indeed you tender the prosperous estate of England.  
God therefore of his mercy grant us that we may all think vpon duty, to praise him for all his blessings powred vpon us, and withall to pray unto him, as he hath been, so still to continue our strength.  
O lord, give long breath to thy seruant, our gracious princess Elizabeth. Strengthen her people by land and sea; give them grace to serve thee, that they may be strong in thee, The wicked haue said it in their hearts, and sworn it with their mouths, and sealed their oath by their false name sacrifice, and dry god of bread, that there is no strength to save England from them. But( O God) thou art strength, thou wast Dauids strength, our strength thou hast been, our trust is in thee: let us never be confounded: be still our defence, and our merciful God: And give us grace to be thankful to thee, to sing due praise to thy name, that so by thee our strength, we may still enjoy the blessed estate of England.  
And as for all them that bee enemies, either private, or open, thou art strength itself, O lord, thou canst, and we beseech thee( if thy will be so) to convert them; if not, O God our strength, in thy strength confounded them, and to the divels spite and ioy of thy seruants continue by sweet Elizabeths life the prosperous state of England, Amen.  
FINIS.   

¶ A catalogue containing the several titles of every prayer, and treatise comprised in this book, easy to be found by the true number of the page..  

1. A Confession of sin, pag. 1  
2 A prayer for remission of sin. 3  
3 A prayer for mortification. 5  
4 A prayer for amendment of life. 7  
5 A complaint, with a prayer against sin. 11  
6 A comfortable meditation in time of temptation. 13  
7 A prayer for peace. 16  
8 A prayer for peace of conscience. 20  
9 A comfortable prayer in time of adversity. 23  
10 A prayer against desperation. 26  
11 A prayer for chastity. 35  
12 A prayer for the good bringing up of Children. 49  
13 A prayer for watchfulness against satan. 51  
14 A necessary prayer for our time and for all christians. page.. 54  
15 Another. 59  
16 A prayer after the hearing of the word preached. 67  
17 A thanksgiving to God for his benefits. 69  
18 A prayer for the fear of God. 72  
19 A prayer for courage against the fear of the wicked. 74  
20 A prayer for patience. 77  
21 A prayer against pride. 79  
22 A prayer against sinful anger. 82  
23 A prayer for godly anger. page.. 85  
24 A prayer against gluttony. page.. 87  
25 A prayer against covetousness. 91  
26 A prayer against bribes. 93  
27 A prayer against discord and malice. 96  
28 A prayer for true love. 100  
29 A prayer for hospitality. 102  
30 A prayer for grace to rebuk sin in the wicked. page.. 108  
31 A prayer for the grace of compassion in any time of trouble. 112  
32 A prayer for grace not to be offended at the offences of the wicked. 115  
33 A prayer against lying. 119  
34 A prayer against Treason. page.. 123  
35 A prayer necessary for this our time. 126  
36 Another. 131  
37 Another. 136  
38 A prayer against heresy& schism. 139  
39 A prayer for grace to carry a true reverence towards Gods word. 142  
40 A prayer for faire weather at any time as well for committing fruits to the earth, as for the receiving of them and other blessings. 166  
41 Another prayer after receiving of the fruits of the earth, with a complaint of the time. 170  
42 A thanksgiving to God for the discovery of treason or faction whatsoever. page.. 181   

Peculiar prayers appliable to particular persons of sundry states and degrees.  
1 A prayer for Parentes. page.. 29  
2 A prayer for a married man. page.. 31  
3 A prayer for a married woman. 33  
4 A prayer for a woman great with child. 37  
5 A prayer for children. 39  
6 A prayer for schoolmasters. page.. 42  
7 A prayer for schollers. 44  
8 A prayer for maisters of families. 46  
9 A prayer for seruants. 48  
10 A prayer for preachers. 62  
11 Another. 64  
12 A prayer for the poor. page.. 106  
13 A prayer to God for them that are troubled in mind, page.. 146  
14 Another. 151  
15 A prayer for them that are visited with sickness. 153  
16 Another. 156  
17 A prayer needful for all the people of this land. 159  
18 A prayer for her majesty. page.. 163  
19 A special prayer for her majesties royal person, and the good estate of England. page.. 174  
20 A brief Narration of Dauids case, with a brief Application of the same to the people of england, &c. page.. 187   
glory to God: AMEN.  
FINIS.   

1601.  
as HOMINI SVBLIME DEDIT  printer's device of Peter Short  
AT LONDON, Printed by Peter Short, dwelling on Bred-street hill at the sign of the star.