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A39077
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An exposition on that most excellent prayer in the liturgy of the Church of England called the litany Wherein all or most ot the exceptions that have been made against it, are fully answered.
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1698
(1698)
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Wing E3888DA; ESTC R220212
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16,626
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45
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Mission of the Holy Ghost which was the last Remarkable in the great Mystery of Godliness signifying the effectual Means made use of for the Publication and Application of the Doctrine of the Gospel for the Benefit of all Mankind And now pray what Arguments more strong and proper and likely to prevail with our Lord than these that are fetch'd from all the signal Passages and Particularities of his wonderful Vndertaking wherein he so much denied himself and obliged us and for the effectuating whereof and making them Saving to us he now sits at the right Hand of God for ever to make Intercession for us What do we more therein than Pray to our Saviour to Save us by those Means and Methods which he himself hath managed and directed Nay do not they mean the same thing in effect that say Save us Lord for thy Name 's sake for Jesus Christ his sake Doubtless we all desire that so great Contrivances and Undertakings of Infinite Wisdom and Goodness that so much Cost and Pains may become Effectual and Saving to us in all those Ends and Purposes for which they were intended And now Lastly because there are some Critical Times wherein we shall stand in need of Salvation and Deliverance if these are express'd they will heighten our Devotion and make this part of the Prayer still more compleat There are I say four Critical Times First The Time of our Tribulation and this we pray rather to be delivered in than from because it is very often the Portion of them that will live Godly in this World 2 Tim. 3.12 to suffer Persecution according as the Apostle tells us This is a Time wherein the Devil is most busie with and against us and useth both his Crafts and Assaults and therefore we need more special Assistance Secondly The Time of our Wealth We do not pray for Wealth but to be delivered from the Cares and Snares and Temptations which it brings along with it And in this Time the World and the Flesh use their Deceits against us and so often prevail that our Table becomes a Snare to us and our Friends become Flatterers our Honey turns to Poison and fair Weather doth us more harm than foul In this time we stand least upon our guard and are easily surprised and therefore we pray to God to make us Watchful and to watch over us himself and deliver us from the Dangers of it Thirdly The Hour of Death in which and not from it we desire to be delivered For at this Hour the World and the Flesh leave us but then the Devil sets on us a-fresh and would make us if he could despair of Deliverance and think our Sins are too great and too many to be forgiven he would fain make us let go our hold of our Saviour and then he knows we shall drop into his Bottomless Pit Wherefore in the Visitation of the Sick we are taught to pray O Lord Save thy Servant which putteth his Trust in thee Send him Help from thy Holy Place And evermore mightily defend him Let the Enemy have no advantage of him nor the Wicked approach to hurt him Be unto him O Lord a strong Tower from the face of his Enemy And afterward Defend him from the Danger of the Enemy Renew in him whatsoever hath been decay'd by the Fraud and Malice of the Devil Fourthly In the Day of Judgment And that is a Critical Day indeed wherein it may be the Devil may be as ready to accuse us to God as he did Job but he can then do us no harm there will then need no Accuser but our own Consciences and he that shall be our Judge who now desires to be our Saviour and that he may prove so to the last Day we Pray beyond which there will be no danger nor need of any more Deprecation And so we have gone over the first Part of the Litany Deprecation I proceed to the other Part which is Petition for good things and this is double Intercession for others and Prayer for our selves 1. Intercession 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 required by the Apostle 1 Tim. 2.1 and insinuated by the Plural Number used in our Lord's Prayer and here As feeling Members of that Mystical Body whereof our Lord Jesus Christ is the glorious Head we pray for the Holy Catholick Church called Catholick and Vniversal ever since the Apostle's days and in their Creed because comprehending all Nations in the World as well as Jews or rather as the World now goes Comprehensive For our Lord said Go teach all Nations c. and all Nations were taught and baptised in the Faith of Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity called Holy not from intrinsick Holiness for the Kingdom of Heaven is like to a Field that hath in it both Wheat and Tares like to a Net Matt. 13.24.47 which being cast into the Sea gathereth of every kind both good Fish and bad but from a Relative and Faederal Holiness such as was that of the Jews and from the Profession of a most Holy Faith For this we pray that it may be ruled and governed in the right way the forecited Primer hath not in the right way for the Church of Rome thinks it can never be in the wrong never prove Heretical or Apostatical But we that know the Church Militant is made up of Men that are frail and fallible and often err in Judgment and oftner in Practice we pray it may be kept in the right way and the good Lord keep that Part of it in the right way that is in it and restore that that is out Then we come to our particular Church and pray first for Him that is Supreme Governour of it Supreme Ordinary or Governour of it on Earth and so our Lord Jesus Christ's Vicegerent and truly that which the Pope pretends to be over the whole Catholick Church And 1. We pray for Spiritual good things that God would be pleased to keep our Gracious King and strengthen Him in the true Worshipping of God and in Righteousness and Holiness of Life and rule his Heart in the Faith Fear and Love of God and that he may evermore have Affiance in him and ever seek his Honour and Glory He that considers how prone of old the Kings of Israel and Judah were to Idolatry and how many Kings of the Earth at this day Worship the Image of the Beast and are governed in Religious Matters by the Imperious Dictates of an Apostate Church or to look nearer home that reflects upon the doleful Instance of the late King 's embracing the Romish Religion the mischievous Effects whereof who knows whether ever these Kingdoms may out-grow I say He that considers all this will think it was at first and still is very fit to pray for the keeping and strengthning our King in the true Worship of God And in what follows We pray that He may own God for his Sovereign by making the Honour and Glory of
their Feet how ready are they to carry them into the Fire and the Water to trip at every Stick and Straw how ready are they to play on the hole of the Asp and sport on the Brink of the Pit how near Danger must they always be that are afraid of none and unable to help themselves out of any There is doubtless a special Providence watcheth over young Children that so few miscarry and doubtless most watchful over them that are recommended to his Care by the Prayers of the Church and their Parents Fifthly Shew thy Pity upon all Prisoners and Captives What all some will say old Goal birds Felons and Traitors Although the Prayer chiefly means Prisoners for Debt and Captives in War and so we may understand the Prayer of Asaph Let the Sighing of the Prisoner come before thee Psal 79.11 according to the greatness of thy Power Preserve thou those that are appointed to die And that in another Psalm Psal 102.19 20. He hath looked down from the height of his Sanctuary from Heaven did the Lord behold the Earth To hear the Groaning of the Prisoner to loose those that are appointed to Death or the Children of Death Yet it will take in also the most Notorious Malefactors that need the more Pity by how much they less pity themselves and we shall do well to Pray for the Thief on the Cross the Murderer at the Goal-house that God would make them Penitent and accept of their Repentance break the Stony Heart and not despise the broken Sixthly and Seventhly Defend and provide for the Fatherless Children and Widows and all that are Desolate and Oppressed Provide for the Desolate and defend the Oppressed And surely we ought to Pray for those who are God's Special Care so Special that he intitles himself there-from in the sixty eight Psalm where God is represented riding in triumphant Majesty and one would have expected a Proclamation of such Titles as King of Kings and Lord of Lords c. but instead thereof we hear A Father of the Fatherless Ver. 5 6. and a Judge of the Widows is God in his holy Habitation God setteth the Solitary in Families He bringeth out those which are bound with Chains The Widow hath lost the Guide of her Youth and the Staff of her Age and the Fatherless the best Friend he can have upon Earth and therefore we pray that God would be to them Friend and Father and Husband And now that we may not leave any sort of Men out of our Prayers it follows That it would please thee to have Mercy upon all Men. All Men What Reprobates Apostates those that have sinned the Sin unto Death Who are Reprobates c. we know not but we know St. Paul exhorts that Supplications Prayers 1 Tim. 2.1 Intercessions be made for all Men. 1 Tim. 2.3 Giving this reason For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour 1 Tim. 2.4 Who will have all Men to be saved and to come unto the Knowledge of the Truth I know how many Distinctions are made to restrain the All in these places which if they will hold good there they will also hold good in this Prayer and then one of any Perswasion may joyn with us in it But there is one fort of Men for whom the Heart of Man hath little list to pray to wit Enemies Persecutors and Slanderers Now to prevent the tacit Exception our Church hath added a Prayer for them that God would forgive them and turn their Hearts I say added for neither it nor any of the forementioned Charitable Prayers except for the Poor and Captives are in that Primer Thus have I given a plain Account of this incomparable Prayer our solemn Litany which is not obscure in it self but yet hath been much misunderstood and therefore I have laboured to beget a right understanding of the same And if what I have said be not sufficient to remove the Prejudices and Prepossessions of those who under a Pretence of Praying by the Spirit have taught the People to despise both this and all other Set Forms of Prayer yet I hope at least it may not prove altogether unuseful to such Devout Members of our Church for whose sake it was chiefly intended that are desirous both to know what it is they pray for in every part and parcel of it and heartily to pray for the same FINIS ADVERTISEMENT A Brief Exposition on the Creed the Lord's Prayer and Ten Commandments To which is added the Doctrine of the Sacraments By Isaac Barrow D. D. And late Master of Trinity College Cambridge This on the Creed never before Publish'd Advice to young Persons relating both to Faith and Practice Contain'd in some plain directions how to Demean themselves Together with some few motives to the Observation of what is here recommended in Octavo Price 4 d. Family Religion or the Exercise of Prayer and Devotion in private Families By the late Reverend Dr. Payne late Minister of White-Chappel In 24es Price 2 d. A Method of daily Devotion A Method of Devotion for the Lords Day Likewise several small Books against Debauchery Profaneness Blasphemy Cursing and Swearing c. All by Dr. Ascheton In 24es Price 2 d Each and something Cheaper to them that give away Numbers