shall we thy people and the sheepe of thy pasture giue thee thankes for ever and will speake of thy praise from generation to generation Amen V. Against all evill O Lord God heavenly Father that despisest not the sighing of the miserable nor the desire of such as be afflicted mercifully heare our prayers which we make before thee in these our necessities and grant that those evills which the Devill or man worketh against vs be brought to nought and that by the providence of thy goodnesse they may be dispersed that we being hurt by no persecution may giue thee thankes in thy holy Church and prayse thee evermore for the same thorough Iesus Christ thy Sonne our Lord. Amen Another Prayer O Lord God heavenly Father who well knowest that by reason of our humane frailtie we are not able of our selues to subsist in so many dangers graunt such strength vnto vs both of soule and body that whatsoever doth vexe or trouble vs by reason of our sinnes wee may by thine assistance be able to overcome through Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Another ALmightie and eternall God which out of thine own meere mercy hast called vs miserable sinners vnto the knowledge of thy selfe in Iesus Christ we from the bottome of our hearts entreate thee to governe vs by thy Holy Spirit and to guard vs by thy holy Angels that neyther the Devill or naughtie people no nor the wickednesse of our own sinfull flesh may thrust vs headlong into securitie or to the leading of a wicked life to the offence of our brethren but that being by thee delivered out of all their snares we may haue thee alwayes before our eyes loue thee aboue all and our neighbour as our selues profiting thereby in faith charitie hope and patience vntill the comming of our blessed Saviour Iesus Christ to deliver vs out of all these evils with which we haue a daily conflict here in this world and to translate vs vnto joyes celestiall To whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory world without end Amen VI. Against our enemies O Lord Iesus Christ Sonne of the living God thou onely art the true Souldier and Captaine the Lord mightie in Battell Behold thine enemies rage mightily and those that hate thee rise vp against vs they take subtle counsell together against thy people and lay their heads together against thy secret ones Goe too say they let vs cut theÌ„ off that they be no more a people that the name of Israel may be blotted out For we put not our trust in our owne strength for we know that there is no King that can be saved by the multitude of an Host Psal 33.15 neyther is any mightie man delivered by much strength An horse is counted but a vaine thing to saue a man neyther shall he deliver any man by his great strength but our trust is in thee that art our refuge and a Tower of defence against our enemies Thou being our Captaine Psal 18.29 we shall discomfit an Host of men and with the helpe of our God wee shall leape over the wall Thou being our ayde we shall doe famous exployts thou art able to beate our enemies to dust they compasse vs about but in thy name we will destroy them they come about vs like Bees smoake against vs like fire among thornes but in thy Name wee will destroy them Thou overthrewest Pharaoh and his Host in the red Sea thou constreynedst Senacherib to turne againe into his owne Country thou overthrewest proud Haman and threwest owne the haughtie Holofernes So Lord deale with our enemies doe vnto them as thou diddest vnto the Madianites and as vnto Sisera and Iabin at the brooke Kison Make their Princes like Oreb and Zeb and their Leaders like vnto Zâ—ba and Salmana Let the mischiefe which they prepare for others fall vpon their owne heads and their wickednesse vpon their owne pates So shall wee sing of thy power and prayse thy goodnessâ— betimes in the morning For thou God art our Protector our refuge in all our necessities Amen A Prayer of King Asa 2 Chron. 14.11 c. AS A cryed vnto the Lord his God and said Lord it is nothing with thee to helpe whether with many or with them that haue no power Helpe vs O Lord our God for we rest on thee and in thy name we goe against this multitude O Lord thou art our God let not man prevaile against vs. A Prayer of Iudas Macchabaeus vnto his Souldiers 1 Macchab. 4.8 THen sayd Iudas to the men that were with him Feare yee not their multitude neyther be yee afraid of their assault Remember how our Fathers were delivered in the red Sea when Pharaoh pursued them with an Army Now therefore let vs cry vnto Heaven if peradventure the Lord will haue mercy vpon vs and remember the Covenant of our Fathers and destroy this Host before our face this day That so all the Heathen may know that there is one who delivereth and saveth Israel A Prayer of Luther for Souldiers found in the 3. Tome of the Edition at Iena fol. 330. HEavenly Father here am I by thy divine will in this externall calling under the Command of my Generall first to serue thee as is fitting and then for thee to obey my Captaine I giue due thanks unto thy goodnesse and mercy that thou hast called me unto this condition and set me about that worke which I assuredly know to be no sinne but a right action and a service acceptable unto thy will And for that I haue learned out of thy saving Word that our owne good workes doe not profit us for the meriting of salvation and that no man is saved for that he is a Souldier but for that he is a Christian I will not therefore put my confidence in this worke and service of mine but what ever I doe I will doe it with a good will as to doe thee a service and I out of the bottom of my heart beleeue that I am redeemed and saved onely by the innocent bloud of thy beloved Sonne my Lord Iesus Christ which according to thy will he shed for me vpon the Altar of the Crosse In this beliefe I resolue to stand in this will I liue and dye for this doe I now fight and take paines O Lord God heavenly Father preserue and encrease this faith in me through thy Holy Spirit Amen Against the Plague and other noysome Diseases A Almightie God Lord and Father of all grace and consolation haue mercy vpon vs and vpon thy Christian people Consume vs not in thy fury by this contagious pestilence but as in the time of David thou commaundedst the destroying Angell to hold his hand and giue over killing so cause O most gracious Lord this terrible rod of thine anger to cease from vs and not to destroy thine afflicted people Strengthen vs with the wholsome power of thy Word that we may be healthy both in soule
body that we may laud prayse thee here on earth for a time and for ever in the Heavens O Lord Iesus Christ succour vs in this sickly time for those bitter paines that for our sakes thou sometimes enduredst make intercession for vs with thy heavenly Father defend vs against the heavie wrath of God forgiue vs our trespasses giue thine innocency vnto vs. Call to minde in this grievous plague-time how much our Redemption cost thee and suffer not that thy bloud-shed for vs to be lost or become in vaine O Holy Ghost vouchsafe thou to descend sweetly into our languishing hearts refresh thou and recreate our soules And if it so fall out that this plague strike vs also then take thou the cure of our soules in that houre in which we must depart out of this life lay vs in the most sweete bosome of Christ our Redeemer that we may be there partakers of eternall joy and quietnesse Fulfill all thy most sweete promises in us which are in thy Word made unto vs. Take from us all unbeliefe doubting and impatience make us ever readie to obey the will of God even thou who with the Father and the Sonne livest one God world without end Amen Of forgiuenesse of Sinnes and of the Lords Supper O Good Lord Iesus Christ I am no way able eyther in words or thought sufficiently to make expression of thy great loue which thou hast declared towards me at such time as thou receivedst me miserable sinner into grace and hast made me to eate and drinke of thy true body and bloud vnto euerlasting life Accept in the meane time this sacrifice of Thankesgiving of my heart and mouth which in this mortall bodie I am able to pay unto thee untill I come home unto thee where I shall for ever praise thee Giue thy Holy Spirit unto me who may teach me to know how much good thou hast alreadie wrought in me that so in faith charitie hope patience I may begin to leade a new life vnto thy prayse mine owne amendment and the good of my neighbour Grant this for the merit of thy precious bloud and the redemption which thou thereby hast made Amen And these be some of those devout prayers with which this most pious Prince teaches his Army to call vpon the Lord of Hosts and Victory Now vnto these good prayers let all religious Readers that wish well vnto this King adde this or the like for a close vnto the rest The Lord heare thee in the time of trouble and the name of the God of Iacob defend thee be vnto thee a Shield and Buckler against thine enemies arme thee with the sword of Gideon and the Lord of Hosts goe forth with thine Armies that the Victories which God shall giue thee may bring freedome and justice vnto the innocent and oppressed inlargement to Religion liberty to Germany and the benefits of a sweet and a lasting peace vnto all Christendome This grant vs for the Prince of Peace his sake Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen ANd now that you may know that the King of Sweden doth not onely enjoyne others to pray but that in his owne person he practises these devotions by himselfe I will here subjoyne you two severall prayers conceived no doubt in his owne more private and premeditated consideration and uttered in publicke and extempore as it seemed The first was at his Majesties first landing upon the coasts of Germanie where so soone as ever he out of his long boate set his foote upon the dry Land he thus by prayer and thankesgiving in Gods Name tooke possession of the Countrey himselfe whilest his men were landing stepping a little aside and before them all upon his knees uttering these words of devotion O most great God that commaundest what ever thou pleasest both in heaven and earth and in the surging Seas what thankfulnesse am I now bound to render unto thee for that thou hast preserved me thus safely in all this so perilous a voyage Againe and againe doe I from the very bottome of my heart and soule giue thankes unto thee and here I humbly beseech thee that seeing as thou very well knowest I haue not undertaken this expedition for any private end of mine owne but onely for thine honours sake and to be some comfort and assistance unto thine afflicted Church so if so be the time which thy selfe hast appoynted be alreadie come thou wouldst now be pleased to favour and blesse me hereafter also and that especially thou wouldst send me a fayre winde and a prosperous that the Army yet left behinde which out of so many people and Nations I haue gathered together I may with joyfull eyes shortly here behold and with a happie beginning promote with them the glory of thy holy name Amen When his Counsellors and Commanders then next his person saw their devout King thus on the bare ground upon his knees and heard with what a fervencie of spirit he uttered these devotions an inward comfort and an holy joy they tooke at it wrought more with them than their enemies could yet ever doe that is even forced and pressed teares out of their manly eyes This his pious Majestie then perceiving Forbeare to weepe sayes he to them but heartily conjoyne your prayers with me for the greater the army of prayers is the greater and more assured shall the victory be He that prayes diligently hath in part overthrowne the enemy already and already gotten the victory Thus having sayd he out of two hundred long boates lands his men then on the shoares side and then sends them to his shippes to fetch more and God so heard him and the winde so favoured him that according to his former prayers his whole Army very shortly and very safely arrived I will not here compare this prayer of this pious and victorious Prince vnto that of the great Iosuah at whose request the Sunne stood still as the winde here did at his but that you may see that God did indeed heare the prayers of this King too I will now giue you a more eminent example of it The Papists had one of theirs done it would undoubtedly haue cryed out A miracle and well they might for few such they haue but I will onely thinke of it as of a present and a visible blessing sent from that great God to whom the windes and the Seas obeyed And thus it was The King a little after this having a designe upon Stetin and his Army now readie upon the shoare and his boats readie upon the River to imbarke them the winde behold was contrary and so had beene for some dayes before This the King observing turning a little aside he before his Army with bended knees and hands lift up to Heaven uttered these words O thou most just God! full well thou knowest that this enterprise I did not at first undertake out of any rashnesse or ambition but for the glory of thy most holy Name and the defence of the truth of thy Word here therefore now call I vpon thy Godhead and most humbly doe I beseech thee that with the ayre of thy favour and with a prosperous winde thou wouldst vouchsafe to breath vpon this my vndertaking Amen No sooner was this prayer ended but the winde suddenly as a man might say chopt about and swel'd the Swedish sayles with so hard a gale that the whole Fleete passing the Swing or arme of the Oder was in two houres space runne full sixe Germane myles twentie of ours perchance if not more and all on the sudden when they were little looked for came to an Anchor within an English myle of Stetin to the great admiration of the beholders and the greater defeate of the hopes and purposes of the Imperialists who had a designe within two dayes after to haue layd siege to the same Towne had not God thus miraculously prevented them And thus much though I now giue you out of a Latine Copie yet to confesse the truth did I in the writing of my former Booke finde mentioned in one of the weekly Currantoes how that the Kings Fleete was by a strong and a sudden Northerly winde strangely advanced through the Oder even to the very walles of the Citie But this I durst not then write vpon the bare credite of a common Curranto nor durst I with this winde though a strong one it were adventure to stemme the tyde of popular opinion which I found not onely to runne against but to vse the language of the Sea with a stiffe currant strongly to be set against the credite of these weekly Currantoes Which warinesse of mine made me indeed to leaue out many notable particulars which I since finde reported in the Booke called Arma Suecica God Almightie that hath so graciously both heard and granted these two prayers of this pious King heare all the rest also both those that himselfe makes and what other good Christians make likewise for him And those Englishmen that will not I wish they would say Amen vnto it FINIS
and giue a blessing unto any thing that may any wayes advance the truth of our Religion and our Country in generall Looke favourably O heavenly Father upon all the Professors of the same true religion with us who being sorely at this present oppressed by the Papists suffer the losse both of their liues and fortunes Succour them Lord that they may bee delivered from these troubles Keepe us in health from the noysome pestilence from sudden and unhappie death from dearth famine scar-fires mutinyes disagreements amongst our selues and from hayle and tempest Infuse into our hearts concord faithfulnesse and mutuall charitie Comfort all those that are afflicted sicke in prison or calamitie Succour and comfort all widowes and fatherlesse women with childe and that giue sucke Be thou guide unto all those that travell eyther by land or by water that they walking in thy right paths and having prosperously dispatched their owne businesse may safely returne at length unto their owne families Deliver us Lord God from all evill and when our fatall houre of death shall come mercifully receiue us into thy Kingdome translate our soules out of this vale of misery into thy heavenly Paradise where we may laud and prayse thee for it world without end Amen II. A Prayer for forgiuenesse of sinnes O Lord God heavenly Father who delightest not in the death of a sinner nor wouldest that he should perish but that he should be converted and liue we humbly entreate of thee mercifully to turne from us those punishments which our sinnes haue deserved and that thou wouldst be pleased in plentifull manner to bestow thy mercy upon us thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Another Prayer to the same purpose O Wel-beloved Lord Iesus Christ haue mercy upon us miserable sinners and looke with the eyes of compassion upon us as thou somtimes diddest upō Mary Magdalene that penitent sinner when lying at thy feete shee from the bottome of her heart sincerely bewayled her owne transgressions and the Publican in the Temple when he smote upon his breast and implored thy favour and the Theefe upon the Crosse when he entreated and obteyned thy pardon Lord grant us to receiue the same this day from thee absolue thou us in Heaven forgiue us our sinnes O God thou author of all comfort Cast us not away from thy presence but cause us so to walke in thy feare that in faith and loue wee may serue and please thee thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen III. For Peace and Concord GIue peace in our time O Lord because there is no other that fighteth for us but onely thou O God Giue peace unto our King and all other Princes direct them rightly to govern the Cōmon-wealth and grant that under them wee may liue a quiet and a peaceable life in all pietie and honestie Amen Another O Lord God heavenly Father from whom all courage of minde good counsayle and just workes doe proceede giue unto thy servants that peace which the world cannot giue that both our hearts may depend vpon thy Commandements and also that being safe under thy protection wee may passe our time in rest and quietnesse thorough Iesus Christ our Lord. Amen Another O Almightie and eternall God King of glory and Lord of Heaven and Earth by whose Spirit all things are governed and by whose becke and providence all things are directed thou onely art the God of peace from whom all peace and concord doe proceede wee humbly beseech thee to forgiue us our sinnes and to giue us thy holy peace and true concord that in thy feare we may serue thee and for ever laud praise thee who together with the Sonne and Holy Ghost livest and reignest one true and eternall God Amen IV. For the King ALmightie God heavenly Father for Iesus Christ thy beloved Sonne we beseech thee favourably to looke downe upon our King guide him with thy holy Spirit keepe him with a guard of thine Angels against all dangers both of soule and body keepe him safely from all misfortunes so bring it to passe that by the expedition which he now makes we may be delivered from our enemies and that by his safe returne we being made joyfull may from thenceforth laud honour and prayse thee world without end Amen Another THe King shall rejoyce in thy strength O Lord Psal 21. exceeding glad shall he be of thy salvation Thou hast given him his hearts desire and not denyed him the request of his lippes For thou hast filled him with the best of thy blessings and hast set a Crowne of pure gold upon his head He asked life of thee and thou gavest him a long life even for ever and ever His honour is great in thy salvation glory and great worship hast thou laid upon him For thou hast filled him with all kind of blessings for ever and thou shalt make him glad with the joy of thy countenance Heare him Lord Psal 20.1 in the time of trouble let thy Name set him in a safe place Send him helpe from the Sanctuary and strengthen him out of Sion Remember also all his offerings and accept his burnt Sacrifice Grant him his hearts desire and fulfill all his mind Helpe Lord thine Anointed and heare him from thy Sanctuary through Iesus Christ Amen Another GRant peace O God unto our King and all his Officers well to governe the Common-wealth that vnder them we may lead a Christian a quiet and a peaceable life in all devotion and in honestie Amen Another O Eternall and mercifull God heavenly Father that hast the hearts of all Kings in thy hands and bowest them which way thou pleasest so bring it to passe that by this troublesome warre the meanes of making a good agreement and of establishing a sure peace may be found out all heart-burning offences and dissention removed Thou from whom all helpe in earch commeth helpe us that so we may liue peaceably and quietly in all devotion and honestie We haue to confesse the truth plucked downe all thy plagues vpon our selues by our sinfulnesse faultinesse and transgressions But rebuke vs not in thine anger neyther chasten vs in thy heavie displeasure Correct vs to amend vs but not vtterly to destroy vs. Enlighten our eyes that we sleepe not in death Returne at length and be gracious vnto vs satisfie vs with thy goodnesse that we may rejoyce be glad all the dayes of our life Comfort vs according to the time thou hast afflicted vs and the yeares wherein we haue suffered adversitie Remember not our former iniquities Haue mercy vpon vs and that soone for wee are brought very low Helpe vs O God our helper for the honour of thy Name Deliver vs and forgiue vs our sinnes for thy Names sake because thou are the Lord the highest aboue all the world thou art long-suffering of great goodnesse and gratious nor art thou prone vnto anger and to vengeance seeing to those that repent thou hast promised remission of all their sinnes So