London: Thomas Mabb, 1660.

A proper Prayer for the Thirtieth of January.

O Blessed Lord God, who by thy Wisdom guidest and orderest all things most sutably to thy Justice, and performest thy pleasure, allwayes in such manner, that thou canst also appeal to us, whether thy wayes be not equall: We, thy poor afflicted People, fall down before thee, acknowledging the Justice of thy proceedings with us, and that the amazing Judgement, which as this day befell us (in thy permitting cruel men, sons of Beliall to execute the fury of their Rebellion upon Our late Gracious Soveraign, and to imbrew their hands in the Blood and Murder of the Lords Anointed) was drawn down by the great and long provocations of this Nations sins against thee: For all which, and our own parts in which, we sinfull wretches here met together, desire to humble our selves before thee, and to tremble at thy presence in this dayes fore vengeance, the effect as well as desert of our impieties, the work of our own hands upon our selves, thy heavy Judgement, but our most horrid sin, for which alone (did not multitudes of other sins cry out against us) thou mightest justly descend down upon us all, as thou didst in Sodom, and leave us no other memorial than to be the frightfull Monuments of thy Indignation and fury to all Posterity. Gracious is the Lord, and mercifull, therefore it is, that We are not consumed! O let thy longsuffering and patience lead us to repentance: And now Lord, looking on this particular signal Judgement, as thy last Trump, warning us to fly from the wrath to come; We come forth to meet our God, mourning in our prayers before thee, and begging the aversion of thy further displeasure, and the removall of these plagues of long continuance from us, for the all-sufficient merits of the death and sufferings of our blessed Saviour. O forgive our great and manifold transgressions, and for his bloody Passions sake, deliver this Nation from blood-guiltinesse, that of this day especially, O God of our Salvation. Let not our crying sins intercept our Prayers, or thy blessings; but hear the voice of our tears, and hearing forgive and heal us, retire not quite from us into thine own place, laugh not at our calamities, neither mock in this day of our visitation: Vindicate thine own Cause, and thine own Providence, that it may appear unto men that thou bearest up the Pillars of the earth; and that by thee Kings do reign. And though thou hast suffered our Enemies to proceed to that high pitch of violence against our late King, even to kill and take possession of his Throne and Revenews: Yet frustrate now at length their bold hopes and desires; let not their mischievous imaginations prosper, least they be too proud; let them not be able to establish themselves in that prosperity and greatness they have fancied; let them not say of his Family, God hath forsaken them, let us persecute them: shew some good token on his seed for good, that their enemies may see it, and be ashamed: because, thou Lord, hast holpen and comforted them. Bow the hearts of the Subjects of this Land, as thou didst those of Israel to David, that they may acknowledge and receive joyfully the heir of these Kingdoms; and fasten thou him as a nail in a sure place; behold his injuries, and have compassion on his Innocency; and let the desire of his enemies perish like that of the Hypocrite; but bring him, maugre all their oppositions, to a peaceable possession of that Throne, to which by his Birthright thou hast designed him, and establish him in the Just Rights of his Family. O Lord, we wait on thee this day for this blessing; make no long tarrying, but according to the time thou hast plagued us, send us deliverance. Snatch the prey out of the Lyons teeth, and pull us out of the burnings like a firebrand: We beseech thee, that We may this day spread before thee the words of Rabshekah, the proud railings, and scornfull reproaches of our enemies. Behold this day their exaltation, and our mourning: O Lord, our eyes are towards thee! for whom nothing is hard; let it not seem a small thing to thee, that we suffer, but concenter our Prayers with the many thousands that call on thee: That salvation may come to our King, and through him thy blessing of peace unto thy People. Think upon all those that are peaceable, and faithfull in the Land, and deal thou with us according to thy Word, wherein thou hast caused us to put our trust; Let the world see that there is a God that judgeth the earth, and will send deliverance to his people in their needfull time of trouble. But whatsoever thy purpose is, let not us behave our selves frowardly, but with all Christian humility, run the race that thou settest before us, and patiently bear the indignation, of the Lord, because we have sinned against him. And we meekly beseech thee, that if the Divine Decree of thy Justice withstand our Petitions, our prayers may return into our own bosomes; and that thou wilt make thy judgements temporal and not spiritual upon us; but assist us with strength proportionable to our temptations; that we be not delivered to evil: but that in wel-doing, we may commit our selves to thee our God, as unto a faithful Creator: And that both our King and we, may say with all Christian submission and cheerfulness: It is the Lord, let him do what seemeth him good.

And here, O Lord, we offer unto thee, all possible praise and thanks for all the Glory of thy Grace, that hath shined forth in thine Anointed, our late Soveraign, and that thou wert pleased to own him (this Day especially) in the midst of his Enemies, and in the hour of death, and to endue him with such eminent Patience, Meckness, Humility, Charity and all other Christian Virtues, according to the example of thine own Son, suffering the fury of his, and thine Enemies, for the preservation of thy Church and People.

We Praise thee also for the Courage and Comfort thou hast given unto us of his Party, by that owning and assisting him, or any that have suffered in that Righteous Cause.

And we beseech thee give us all grace to Remember and provide for our latter end, by a Careful, studious imitation of those blessed patterns of thy Saints and Martyrs, that have gone before us, that we may be made worthy to Receive benefit by their prayers, which they, in Communion with thy Church Catholick, offer up unto thee for that part of it here Militant, and yet in sight with, and danger from the flesh, that following the blessed stepps of their holy Lives and Deaths, we may also shew forth the Light of a good example, for the Glory of thy Name, the Conversion of Enemies, and the improvement of those Generations we shall shortly leave behind us; and then with all those that have born the Heat and burthen of the day (thy Servant whose Sufferings and Labours we this day commemorate) receive the Reward of our Labours, the Harvest of our Hopes, even the Salvation of our own souls, and that for the merits, and through the mediation of thy Son, our Blessed Saviour Jesus Christ,

Amen.

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