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humbly craving forgiveness of our sins, and the continuance of thy blessings upon us, and upon all Princes, Countries, and Commonwealths, that have received and do embrace thine holy Gospel. Therefore, being cast down in soul, we do bewail our iniquities, setting the bitter death and precious bloodshed of thy dear Son Christ Jesus betwixt us and thy just wrath conceived against us. Turn (O Lord) thy wrathful indignation from us: And forasmuch as it is not for these our sins, that our enemies in their purpose have thus banded themselves against us, but for the sincere profession of thy word and Gospel; with thy mighty arm confound, and bring to nought, the devices, power, and strength, of all such, as set themselves against the same. Thou knowest (O Lord) how the heathen, and such as hold of superstitious vanities, do everywhere rush into thine inheritance, to make thy chosen Jerusalem, even thy Church, a desolate heap of stones, to lay waste thy holy Sanctuary; yea, even to give up the flesh of thy dear children to the birds of the air, and the slain carcases of thy saints to the beasts of the field. Wherefore (most mighty God of Hosts) which art the Lord of glory and power, that canst arm the most base and meanest of thy creatures to the overthrow of all the mighty of the world, that be enemies to us for thy truth's sake: Avance thyself like a mighty Giant with a swift and terrible judgment against them frustrate the counsels of all their Achitophels: break them down with an iron rod like an earthen vessel: send an host of Angels to scatter their armies both by sea and land: confound them as thou didst the host of the Assyrians: Let thine own sword fight for us and devour up them be thou as fire unto them, and let them be as stubble before thee. Finally, let them be as Oreb and Zeb: yea, like unto Zebah and Salmanah, and be made as dung on the face of the earth. Send (good Lord) upon them the spirit of fear and trembling, that they may fly before the host of thine Israel as chaff before the wind, to the end they may be discomfited, and overthrown by thy mighty hand. Neither give thou us up (O Lord) to be a prey to their teeth, or a byword and reproach to such as hate the true profession of the Gospel: For we do only rest assured under the shadow of thy wings. Protect us in mercy as the apple of thine eye, and mercifully pour upon us the spirit of wisdom, foresight,

counsel, strength and courage: that, in full assurance of thine heavenly help fighting for us, ten of us may chase an hundred, and an hundred of us put to flight a thousand of them. Be thou (O Lord) our continual refuge and strong rock of defence Let thine holy Angels pitch their tents round about us, that we may know thine holy hand both stretched out for our help, and strongly set against them: teach our hands to war, and our fingers to fight: prosper that we shall take in hand, O prosper thou our handy work, and make us always to rejoice in thy salvation and deliverance: that so all such as love not the truth of thy Gospel, hearing thereof, may be discomforted; and that thy fear may fall upon them, to the perpetual glory of thy holy name: That we, escaping the rage and fury of those which seek after our lives, may in thine holy Church here militant, and after in the Church triumphant in heaven, eternally sing praises to thee our heavenly Father, the only giver of all victory. Grant these things for thy Son Christ Jesus' sake: to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, three persons and one eternal, immortal, invisible, and only wise God, be all honour, praise, glory and dominion now and for ever. Amen.

Another prayer.

Most mighty God, and merciful Father: Forasmuch as thou hast promised to maintain and defend the cause of thy Church, so dearly purchased and redeemed, even with the precious blood of thy dearly beloved Son: we, thy humble servants, confessing our own unworthiness through the infinite number of our wilful transgressions, do at this time prostrate ourselves here before thy divine Majesty, and, wholly relying upon thy promises, most heartily beseech thee through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour, to protect us this day and ever hereafter from the fury of our enemies, to pardon our sins past, and to have mercy upon us. Thou knowest, O Lord, how they that fight against us have entered into a league, and combined themselves, never to desist, until they have destroyed all such as profess thy Gospel, and laid the glory of Sion in the dust. And though our offences do most justly deserve, that we should be delivered to the edges of their swords: Yet seeing that they do hate us only for thy cause, and that we are noted in the world for such as outwardly

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profess thy name, and the true doctrine of the Gospel of thy Son our Saviour Christ, save us in thy mercy (O heavenly Father) from the cruelty of these conspirators: cast a fear and trembling into their hearts, take our cause into thine own hands, go before our host, fight our battles, and subdue them: So shall they have no cause to insult over thy true Church, and over us thy servants, nor to say with the old enemies, Where is now their God? And we thy penitent and most humble suppliants will from henceforth declare thy Name with cheerful heart unto our brethren: in the midst of the Congregation we will ever praise thee, and magnify thy salvation, world without end.

Grant this, O merciful Father, not for our own sakes, but for thy dear Son's sake, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost, three persons and one God, be all honour, glory, power, and dominion now and for ever. Amen.

A prayer for the Queen's Majesty.

O LORD our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, the only ruler of Princes, which dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers upon earth, most heartily we beseech thee with thy favour to behold our most gracious Sovereign Lady, Queen Elizabeth, and so replenish her with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, that she may alway incline to thy will, and walk in thy way: endue her plenteously with heavenly gifts, grant her in health and wealth long to live, strengthen her, that she may vanquish and overcome all her enemies, and finally after this life she may attain everlasting joy and felicity, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O ALMIGHTY God, King of all Kings, and governour of all things, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to them that truly repent: save and deliver us (we humbly beseech thee) from the hands of our enemies; abate their pride, assuage their malice, and confound their devices: that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee which art the only giver of all victory, through the merits of thy only Son Jesus Christ our Lord.

XXXIL

A FORM OF PRAYER, necessary for the present time and

state.

Imprinted at London by the Deputies of Christopher Barker,
Printer to the Queen's most excellent Majesty.

1590.

A confession of sins.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep, we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts, we have offended against thy holy Laws, we have left undone those things which we ought to have done, and we have done those things which we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us but thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us miserable offenders, spare thou them, O God, which confess their faults, restore thou them that be penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesu our Lord, and grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. which desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness and live, and hath given power and commandment to his ministers to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the absolution and remission of their sins he pardoneth and absolveth all them which truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore we beseech him to grant us true repentance and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him which we do at this present, and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure and holy, so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

OUR Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in [This is almost entirely made up from the Forms for 1588 and 1589.]

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heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us

our trespasses, as we forgive them that trespass against us.

And lead us not into temptation. But deliver us from evil.

Amen.

A A prayer for the forgiveness of sins.

O COME, let us humble ourselves: and fall down before Psal. 95. the Lord our maker, with reverence and fear.

Let us repent and turn from our wickedness, and turn again unto our Osee 6. Lord and our sins shall be forgiven us.

:

Acts 3.

Osee 6.

Let us turn, and the Lord will turn from his heavy Jonas 3. wrath he hath smitten us, and he will heal us, he will pardon us, and we shall not perish.

We acknowledge our faults, O Lord: and our sins are ever before Psal. 51. our sight.

We have sore provoked thine anger, O Lord thy wrath Lamen. 5. is waxed hot, and thy heavy displeasure is sore kindled against us.

But rebuke us not, O Lord, in thine indignation: neither chasten us Psal. 6. in thy heavy displeasure.

Job 11.

In deed we acknowledge that all punishments are less Judith 8. than our deserving: but yet of thy mercy, Lord, correct us Sapi. 11. to amendment, and plague us not to our destruction.

O remember not the sins and offences of our youth, and times past, Psal. 25. but according to thy mercy think upon us, O Lord, for thy goodness.

Stand not so far off, O Lord: neither hide thy face in Psal. 10. the needful time of trouble.

Turn thee unto us, and have mercy upon us: for we are desolate Psal. 25. and in great misery.

Jonas 2.

And now in the vexation of our spirits, and the anguish Baruc. 3. of our souls we remember thee, and we cry unto thee; hear, : Lord, and have mercy.

For we do not pour out our prayers before thy face, trusting in our Dan. 9. own righteousness: but in thy great and manifold mercies.

For thine own sake, and for thy holy name's sake, incline Psal. 25. thine ear and hear: and be merciful to our sins, for they are great.

Help us, O God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name: O Psal. 9. deliver us, and save us for thy name's sake.

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