PRAYERS AND THANKSGIVINGS upon several Occasions, to be used before the two final Prayers of Morning and Evening Service.
 

P  R  A  Y  E   R  S.
 

¶ For Rain.

O God, heavenly Father, who by thy Son Jesus Christ hast promised to all those who seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, all things necessary to their bodily sustenance; Send us, we beseech thee, in this our necessity, such moderate rain and showers, that we may receive the fruits of the earth to our comfort, and to thy honour, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ For fair Weather.

O Almighty Lord God, who for the sin of man didst once drown all the world, except eight persons, and afterward of thy great mercy didst promise never to destroy it so again; We humbly beseech thee, that although we for our iniquities have worthily deserved a plague of rain and waters, yet upon our true repentance thou wilt send us such weather, as that we may receive the fruits of the earth in due season; and learn both by thy punishment to amend our lives, and for thy clemency to give thee praise and glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ In the time of Dearth and Famine.

O God, heavenly Father, whose gift it is, that the rain doth fall, the earth is fruitful, beasts increase, and fishes do multiply; Behold, we beseech thee, the afflictions of thy people; and grant that the scarcity and dearth, which we do now most justly suffer for our iniquity, may through thy goodness be mercifully turned into cheapness and plenty, for the love of Jesus Christ our Lord ; to whom with thee, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

¶ Or this.

O God, merciful Father, who in the time of Elisha the prophet didst suddenly in Samaria turn great scarcity and dearth into plenty and cheapness; Have mercy upon us, that we, who are now for our sins punished with like adversity, may likewise find the seasonable relief: Increase the fruits of the earth by thy heavenly benediction; and grant that we, receiving thy bountiful liberality, may use the same to thy glory, the relief of those who are needy; and our own comfort, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ In the time of War and Tumults.

O Thou Almighty Ruler of the Universe, whose power no creature is able to resist, to whom it belongeth justly to punish sinners, and to be merciful to those who truly repent; Save and deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from the hands of our enemies; that we, being armed with thy defence, may be preserved evermore from all perils, to glorify thee; who art the only giver of all victory, through the merits of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ In the time of any common Plague or Sickness.

O Almighty God, who in thy wrath didst sed a plague upon thine own People in the wilderness, for their obstinate rebellion against Moses and Aaron; and also, in the time of King David, didst slay with the plague of pestilence threescore and ten thousand, and yet remembering thy mercy, didst save the rest; Have pity upon us miserable sinners, who now are visited with great sickness and mortality; that like as thou didst then accept of an atonement; and didst command the destroying Angel to cease from punishing; so it may now please thee to withdraw from us this plague and grievous sickness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ For those who are to be admitted into holy Orders.

ALmighty God, our heavenly Father, who hast purchased to thyself an universal Church by the precious blood of thy dear Son; Mercifully look upon the same, and at this time so guide and govern the minds of thy servants the Bishops and Pastors of thy flock, that they may lay hands suddenly on no man, but faithfully and wisely make choice of fit persons to serve in the sacred ministry of thy Church. And to those who shall be ordained to any holy Function, give thy grace and heavenly benediction; that both by their life and doctrine they may shew forth thy glory, and set forward the salvation of all men, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ Or this

ALmighty God, the giver of all good gifts, who of thy divine providence hast appointed divers orders in thy Church; Give thy grace, we humbly beseech thee, to all those who are to be called to any office and administration in the same and so replenish them with the truth of thy doctrine, and endue them with innocency of life, that they may faithfully serve, before thee, to the glory of, thy great, Name, and the benefit of thy holy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

T H A N K S G I V I N G S.

¶ The Thanksgiving of Women after Child-birth; to be said when any Woman, being present in Church, shall have desired to return Thanks to Almighty God for her safe Deliverance.

O Almighty God, we give thee humble thanks, for that thou hast been graciously pleased to preserve this woman thy servant through the great pain and peril of Child-birth; Grant we beseech thee most merciful Father, that she through thy help may both faithfully live, and walk according to thy will in this life present, and also may be partaker of everlasting glory in the life to come, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ For Rain.

O God our heavenly Father, who by thy gracious providence, dost cause the former aud the latter rain to descend upon the earth, that it may bring forth fruit for the use of man; We give thee humble thanks that it hath pleased thee, in our great necessity, to send us at the last a joyful rain upon thine inheritance, and to refresh it when it was dry, to the, great comfort of us thy unworthy servants, and to the glory of thy holy Name, through thy mercies in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ For fair Weather.

O God, who hast justly humbled us by thy late visitation of us with immoderate rain and waters, and in thy mercy hast relieved and comforted our souls by this seasonable and blessed change of weather; We praise and glorify thy holy name, for this thy mercy, and will always declare, thy loving kindness from generation to generation, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

¶ For Plenty.

O Most merciful Father, who of thy gracious goodness hast heard the devout prayers of thy Church, and turned our dearth and scarcity into cheapness and p!enty, We give thee humble thanks for this thy special bounty; beseeching thee to continue thy loving kindness unto us, that our land may yield us her fruits of increase, to thy glory and our comfort, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

¶ For Peace and Deliverance from our Enemies.

O Almighty God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for our deliverance from those great and apparent dangers wherewith we were compassed: We acknowledge it thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty deliverer, through Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

¶ For restoring Publick Peace at Home.

O Eternal God, our heavenly Father, who alone makest men to be of one mind in a house, and stillest the outrage of a violent and unruly people; We bless thy holy Name, that it hath pleases thee. to appease the seditious tumults which have been lately raised up among us; most humbly beseeching thee to grant to all of us grace, that we may henceforth obediently walk in thy holy commandments and leading a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty; may continually offer unto thee our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving for these thy mercies towards us through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ For Deliverance from the Plague or common Sickness.

O Lord God, who hast wounded us for our sins, and consumed us for our transgressions by thy late heavy and dreadful visitation; and now in the midst of judgment remembering mercy, hast redeemed our souls from the jaws of death; We offer unto thy fatherly goodness ourselves, our souls and bodies, which thou hast delivered, to be a living sacrifice unto thee, always praising and magnifying thy mercies in the midst of thy Church, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

¶ Or this.

WE humbly acknowledge before thee, O most merciful Father, that all the punishments which are threatened in thy law, might justly have fallen upon us, by reason of our manifold transgressions and hardness of heart: Yet seeing it hath pleased thee of thy tender mercy, upon our weak and unworthy humiliation to asswage the contagious; sickness wherewith we lately have been sore afflicted, and to restore the voice of joy and health into our dwellings; We offer unto thy divine Majesty the sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving, lauding and magnifying thy glorious Name for such thy preservation and providence over us, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

C  O  L  L  E  C  T S.

¶ C O L L E C T S  that may said after the Collects of Morning or Evening Prayer, or Communion, at the discretion of the Minister.

Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants towards the attaining of everlasting salvation; that among all the changes and chances of this mortal life, they may ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O Almighty Lord, and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify and govern both our hearts and bodies in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments; that through thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we may be preserved in body and soul, through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

GRant, we beseech thee, Almighty God, that the words which we have heard this day with our outward ears, may through thy grace be so grafted inwardly in our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the fruit of good living to the honour and praise of thy Name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

PRevent us, O Lord, in all our doings with thy most gracious favour, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued, and ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy Name; and finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALmighty God, the fountain of all wisdom, who knowest our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking; We beseech thee to have compassion upon our infirmities; and those things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALmighty God, who hast promised to hear the petitions of those who ask in thy Son's Name; We beseech thee mercifully to incline thine ears to us who have made now our prayers and supplications unto thee; and grant that those things which we lave faithfully asked according to by will, may effectually be obtained, to the relief of our necessity, and to the setting forth of thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.