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    Exhortation and Litany (1544)

 

AS THESE prayers and suffrages folowing, as set furth of most godly zeale for edifying and stirringe of devotion of all true faithfull christen hartes: so is it thoughte convenient in this commune prayer of procession to have it set furth and used in the vulgar tungue: and it shall be every christen mans parte reverently to use the same, to the honour and glory of almyghty god, and the profitte of their owne soules. And such amonge the people as have bokes, and can reade, may reade them quietly and softly to them selfe, and suche as can not reade, let them quietly and attentifely give audience in time of the said praiers, havyng their myndes erect to almighty god, and devoutly praying in theyr hartes, the same petitions whiche do entre in at their eares, so that with one sounde of the hart and one accorde, God may be glorified in his churche.
¶ And it is to be remembered, that that whiche is printed in blacke letters, is to be sayde or songe of the priest with an audible voyce, that is to saye, so loude and so playnely, that it maye well be understande of the hearers: And that which is in the redde, is to be aunswered of the quiere [choir] soberly and devoutly.

  

The Litany

O god the father of heaven: have mercy upon us miserable synners.

O god, the father of heaven, have mercie upon us miserable synners.

O God the sonne, redemer of the worlde: have mercie upon us myserable synners.

O God the sonne, redemer of the worlde: have mercie upon us miserable synners.

O god the holy ghoste, procedyng from the father and the sonne: have mercy upon us myserable synners.

O god the holy ghoste, procedyng from the father and the sonne: have mercie upon us miserable synners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious trinitie, iii. persons and one God: have mercye upon us myserable synners.

O holy, blessed, and glorious trinitie, thre persons and one god: have mercie upon us miserable synners.

 

 

Holy virgin Mary, mother of God our Savyour Jesu Chryst. Praye for us.

All holy Aungels and Archaungels and all holye orders of blessed spirites.

Praye for us.

All holy patriarkes, and Prophetes, Apostles, Martyrs, Confessors, & Virgins, and all the blessed company of heaven:

Praye for us.

Remember not Lord our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers, neither take thou vengeaunce of our synnes: spare us good Lorde, spare thy people, whom thou hast redemed with thy most precious bloude, and be not angry wyth us for ever:

 

Spare us good Lorde.

From all evyll and myschief, from synne, from the craftes and assaultes of the devill, from thy wrath, and from everlastyng damnacion.

 

From blindnes of hearte, from pryde, vaynglory, and hypocrisy, from envy, harred and malice, and all uncharytablenes:

Good lorde deliver us.

From all fornycacion and all deadly synne, and from all the deceiptes of the worlde, the fleshe, and the devill:

Good lorde deliver us.

From lightnyng and tempast, from plage, pestilence and famyne, from battayle and murder, & from sodaine death:

Good lorde deliver us.

From all sedycion and privey conspiracie, from the tyranny of the bisshop of Rome and all his detestable enormyties, from all false doctrine and heresye, from hardnes of hearte, and conmtempte of thy worde and commaundemente:

Good lorde deliver us.

By the mystery of thy holy incarnacion, by thy holye nativyte and cirumcysyon, by the baptyisme, fastynge and temptacyon:

Good lorde deliver us.

By thyne agony and bluddy sweate, by thy crosse and passion, by thy precious death and buryal, by thy glorious resurrectyon and ascension, by the commyng of the holy Ghost:

Good lorde delyver us.

In al time of our tribulacion, in al tyme of our wealth, in the hour of death, in the day of judgment:

Good lorde deliver us.

We synners do beseche the to heare us (O lord god) and that it may please the to rule and governe thy holy church universall in the ryght way.
  

 

we beseeche the to here us good Lorde.

That it may please the to kepe Henry the. viii. thy servaunt and our kyng and governoure:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maie please the to rule his hearte in thy faithe, feare, and love that he maye ever have affyaunce [= reliance] in the, & ever seke thy honour & glory

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to be his defendour and keper, gyvyng hym the vyctorye over all his enemyes:

We beseche the to here us good Lorde.

That it maye please the to kepe oure noble Quene Catherin in thy feare and love, gyvynge her increase of all godlynes, honour, and chyldren.

We beseche the to here us good lorde.

That it maye please the to kepe and defende oure noble Prynce Edward, and all the kynges majesties chyldren.

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to illumynate al bishoppes pastours and mynisters of the church, wyth true knowlege and understandynge of thy word, and that both by their preachyng and lyvynge, thei maie set it forth and shewe it accordyngly:

We besech the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to endue the Lordes of the counsayle, and the nobylytie wyth grace, wysedome, and understandynge:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to blesse and kepe the magistrates, gyvyng them grace to execute justice, & to mayntayne truthe:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to blesse & kepe all thy people:

We beseche the to here us good lord.
  

 

That it maye please the to gyve to all nacyons unytie peace and concorde:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to geve to us an harte to love and dread [=revere] the, and dilygentlye to lyve after thy commaundementes:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to gyve all thy people increase of grace, to here mekelye thy worde, and to receive it with pure affection, and to brynge forth the fruites of the spirit:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to bryng into the waie of truth all suche as have erred and are deceyved:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to strengthen such as do stande, and to comfort and helpe the weake hearted, and to rayse up them that fall, and fynallye to beate downe Sathan under our feete:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to succour helpe and comfort al that be in daunger, necessitie and trybulacion:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye plese the to preserve all that travayle by lande or by water, all women labouryng of childe, al sicke persons and yonge children, and to shewe thy pytie upon all prysoners and captyves:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to defende and provyde for the fatherles chyldren and wyddowes, and all that be desolate and oppressed:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to have mercye upon all men:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to forgeve our enemies, persecutours and slaunderers, and to turne theyr heartes:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to gyve to our use the kyndlye fruytes of the earth, so as in due tyme we may enjoy them, and to preserve them:

We beseche the to here us good lord.

That it maye please the to gyve us true repentaunce, to forgeve us al our synnes, negligences and ignoraunces, & to endue us with the grace of the holy spirite, to amend our lyves accordynge to thy holye worde:

We beseche the to here us good lord.
  

 

Sonne of God: we beseche the to here us.

Sonne of god, we beseche the to heare us.

O lambe of god, that takest away the sines of the world: Graunt us thy peace.

O lambe of god, that takest awaye the synnes of the worlde:

have mercy upon us.

 

O Christe heare us.

O christ heare us.

Lorde have mercy upon us

Lorde have mercy upon us.

Christ have mercy upon us.

Christe have mercy upon us.

Lorde have mercy upon us.

Lorde have mercy upon us.

Oure father whiche art in heaven.
With the reading of the Pater noster

And suffer us not to be led into temptation. But deliver us from evil. Amen. / The versicle / O Lorde, deale not with us

after our synnes. / The aunswere. / Neither rewarde us after our iniquities. / Let us praye.

 

O God, mercifull father, that dyspysest not the sighyng of a contrite hearte, nor the desire of suche as be sorowfull, mercifully assiste oure prayers, that we make before the in all our troubles and adversities, when soever they oppresse us. And graciousely heare us, that those evils, whiche the craft and subtiltie of the devill or man worketh against us, be brought to nought, & by the providence of thy goodnes, thei meye be dispersed, that we thy servauntes, being hurt by no persecucions, may evermore give thankes unto the, in the holy churche, through

Jesu Christe our Lorde. / O lorde, arise, halp us & deliver us for thy names sake.

 

before them.

O god, we have heard with oure eares, and our fathers have declarid unto us the noble workes that thou dyddest in their dayes, and in the olde tyme

O lorde, arise, help us, and delyver us for thy honour.

 

Glorye to the father, the sonne, and to the holye ghost, as it hath ben from the begynnyng, is & shalbe ever world

without ende. Amen.

From our enemies defende us O Christe. / Graciousely looke upon our afflictions.

Pitifully beholde the dolour of our hearte. / Mercyfully forgyve the synnes of thy people.

dolour = sorrow

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Favourably with mercye heare our prayers. / O son of David have mercy uppon us.

Bothe nowe & ever vouchesaufe us Christe. / Graciousely here us, O Christe.

 

Graciousely heare us, O Lorde Christe. / The Versicle / O lorde, let thy mercye be shewed upon us.

The aunswere. / As we do put our truste in the. / Let us praye.

 

WE humbly beseche the O father, mercifully to loke upon our infirmities, and for the glorye of thy name sake, turne from us all those evylles, that we moost ryghteouslye have deserved. Graunt thys O Lorde God for our mediatour and

advocate Jesu Christes sake.

Amen.

O GOD, whose nature and properte is ever to have mercye and to forgeve, receive our humble peticion, and thoughe we be tyed and bound with the chain of our sinnes: yet let thy pitifulnes of thy great mercye leuse us for the honour of Jesu Christes sake, our mediatour and advocate.     Amen.

ALmightye and ever lyvyng God, whiche only workest great mervayles, send downe upon our byshoppes and curates, and al congregacyons, commytted to theyr charge, the healthfull spirite of thy grace, and that they maye trulye please the: powre upon theym the contynuall dewe of thy blessing. Graunt this (O Lord) for the honoure of oure advocate and mediatour Jesu Christe.   Amen.

WE beseche the (O lord) to shewe excedyng greate mercye, whyche no tounge can wortheyle expresse, and that it maye please the, to deliver us from all our synnes, and also from the paynes, that we have for them deserved. Graunte this (O Lorde) through our mediatour and advocate Jesu Christ.   Amen.

GRaunt, we beseche the, O almighty god, that we in oure trouble put oure whole confydence upon thy mercy, that we may agaynst all adversytie be defended under thy protection. Graunt this O Lorde God, for oure mediatour and advocate Jesu Christis sake.   Amen.
  

 
ALmighty god, which haste given us grace at this tyme with one accorde to make our commune supplications unto the, and doost promise, that whan two or thre be gathered in thy name, thou wilt graunt their requestes: fulfil nowe, o lord, the desires and petytions of thy servauntes, as maye be mooste expedient for them, graunting us in this world knowledge of thy thruthe, & in the wordle to come lyfe everlastynge. Amen.
  
A prayer of Chrisostome.

Web author: Charles Wohlers U. S. EnglandScotlandIrelandWalesCanadaWorld