calling us (who in health and prosperity had clean forgotten both thee and ourselves) by sickness and adversity to the remembrance both of thy justice1 and judgment, and of our miserable frailness and mortality; and now, lest we by the heaviness of thine indignation should have utterly despaired, comforting us again by the manifest declaration of thy fatherly inclination to all compassion and clemency. We beseech thee to perfect the work of thy mercy graciously begun in us: And forasmuch as true health is, to be sound and whole in that part, which in us is most excellent and like to thy Godhead, we pray thee thoroughly to cure and heal the wounds and diseases of our souls3, grievously wounded and poisoned, by the daily assaults and infections of the old serpent Satan, with the deadly plagues of sin and wickedness: by the which inward infection of our minds these outward diseases of our bodies have by the order of thy justice, O Lord, issued and followed, that we, by thy fatherly goodness and benefit, obtaining perfect health both of our minds and bodies, may render unto thee therefore continual and most hearty thanks, and that, by flying from sin, we may avoid thine anger and plagues, and ever hereafter, in innocency and godliness of life studying to serve and please thee, may both by our words and works always glorify thy holy name. Which we beseech thee to grant us, O Father of mercies and God of all consolation, for thy dear Son, our only Saviour and Mediator, Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

['terrible justice. These notes shew the original readings of the manuscript copy.]

[3 from.]

[the great murtherer and old serpent.]

[ minds, as it were out of a most corrupt sink, these.]

[ flowed.]

[ anger, and ever.]

[8 of sin from henceforth.]

A SHORT FORM OF THANKSGIVING TO GOD for ceasing the vii. contagious sickness of the plague, to be used in Common prayer, on Sundays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, in stead of the Common prayers, used in the time of mortality. Set forth by the Bishop of London, to be used in the City of London, and the rest of his diocese, and in other places also at the discretion of the ordinary Ministers of the Churches.

After the end of the Collect in the Litany, which beginneth with these words: We humbly beseech thee, O Father. &c. shall follow this Psalm, to be said of the Minister, with the answer of the people.

LORD1o, thou art become gracious unto thy Land, thou 1. hast turned away the afflictions of thy servants.

Psal. 85.

Thou hast taken away all thy displeasure, and turned thyself from 2. thy wrathful indignation.

For if thou, Lord, hadst not helped us, it had not failed, 3. but our souls had been put to silence.

Psal. 94.

But when we said, our feet have slipped, thy mercy, O Lord, helped 4. us up.

In the multitude of the sorrows that we had in our hearts, 5. thy comforts have refreshed our souls.

Our souls waited still upon the Lord, our souls hanged upon his help, 6. our hope was always in him.

Psal. 62. 63.

In the Lord's word did we rejoice, in God's word did we 7. comfort ourselves.

For the Lord said: Call upon me in the time of trouble, and I will 8. hear thee, and thou shalt praise me.

Psal. 50.

So when we were poor, needy, sickly, and in heaviness, 9. the Lord cared for us: he was our help and our Saviour ac- Psal. 40. 69. cording to his word.

In our adversity and distress he hath lift up our heads, and saved us 10. from utter destruction.

Psal, 27.

He hath delivered our souls from death, he hath fed us in 11. the time of dearth, he hath saved us from the noisome pesti- Psal. 33. 91. lence.

[10 The psalm has been reprinted once before in Bull's Christian Prayers, p. 164. It occurs, too, in a Form for 1625, put forth on a similar occasion.]

33

[LITURG. QU. ELIZ.]

Psal. 27.

Psal. 106.

12.

13.

14.

Psal. 86. 103.

15.

Therefore will we offer in his holy Temple the oblation of thanksgiving with great gladness: we will sing and speak praises unto the Lord our Saviour.

We will give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious, and his mercy endureth for ever.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, plenteous in goodness and pity.

His mercy is greater than the heavens, and his gracious Psal. 57. 108. goodness reacheth unto the clouds.

Psal. 103.

Psal. 71.

Psal. 98.

Psal. 47.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

→ 21.

22.

23.

24.

Like as a father pitieth his own children: even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him.

Therefore will we praise thee and thy mercies, O God; unto thee will we sing, O thou holy one of Israel.

We will sing a new song unto thee, O God, we will praise the Lord with psalms of thanksgiving.

O sing praises, sing praises unto our God: O sing praises, sing praises unto our king.

For God is the King of the Earth, sing praises with understanding. We will magnify thee, O God our King, we will praise thy name for ever and ever.

Every day will we give thanks unto thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever.

Our mouth shall speak the praises of the Lord, and let all flesh give thanks to his holy name for ever and ever.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel for ever: and blessed be the name Psal. 21. 72. of his Majesty, world without end. Amen. Amen.

After this Psalm, shall be said by the Minister openly, and with an high voice, the Collect following.

The Collect.

O HEAVENLY and most merciful Father, what mind or what tongue can conceive or give thee worthy thanks for thy most great and infinite benefits, which thou hast bestowed, and dost daily bestow upon us, most unworthy of this thy so great and continual goodness and favour, though we should bestow all our life, power, travail, and understanding thereabouts only and wholly? When we were yet as clay is in the potter's hands, to be framed at his pleasure, vessels of honour or dishonour of thy only goodness without our deserving (for how could we deserve any thing, before we were any thing?) thou hast created and made us of nothing, not dumb

beasts void of reason, not vile vermins creeping upon the earth; but the noblest and most honourable of all thy worldly creatures, little inferior to thy heavenly Angels, endued with understanding, adorned with all excellent gifts, both of body and of mind, exalted to the dominion over all other thy earthly creatures, yea, the sun and the moon with other heavenly lights appointed to our service, enriched with the possession of all things, either necessary for our use, or delectable for our comfort. And as thou hast made us so excellent of nothing, so hast thou restored us, being lost, by thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ, dying for us upon the cross, both more marvellously and mercifully than thou didst first create us of nothing; besides that thou dost continually forgive and pardon our sins, into the which we do daily and hourly fall most dangerously, yea, deadly also, dampnably, and desperately, were not this thy present and most ready help of thy mercy. And what have we, that we have not by thee? or what be we, but by thee? All which unspeakable benefits thou hast, like a most loving father, bestowed upon us, that we thereby provoked might, like loving children, humbly honour and obediently serve thee, our good and most gracious Father. But forsomuch as we have dishonoured thee by and with the abusing of thy good gifts, thou dost even in this also, like a father correcting his children whom he loveth, when they offend, no less mercifully punish us for the said abuse of thy gifts, than thou didst bounteously before give them unto us; scourging us sometime with wars and troubles, sometimes with famine and scarcity, sometime with sickness and diseases, and sundry other kinds of plagues, for the abusing of peace, quietness, plenty, health, and such other thy good gifts, against thy holy word and will, and against thy honour and our own health, to thy great displeasure and high indignation: As thou now of late terribly, but most justly and deservedly, plagued us with contagious, dreadful and deadly sickness; from the which yet thou hast most mercifully, and without all deservings on our part, even of thine own goodness, now again delivered us and saved us. By the which thy most merciful deliverance, and especially in

[This passage respecting the queen was inserted by the positive direction of Cecil. Grindal's Remains, p. 268.

The following two prayers, as not being devoid of interest, are

that, amongst other thy great and manifold benefits, it hath pleased thee of thine eternal goodness, most mercifully and

added here from the Bibl. Lans. 116. articles 25, 28. The first is expressly stated to be in 'Mr Threasorer [of Elizabeth's household], S Joh. Mason's hand.' The second, written probably by the same individual, ends with a notice, which clearly shews, that Cecil (whose corrections they both exhibit) had ordered them to be composed: "I haue sent yo' honour this prayer againe, because nowe I haue made it, as you woulde me to doo.' Strype has given them in the Appendix to the first volume of his Annals, and says (p. 517), they were used, I suppose, with the rest at the accustomed Times of Prayer before her.'

An English prayer for Quene Eliz. being recouered of dangerous

sicknes. 1568.

O MOST mercifull Sauiour Jesu Christe, who being here vppon the earthe, by curing of all kinde of bodilie diseases, and perdoning the synnes of all suche as beleaued in the, didest declare vnto the worlde that thou art the onlie Phisician both of the bodie and the soule: and whan thou waste rebuked by the Pharisies for accompaninge of synfull persons, thou didest planelie by expresse words testifie the same, saynge that sooche as were hoole had noo nede of a Phisician, but those that were sycklie: behold here, O most gracious Jesu, a cure mete for thie diuine power and mercie, a person vppon whom euen from her infancie thou hast bestowed great and innumerable benefites, and haste sett her in high honour and estate in thys worlde, and that of thie speciall grace and goodnes onlie, wth out anie her deseruinge at all: but now, O Lorde, ether to the ende that moche worldlie prosperitie shulde not make her to forgett her feeffe and her duitie towards the, or els for that, that she beinge by thie goodnes maide a prince ouer thie people, hath not in dede soo well as she ought to haue done remembred and acknowleged that she was thie subiecte and handmayden; nether hath, accordinge to her bonden duitie, bene thankfull to the as her most louinge and beneficiall Sauiour, nor obedient to the as her most gracious and soueraigne lorde: or for other causes to thie diuine wisdome best knowen, thou hast now of late, o lorde, for her admonition and correction striken thie said seruante wth dangerous syknes and bodilie infirmitie euen to the vere poynt of deathe, and hast withall abashed her soule allsoo wth dyvers trobles and terrors of mynde, and by her danger hast terrified the holle realme and people of England, whose quietnes and securitie dependeth, nexte after the, vppon the healthe of thie saide seruant. And yet in thie iudgement thou hast, O Lorde, according to thie accustomed goodnes, remembred thie mercie, delyueringe thie said seruant, aboue all humane reason and liklihoode, from the present danger of deathe: declaring as well by her soodan and great sycknes, as by thie steadie healpe and succoure in danger allmost desperat, thie diuine power ioyned with thie vnspekable goodnes and mercie. Finishe, O most mercifull Sauiour, the worke of thie seruant's healthe wch thou hast graciouslie begonne: accom