Part 4 (1/2)
42. Prayer in view of the Sufferings of Christ.
Alas! my Lord Jesus Christ, when I behold Thee, as Thou wast in the garden bowed down with heartfelt sorrow, and in great anguish didst sweat drops of blood, as Thou wast afterwards taken prisoner, bound, and during the whole night and hour of darkness mocked and insulted, in the morning early as the innocent Lamb accused, whipped with scourges, and finally sentenced to death, suspended on the cross, pierced in your hands and feet with ruthless nails, and not a member of Thy most holy body remaining without a wound:--Alas! when I see all this, I see nothing but my sins, guilt and iniquities which brought Thee into this plight, and for the sake of which Thou didst freely enter into such anguish and distress, into such sadness, pain and suffering. Alas! my Lord, it is all my guilt for which Thou didst suffer--I am the cause of it all. How wonderful are the ways and purposes of G.o.d! The Innocent One must pay for the guilt of the guilty, the Good One must suffer the punishments of the wicked. The Lord must atone the guilt of the servant, and that which sinful man has brought upon himself G.o.d must bear. O Thou Son of the living G.o.d, how great is Thy love and favor towards us mortals! What hast Thou not done and suffered to redeem me, a poor lost sinner, and to deliver me from death and eternal d.a.m.nation. I have done evil, and Thou art punished; I have sinned, and Thou must atone. I have been disobedient, and Thou must for my disobedience be overwhelmed with such anguish and distress. Alas! Thou Lord of Glory, what can I give Thee in return for this Thy great goodness and faithfulness which Thou hast shown towards me! Wherewith shall I, poor needy mortal, requite such unspeakable benefit? Alas! my Lord, it shall forever remain unrequited.
There is no service in heaven or on earth whereby to pay Thee sufficiently for it. It is Thy pure grace and favor towards me, a poor sinner, and that remains by me forever unrequited, forever unmerited. And since I have nothing wherewithall to pay my debt, therefore my heart shall evermore thank Thee for what Thou hast done to me, and I shall magnify, glorify and praise Thy name now and forever. Amen.
43. Prayer in time of Drought.
O Faithful G.o.d, Thou G.o.d of truth and righteousness, who unto the most comforting a.s.surance hast shown us in Thy word of truth, how that an earnest, zealous, faithful and persevering prayer, powerfully penetrates the clouds of heaven, and not only most certainly comes into Thy presence, but also that it avails and effects a great deal, we, Thy poor children, now come, upon Thy comforting promise, in this extraordinarily protracted season of heat and drought, with our faithful, hearty and earnest prayer before the face of Thy lofty and divine majesty, and humbly beseech Thee, that Thou wouldst graciously hear us according to Thy promise, turn Thy great wrath in mercy from us, give unto the parched earth again its needed moisture, and cause a propitious shower to fall in quickening drops upon the earth, in order that it may again bring forth the ordained fruits so necessary for the support of our temporal life, which Thou in Thy paternal providence hast already ordained in the first creation. As of old Thou didst unlock the windows of heaven in answer to the faithful prayer of Thy servant and prophet Elias, and didst cause it to rain upon the thirsty earth, so we also confide the same to Thee now, that Thou wilt let Thy grace reign over us in this season of heat and drought, and out of Thy fatherly care for us, grant us our earnest pet.i.tion and prayer, unto Thy honor and our salvation, through Jesus Christ, Thy dear Son, our only Redeemer and Saviour. Amen.
44. Prayer for Suns.h.i.+ne in a protracted Season of Wet and Rain.
Lord G.o.d almighty, Thou who doest clothe the heaven with darkness, and makest their covering as a sack; Thou didst in thy wrath punish the impenitent old world for their wickedness and vice, with the overflowing waters of the flood, and didst destroy all the creatures of the earth, that live and have their being on dry land. We also at this time, according to Thy strict righteousness, on account of our manifold sins which we have committed against Thee, are visited with unusual rain, continued and protracted wet weather by which the land and the fruits thereof are greatly injured. Merciful Father, Thou who didst close the fountains of the deep as well as the windows of heaven at the time of the deluge, and didst command the rain from heaven to cease, take away from us all our sins and transgressions, and turn away from us the just punishment of our iniquities, the destructive rain and great waters. For the earth is sad, and the heavens are mourning. Behold the pledge in the clouds--the rainbow--and remember Thy promise, give good and fruitful weather, that the fruits in field and garden may prosper, and not be destroyed by the abundant and superfluous rain, and thus bring upon us famine and scarcity. Lord G.o.d of truth, Thou who canst not lie, Thou hast said: There shall henceforth be no more deluge to destroy the earth.
Therefore be merciful, O Lord! and do not out of wrath close up the bowels of Thy compa.s.sion, O do not take Thy favor and mercy from us! Do Thou not give unto us idle teeth, and lack of bread, bless our bread, that we may always have something to eat, and praise Thy holy name; thus shall we know that we are Thy children indeed, for whom Thou dost most faithfully care, and praise Thee as our heavenly Father all the days of our lives. Amen.
45. Prayer for the precious Fruits of the Field.
Dear Lord, do Thou graciously keep the blessed fruits of the field, purify the air, give fruitful rain and good weather, that the fruits of the land may prosper; let them not be poisoned, so that by eating them we together with the cattle be not taken with pestilence, fever or other plagues; for such plagues come when evil spirits poison the air, and afterwards the fruits, wine and corn, so that we by Thy infliction eat and drink sickness and death with our own daily bread. Therefore, dear Lord, bless Thy gifts that they may redound to our health and prosperity, and that we also may not abuse them to the injury of our souls or to greater sinfulness, intemperance and idleness, out of which unchast.i.ty, adultery, profanity, swearing, murder, wars and all manner of evils flow; but give us grace to use Thy gifts to our souls' salvation, and the amendment of our lives, and that the fruits of the Land be the means of furthering and keeping the health of our bodies and souls. Amen.
46. Prayer during a Storm.
Great G.o.d of might and power in heaven and in earth, by Thy thunder and lightening we are now reminded of Thy great wrath over us sinful mortals.
By such sound of Thy voice which makes all creatures to tremble and to fear, Thou doest call us, as if it were with a bell of repentance, to the knowledge of our sins and to true repentance, in order that we may not be condemned with the wicked world. Thou art such a mighty and powerful Lord, that if Thou wouldst deal with us according to Thy strict righteousness, Thou couldst destroy the world with one clap of thunder and lightening. But we bend our knees in prayer before Thee and humbly beseech Thee, remit Thy great wrath enkindled against our sins. Have mercy on us, spare us, lift up Thy gracious countenance upon us, and be Thou merciful unto us. Preserve our bodies and lives, our homes and property, our town and land, our goods and possessions, and all that we have, also the fruits of the field from hail and sleet, from conflagrations and floods, and from all danger. Guard us also against an evil and sudden death, and mercifully grant that many sinners may by Thy word, thunder and lightning, be roused out of their wicked walk and life, and be truly and heartily converted to Thee. Let us every hour of our lives think of Thy glorious appearing to judge the quick and the dead, and be prepared to receive Thee with joy, and with Thee to enter into the everlasting joys of Thy heavenly kingdom. Amen. O Lord, have mercy on us poor sinners, our bodies and souls, here in this present life and in the life to come. Amen.
47. Thanksgiving when the Storm is over.
Almighty G.o.d, heavenly Father, Thou hast said: Call upon me in the day of trouble, I will deliver thee and thou shalt glorify me: we praise and thank Thee with our whole heart, that Thou hast, in mercy, heard our prayer and caused the threatening storm to cease, without injury to body or property. In this, Thou hast not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us according to our iniquities; but hast dealt with us as a father with his children. Father of mercies, for the sake of Thine only begotten Son, Jesus Christ, cause these Thy fearful warnings to move us to constant amendment, that we may henceforth live in Thy fear and prepare ourselves for the coming of Thy dear Son, that we may with joy go forth to meet Him, and with shouts of joy enter heaven, in which dwelleth righteousness, and possess it forever, even for ever and ever, through Thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.