4 Reg. ch. 23. vers. a. 1. 2. 3. 5. 24. 25. And then the king sent, and there gathered together unto him all the Elders of Juda, and of Hierusalem. And the king went up into the house of the Lord, with all the men of Juda, and all the inhabiters of Hierusalem, with the Priests and Prophets, and all the people, both small and great and he read in the ears of them all the words of the book of the covenant, which was found in the house of the Lord. And the king stood by a pillar, and made a covenant before the Lord, that they should walk after the Lord, and keep his commandments, his witnesses, and his statutes, with all their heart, and with all their soul, and make good the words of the said covenant that were written in the foresaid book: and all the people consented to the covenant. And the King commanded Helkia, the high Priest, and the inferior Priests, and the keepers of the ornaments, to bring out of the temple of the Lord all the vessels that were made for Baal, for the groves, and for all the host of heaven: and he burnt them without Hierusalem, in the fields of Cedron, and carried the ashes of them into Bethel. And he put down the Priests of Baal, whom the kings of Juda had founded to burn incense in the high places and cities of Juda, that were round about Hierusalem, and also them that burnt incense unto Baal, to the Sun, to the Moon, to the Planets, and to all the host of heaven. And moreover, all workers with spirits, and soothsayers, images, idols, and all the abominations that were spied in the land of Juda, and in Hierusalem, these did Josia put out of the way, to perform the words of the law, which were written in the book that Helkia the Priest found in the house of the Lord. Like unto him was there no king before him, that turned to the Lord with all his heart, with all his soul, and all his might, according to all the law of Moses, neither after him arose there any such as he. In1 Cathedral and Collegiate Churches, one of the former Lessons omitted at Morning prayer may be read for the first Lesson at Evening prayer. Then, We praise thee, O God. &c. The second Lesson. The xiii. to the Romans. Then3 the Psalm, O be joyful. &c. with the belief and the Lord's prayer, as is in the book of Common prayer. Then shall be said. Minister. O Lord, shew thy mercy upon us. People. And grant us thy salvation. Minister. O Lord, save the Queen. People. Who putteth her trust in thee. [1For the wording, and position, of this rubric from 1578, see p. 549. note 2.] [21578, The second Lesson, taken out of the Epistle of S. Paul to the Romanes, the xiii. Chapter.] [ 1578, Or the c. Psalme. The Form in archbishop Harsnet's library, issued for 1590, contains the same error (Or), derived from copying the Prayer Book too closely.] Minister. Send her help from thy holy place. Minister. Let the enemies have none advantage on her. People. And make thy. &c. as in the book of Common prayer. Then the Collect for the Queen, beginning, O Lord our heavenly Father, high and mighty. &c. as it is in the Litany*. It is ordered, that the Litany shall not be omitted the seventeenth day of November, though it fall upon Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, or Saturday. And that immediately after the collect beginning, We humbly beseech thee. &c. this Psalm and prayer following be said. O COME hither, and hearken, all ye that fear God and Psal. 66. c. 14. we will tell you what he hath done for our souls. & 71. b. 9. 10. When men of power were gathered against us, and lay Psal. 59. a. 3. in wait for our souls: they took counsel together, saying, God hath forsaken them, persecute them, and take them, for there is none to deliver them. & 56. a. 1. 2. Our enemies closed us in on every side they gaped Psal. 22. b.12. upon us with their mouths, as it were ramping and roaring Lions, seeking to devour us, and to swallow us up. We were counted even as sheep appointed to be slain : Psal. 44. d. 20. many of us were for thy sake killed all the day long. & 44. d. 22. And many went astray in the wilderness, wandering Psal. 107. a. 4. hungry and thirsty in strange lands our souls fainted in us, and were brought low, even unto the very dust. For why? The snares and sorrows of death compassed Psal. 18.a.3.4. us and the overflowings of ungodliness made us afraid. & 107. b. 12. Then we made our complaint unto our God, and cried Psal. 18. a. 5. unto the Lord in our trouble: and he heard the voice of our prayer out of his holy temple, and delivered us out of our distress. He gathered us home again out of the lands from the Psal. 107. a. 3. East, and from the West, from the North, and from the South. & 4. a. 1. & He delivered our souls from death, our eyes from tears, Psal. 116. b. 8. and our feet from falling he hath set us at liberty, he hath 18. d. 27. light our candle; the Lord our God hath made our darkness to be light. [* In 1578, the collects for Peace and Grace followed that for the queen.] Psal. 18. g. 47. & 59. c. 16. Psal. 118. Wherefore we will give thanks unto thee, O Lord, and sing praises unto thy name: we will sing of thy power, and praise thy mercy betimes in the morning; for thou hast been our defence and refuge in the time of trouble. his O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is gracious and mercy endureth for ever. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Let us pray. O Lord God, most merciful Father, who as upon this day, placing thy servant our Sovereign and gracious Queen [1 As an accompaniment to this prayer, may be added from the Bibl. Lans. 116. art. 24, 'The prayer for the Q. on her byrthe daye' (September the 7th), though both its date and author are unknown: O Lorde, the hope and strengthe of Israell, the onely planter and preseruer of Princes, and the rocke of sure defence for all that trust in thee wee thine vnworthy seruants accepted in him, in whome thowe arte well pleased, doe offer vp o' sacrifice of praise and thankesgiuing for all the daungers wee haue escaped hauing soe iustlye deserued them, and for all the good thinges receiued, being so vnworthye of them. Among all other and aboue the reste, wth tearful hartes and humble handes lifted vp wth reuerence toward thy mercy seat, wee blesse and praise thy holy name, for that precious jewell of inestimable price, to witt the blessed spirit and being of thine humble seruant, our moste gratious Soverayn, whose sacred person according to thy word we doe reuerentlye repute and call the Breath of our nostrils, the Annoynted of the Lord, by whose breath we liue, and by whose Life we breathe. And now, Lorde, since it hathe pleased thee, in thy foreseeing prouidence, for the safety and comfort of so many thousands to giue to thine annoynted a princely birth and being, and by the right hand of Loue, by soe many dangers to lead the same along to that place of regall dignity, of wch thowe haste saide, Euen I haue sett my Kinge upon my holy mount of Sion; wee most humbly and earnestly entreat thy heauenly Ma" that our woorkes may not impare thy woorkes, nor o' sinnes impeach her safety. But [as] there is a plante wch thine owne right hand hath planted, so lett the eye of thy prouidence continually watch ouer her, and the arme of thy protection mightely defend her, that the Boars out of the forest, nor the Lyon out of the wood, nor any subtle Leopard out of the way of Ashur, may haue anie power to hurt the smallest Leafe of this thy princelye Plant. But so shadow her and compasse her with the wings of thye Cherubims, that her highthe and State may be as the Cedars of Lebanon, *Increase this number, according to her Majesty's Elizabeth in the kingdom, didst deliver thy people of England from danger of war and oppression, both of bodies by tyranny, and of conscience by superstition, restoring peace and true religion, with liberty both of bodies and minds, and hast continued the same thy blessings, without all desert on our part, now by the space of these *eighteen years: we who are in memory of these thy great benefits assembled here together, the years of, most humbly beseech thy fatherly goodness to grant us reign. grace, that we may in word, deed, and heart, shew ourselves thankful and obedient unto thee for the same: and that our Queen through thy grace may in all honour, goodness, and godliness, long and many years reign over us, and we obey and enjoy her, with the continuance of thy great blessings, which thou hast by her thy minister poured upon us: This we beseech thee to grant unto us, for thy dear Son Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord and Saviour. Amen 2. For the Epistle of the day, read i Pet. ii. beginning at the xi. verse, Dearly beloved, I beseech you. &c. to the xviii. verse, ending with these words: Fear God, Honour the king. her strength and long continuance as the Okes of Bashan, her perpetuall flourishing as the Palme tree, and her glorie as the Rose plantes in the Vale of Jericho. And lett those riuers that runne oute of the Sanctuary, euermore flowe and ouerflowe round about her, as doth the Riuer Jordan at the tyme of haruest. And soe, O heauenly Father, to conclude our thankful prayer, we most humbly besech the in thy beloued, to pleade her cause with them that striue wth her, and to fight against those that fight against her, and by the sure and secret motions of thy most holy Spirit to saye vnto her Soule, I am thy Sauiour. Bless them that blesse her. Curse them that curse her. Lett the day of her birth be as the sweet influence of the Pleiades, and the day of their birth, as Arcturus and Orion. Lett the day of her birth be as the Sunn when he riseth in his mighte, and the day of their birth as the Moone in her way. Lett her rise. Lett them fall. Lett her flourish. Lett them perish. That the rude world may see and saye, thy promise is performed, Them that honor me, I will honor; and they that despise me, shall be despised. Theis things, O heauenly Father, we besech thee graunte to vs and to thy whole Church, for Jesus Christ his sake of Lord and onely Saueour. Amen.] [The Forms from 1578 have, after this prayer, and immediately preceding the Communion service, the prayer, Almighty and everlasting God, which only workest great marvels, &c.: that In the time of any common plague or sickness: the prayer of Chrysostom; and the benediction.] [31578, The collect for the queen is that beginning, Almighty God, whose kingdom is everlasting, &c.: the collect for the day, that for the five and twentieth Sunday after Trinity.] For the Gospel, read Matth. xxii. beginning at the xvi. verse. And they sent out unto him their disciples with the Herodians. &c. to the xxiii. verse, ending with these words, They marvelled, and left him, and went their way'. The xxi. Psalm in Metre before the sermon, unto the end of the vi And the c. Psalm after the sermon. verse. Finis. ¶ Imprinted at Lon don by Richarde Iugge, Printer Cum priuilegio Regię A thanksgiving, to be sung as the 81. Psalm. 1 Be light and glad, in God rejoice, which is our strength and stay: Be joyful and lift up your voice, for this most happy day3. Sing, sing, O sing unto the Lord, with melody most sweet: Let heart and tongue in one accord, as it is just and meet. 2 Sing laud unto the Lord above, serve him with glad intent: O clap your hands in sign of love, for this which he hath sent. Sing praise, sing praise with Harp and Lute, with joy let us be seen: Before our God let none be mute, but laud him for our Queen. 3 Sound out the trump courage ously, Blow as on solemn days: Both high and low, come fill the sky with sweet resounding praise. For why? when we were bound in thrall, and eke in grief did stand, The Lord did set us free from all by this his servant's hand. 4 Ourselves therefore we wholly bind, A Sacrifice to be, In token of our thankful mind (O God most dear) to thee. To thee we cry, and also give most high thanks, laud and praise, ['After the Creed came in 1578, the first sentence from the Offertory: the prayer for the Church Militant: the collect, Almighty God, which hast promised, &c.; and the blessing.] [2 Instead of this rubric, we have, in 1578, the metrical Thanksgiving which follows.] [Queen's day is still kept as a holiday at the Exchequer, and at Westminster and Merchant Tailors' Schools. Nicholas's Chronology of History, p. 168, note.] |