Rise, Lord, and let thine enemies be scattered, and let those that hate thee flee before thee, but return, O Lord, to the many thousands of thine Israel a. Give us help from trouble, for vain is the help of man: through God let our forces do valiantly b; yea, let God himself tread down our enemies; and give them as dust to our sword, and as driven stubble to our bow c. Let us be a people saved by the Lord, as the shield of our help, and the sword of our excellency d; and make our enemies sensible that the Lord fighteth for us against theme. Those who jeopard their lives for us in the high places of the field, teach their hands to war g, and their fingers to fight, give them the shield of thy salvation h, and let thy right hand hold them up, and cover their heads in the day of battle i. 7. For all orders and degrees of men among us, and all we stand in any relation to. (1.) For our chief magistrate, that God will protect his person, preserve his health, and continue his life and government long a public blessing. Give our rulers thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness, that they may judge the poor of the people, may save the children of the needy, and may break in pieces the oppressor k. Let his administration be established with righteousness, and upheld with mercyl; give him long life and length of days for ever and ever, and let his glory be great in thy salvation m, and make him exceeding glad with thy countenance; through the tender mercy of the Most High let him not be moved n. Clothe his enemies with shame, but upon himself let a Numb. x. 35,36. b Psal. lx. 11, 12.. m Prov. xxv. 5. ・ c Isa. xli. 2. wisdom flourish a, and continue him long, very long, a nursing father to thine Israel b. (2.) For the succession in the Protestant line, that a blessing may attend it, that the entail of the crown may prove a successful expedient for the establishing of peace and truth in our days, the securing of them to posterity, and the extinguishing the hopes of our Popish adversaries, and all their aiders and abettors. Lord, preserve to us the lamp which thou hast ordained for thine anointed, that the generation to come may know thee c, even the children which shall be born, that they may set their hope in God, and keep his commandments d. Let the Protestant succession abide before God for ever: O prepare mercy and truth which may preserve it, so we will sing praise unto thy name for ever e. Thus let the Lord save Zion, and build the cities of Judah, and the seed of thy servants shall inherit, and they that love thy name shall dwell therein g. Let their design who would make a captain to return into Egypth, be again defeated, and let not the deadly wound that hath been given to the beast be healed any more i. Let our eyes see Jerusalem, the city of our solemnities, a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be taken down: let none of the stakes thereof be removed, nor any of the cords thereof be broken, but let the glorious Lord be to us a place of broad waters and streams; for the Lord is our judge, the Lord is our lawgiver, the Lord is our king, he will save us k. (3.) For the counsellors and ministers of state, the members of congress, the ambassadors and envoys a Psal. cxxxii. 18. d Psal. lxxviii. 6, 7. h Num. xiv. 4. b Isa. xliv. 23. c Psal. cxxxii. 17. abroad, and all that are employed in the conduct of public affairs. Counsel our counsellors, and teach our senators wisdoma: O give them a spirit of wisdom and understanding, a spirit of counsel and might, a spirit of knowledge and the fear of the Lord, to make them of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord b. O remove not the speech of the trusty, nor take away the understanding of the aged c, nor ever let the things that belong to the nation's peace be hid from the eyes of those that are intrusted with the nation's counsels d. Make it to appear that thou standest in the congregation of the mighty, and judgeth among the gods e, and that when the princes of the people are gathered together, even the people of the God of Abraham, the God of Abraham himself is among them: and let the shields of the earth belong unto the Lord, that he may be greatly exalted g. Let those that be of us build the old waste places, and raise up the foundations of many generations, that they may be called the repairers of the breaches, and restorers of the paths to dwell in h. (4.) For the magistrates, the judges, and justices of peace in the several counties and corporations. Make those that rule over us just, ruling in the fear of Godi; and let those that judge remember that they judge not for man, but for the Lord, who is with them in the judgment, that therefore the fear of the Lord may be upon them k. Make them able men, and men of truth, fearing God, a Psal. cv. 22. b Isa. xi. 2, 3. c Job xii. 20. and hating covetousness a, that judgment may run down like a river, and righteousness as a mighty stream b. Enable our magistrates to defend the poor and fatherless c, to do justice for the afflicted and needy, to deliver the poor and needy, and to rid them out of the hand of the wicked, and let rulers never be a terror to good works d, but to the evil e. (5.) For all the ministers of God's holy word and sacraments, the masters of assemblies. Teach thy ministers how they ought to behave themselves in the house of God, which is the church of the living God g, that they may not preach themselves h, but Christ Jesus the Lord, and may study to show themselves approved to God, workmen that need not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truthi. Make them mighty in the scriptures k, that from thence they may be thoroughly furnished for every good work, in doctrine showing uncorruptness, gravity, and sincerity, and sound speech, which cannot be condemned m. Enable them to give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine, to meditate upon these things, to give themselves to prayer, and to the ministry of the word n, to give themselves wholly to them, and to continue in them, that they may both save themselves and those that hear them o. Let utterance be given to them, that they may open their mouths boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, and thereof they may speak as they ought to speak p, as able ministers of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit a, and let them obtain mercy of the Lord to be faithful b. Let the arms of their hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacobc; and let them be full of power by the Spirit of the Lord of hosts d, to show thy people their transgressions, and the house of Jacob their sins e. Make them sound in the faith g, and enable them always to speak the things which become sound doctrine h, with meekness instructing those that oppose themselves es; and let not the servants of the Lord strive, but be gentle to all men, apt to teach i. Make them good examples to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in spirit, in faith, and in purity k, and let them be clean that bear the vessels of the Lord 1, and let Holiness to the Lord be writ upon their foreheads m. Lord, grant that they may not labour in vain, or spend their strength for nought, and in vain n, but let the hand of the Lord be with them, that many may believe, and turn to the Lord o. (6.) For all the universities, schools, and nurseries of learning. Let the schools of the prophets be replenished with every good gift and every perfect gift from above, from the Father of lights p. Cast salt into those fountains, and heal the waters thereof, that from thence may issue streams q, which shall make glad the city of our God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most Highr. (7.) For the common good of the land. a 2 Cor. iii. 6. h Tit. ii. 1. b 1 Cor. vii. 25. i 2 Tim. ii. 24, 25. c Gen. xlix. 24. Tit. i. 13. 1 Tim. iv. 12. n Isa. xlix. 4. q 2 Kings, ii, 21. |