and yours; believe it firmly, try it speedily, and bless God for it heartily, saying, Glory be to the Father, &c. As it was in the beginning, &c.

§. III. Psal. lxvii. This Psalm is also added for variety, and sometimes used, being a very excellent hymn in itself, as we have shewed in our discourse upon it, Companion to the Temple, Part I. Sect. xvii. To which we shall only add, that it is also very suitable to this occasion, petitioning in the very first verse for the accomplishment of the blessing lately pronounced, viz. That God may look upon these persons mercifully with his favour; for here we pray that God may bless us, and lift up the light of his countenance on us, and be merciful unto us. And since the marriage of Christians is the way to enlarge the bounds of the church, and propagate the gospel, we pray here, ver. 2, that Christian marriages may be so fruitful, as that God's name may be made known by their spreading offspring throughout all the world, ver. 3; so that all people may praise our God, which we know will tend to the benefit of all mankind; for the more praises ascend to heaven, the more blessings will descend upon the earth, and all that dwell therein: there is a happy reciprocation; God's blessing us makes us fruitful, and our increase will bring in more praise to God, and the more we praise him, the more he will bless us; and the more he blesses us, the more we shall love him and fear him still in the hopes therefore of this mercy we do heartily praise him now, saying, Glory be to the Father, &c.

52

SECTION II.

OF THE SUPPLICATIONS AND PRAYERS.

§. I. It is the apostle's command, that in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving we do let our requests be made known to God, Philip. iv. 6; in obedience to which divine rule we think it especially necessary in so weighty a matter as marriage to make our requests to God as well by the former hymn, as by these present supplications and prayers; and the blessings we are to crave are so many and so considerable, that we do address ourselves in various methods to Almighty God for them, preparing ourselves thereto (according to our usual manner) by that humble and ancient form, LORD, HAVE MERCY UPON US, &c., of which we have spoken beforek. To this we subjoin the Lord's Prayer, which ought to introduce and authorize, sanctify and make way for all our other petitions, following herein the pattern not only of the Latin, but the Greek church', where the Lord's Prayer is introduced by a short litany towards the conclusion of the matrimonial office. And being thus prepared, we proceed to the Supplications properly so called, which are certain short and devout versicles chosen out of the Psalms, with proper answers annexed thereunto, which the people are to join in; for since the company consists of none but such as profess themselves friends to the married persons, it may justly be expected they should all bear a part in begging God's blessing on

k Comp. to the Temple, part I. partit. ii. sect. ii. §. 3. p. 357.

1 Eucholog. Officium Coron. P. 393.

them; and that they may do this more effectually, we will briefly illustrate the particulars.

1. O LORD, SAVE THY SERVANT, AND THY HANDMAID; Answ. WHO PUT THEIR TRUST IN THEE] This is taken out of Psalm lxxxvi. 2, and implies, that since these two married persons have declared their only hope to be in God's help, as well by praying for it themselves, as by bringing their friends to join with them in this request, therefore we pray that God may preserve and save them in this world, and the world to come, that so they may not be disappointed of their hope. If they had not trusted in God's mercy for a blessing on their marriage, they durst not have undertaken it; and since they do thus rely on the divine goodness, Lord, let them not be ashamed, or fail of their desire and expectation.

2. O LORD, SEND THEM HELP FROM THY HOLY PLACE; Answ. AND EVERMORE DEFEND THEM] This is taken out of Psalm xx. 2, and is a prayer for the performance of that gracious promise made in the cxxviiith Psalm, ver. 6, (used but now for the hymn,) viz. The Lord shall bless thee out of Sion. And doubtless it is a great felicity for us necessitous creatures, when all our prayers made in God's house in the time of our distress are prevalent, and do procure such help from heaven for us, that we are always sustained or delivered. They will need God's help to assist them in doing good, his protection to defend them from many evils, and we pray they may have both his help and defence now and

evermore.

3. BE UNTO THEM A TOWER OF STRENGTH, Answ. FROM THE FACE OF THEIR ENEMY] This is taken out

of the old Greek and Latin versions

of Psalm lxi. 3.m

m Πύγος ἰσχύος ἀπὸ προσώπου ἐχθροῦ. LXX. Turris fortitudinis a facie inimici. Vulg.

David assures us God had been an impregnable tower to him, even when his enemies set their faces against him with all imaginable fury; and we pray that the same God may keep these persons as safe from all their spiritual and temporal foes, as if they were intrenched in the most invincible fortress.

4. O LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

Answ. AND LET

OUR CRY COME UNTO THEE] This is taken out of many Psalms, where it is frequently repeated, Psalm lxi. 1, and cxliii. 1, and v. 1. And it stands exceeding

properly in this place, looking back to the preceding supplications, and enforcing them by a fresh and im53 portunate address to God to hear them, and also looking forward to the succeeding prayers, making way also for them, by earnestly requesting they may become effectual in short, we here desire that the cry of our supplications may reach to heaven, and the petitions of our prayers may be heard and answered; and what can be a more proper conclusion for these supplications, or a better introduction to the following prayers than this?

§. II. The prayers which follow are three: the first for God's grace and blessing, especially in spirituals : the second for the great temporal blessing, viz. fruitfulness in children: the third for the accomplishing that which is mysteriously signified by holy marriage. The first prayer hath three parts: 1. a petition for spiritual grace, to make them holy: 2. for the divine blessing, to make them happy: 3. the end of both these requests. On each of these we will briefly remark.

1. O GOD OF ABRAHAM, GOD OF ISAAC, GOD OF JACOB, BLESS THESE THY SERVANTS, AND SOW THE SEED OF ETERNAL LIFE IN THEIR HEARTS; THAT WHATSOEVER IN THY HOLY WORD THEY SHALL PROFITABLY LEARN, THEY MAY INDEED FULFIL THE SAME] This petition is intro

duced with those ancient titles of God, who hath called himself of old the God of Abraham, &c., Exod. iii. 6. Matt. xxii. 32; and we invocate him by calling him the God of these patriarchs, because they were the fathers of that people which was the only church of God for many ages, and they are the fathers of the faithful to the end of the world; moreover, they were blessed with holy and fruitful wives, so that many nations sprung from them: being therefore to petition for the like blessings on this pair that those blessed patriarchs enjoyed, we encourage ourselves by mentioning their names, who were so happy in their pious and auspicious nuptials. The first petition is for the chiefest good, viz. that which is good for their souls, even that God may make the good seed of his holy word to grow up in their hearts, so as to make them holy here and happy hereafter: and this we beg with respect both to the foregoing Psalm, and the following exhortations, wherein there are excellent documents taken out of holy scripture; but unless God do imprint them on their hearts, they will be in vain. The word of God is often compared to good seed, and because the fruit of obeying it is immortal glory, therefore it is called the seed of everlasting life. Now since we speak it only to the ear, we pray that God may make it take root in their hearts, James i. 21, 22; and then we shall behold the fruits of it in their deeds and their conversation, and they will meet with the reward of that obedience in the life everlasting. We have already taught them out of God's word the ends of marriage, the conditions of the covenant, the blessings attending on pious nuptials, and we shall teach them presently their several duties to one another out of the same divine oracles. God grant this excellent seed may not be cast away upon them, but that they may entertain it in