16th Century – Page 16 – A Collection of Prayers

O Lord, Hedge Up My Way

Launcelot Andrews (1555-1626)
O Lord,
hedge up my way with thorns,
that I may find no path
for following vanity.
Hold me in
with bit and bridle,
lest I fall away from you.
O Lord, compel me
to come to you:
to bruise the serpent’s head,
to remember my life’s end,
to cut off opportunities for evil,
to be alert,
not to sit idle,
to shun what is evil,
to cling to what is good,
to look at no worthless things,
to bring my body into subjection,
to devote myself to prayer,
to search my heart with penitence.

Source: Adapted from Lancelot Andrewes (1555-1626) for A Collection of Prayers from The devotions of Lancelot Andrewes (The Hedge of the Law).

For Patience

christ-in-gethsemane-hofmann-w500

O God,
by the meek endurance
of your only Son
you beat down the pride
of the old enemy.
Help us rightly
to treasure in our hearts
what our Lord has borne
for our sakes,
that following his example
we may bear
all our troubles
with patience;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Missale Romanum (16th Century?), English translation freely modified from Common Service Book of the Lutheran Church, # 29.

Original in Latin:

Deus, qui Unigeniti tui patientia antiqui hostis contrivisti superbiam: da nobis, quaesumus, quae idem pie pro nobis pertulit, digne recolere; sicque exemplo ejus, nobis adversantia aequanimiter tolerare. Per Dominum… Amen.

A Litany

O God the Father in heaven:
Have mercy on us.

O God the Son, Redeemer of the world:
Have mercy on us.

O God the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and the Son:
Have mercy on us.

O holy blessed and glorious Trinity, three persons and one God:
Have mercy on us.

Remember not, Lord, our offences, nor the offences of our forefathers,
do not take vengeance on us for our sins.
Spare us, good Lord.

Spare your people whom you redeemed with your most precious blood,
and do not be angry with us forever:
Spare us, good Lord.

From all evil and harm,
from the power of sin and the snares of the devil,
from your wrath and from everlasting damnation:
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all blindness of heart,
from pride, vain-glory and hypocrisy,
from envy, hatred, and malice, and all lovelessness:
Good Lord, deliver us.

From all impure lusts and desires,
and from all the deceits of the world, the flesh, and the devil:
Good Lord, deliver us.

From lightning, tempest, and earthquake,
from plague, pestilence, and famine,
from all disasters by land and by water,
from battle and murder, and from sudden death:
Good Lord, deliver us.

From tumult and riot,
from sedition and rebellion,
from heresy and schism,
from hardness of heart and contempt of your Word and authority:
Good Lord, deliver us.

By the mystery of your holy incarnation,
by your holy nativity and circumcision,
by your baptism, fasting, and temptation:
Good Lord, deliver us.

By your agony and bloody sweat,
by your cross and passion,
by your precious death and burial,
by your glorious resurrection and ascension,
and by the coming of the Holy Spirit:
Good Lord, deliver us.

In all time of our tribulation,
in all time of our wealth,
in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment:
Good Lord, deliver us

We sinners pray, hear us, O Lord:
Son of God we pray, hear us.

That it may please you to keep us in all time of temptation and heaviness,
to comfort and help all the weak-hearted,
to lift up those who fall, and finally to beat down Satan under our feet:
We pray, hear us, O Lord.

That it may please you to nurture, help, and comfort
all who are in danger, need, and trouble:
We pray, hear us, O Lord.

That it may please you to preserve all travelers and strangers,
all women in the perils of child birth,
all sick persons and young children,
and to show your pity on all prisoners and captives:
We pray, hear us, O Lord.

That it may please you to defend and provide
for the fatherless children and widows,
and all who are desolate and oppressed:
We pray, hear us, O Lord.

That it may please you to have mercy on all people:
We pray, hear us, O Lord.

O Son of God, Redeemer of the world:
Have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world:
Have mercy on us.

O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world:
Grant us your peace.

O God, merciful Father, you do not despise the sighing of a contrite heart or the desire of those who are sorrowful. Mercifully help us in all our troubles and adversities whenever they oppress us. Graciously hear us, that those evils which the craft and subtlety of the devil or humanity work against us, may be brought to nothing by your will and purpose, that we your servants, may be hurt by no persecutions, and may evermore give thanks to you in your holy Church, through Jesus Christ, your Son, our Lord. Amen.

O God, all holy desires, all good counsels, and all just works come from you. Give your servants that peace which the world cannot give, that our hearts may be set to obey your commandments. Defend us from the fear of our enemies, that we may pass our time in rest and quietness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Savior, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Source: Modified from The Litany, Order of Worship for the Reformed Church in the United States, 1866, p. 21-24.

This Litany is very similar to the German litanies by Martin Luther and in the Saxon Agenda of 1540, which were shortened versions of the Litany of the Saints. The Litany of the Saints, along with the original Latin, can be viewed here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Litany_of_the_Saints

Available also in pdf and in docx formats.

A Confession of Sins

I, a poor sinner,
confess before you, my God and Creator,
that I have grievously sinned against you in many ways,
not only by gross outward sins,
but much more through inward natural blindness,
unbelief, doubts, despondency, impatience, pride,
covetousness, secret envy, hatred, malice,
and other sinful affections
which you see in me, my Lord and God,
and which, alas, I cannot always see in myself.
I repent of these, and cry to you for your mercy,
through your beloved Son Jesus Christ.
Amen.

Source: Palatinate Liturgy, 1563, and Lutheran Liturgy of Wuerttemberg, 1536.

Translation based on Tercentenary Monument: In Commemoration of the Three Hundredth Anniversary of the Heidelberg Catechism M. Kieffer & Company, 1863

Shield Us from the Devil’s Cunning and Terror

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Lord God, heavenly Father,
since that evil spirit, the devil,
always prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking to devour us,
you want to shield us
by your dear holy angels
from all of his cunning and terror,
for your dear Son’s sake.
Through your Holy Spirit,
give us repentant hearts,
that we may serve you
in all soberness and vigilance;
through Jesus Christ,
your dear Son,
our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 287

Original in German:

Herr Gott, himmlischer Vater, wir bitten dich, weil der böse Geist allzeit als ein brüllender Löwe um uns hergehet und suchet, ob er uns verschlingen könne, du wollest uns um deines lieben Sohnes willen mit den lieben heiligen Engeln wider alle feine List und Gewalt beschirmen, und uns durch deinen Geist bußfertige Herzen verleihen, daß wir in Mäßigkeit und Nüchternheit dir dienen mögen, durch Jesum Christum deinen lieben Sohn, unsern Herrn. Amen. Pommersche Agende

Move Us to Thanks for Jesus’ Suffering

matthiasgrunewald_thecrucifixion2 Almighty Father, eternal God,
for us you sent your Son
and let him suffer
the pain of the cross,
that he might drive away from us
all the terror of the evil foe.
Move us to joyfully give thanks for his suffering
through which we have received
forgiveness of sins
and redemption from eternal death;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther [Die Gebete Luthers, #14]

Source of this version: Translated for A Collection of Prayers. German source: Gebetbuch, enthaltend die sämtlichen Gebete und Seufzer Martin Luther’s, ….Evangelischer Bücher-Verein, 1866, #590.

Also found in Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 288(2).

Original in German:

Allmächtiger Vater, ewiger Gott, der du für uns hast deinen Sohn des Kreuzes Pein lassen leiden, auf daß du von uns des Feindes Gewalt treibest: verleihe uns also zu begehen und zu danken seinem Leiden, daß wir dadurch der Sünden Vergebung und vom ewigen Tode Erlösung erlangen, durch denselben deinen Sohn Jesum Christum, unsern Herrn. Amen. Luther.

Gewalt can be translated as “power,” “violence,” “force,” “might,” or “control.” “Terror” seemed to sum up all these well.

Send Your Holy Spirit

800px-lucas_cranach_d-c384-_-_martin_luther2c_1528_28veste_coburg29_28cropped29 Dear God,
send us your Holy Spirit,
that he may take the Word we have heard
and write it in our hearts,
so that we grasp it,
believe it,
and find our joy
and comfort in it
forever.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther

Original in German:

Lieber Gott, gieb uns deinen heiligen Geist, der das gehörte Wort in unser Herz schreibe, also, daß wir annehmen, glauben, und uns dessen in Ewigkeit erfreuen und trösten mögen. Amen. Luther.

Let Your Rich Mercy Be with Us

800px-lucas_cranach_d-c384-_-_martin_luther2c_1528_28veste_coburg29_28cropped29 Almighty God,
you are the protector
of all who hope in you.
Without your grace,
no one can do anything,
or merit anything before you.
Let your mercy be with us richly,
so that as you dwell in us,
we think what is right
and by your work in us,
we do what is right;
for the sake of Jesus Christ,
your Son, our Lord.
Amen.

Source: Martin Luther

Original in German:

Allmächtiger Gott, der du bist ein Beschützer aller, die auf dich hoffen, ohne welches Gnade niemand nichts vermag, noch etwas vor dir gilt, laß deine Barmherzigkeit uns reichlich widerfahren, auf daß wir durch dein heilig Eingeben, denken was recht ist und durch deine Wirkung dasselbige vollbringen, um Jesu Christi, deines Sohnes, unsers Herrn willen. Amen. Luther.

This prayer is Luther’s German translation of this Gregorian prayer in Latin.

Open and Enlighten Our Minds

Lucas_Cranach_(I)_-_Johannes_Bugenhagen[1].jpg Almighty and eternal God,
Lord, heavenly Father,
your Word is a lamp to our feet
and a light for our path.
Open and enlighten our minds
that we may have a pure, clear
and holy understanding of your Word,
and then, afterward,
that we have a right understanding
of ourselves and our lives,
so that we may never displease
your divine majesty;
through your Son,
Jesus Christ our dear Lord,
who lives and reigns with you
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God forever.
Amen.

Source: Johannes Bugenhagen, 1485-1558

“Sprechend: Vater u. s. w.“ indicates that this prayer would be followed by the Lord’s Prayer.

Allmächtiger, ewiger Gott, Herr, himmlischer Vater, deß Wort eine Kerze ist unsern Füßen und ein Licht unsern Wegen, thu auf und erleuchte unser Gemüth, daß wir dein Wort rein, lauter und heiliglich verstehen und dann nach dem, das wir recht verstanden haben, unser Leben gestalten, auf daß wir deiner Majestät nimmer mißfallen, durch Jesum Christum, deinen Sohn, unsern lieben Herrn, der mit dir in Einigkeit des heiligen Geistes lebt und regiert, Gott in Ewigkeit, sprechend: Vater u. s. w.

Guide Us by Your Word and Spirit

cathedra-holyspirit1 O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of almighty God,
send your Holy Spirit
into our hearts
through your Word,
that he may govern and guide us
according to your will,
comfort us in all afflictions and misfortunes,
lead and uphold us in your truth against all error,
so that we may stand firm in your love
and offer ourselves to do good works,
and through the certain hope of your free grace
be blessed forever;
with the Father and the Holy Spirit
you live and reign,
forever and ever.
Amen.

Source: Die pommersche Kirchen-Ordnung und Agenda, p. 291

Original in German:

Herr Jesu Christe, du Sohn des allmächtigen Gottes, wir bitten dich, du wollest durch dein Wort deinen heiligen Geist in Herzen geben, daß derselbe uns regiere und führe nach deinem Willen, in allerlei Anfechtung und Unglück tröste, in deiner Wahrheit wider allen Irrthum leite und erhalte, auf daß wir im feststehen mögen, in der Liebe und guten Werken zunehmen, und durch gewisse Hoffnung deiner erworbenen und geschenkten Gnade ewig selig werden, der du mit dem Vater und dem heiligen Geiste lebest und regierest von Ewigkeit zu Ewigkeit. Amen. Pommersche Agende.