Private Devotions of Lancelot Andrewes for the Seventh Day (Saturday)
1. Creation
O LORD, be gracious unto us:
we have waited for You:
be our strength every morning,
our salvation in time of trouble.[1]
Blessed are You, O Lord,
who rested on the seventh day
from all Your work,
and blessed and sanctified this day as holy.[2]
2. Confession
O my God, I am ashamed and humiliated
to lift up my face to You,
for my sins have risen above my head,
and my guilt has grown up to the heavens;
since the days of my youth to this day
I have been very guilty;[3]
and I cannot stand before You because of this![4]
My sins are more in number than the sand of the sea,
my transgressions are multiplied,
and I am not worthy to look up and see the height of heaven,
because of the multitude of my iniquities;
and I have no relief,
because I have provoked Your wrath,
and done evil in Your sight,
not following Your will,
and failing to keep Your commandments.
And so now I bend the knee of my heart,
imploring You for Your kindness.
I have sinned, O Lord, I have sinned,
and I acknowledge my transgressions.
I earnestly implore you:
forgive me, O Lord, forgive me!
Do not let my transgressions destroy me!
Do not be angry with me forever or reserve evil for me,
do not condemn me to the depths of the earth.
Because You, O Lord, are the God of those who repent,
and in me You will manifest Your goodness,
For, unworthy as I am, You will save me according to Your great mercy,
and I will praise you continually all the days of my life. [5]
Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.[6]
Lord, only speak the word, and I shall be healed.[7]
Lord, save us: do you not care that we are perishing?[8]
Say to me, “Be of good cheer; your sins are forgiven.”[9]
Jesus, Master, have mercy on me;
Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me;
Son of David, have mercy on me.[10]
Lord, say to me, Ephphatha.[11]
Lord, I have no one to put me into the pool.[12]
Lord, say to me, “You are set free from your ailment.”[13]
Say to my soul, “I am your salvation.”[14]
Say to me, “My grace is sufficient for You.”[15]
How long, Lord? Will You be angry forever?[16]
Help us, O God of our salvation,
for the glory of Your name: and deliver us,
and forgive our sins,
for Your name’s sake.[17]
3. Grace
O Lord forgive
all my failures, shortcomings, falls,
offenses, trespasses, scandals,
transgressions, debts, sins,
faults, ignorance, iniquities,
impiety, deeds of unrighteousness, and pollutions.
The guilt
pardon,
remit,
forgive,
forget;
the stain
overlook,
cover,
wash away,
cleanse;
the hurt
heal,
remove,
abolish,
annihilate;
that they may not be found
that they may no longer exist.
Grant that I may add
to my faith virtue;
to virtue knowledge;
to knowledge self-control;
to self-control perseverance;
to perseverance godliness;
to godliness brotherly kindness;
to brotherly kindness love;[18]
and that, forgetting not the cleansing of my old sins,[19]
I may be ever more diligent to make my call and election sure
through good works.[20]
4. Creed
I believe in You, the Father;
behold then, if You are a Father and we are your children,
as a father pities his children,
be of tender mercy towards us, O Lord.[21]
I believe in You, the Lord:
behold then, if You are Lord and we are Your servants,
we wait upon You, Our Lord,
until You have mercy upon us.[22]
Perhaps we are neither children nor servants, but mere dogs;
and yet as dogs we have permission to eat of the crumbs
that fall from Your table.[23]
I believe that Christ is the Lamb of God;
O Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world, please take away mine.[24]
I believe that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;
You, who came to save sinners, please save me, the chief of sinners.[25]
I believe that Christ came to save the lost;
You who came to save the lost,
never let us, whom you have saved, remain lost.[26]
I believe the Spirit is the Lord and Giver of Life;
You who gave me a living soul, grant that I may never take my soul for granted.
I believe that the Spirit gives grace through His holy sacraments;
grant that I may receive your grace through the sacraments
and be filled with Your hope.
I believe that the Spirit intercedes for us with groanings that cannot be uttered;
Grant that I may join You in Your intercessions and groanings, O Lord.[27]
5. Intercession
O Heavenly King,
confirm our faithful leaders,
establish the faith,
soften the nations,
pacify the world,
guard well this day of holy rest,
and receive us as a kind and loving Lord,
when we commit to orthodox faith and repentance.
The power of the Father guide me,
the wisdom of the Son enlighten me,
the working of the Spirit quicken me.
Guard my soul,
strengthen my body,
elevate my senses,
direct my course,
order my habits,
shape my character,
bless my actions,
fulfill my prayers,
inspire my thoughts,
pardon my past,
guide my present,
prepare my future.
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly
above all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works in us,
to Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus
throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.[28]
6. Gratitude
Blessed, and praised, and celebrated,
and magnified, and exalted, and glorified, and hallowed,
be Your name, O Lord,
its reputation, and its memory,
and every mention of it,
for the most honorable senate of the patriarchs,
for the ever-venerable band of the prophets,
for the glorious company of the apostles and evangelists,
for the illustrious army of the martyrs,
for the assembly of confessors, doctors, and ascetics,[29]
for their faith, their hope, their labors, their truth,
for their blood, their zeal, their diligence, their tears,
for their purity and their beauty.
Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You,
glory to You who did glorify those
with whom we now join in praising You.
Great and marvelous are Your works,
Lord God Almighty!
Just and true are Your ways,
You King of saints.
Who shall not revere You, O Lord,
and glorify Your Name?
for You alone are holy:
for all nations shall come and worship before You.[30]
Behold the tabernacle of God is with us,
and He will dwell with us,
and we shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with us,
and shall wipe away all tears from their eyes;
and there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things have passed away.[31]
[1] Isaiah 33:2
[2] Genesis 2:2 – 3. Newman’s translation adds: “Concerning the Sabbath, concerning the Christian rest instead of it, concerning the funeral rites of Christ, and the resting from sin, concerning those who are already gone to rest.”
[3] Ezra 9:6 – 7
[4] “O Lord God of Israel…here we are before You, in our guilt, though no one can stand before You because of this!” Ezra 9:15
[5] Prayer of Manasseh 9 – 15. The Prayer of Manasseh is mentioned in 2 Chronicles 33:18
[6] Matthew 8:2
[7] Matthew 8:8, modified.
[8] Matthew 8:25; Mark 4:38; Luke 8:24
[9] Matthew 9:2
[10] Luke 17:13.
[11] Mark 7:34
[12] John 5:7. This is a reference to a healing that takes place on the Sabbath, the “seventh day.”
[13] Luke 13:12. This is a reference to a healing that takes place on the Sabbath, the “seventh day.”
[14] Psalm 35:3b
[15] 2 Corinthians 12:9
[16] Psalm 79:5. Newman’s translation adds: “O remember not our old sins; but have mercy on us and that soon, for we are come to great misery.”
[17] Psalm 79:9
[18] Add to your faith virtue, to virtue knowledge, to knowledge self-control, to self-control perseverance, to perseverance godliness, to godliness brotherly kindness, and to brotherly kindness love.” 1 Peter 2:5b-7
[19] “For he who lacks these things is shortsighted, even to blindness, and has forgotten that he was cleansed from his old sins.” 1 Peter 2:9
[20] “Therefore, brethren, be even more diligent to make your call and election sure, for if you do these things you will never stumble.” 2 Peter 1:10. Newman’s translation adds: “the power of the Father guide me, the wisdom of the Son enlighten me, the working of the Spirit quicken me. Guard Thou my soul, stablish my body, elevate my senses, direct my converse, form my habits, bless my actions, fulfill my prayers, inspire holy thoughts, pardon the past, correct the present, prepare the future.” Whyte’s version includes this prayer in the Saturday Intercessions.
[21] “As a father pities his children, so the Lord pities those who fear Him.” Psalm 103:13
[22] “Behold, as the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters, as the eyes of a maid to the hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, until He has mercy on us.” Psalm 123:2
[23] Matthew 15:26 – 27
[24] John 1:29, 36
[25] 1 Timothy 1:15
[26] Luke 19:10
[27] Romans 8:26; Newman’s translation adds: “Our fathers hoped in Thee, they trusted in Thee and Thou didst deliver them. They called upon Thee and were holpen, they put their trust in Thee and were not confounded. As Thou didst our fathers in the generations of old, so also deliver us, O Lord, who trust in Thee.” Psalm 22: 4 – 5;
[28] Ephesians 3:20 – 21
[29] Andrewes also gives thanks here for “the beauty of virgins,” which I chose to omit.
[30] Revelation 15:3 – 4
[31] Revelation 21:3 – 4
DANIEL DeFOREST LONDON 