Short discourses upon the whole common-prayer designed to inform the judgment and excite the devotion of such as daily use the same / Tho. Comber ...
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Title
Short discourses upon the whole common-prayer designed to inform the judgment and excite the devotion of such as daily use the same / Tho. Comber ...
Author
Comber, Thomas, 1645-1699.
Publication
London :: Printed by Samuel Roycroft, for Robert Clavell ...,
1684.
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"Short discourses upon the whole common-prayer designed to inform the judgment and excite the devotion of such as daily use the same / Tho. Comber ..." In the digital collection Early English Books Online 2. https://name.umdl.umich.edu/B20559.0001.001. University of Michigan Library Digital Collections. Accessed May 5, 2024.
Pages
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Sect. XII. Of the Thanksgiving for Rain.
§. 1. LActantius assures us that the Gentiles not only applied themselves to the Gods in Drought, Fa∣mine and other Calamities; but when the Evils were re∣moved, they cheerfully ran to their Temples, crowning their Statues, and making Oblations and sacrifices to them(a); yea, upon the granting of Rain they built particular Altars to showring Jupiter: And David seems to have written the lxv. Psalm on purpose for a publick Thanksgiv∣ing upon the removal of this Judgment: Which being so justly due to God, for the blessing of Rain after so great a want of it, our Church hath com∣posed this Eucharistick Form, wherein the Divine Majesty is worthily praised upon this account.
§. 2. [O God our Heavenly Father, who by thy Gracious Providence, &c.] The giving of Rain indue season is so great a blessing, that Scripture makes it the emblem of the most desirable things, Prov. xvi. 15. and Hos. vi. 13. And since the Divine and [Gracious Providence of our Heavenly Fa∣ther] is the [Cause] of it (as we have proved before) we ought to return him thanks for it, and first for that which he ordinarily bestows, viz. [the former Rain] which he gives at Seed-time, to make that which is sown take root, Isai. xxx. 23. [and the latter Rain] which he sends before
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harvest to fill the Ears of Corn, and bring them to perfection, Joel ii. 23. Deut. xi. 14. (both which the Athenians acknowledged by two several Sacrifices;) For which there is very great reason, since the end why God makes these showres [de∣scend upon the Earth,] is to cause it [to bring forth fruit for our use:] it being one of the prin∣cipal instruments which he uses, to furnish us with plenty; so that we must bless him for it, when it comes regularly: But when we have known the misery of wanting it, then we are taught to value it by a sad experience. Secondly therefore, now God hath heard our Prayers, [we give him hum∣ble thanks] (as knowing we were unworthy,) [that he was pleased in our great necessity,] when all our fruits and provisions were like to be lost for want of it, then [to send a joyful rain] upon our Country which is [his inheritance, to refresh] the pined fruits and parched Earth, [when they were dry] and without hope, Psal. lxviii. 9. We acknowledge these plentiful showres were so seasonable and so beneficial, that they tended [to the great comfort of] us and our Neighbours who are [his unworthy Servants,] and could not expect or deserve so great a blessing: And there∣fore it shall end in [the Glory of his holy Name,] to which we will offer up our most hearty Praises for this mighty favour which he bestowed on us purely [through his Mercies in Iesus Christ our Lord, Amen.]