Friday Prayers by Lancelot Andrewes

Lancelot Andrewes (1555 – 25 September 1626) was an Anglican priest and bishop in England, where he served “on the committee of scholars that produced the King James Translation of the Bible, and probably contributed more to that work than any other single person. It is accordingly no surprise to find him not only a devout writer but a learned and eloquent one, a master of English prose, and learned in Latin, Greek, Hebrew and eighteen other languages.” [1] During his life, Andrewes “prepared for his own use a manuscript notebook of Private Prayers, which was published after his death” – The Private Devotions and Manual for the Sick of Lancelot Andrews. [2] “The material was apparently intended, not to be read aloud, but to serve as a guide and stimulus to devout meditation.” [3]

Easter “is the day on which the very essence of what it means to be human is transformed and elevated in Christ – the first day of a new creation that neither negates nor overpowers the old but restores and raises it up.” [4] One of the ways we celebrate the joyful season of Eastertide is through our lectionary readings recalling the Creation and focusing on renewal in Christ. Another way we celebrate is through prayer. Included in Andrewes’s manual are prayers for each day of the week, each day recalling God’s act of creation. These prayers serve as wonderful meditations during Eastertide.

Below are excerpts of Lancelot Andrewes’s prayers for Fridays from The Private Devotions and Manual for the Sick of Lancelot Andrews.

IN the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.^{— Psalm lxxxviii. 13.}

Blessed art thou, O Lord, who, as on this day, didst bring forth from out the earth beasts, and cattle, and every creeping thing, ^{(Gere. i. 24.)}

for food, for raiment, and for labour;

And didst make man after thine own image, that he might subdue the earth, and didst bless him.^{—Gere. i. 26. 28.}

For his creation did the blessed Trinity consult together; and by thine Almighty hand was the work performed.^{— Gere. i. 26.}

The breath of life was breathed into his nostrils, ^{(Gere. ii. 7.)} and in the image of God was he created.^{—Gen. i. 27.}

Thou mattest him to have dominion over thy works, ^{(Psalm viii. 6.)}

thou gavest thy angels charge over him, ^{(Psalm xci. 11.)}

and didst put him in the garden of Eden.^{—Gen. ii. 8.}

…BLESSED art thou, O Lord,

For thy exceeding great and precious promises,

Given, as on this day,^{—2 Pet. i. 4.}

Concerning the seed of life ;^{— Gen. iii. 15.}

And for the fulfilling thereof in the fulness of time,

Likewise upon this same day.^{— Gal. iv. 4.}

Blessed art thou, O Lord,

For thy holy passions of this day.

O, by those thy saving passions,

Endured upon this day,

Save us, good Lord. _[5]

…LORD, I believe,

💠That thou didst create me:

Forsake not the work of thine own hands. ^{—Psalm cxxxviii. 8.}

💠That thou madest me after thine own image and likeness;^{—Gen. i. 26.}

Suffer not thine own likeness to be blotted out.

💠That thou didst redeem me by thy blood:^{—Rev. v. 9.}

Suffer not the purchase of thy redemption to perish.

💠That thou hast called me CHRISTIAN after thine own name :^{—Acts xi. 26.}

Despise not one who bears thy name.

💠That thou hast sanctified me in the washing of regeneration :^{—Titus Hi. 5.}

Destroy not that which thou hast made holy.

💠That thou didst graft me into the good olive-tree, ^{(Rom. xi. 24.)} a member of a mystical body: ^{—Eph. v. 30.}

Cut not off a branch of thine own body mystical.

REMEMBER thy word unto thy servant, upon which thou hast caused me to hope.^{—Psalm cxix. 49.}

My soul fainteth for thy salvation, but I hope in thy word.^{— Verse 81.}

[5] [6]

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Citations:

[1] Kiefer, J. E. (n.d.). Lancelot Andrewes, Bishop and Scholar. Biographical sketches of memorable Christians of the past. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from http://justus.anglican.org/resources/bio/252.html 

[2] Ibid. 1

[3] Ibid. 1

[4] Balsbaugh, J. (2019, April 22). Easter Monday and the New Creation. Veritas Journal. Retrieved May 16, 2022, from https://veritasjournal.org/2019/04/22/easter-monday-and-the-new-creation/ 

[5] Andrewes, Lancelot. The Private Devotions and Manual for the Sick of Launcelot Andrews (Kindle ed., p. 1759-1773). Kindle Edition. 

[6] Ibid. 5, P. 1903