Saturday 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 Saturdays from The Private Devotions and Manual for the Sick of Lancelot Andrews.

O LORD, be gracious unto us, for we have waited for thee; be thou our arm every morning, our salvation also in the time of trouble.^{—Isaiah xxxiii. 2.}

Blessed art thou, O Lord, who, on the seventh day, didst rest from all thy work, and didst bless and sanctify it.^{—Gen. ii. 2, 3.} _[5]

💠  I BELIEVE in thee, THE FATHER:

Behold, then, if thou be a Father, and we be children, like as a father pitieth his children, so pity thou us, O Lord.^{—Psalm ciii. 13}.

💠  I believe in thee, THE LORD:

Behold, then, if thou be Lord, and we be servants, our eyes wait upon thee, our Lord, until thou have mercy upon us.^{—Psalm cxxiii. 2.}

I believe that, although we were neither children nor servants, but only dogs, we might yet be allowed to eat of the crumbs which fall from thy table.^{—Matt. xv. 27.}

💠  I believe that CHRIST is the LAMB OF GOD:

O Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, take away mine also.^{—John i. 29.}

I believe that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners:

Thou, who camest to save sinners, save me also, the first and the chief of sinners.^{—1 Tim. i. 15.}

I believe that Christ came to save that which was lost:

Thou who camest to save that which was lost, suffer not that to be lost, which thou hast saved.^{— Matt, xviii. 11}.

💠  I believe that the HOLY GHOST is the Lord and Giver of Life:^{—Nicene Creed.}

Thou who hast given me a living soul, ^{(Gen. ii. 7.)} grant that I may not receive my soul in vain.

I believe that the Spirit imparteth grace in his holy mysteries:

Grant that I receive not his grace, nor the hope of his blessed sacraments, in vain.^{—2 Cor. vi. 1.}

I believe that the Spirit himself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered;

Of that his intercession, and of those his unutterable groanings, make me partaker, O Lord.^{— Rom. viii. 26.}

OUR fathers trusted in thee; they trusted, and thou didst deliver them.^{—Psalm xxii. 4.}

They cried unto thee, and were delivered ; they trusted in thee, and were not confounded.^{—Verse 5.}

As in the old time thou didst deliver our fathers, so likewise deliver us, O Lord, who put our trust in thee.^{—Psalm xxxiii. 11.} _[6]

[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 Lancelot Andrews (Kindle ed., p. 1988). Kindle Edition. 

[6] Ibid. 5, P. 2086-2104