A Prayer in Time of Affliction :Just and righteous art Thou, O dreadful and most high God, holy in all

Thy works and most just in all Thy judgments—yea, even then when as Thou punishest in greatest
severity. We have before, O Lord, felt Thy heavy hand on us, and when we cried on Thee in our
calamities and afflictions, most mercifully Thou inclined Thy ears unto us. But alas, O Lord, we have
not answered in our lives glorifying Thy holy name as Thou answered us when we called in our
distress, but we did return unto our accustomed sin and so provoked Thee through our misdeeds
unto displeasure. Therefore hast Thou most justly turned Thyself to punish us again in bringing
among us this troublesome and destroying pestilence, according to the threatening of Thy law,
because we have not made our fruit of Thy former corrections. Our repentance, O Lord, hath been
like the dew that suddenly vanisheth away; yea, the great multitude remained hardened in heart
through their own pride and, walking in the lusts of their own hearts, confidently despised Thy
blessed ordinances. For who hath mourned for the universal corruption of this blind age? Or has the
murderer ceased from his murder? The oppressor from his oppression? The deceitful man from his
deceit? The despiser of Thy Word from his contempt? And the one who lives licentiously from his
licentiousness? Yea, Lord, where could the man be found that sought not himself, even if with the
hurt of others and defacing of Thy glory? So universally did and presently doth that root of all evil
covetousness reign throughout this whole country. Yea, Lord, they to whom Thou granted worldly
blessings in greatest abundance have been and are possessed with this unclean spirit of avarice. The
more Thou gave, the more insatiably thirsted they to have, and they ceased not till they did spoil
Thee of Thy own patrimony; yet in this matter they will not know themselves to sin and offend Thy
Majesty. Therefore cannot Thy justice longer spare, but it must punish and strike as Thou
threatenest in Thy holy law. Now we know, Lord, that Thy judgments commonly begin at Thy own
house, and therefore hast Thou begun to correct us, albeit yet in Thy mercy and not in greatest
severity. Wherefore, good Lord, either else in the multitude of Thy mercies remove this bitter cup
away from us or grant us Thy grace patiently patiently and obediently to drink the same as given out
of Thy own hand for our amendment. We acknowledge, O Lord, that afflictions are disturbing,
vexing, and hard to be borne with of fragile flesh; but Christ Jesus hath suffered heavier torments for
us, and we have deserved more than we sustain who so oft have merited the very hells. If it shall
please Thy Majesty to continue our punishment and double our stripes, then let it please Thee in like
means to increase our patience and make our corporal afflictions serve to our humiliation,
invocation of Thy name, and obedience to Thy holy ordinances. Or if of a fatherly pity it shall please
Thee to be content with this gentle correction, let the calm appear after this present tempest that in
respect of both the one and the other we may glorify Thee, in that first Thou hast corrected
corrected to amendment lest we should have slept in sin to our destruction and, secondly, that Thou
hast taken away the bitterness of affliction with the sweetness of Thy comfortable deliverance, in
Thee first having respect to the necessity and in the last to our infirmity. But, Lord, again we know
albeit Thy judgments thus begin at Thy own house, and they of Thy family appear only to be beaten
of Thee, yet the wicked shall not escape, but they shall drink the dregs of the cup of Thy indignation.
Let it be they escape the famine, the pest shall apprehend them; if they escape the pest, the sword
shall devour them; if they shall not fall on the edge of the sword, Thou art able to make any of the
smallest and least creatures to be a stumbling block before their feet, whereat, albeit they reach
their heads above the clouds, they fall most fearfully. But, O Lord, now it is Thy own inheritance, for
the which we sigh and groan before Thy Majesty. Look on it, therefore, from the heavens, and be
merciful to Thy people; let Thy anger and Thy wrath be turned away from us, and make Thy face to
shine lovingly on Thy own sanctuary. O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, consider, grant our
requests, for Thy own sake, O our God, and that in the name of Thy only begotten Son Jesus Christ,
our only Savior and Mediator, in whose name we pray unto Thee, as we are taught, saying, “Our
Father….” So be it. —Taken from Laing, Works of John Knox, 6:375–77