Category: Personal

Almighty God, who art a strong tower of defence unto thy servants against the face of their enemies; We yield thee praise and thanksgiving for the wonderful deliverance of these Kingdoms from The Great Rebellion, and all the miseries and oppressions consequent thereupon, under which they had so long groaned. We acknowledge it thy goodness that we were not delivered over as a prey unto them; beseeching thee still to continue such thy mercies towards us, that all the world may know that thou art our Saviour and mighty Deliverer; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

O LORD God of our salvation, who hath been exceedingly gracious unto this land, and by thy miraculous providence hath delivered us out of our late miserable conditions, by restoring to us our dread Sovereign Lord, thy servant, King CHARLES; We are now here before thee with all due thankfulness to acknowledge thine unspeakable goodness this day shewed unto us, and to offer up our sacrifice of praise unto thy glorious Name; humbly beseeching thee to accept this our unfeigned though unworthy oblation of our selves; vowing all holy obedience in thought, word, and work unto thy divine Majesty; and promising in thee and for thee all loyal and dutiful allegience to thine Annointed servant, and to his heirs after him: whom we beseech thee to bless with all encrease of grace, honor, and happiness in this world, and to crown with immortality and glory in the world to come; for Jesus Christ his sake, our only Lord and Savior. Amen.

The ambivalence in this relationship reflects an underlying tension between monastic and anchoritic ideals. The monastic life is based on obedience, the anchoritic life on independence; one requires the renunciation of the will, the other the exercise of free choice.

Innes-Parker, Catherine; Yoshikawa, Naoë Kukita. Anchoritism in the Middle Ages: Texts and Traditions