Lancelot Andrewes

VISITORS TO THIS WEBSITE

If you are seriously interested in promoting the life and work of Lancelot Andrewes I would like to hear from you. If there is enough interest on both sides of the Atlantic it may be possible to organise an Andrewes' Society with a bi-yearly publication.

The English Church

commemorates

Andrewes on the

25th September.

As Archbishop Laud

wrote in his diary on that day, 1626:

"At four o'clock in the morning ... this

great light was

extinguished."

"... Men may talk what they will, but sure there is no joy in the world to the joy of a man saved: no joy so great,no news so welcome, as to one ready to perish, in case of a lost man, to hear of one that will save him. In danger of perishing by sickness, to hear of one will make him well again; by sentence of the law, of one with a pardon to save his life; by enemies, of one that will rescue and set him in safety. Tell any of these, assure them but of a Saviour. It is the best news he ever heard in his life.

Christmass, 1609.

Be unto me, O Lord, always thy mighty hand for defence:

thy mercy in Christ for salvation:

thine all true word for instruction:

the grace of thy life bringing Spirit for comfort until the end and in the end.

I commend unto Thee,

O Lord,

my soul and my body,

my mind and my thoughts,

my words and my deeds,

my hands, feet and eyes,

my life and my death.

O Gladsome Light of the holy glory of the immortal Father, heavenly holy, blest, O Jesus Christ, being come to the going down of the sun, seeing the evening light, we hymn the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit of God.

Worthy art Thou at all times to be hymned with holy voices, Son of God, which givest life:

therefore the world doth glorify Thee.

Thou which givest evening to be the end of the day, whereby to bring to our mind the evening of life:

grant me always to remember the days of darkness that they are many;

that the night cometh, when no man can work;

to forestall the darkness by working,

lest we be cast into outer darkness;

always to cry unto Thee,

Abide with us, O Lord, for it is toward evening, and the day of our life is far spent.

Let me think upon Thy Name in the night season, and keep Thy law:

let the evening prayer go up unto Thee,.

and thy pity come down unto us,

O Thou which givest songs in the night,

which makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to praise Thee,

which givest thy beloved wholesome sleep.

To Thee, O Lord, I confess (forasmuch as, if I will, I cannot hide them)

to Thee I confess my sins, exceeding many, great, grievous.

I profess that I grieve withal, the which Thou also knowest:

but I confess that I have sinned far more than is the grief which is present with me wherewith to weep for my sins.

Grief so great is lacking unto me, is plainly lacking:

I am far one from what there ought to be.

I can sin much:

I cannot grieve much.

My dryness, my dryness! woe unto me!

I cannot much, but I desire much:

for I know that even much is not great enough.

Would God such grief were with me:

yea would God even more.

But I cannot win it of myself.

I am dried up, dried up like a potsherd.

Woe unto me!

Do Thou, O Lord, increase the fountain

which I have,

Do Thou, O Lord, supply of tears which I have not -

a melted heart, groanings which cannot be uttered.

In the meanwhile, forasmuch as there is with me a ready mind, hold me accepted according to that I have,

not according to that I have not.

Yet I will extend, forasmuch as I cannot intend it more, through all the years of my life.

No other subject dominated Andrewes' sermons and lectures more than the Eucharist because for him "the chief point is that in the Sacrament Christ himself is received." It is our perpetual Bethlehem, the manna from heaven, and at the end of life the viaticum as the soul journeys onwards. At the altar is our mystical union with our beloved Lord. "We are said to come to Christ in Baptism, ... in the hearing of the word," and in preaching, "but Christ receiveth none of these, but that we come to him as is panis vitae, when we come to Christ, as he offers himself in the Sacrament." Christ gathers "us as close and near as alimentum alito, that is as near as near may be." Indeed it is more, for by "that blessed union" it enables us to enter into "the highest perfection we can in this life aspire unto."

My hands will I lift up

unto thy commandments which I have loved.

Open Thou mine eyes and I shall see,

incline my heart and I shall desire,

order my steps and I shall walk in the path of thy commandments.

O Lord God, be Thou to me a God:

beside Thee let there not be to me another,

none else, nought else with Thee.

Grant unto me to

adore Thee and to worship Thee

in truth and spirit,

in comeliness of body,

in blessing of the mouth,

in private and public: and to render

honour to them that have (to obey ) them the rule (to submit myself to )

natural affection to mine own, (to care ) for them

(to provide)

to overcome evil with good:

to win possession of my vessel in sanctification and honour:

to have my conversation without coveteousness,. being content with such things as I have:

to follow the truth in love:

to desire not to lust,

not to lust with concupiscence,

not to walk after lusts.

Lord, I have loved the habitation of thine house,

and the place where thine dwelleth:

that I may shew the voice of thanksgiving,

and tell forth all thy wondrous works.

One thing have I desired of the Lord,

which I will require, even that I may dwell

in the house of the Lord all the days of my life,

to behold the fair beauty

of the Lord

and to visit his temple.

My heart hath talked of Thee,

I will seek the Lord:

I have sought thee and thy face:

thy face, Lord will I seek.

Open me the gates of righteousness,

that I may go in and give thanks unto the Lord.

I believe

1. that You did create me;

the workmanship of Your hands

despise not.

2. that I am after Your image and likeness:

Your likeness

suffer not to be blotted out.

3. that You did redeem me in Your blood:

the price of the ransom

suffer not to perish.

4. that You did make me a Christian after Your own name:

Your own namesake

think not scorn of.

5. that You did hallow me in regeneration:

Your own hallowed thing

destroy not.

6. that You did engraft me in the good olivetree:

the member of Your mystical

cut not off.

I confess to You, O Lord,

that I was conceived in unclean seed,

warmed in iniquity in my mother's womb,

a root of bitterness,

a wild vine of Sodom,

a generation of a viper,

a slip of wild olive,

a child of wrath,

a vessel of destruction:

a heart rebellious like a deceitful bow;

a mouth like an open sepulchre,

pouring out foolishness;

having unclean lips;

a tongue, a world of iniquity;

eyes evil, prone to lusts;

ears uncircumcised, like a deaf adder;

the forehead of a whore, like brass;

a neck hard like an iron sinew;

hands remiss unto good;

feet swift to evil. ...

I, by nature corruption and a worm,

a vile grain of dust:

Satan's slave;

viler than hell.

.In the peace of God, let us pray

For the peace which is from above, and for the salvation of our souls;

For the peace of the whole world;

For the establishment of the Churches of God; and the union of them all;

For this holy peace; and all that enter into it, with faith and reverence;

For our holy fathers the Bishops; the venerable Presbytery, and Deaconry in Christ;

For this holy mansion; all this city and country; and all faithful people who dwell therein.

Open thou mine eyes and I shall see,

incline my heart and I shall desire,

order my steps and I shall walk,

in the ways of thy commandments.

O Lord God, be thou to me a God,

and beside thee let there be none else.

None other, naught else with thee.

Vouchsafe to me to worship thee

and serve thee according to thy commandments

in truth of spirit

in reverence of body

in blessing of lips

in private and in public.- from Daily Prayers for a Sunday.

A Day in the Life of Andrewes

Please do not disturb!

I must be about my Father's business alone.

As the morning breaks

I lift up my eyes to the Father

from whence comes my help.

I lift up my hands for the world

fragile, but in your delicate hands.

My sins confessed,

my praises raised,

Your people held in my heart,

to the Scriptures I now turn

to read, mark and inwardly digest

the Fountain of life, and the Son.

The cross!

Precious are my hours

Spent gazing and gazing

Upon You, O blessed Jesu;

Your life surrendering

To the will of the Father.

There is no greater joy,

no greater comforter

than the words "Come unto me".

I shall give you life.

Your life flowed from Your side

To bathe me clean in baptism,

Forgiving and sustaining me

in the Blood of Salvation.

Never am I as close to you,

Never my "blessed union" so complete

When like Thomas,

I cry out, "My Lord and my God".

Now to Court;

To preach once again

man's need for repentance,

and Christ's longing to hear,

"I turn".

What greater message to tell

Of the angels' joy

to hear the sinner's song,

"I love you dearest Saviour".

If I have softened one stony heart

my service is well done for the day;

I can lay me down and take my rest

grateful that the Lord's work is done.

M.D.

[ a poem I wrote to commemorate the 400th anniversary of Andrewes' consecration as a bishop on 3rd November, 1605.]

I believe

To see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living.

that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.

That if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous:

He is the propitation for our sins and for the whole world.

That Thou art the Christ, the Son of the Living God.

That Thou art the Son of God, the King of Israel.

That this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the World.

That Thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world.

That Jesus Christ is the Son of God.

We believe

that it is through the grace of Jesus Christ the Lord we shall be saved.

I have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.

We have believed

in Christ Jesus, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ and not by the works of the law.

That there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, Christ Jesues, who gave himself a ransom for all.

The faith worketh with our works and by our works is perfected.

Into thy hands I commend my spirit, soul, body

Thou hast created, redeemed, regenerated them,

O Lord of truth:

and with me all mine and all things mine:

Thou hast bestowed them upon me, O Lord, in thy goodness.

Preserve us from all evil,

preserve our souls, I beseech thee, O Lord:

keep us from falling and present us faultless

before the presence of thy glory in that day.