A book of prayer : from the public ministrations of Henry Ward Beecher

Preface

This little volume is issued in response to repeated solicitations, and in the hope and belief that it will meet with a warm reception and carry peace and consolation to many hearts.

The Introduction is made up of extracts from Sermons and Lecture-room Talks by Mr. Beecher on the subject of Prayer.

The Prayers are selections from unpublished short-hand notes taken at the various weekly services in Plymouth Church, between the years 1858 and 1887. Where practicable, the dates are given ; but there are many, originally written out (but not used) for publication with dated sermons, for which the clue of time has been lost. There has been therefore no attempt to arrange them chronologically.

Of course, in the reports of regularly recurring public ministrations one will necessarily come upon

4 PREFACE.

many iterations of what might almost be called functional petitions, — such as those for the President of these United States and others joined with him in authority; the Congress; rulers; magistrates, etc., which are proper and necessary in their place and time of delivery, yet not especially edifying in a collection of prayers. Those, therefore, and other similar matter, have been omitted. In the editing and arrangement of these Prayers I have had the assistance of Mr. John K. Howard, who for so many years enjoyed the confidence of Mr. Beecher in preparing reports of his sermons and other literary matter for issuance in book form.

T. J. E.

Brooklyn, March, 1892.

Table Of Contents

PAGE

Preface, 3 invocation— prayer before sermon— closing

PRAYER.