Prayers of the household, for morning or evening

Preface

As words best fitted to express our thoughts are riot always at immediate command in time of prayer, and as our thoughts are too apt to be vague, forms prepare in advance and at leisure are sometimes useful, to allay our diffidence and avoid prolixity. And the range of such forms may be sufficient to embrace proper subjects of prayer which otherwise would pass unnoticed. But while much of the matter composing this volume is, in a sense, original, nothing substantially new is presented or deemed desirable, the needs we feel and the praises we attempt not differing materially from those which former generations have already voiced forth. And many familiar articles and collects will be found, in whole or in part, in these pages, the language of the Bible and the Book of Common Prayer having been largely employed.

The words and paragraphs in brackets may at any time be omitted.

Where the sign of the Cross appears the Lord's Prayer should sometimes be substituted for all that follows; or any extempore petition may there be inserted; or a short pause may be made for silent prayer by all present.

I. Glory be to God on high.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.

Our Father who art in heaven.

II. In the Lord will we trust.

Almighty and most merciful Father.

God who knowest us.

O Lord, the high and mighty Ruler.

O God, the Creator and Preserver.

III. Almighty God, before whom angels bow. O God, our King, without whom nothing. We thank thee, O heavenly Father.

— For all who are dear to us.

O God of all pity and consolation.

IY. O heavenly Father, who art more ready. We give thee thanks, generous Lord.

— Disposer and Patron of all nations, — Christian — polar — equatorial — Israel — Mahometan — heathen.

Y. Lord, our Heavenly Father.

Lead us, we pray thee, by thy kindly hand.

Make us ever mindful of Jesus.

We pray for those who love us — Any who may be slipping

— weak — ignorant — victims of strong drink — heedless

crowds.

YI. O God, the Creator of all things.

To thy throne of grace.

And when thou dost call us hence.

Index

VII. O Thou that hearest prayer.

Our temporal interests also.

O God, who hast power over hearts, — unskilled laborers — soldiers — mariners — legislators — planters — merchants

— students.

Bless, Lord, we beseech thee.

VIII. To thee, O Jesus Christ, our Saviour. By thee is man made just with God.

O Shepherd of Israel.

O holy Saviour.

And when this mortal.

IX. O gracious and holy Lord.

As thou didst in times past inspire.

O heavenly Dove — holy Comforter.

Let Immanuel rule.

X. God be merciful unto us and bless us.

Litany : — Lord thou hast been our dwelling-place.

XL The Lord reigneth.

— Unto thee be our vows and fealty.

O gracious Father, from whom all mercies — lowly calling

— roam the seas — delve in mines — leaders of men. O Thou who hast given us the banner of the cross.

XII. Again we come.

O God, thou art great.

— We cannot escape thy presence.

To whom then, omniscient Father.

XIII. O Lord, our God, whose mercy.

O Sovereign of our hearts — benevolent labors — discover remedies — plead the cause — carry the gospel — weak endeavor.

— To bring great fruits.

INDEX.

XIV. Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle?

— Thanks for unnumbered gifts. [For Morning and Evening.]

— Send thy messenger to prepare — behold new heavens.

XV. Thy throne, O God, is forever.

Litany : —

We pray thee, Lord.

O God, our refuge and strength.

— Grace to make our supplications.

XVI. O Lord, our heavenly Father.

O Thou who clothest the lilies.

— For our friends.

— For others who are beyond our knowledge.

— Thine only begotten Son to take our nature.

XVII. Almighty and everlasting God, in whom. And since it has pleased thee.

— Well knowest the infirmities.

— Guidance in worldly affairs.

— For those who are dear.

— Listen to the prayers of little children.

XVIII. We thank thee, our heavenly Father — look for righteous-

ness to come.

To this end we pray — work together for good. For strangers tothy salvation — appetite for strong drink

— magnify themselves — fondly suppose — enemies. O God of all patience and loving-kindness.

XIX. O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name. Almighty God — who desirest not the death of any. [For Morning and Evening.]

— Receive the prayers of thy people.

— Send down upon thy ministers.

Let the meek inherit the earth.

INDEX.

XX. To the throne of the heavenly grace.

— O Son of God — condescending to redeem. Yet, O our Saviour, we crave.

Oh for the joy of the blessed company.

XXI. Who is like unto thee, O Lord God?

— Look with compassion.

— Placed in our hands the holy book.

— Thou wilt provide.

Litany: — O Spirit of holiness.

XXII. O Lord, our heavenly Father — thou makest to grow -

givest rain.

O gracious benefactor, on thee alone.

— We confess our natural estate.

— For all who are dear to us.

— For those who are estranged from thee.

XXIII. Hear us when we call.

— Who knowest that we are of the dust. — Abhorrest evil — reward for the just. — Thanks for the means of grace.

O Thou who didst once taste death.

XXI Y. O God — caused all holy scriptures. Litany: — Gather us not with sinners.

XXY. O Lord, open thou our lips.

— Our transgressions we confess.

O Thou to whose eye the future is open. While in this world let us not be of it.

XXYI. How shall we present ourselves.

— We believe that thou art.

And so we would rejoice.

— For those who are afraid — or astray. [For Morning and Evening.]

INDEX.

XXVII. O God, our refuge and strength.

— Great Captain of our salvation.

— Help every man in his place — philosophers — hunters — those giving instruction — called to preserve peace — in crowded marts.

— Prepare us for a future life of joy.

XXVIII. Have mercy upon us, O Lord.

We have sinned — yet thou hast not been wroth.

— For favor to our native country.

O Thou who didst leave the glory.

We trust thee, O Lord, that while.

XXIX. O Thou who art the high and lofty one. Most holy God, who art of purer eyes.

— Our intercessions — all nations — thy Church — in civil authority — neighbors — in trouble.

XXX. Hearken unto the voice of our cry. Pardon, O Lord, all those.

— Remember in mercy this family.

— This city in which we dwell.

— In every land may thy kingdom advance — heathen.

XXXI. God, who ruiest on high.

— We likewise pray for those about us. Show us thy way, Lord.

— Cherish infants — keep them through childhood — when selecting pursuits — burden of the day — when age comes on.

And when the trumpet.

XXXII. O Lord, our heavenly Father.

For all the favors of the past.

And when the new heavens.

O Lamb of God.

XXXIII. Lord, show thy mercy upon us.

O Son of God, who bringest.

— Merc}^ upon those who know not.

O Spirit of truth — good Shepherd shall appear.

INDEX.

XXXIY. How blessed, O Lord, is the estate. How vast are thy works.

— Shining multitudes not being enough. [For Morning and Evening.]

— All who are dear to us.

XXXY. Salvation belongeth unto the Lord.

— Thanks for all thy favor.

— Children shall be taught of the Lord.

— Called to any office in thy Church.

XXXVI. O Lord, our heavenly Father.

On thee alone, O Fountain of grace.

Litany : — O Thou who art the great Physician.

XXXVII. The Lord is a king forever.

— Deign to direct our doings.

Grant that by our penitence.

Almighty God, who hast built thy Church.

XXXVIII. O Lord God of our fathers.

Having been instructed.

We pray thee to subdue within us.

Litany : — O Thou who hast overcome.

XXXIX. Give ear, O Lord, to the voice.

— We confess that we have sinned.

Enable us somewhat to realize.

While therefore we have opportunity.

Like blessings — for our friends.

XL. O Lord our God, in thee.

O Father of love, whose eye.

O Son of God, our Redeemer.

O Blessed and Eternal Spirit.

— Thy condescension in revealing thyself.

— Let us cherish this word of life.

I. Glory be to God on high

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel.

Our Father who art in heaven.

/"^ LORY be to God on high, and on earth peace, good ^-^ will to men. We praise thee, we bless thee, we worship thee; — we give thanks to thee, Lord, heavenly King, God the Father Almighty.

Lord the only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ; Lamb of God, that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, receive our prayer. Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father, grant us thy peace.

For thou only art holy; thou only art the Lord: thou only, Christ, with the Holy Ghost, art most high in the glory of God the Father.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he hath visited and redeemed his people; and hath raised up a mighty salvation for us, in the house of his servant David: as he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets which have been since the world began; that we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us.

For the Lord is gracious, — his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endureth from generation to generation.

Thou Lord, hast made us glad through thy works, and we will rejoice in giving praise for the operations of thy hands.

Our Father who art in heaven,

Hallowed be thy name;

Thy kingdom come ;

Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread;

And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who

trespass against us; And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil; For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,

forever:

Amen.

II. In the Lord will we trust

Almighty and most merciful Father.

O God who knowest us.

O Lord, the high and mighty Ruler.

O God, the Creator and Preserver.

T~N the Lord will we trust, for he is gracious; slow to ■— anger and of great mercy.

If thou wert strict to mark iniquity, Lord, who should stand?

Almighty and most merciful Father, we have erred and strayed from thy ways, like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have left undone the things we ought to have done, and we have done the things we ought not to have done, and there is no health in us. But thou, Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare thou those who confess their faults. Restore thou those who are penitent, according to thy promises declared unto mankind in thy blessed Son. And grant, heavenly Father, for his sake, that we may hereafter live a godly, righteous and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name.

God, who knowest us to be set in the midst of such perplexities and dangers, that by reason of the frailty of our nature we cannot always fulfill what we essay to do, vouchsafe us such strength from heaven as may support us in difficulties and carry us through temptations, and make us conquerors at last.

Lord, the high and mighty Ruler of the universe, who dost from thy throne control all the powers upon earth, we beseech thee with thy favor to behold and bless thy servant, the President of the United States, and all others in authority; and so replenish them with thy Holy

Spirit that they may incline to thy will and walk in thy way. Endue them plenteously with heavenly gifts; grant them grace to execute justice and uphold the right; and after this life to attain everlasting joy and felicity.

God, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, we humbly beseech thee for all sorts and conditions of men, — that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them — thy saving health to all nations. More especially we pray for all who profess and call themselves Christians, — that they may be led in the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life.

Finally we commend unto thy fatherly goodness all those in any way afflicted or distressed, in mind, body, or estate, — that it may please thee to comfort and relieve them according to their several necessities, giving them patience under their sufferings and a happy issue out of all their afflictions.

These things we ask in the name of one who was despised and afflicted, — who lay down in the grave and rose again for us, — the Lord Jesus Christ, our Saviour:

Amen.

III. Almighty God, before whom angels bow

O God, our King, without whom nothing.

We thank thee, O heavenly Father.

— For all who are dear to us.

O God of all pity and consolation.

A LMIGHTY God, before whom angels bow and arch- -^"*~ angels veil their faces, who of thy good will didst create us thy children, and by wondrous mercy in Christ didst redeem us from sin and death, we worship and adore thy glorious majesty, both as our duty and delight; humbly beseeching thee to listen to our praises and our prayers, for the sake of thy only Son, our Mediator.

God, our King, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, we lament before thee our weakness and guilt, — our transgressions in the past, and our frailty at present; and pray thee graciously to forgive and strengthen us, and lead us henceforth in all holy obedience, for thy mercy's sake.

We thank thee, heavenly Father, for thy blessed word, for our liberty in reading it, for the privilege of drawing near to thee in prayer, and for the opportunity of laboring in thy cause in the world. We thank thee more especially that thou hast been pleased to call us to a filial knowledge of thyself, and hast caused us to lift up our hearts to thine in love and loyalty. Oh that we may be bound closer unto thee, day by day. Let none of us fail of thy grace, or turn back from our allegiance. Thine let us be, now and evermore.

And hear us, Lord, for all who are dear to us; our kindred, companions, and friends. Be thou their God and Saviour. Defend them from every ill. Make them to know thy favor in this life, and to be numbered with thy saints in glory everlasting.

God of all pity and consolation, we pray thee to seek out those who are in danger and need, whether of soul or body. Extend to them thine arm of strength, and speak the word of peace. Show them that thou art he whom they should seek, — that thou art a very present help in time of trouble. Be near to the sick, the poor, the aged, and the little ones; mercifully regard the tempted, the doubting, the desperate, [the friendless, the bereaved;] and minister to them as thou only canst do.

Let thy good Spirit move all men, everywhere, to repent. Let righteousness pervade all lands; and let thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven: all which we ask in the name of thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ:

Amen.

IV

O heavenly Father, who art more ready. We give thee thanks, generous Lord.

— Disposer and Patron of all nations, — Christian — polar — equatorial — Israel — Mahometan — heathen.

r\ HEAVENLY FATHER, who art more ready to give ^-^ good gifts to them that ask of thee than earthly parents are to please their children, we bow before thee in our frailties and our needs, and humbly beg thy blessing at this time. We especially crave forgiveness of our misdeeds, — not only those of whicli our consciences accuse us, but also those which in our blindness we have not seen, or in our heedlessness have forgotten. Blot them from thy book, we pray thee, for Jesus' sake, and remember them jio more against us.

And since thou seest that we have no power to conduct ourselves aright without thine aid, be pleased unweariedly to guard us, that we fall not by the hand of the destroyer nor suffer by our own conceit.

We give thee thanks, generous Lord, for the many temporal benefits thou dost bestow. We praise thee for the measure of health and strength vouchsafed us, for the rewards of our labors, for the fruits of the garden and field, the friendliness of our companions and acquaintances, and the comforts of home. Let our gratitude move us to benevolence toward those less favored, that thus we may be thy messengers of good.

Thou who art the Creator of mankind, and the Disposer and Patron of all the races and nations thereof, whatever climes or countries they inhabit, be pleased, we implore thee, to dispense thy gifts according to the varying wants of all.

Instruct those who have had their birth in the midst of the knowledge and affluence of Christian lands to seek with diligence the one thing needful, without which all other possessions are vain.

There be some dispersed in polar regions, whose constant habitation is in ice and snow 7 , where verdure, flowers, and fruit are things unknown. Leave them not, gracious Father, in cold neglect, but prepare them for another and a better country, where they may eat of the tree of life.

Let the ardent peoples of equatorial realms be zealous for the Lord and for the triumph of his cause.

As for the land which once flowed with milk and honey, — from whose shepherd -plains the sweet psalmist of Israel sang his lays, — whose hills and vales were threaded by the footsteps of the blessed Jesus, — let it be restored in pristine richness to thy people, chosen of old, and let them be gathered from all the nations whither thou hast driven them, when they shall acknowledge the true Messiah, the Son of David, of whom Moses and the prophets did write.

Let the barbarisms that burden Mahometan countries, and the gross superstitions w r hich cloud the consciences and degrade the lives of the heathen, speedily give place to the glories of the gospel of truth and peace.

And to thy most merciful and most worthy name, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be worship and thanksgiving, world without end:

Amen.

V. O Lord, our Heavenly Father

Lead us, we pray thee, by thy kindly hand.

Make us ever mindful of Jesus.

We pray for those who love us — Any who may be slipping

— weak — ignorant — victims of strong drink — heedless

crowds.

/~\ LORD, our heavenly Father, we desire to thank thee ^-^ for thy love and favor hitherto; — for thy care [during the past night] this day, — and for the hope we have that thou wilt not forget us in the future.

Lead us, we pray thee, by thy kindly hand; sustain our strength by day and defend our rest at night ; make the path of duty plain before us, and help us to pursue it joyfully. In time of perplexity teach us to look upward. When temptations lure us to the right hand or to the left, let us not turn aside to meet them.

Let us be of a quiet spirit, so that the petty vexations of life shall not ruffle us. Though trials swarm about us, as bees, let us not be fretted by them. If sickness and disappointment be our lot, let us not be overwhelmed thereby.

Make us ever mindful of Jesus, our pattern and example; who carried our griefs and bore our sicknesses; who, when he was reviled, reviled not again, when he was smitten, threatened not, when he was mocked and persecuted, held his peace.

But, Lord, if it please thee, grant us freedom from such severities. We would be so docile to thy teaching, and pliant to thy will, as not to need the chastisement of suffering. We believe thou dost not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men.

[Yet if there be no path, but a thorny one, to the pleasant place thou hast prepared for us, we pray that we may bravely and patiently endure the temporary and seeming ill, in hope of more abundant good by-and-by. Let us not mar our inheritance by cowardice and failure now.]

We pray for those who love us, — that thou wilt love them, and do for them as we cannot. We pray, too, for those who injure us. Let us forgive them as we hope to be forgiven.

We pray for any of thy children who may be slipping from the straight and narrow way, — that thou wouldst hasten to reclaim and pardon them.

We pray for those who feel weak and insignificant, having no heart for the duties or rewards to which thou callest them. Give them some conception of the importance of this life aud the grandeur of the next, that they may be up and doing.

We pray for those of ignorant and silly minds, who are willing to be led astray, trusting to their own puny strength to return to virtue when they shall choose.

We pray for the many victims of strong drink, and for the families they are dragging to ruin.

We pray for the heedless crowds who care not for thee, — who neglect thy house, forget thy sabbaths, profane thy holy name, and do despite unto thy grace. Let thy almighty power go forth to stop the tide that courses down to death. Blow loud alarms to men who are deaf to gentleness. Where love is weak let the terrors of the Lord have force, and save their souls before it be too late; that by all means righteousness may be victorious, and the kingdom of heaven everywhere prevail.

Be pleased, gracious Father, to hear these our humble prayers for Jesus Christ's sake:

Amen.

VI. God, the Creator of all things

To thy throne of grace.

And when thou dost call us hence.

f^\ GOD, the Creator of all things, animate and inanimate, ^^ and the Father of those who with true hearts call upon thee, we come into thy presence with thanksgiving and praise, desiring that thy holy will may be fulfilled in us.

To thy throne of grace we bring our burdens and pray for strength to bear them. We bring our joys, praying that we may so improve them that thou shalt add thereto yet more. To thy feet we bring our powers and talents, and pray thee to accept our service, and endow us for the same, according to thy goodness and our need.

Absolve us from our sins;

Make us watchful against temptation;

Incite us in our duty;

Inspire us in prayer.

Encourage us in time of disappointment;

Subdue our pride in time of triumph.

Restrain within us the surges of anger;

Teach us how to speak, and how to keep silence.

Dispose our minds to concord between ourselves and charity toward those around us.

Make us messengers to any whom thou wouldst comfort or edify.

In labors of love let us not be wanting; and wherever our influence is felt let it be for good.

And when thou dost call us hence, we pray thee bring us to the city of the blest; where the streets are of gold, where flows the pure river of the water of life, where the leaves of the trees are for the healing of the nations, and where are pleasures for evermore.

These things we humbly ask, not for our merits or worthiness, but only for the sake of him who hath opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers, thy Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ:

Amen.

VII. O Thou that hearest prayer

Our temporal interests also.

O God, who hast power over hearts, — unskilled laborers —

soldiers — mariners — legislators — planters — merchants

— students.

Bless, Lord, we beseech thee.

f~\ THOU that hearest prayer, unto thee we gladly come. ^-^ For thou takest pleasure in them that fear thee: thou acceptest those that hope in thy mercy.

Lord, the God of all mercy, who dost pardon the sins of the penitent and comfort the contrite when they pray, help us honestly to acknowledge our transgressions and turn away from them with steadfast purpose of heart, that we may obtain of thee perfect remission and forgiveness, through the merits of Jesus Christ our Saviour.

Our temporal interests also we commit to thy generous care. If it be thy holy will, preserve our persons from accident and sickness, and our possessions from loss. As thou hast maintained us in the past, we trust thee for the future. Let us evermore have cause to rejoice in thy goodness.

*

God, who hast power over the hearts of men as the potter hath over his clay — to mold and fashion it according to his will, be pleased to adapt thy dealings to the station of every man, and so temper the influences bearing upon him, that as his days increase he may be transformed, more and more, into the image of the divine.

[As for the ignorant and wretched, whose negligent and unskilled labor earns but poor returns, — these being often lost by improvidence or squandered in vice, — wilt thou dispose them to seek instruction that they may rise ; and heavenly wisdom, that what they lack in this life they may obtain in the next.

Give to soldiers in the service of their country, true patriotism, and a willing obedience to the discipline of their ranks. Teach them also a moral courage and a spiritual warfare against the enemies of their souls.

Give to mariners, who risk their fortunes on the tempestuous deep, a reverence for thy name and a love for thy word, that when the last storm is over and there is no more sea, they may be found alive and safe.

Bestow high talents and nobility of soul on those who are chosen to legislate for their brethren, and cause that they who enact the laws of men consider well the laws of God.

Let those who plant the earth and water it, look to thee for the increase.

The merchants, who buy and sell and get gain, — let them not seek their portion in the petty boards of this world, but rather in the good things which thou hast prepared above.

Be pleased especially to favor those who are in pursuit of knowledge, — all students of thy word and providence, or of the mysteries of thy creation, and let not their search be in vain.]

Bless, Lord, we beseech thee, the rich and the poor, — the aged and the young. Let thy grace be upon all parents and their children, all pastors and their people, all governors and they that are under them. By thy wisdom let princes rule, and kings decree justice. Hasten the glad time when Christ shall reign supreme in all lands, and in the hearts of all people ; that all thy creatures may glorify thee, world without end :

Amen.

2*

VIII. To thee, O Jesus Christ, our Saviour

By thee is man made just with God.

O Shepherd of Israel.

O holy Saviour.

And when this mortal.

rpo THEE, Jesus Christ, our Saviour, we kneel in adora- J - tion. To thee we lift our hearts in love, and our voices in praise. We hail thee as the Lord's Anointed, the Prince of Peace, the Son of the Most High God, and the express Image of his Person.

[By thee is man made just with God. Thou didst put away thy glories and humble thyself to be born of a virgin. Thou tookest upon thyself our nature, and wast tempted and tried in all points as we are. yet without sin. By works of righteousness thou didst fulfill the law for us. By thy bloody sacrifice upon the cross thou didst suffer death in our stead, and obtain remission of sins for the penitent. By thy glorious resurrection thou didst open a way out of the grave for all who are joined to thee by faith. In such goodly company we would abide, sharing celestial favors upon earth, and assured of victory at last.]

Shepherd of Israel, that leadest thy people as a flock, lead us, we pray thee, in the ways of wisdom, all whose ways are pleasantness and whose paths are peace. Feed us with the bread of heaven, that our souls may live; and give us to drink of the living water, that our spirits may be evermore refreshed. Let thy word which is spirit and life, dwell in our minds, and let thy voice be music in our ears. Call us each by name; command us where thou wilt; warn us lest we stumble; restrain us lest we wander away. Let us not be deceived by the craft nor crushed by the power of the great adversary, who goeth about as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Wean us from the world, sanctify us from the flesh, and defend us from the devil, — that none of these may have dominion over us, but that we may be wholly thine own.