For the Closing of a Religious Meeting. thou unmindful of us: may thy kind and watchful providence ever be over us: may thy Holy Spirit be ever with us, and so lead us in the knowledge and obedience of thy word, that in the end we may obtain everlasting life. Shed abroad thy love in our hearts. May we all be united in the bands of a holy affection, and strive together for the faith of the gospel, in unity of spirit, in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. Dispose our minds to every good word and work, that we may abound in mercy and good fruits. Make us thankful in prosperity; patient in tribulation; resigned in adversity. and faithful in every duty. Wilt thou, O gracious God, revive thy work among this people. May the knowledge of Christ, and an awakened concern for the salvation of their souls, be more widely extended. O may multitudes be inquiring what they shall do to be saved; how they shall flee from the wrath to come, and save themselves from this untoward generation. With sincere penitence and lively faith, may they come into thy church as doves to their windows. Inspire, O Lord, the ministers of thy gospel with holy zeal; and of thy great mercy so direct and govern them in their labor of love, that the comfortable gospel of Jesus Christ may be truly preached, truly received, and truly followed. Have mercy upon those who are still in the ways of sin, impiety and unbelief: take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart and contempt of thy word; and fetch them home, blessed Lord, to thy flock, that they may be saved among the remnant of the true Israelites, and be made one fold under one Shepherd. Bless the people of our country with union, prosperity and peace; shield them by thy holy protecting providence. Surely trusting in thy defence, may we not fear the power of any adversary. The Lord's Prayer Paraphrased. Make us, we beseech thee, a happy people, having the Lord for our God, and thy word for our guide. Do thou, O God, mercifully incline thine ear unto us who have now made our prayers and supplications unto thee, and grant that what we have asked according to thy will may effectually be obtained. Have compassion, we beseech thee, upon us and our infirmities; pardon us wherein we ask amiss; and those good things which for our unworthiness we dare not, and for our blindness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us for the worthiness of thy Son, our Savior, Jesus Christ. O Lord, bless us and keep us, be gracious unto us, and give us peace, both now and evermore. Amen. The Lord's Prayer, Paraphrased. Most merciful and gracious God, we, thy sinful, dependent creatures, in the name and words of our Savior, Christ, look unto thee in prayer, as Our Father, who art in heaven, exalted above all worlds, and invisible to mortal eyes; who humblest thyself to behold the things that are in the earth: who so lovedst the world as to give thine only Son, that through faith in him we may be heirs of eternal life. We adore thee for that unspeakable manner of love, which, through him, thou hast bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God; and, because sons, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ; and, by the spirit of adoption, are permitted to cry, Abba, to thee, as unto a reconciled Father. In his name, and through his merits, we rejoice to say, Hallowed be thy name. May we truly sanctify and reverence the Lord God in our hearts and our lives; and may all the earth keep silence before thee. To The Lord's Prayer Paraphrased. thee may every knee bow, and every tongue swear by thy name, as that of the only true and living God. May the nations of the earth, with angels and archangels, and all the company of heaven, laud and magnify thy glorious name. May a thankful sense of thy boundless goodness continually swell our notes of praise. As thou, who hast called us to a knowledge of thy grace, art holy; so may we be holy in all manner of conversation; as it is written, Be ye holy, for I am holy. May thy name be hallowed for thy glorious attributes; for thy righteous providence, and for the redemption of mankind in Jesus Christ. Ever adored be thy name, that thou canst be just, and yet justify those who have sinned against thee; and that our hopes are raised from sorrow, sin and death, to life immortal. Thy kingdom come. May the truth of thy blessed gospel be established in every heart, and the King whom thou hast set on thy holy hill of Zion, be by all acknowledged, as both Lord and Christ. May there be added daily to thy church such as should be saved. Grant that the ministers of thy gospel, and thy word spoken by their mouth, may be instrumental, through the mighty power of the Holy Ghost, in the conversion of souls, till the King of saints shall have the utmost parts of the earth for his possession. O hasten on those glorious days of the Redeemer's kingdom, when the mountain of the Lord's house shall be established in the top of the mountains, and be exalted above the hills, and all nations shall flow unto it: when wars and strifes shall cease, and the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. We pray, that through the power of thy grace, all who name the name of Christ may depart from iniquity, and hold the true faith in unity of spirit, in the bond The Lord's Prayer Paraphrased. of peace, and in righteousness of life. Be gracious unto thy church, and grant that every member of it may truly and godly serve thee. May all divisions and discord cease. As the blessed angels in heaven, and the spirits of just men made perfect, unite in love and praise; so may thy people here on earth be joined together in one heart and one mind, striving together for the faith of the gospel, and endeavoring to be perfect, as our Father in heaven is perfect. Help us to follow the example of Christ's humility, patience and love, till we come, in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto the perfect man; unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ. Give us this day our daily bread. Do thou, O Lord, who knowest our wants and our dependence, give to us and to our brethren what is needful and convenient, and give us grace with thankful hearts to receive and rightly to use it. Make us contented with what thy goodness shall bestow; and may we desire, above all earthly things, that our souls may be fed with the bread of life-with the heavenly manna of thy word and doctrine. Forgive us our trespasses. We have erred and strayed from thy righteous ways, and have followed the evil devices of our own hearts. Do thou, the God of mercy, forgive our sins; sanctify our hearts, and renew a right spirit within us. We beseech thee, O Lord, to blot out our transgressions. As we forgive those who trespass against us. If there be any who injure us, or wish us evil, give us grace, O Lord, truly to forgive them; and, as far as in us lies, to overcome evil with good. May the spirit of meekness which was in our blessed Savior be in us; may we forgive, as we hope to be forgiven, knowing that vengeance is thine and that thou wilt judge the world in righteousness. Lead us not into temptation. Such is the frailty A Hymn to the God of Christians. of our nature, that without thee we cannot but fall. Keep us, we beseech thee, both outwardly in our bodies and inwardly in our souls; defend us from adversity and preserve us from all temptation to sin. Give us wisdom and grace to avoid that which will entice us to transgress thy holy laws. In times of peril suffer us not to fall into sin. But deliver us from evil. When, for the trial of our steadfastness, or for other purposes of thy providence, we are exposed to temptation, mercifully look upon our infirmities, and in all such dangers stretch forth thy hand to help and defend us. Grant that we may never be tempted above what we are made able to withstand; but that, through thy grace, a way may be opened to escape the snare. For these great blessings we look unto thee, our heavenly Father, through the merits and mediation of thy blessed Son. For thine is the kingdom of the whole world, both of nature and grace, and the power to support us in trial, and to save with an everlasting salvation. And to thee only, as thy just due, be ascribed all the glory forever and ever. Amen. A Hymn to the God of Christians. 1. Holy Father, great Creator, Through the Savior, hear and bless. 2. Holy Jesus, Lord of Glory, Whom angelic hosts proclaim, In our hearts thy peace proclaim. |