A Prayer for God's Grace and Protection that may be used daily. serve us from all undue reliance on human skill or the help of man. Without thee nothing is strong, and without thy blessing the labor of man is vain. We desire, O God, with thankful hearts to bless thy holy name for thy daily goodness and providential care from the commencement of our lives to this present time. To thy watchful care we owe it, that we are preserved from day to day, and borne in safety upon the mighty waters of the deep. Give us hearts to be thankful for thy great goodness, and give us grace to show forth thy praise by living according to thy word and will. Help us to perform every duty which we owe to thee, and to our fellow-men. May we reverence thy holy name, and have that fear of the Lord which is the beginning of wisdom. Preserve us from all presumptuous sins, and vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify and govern our hearts and our bodies in the ways of thy laws, and in the works of thy commandments, that through thy most mighty protection, both in this our present voyage, and through all the course of our future life, we may be preserved from sin, and from all manner of evil. We beseech thee, O Lord, to give such prosperity and success to the business and occupation in which we are interested or engaged, as shall promote thy glory, and our own best good. Give us grace to be prudent and upright in all our dealings, and to be faithful to all in whose business we are trusted or employed. To thy gracious protection, O heavenly Father, we commit ourselves and all our concerns. Direct and defend us in all we do, and in every danger. Prepare us for every event of thy providence. As our days so may our strength be. We pray thee to turn from us the evils which our sins have deserved, and grant that in all our troubles and difficulties we may put our whole trust and confidence in thy mercy, and evermore serve thee in A Prayer for a prosperous Voyage, and for Friends on Shore. holiness and pureness of living, to thy honor and glory, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. Another, for a prosperous Voyage, and for Friends on Shore. ADORABLE and everliving God, who alone spreadest out the heavens, and rulest the raging of the sea, in humble adoration we look unto thee as the Author of our being, the Giver of all good, and the hope of all the ends of the earth. Unto thee all hearts are open, all desires known, and from thee no secrets are hid. We, thy sinful creatures, beseech thee to behold us in mercy; to forgive our sins, to sanctify our hearts, and to hear with favor these our supplications and prayers. Enter not into judgment with thy servants, O Lord; for in thy sight shall no man living, in his own righteousness, be justified. We look unto thee in the name and through the merits of thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ, by whom thou hast graciously taught us to ask, that we may receive; to seek, that we may find. We pray thee to give unto us, who humbly ask of thee, O heavenly Father, thy blessing upon us and ours. We pray thee to take us, and all that appertains to us, under thy merciful care and protection. Preserve us, we beseech thee, in every danger: conduct us in safety over the mighty waters of the deep; give us prosperity in our present voyage, and enable us to arrive at the haven where we would be, with a thankful sense of thy providential care. And wilt thou, O Lord, in thy merciful goodness, accept our prayers for our families and friends, from whom we now are absent. Preserve them, we be A Prayer which may be used in Storms, and other Dangers at Sea. seech thee, from sickness and sorrow, and from every evil; and graciously watch over them for good. Grant that in thy good time we may meet them in prosperity and peace, and with them unite in thankful acknowledgments of thy great good ness. And to our prayers we desire, O blessed Lord, to give thee humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us, and to all men. We bless thee for all the favors and benefits which we have received from the commencement of our lives to the present hour. We thank thee especially for the mercies vouchsafed to us during the present voyage. And we beseech thee to give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful, and that we may show forth thy praise, not only with our lips but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by walking before thee in holiness and righteousness all our days, through Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior. Amen. A Prayer which may be used in Storms, and other Dangers at Sea. ALMIGHTY and everliving God, who art the hope of all the earth, and our only refuge in danger and distress, behold us, we beseech thee, in mercy, and save us, Lord, or we perish. Remember not, Lord, our offences, nor take thou vengeance of our sins. O be merciful unto us, and save us for the sake of thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. O thou blessed Jesus, who didst save thy disciples when ready to perish, deliver us from peril and destruction. The winds and the sea obey thee. If thou speak the word, we shall be delivered from A Form of Thanksgiving at Sea for Escape from Danger. fear, and restored to safety and peace. Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people whom thou didst die to save. O thou Father of our spirits, and Giver of our lives, forsake us not in this perilous hour, nor leave us to perish. We commit ourselves, and all that is ours, to thy almighty protection. Thy mercy, O Lord, reacheth unto the heavens, and thy faithfulness unto the clouds. Be merciful unto us, O God, be merciful unto us, for our soul trusteth in thee; in the shadow of thy wings we make our refuge, until this calamity be overpast. O be not thou far from us when trouble and distress are near. Spare us a little, before we go hence and be no more seen. Let our prayer come before thee, and incline thine ear unto our cry; for our soul is full of trouble, and our life draweth nigh unto the grave. Thou, O God, art to be feared, and who can stand when thou art angry? Nothing is too hard for thee, nor is there any one who can deliver out of thy hands. Thou art a strong-hold in the day of trouble, and with thee all things are possible. Thou hast taught us to call upon thee in the day of trouble. O deliver us, that we may glorify thee, and declare the wonders which thou dost for the children of men. Help, O Lord, we beseech thee, and deliver us for thy mercy's sake: hear our prayers, and save us for the infinite merits of thy Son, our Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. A Form of Thanksgiving at Sea for Escape from Danger. ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, who art the Giver and Preserver of our lives, wonderful are the works which thou hast done: unnumbered are thy mercies vouchsafed to the sons of men. Thou art A Form of Thanksgiving at Sea for Escape from Danger. patient and long-suffering, and in the midst of judgment rememberest mercy. It is of thy mercy that we are not consumed, and because thy compassions fail not. Thou killest and makest alive, and there is none who can deliver out of thy hand. Thy name, O Lord, is excellent in all the earth, and thy glory is above the heavens: according to thy name, so is thy praise. Great art thou in wonders; there is no end of thy greatness, and greatly art thou to be praised. Thou art the God of whom cometh salvation; thou art the Lord by whom we escape death. Thou stillest the raging of the sea, and the noise of its waves. Thou measurest the waters in the hollow of thy hand, and hast meted out heaven with a span. Thou sittest upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are reputed as nothing in comparison of thee. Heaven is thy throne, and the earth thy footstool. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. At thy word the stormy winds arise, which lift up the waves of the sea, filling the hearts of men with fear. When they cry unto thee in their trouble, thou bringest them out of their distress: thou makest the storm to cease, so that the waves of the sea are still. Then are they glad because they are at rest, and thou bringest them in safety to the haven where they would be. Then do they praise thee for thy goodness and we, O God, would praise thee for that thou hast heard us in the hour of distress, and art become our salvation. Thou art a God full of compassion, and plenteous in mercy. When we called upon thee in our trouble and distress thou wast nigh to help, and attentive to our cry. Not for our worthiness, but from thy mercy are we now alive to render thee our humble thanks and praise. When we were in misery, thou didst help us; when trouble was hard upon us, and all hope that we : |