corruption, for thou hast cast all my sins behind my back. Isaih. O Lord the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee, they that go down to the pit, cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living he shall praise thee, as I do this day. Lamentations. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not cursed, because his compassions fail not. Wherefore doth a living man complain; the punishment of his sins. a man for Let us search and try our way, and turn again unto the Lord. The following prayers, used by the Saviour o the world in his last moments, may, we hope, without presumption, be used by his children in their mourning. Then said he unto his disciples, "My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death, tarry ye here and watch with me." And he went a little farther and fell on his face and prayed, saying "O my Father, if it be possible, let this cap pass by me: nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt." He went away again the second time and prayed, saying, "O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me except I drink it, thy will be done." And at the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying, "my God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me." The resolution of Job may here be introduced with propriety. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away, blessed be the name of the Lord. Ps. Before I was afflicted I went astray; but now I have kept thy word. It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes. I know O Lord that thy judgments are right, and that thou in mercy hast afflicted me. Judg. x 15. Do unto us what seemeth good unto thee. 1 Sam. iii 18. Eli said it is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good. Nehem. Thou art just in all that is brought upon us. Jesus said, even so Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight. Ps. I was dumb, and opened not my mouth, because thou didst it O Lord. Prayers and confessions, which will well become all rulers, magistrates, and ministers of religion; being the lamentations and intercessions of the holy men of old, in behalf of the children of Israel. Daniel ix 3. And I set my face unto thee Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplication, with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. And I prayed unto the Lord my God, and made my confession, and O Lord the great and dreadful God, Keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments. We have sinned and committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts, and from thy judgments. Neither have we hearkened unto thy servants the prophets, which spake in thy name to our kings, our princes and our fathers, and to all the people in our land. O Lord righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us confusion of faces, as at this day. O Lord to us belongeth confusion of faces, to our kings, to our princes, to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgive nesses, tho' we have rebelled against him. Neither have we obeyed the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us, by his servants the prophets. Prayer of the Prophet Baruch. O Lord our God, we have sinned, we have done ungodly, we have dealt unrighteously in all thine ordinan ces. O Lord look down from thine holy house and consider us; bow down thine ear O Lord and hear us. We do not make our humble supplications unto thee for the righteousness of our fathers and of our kings, but for thy manifold mercies. O Lord, Almighty God of Israel, the soul in anguish, the troubled spirit, crieth unto thee. Hear O Lord, and have mercy, for thou art merciful, and have pity upon us because we have sinned before thee. Blessed art thou O Lord God of our Fathers; thy name is ever to be praised and glorified forever more. Prayer of Daniel. Thou art righteous in all the things that thou hast done to us; yea, true are all thy works; thy ways are right, and all thy judgments truth. For we have sinned and committed iniquity, departing from thee. In all things have we trespassed, and not obeyed thy commandments, nor kept them; neither done as thou hast commanded us, that it might go well with us. Nevertheless, in a contrite heart and humble spirit, let us be accepted. Put us not to shame O Lord, but deal with us after thy loving kindness, and according to the multitude of thy tender mercies. Prayer of Ezra. And at the evening sacrifice, I arose up from my heaviness, and having rent my garment and my mantle, I fell upon my knees and spread out my hands to the Lord my God. And said O my God, I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespasses have grown up unto the heavens. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great trespasses, seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, and hast given us such deliverance as this. Howbeit thou art just in all that has come upon us; for thou hast done right, but we have done wickedly. 1 Kings iii 8. Solomon prayed thus: Lord give thy servant an understanding heart, that he may judge thy people, and that he may discover between good and bad. And God said because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life, neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor the life of thy enemies, but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgments. Behold I have done according to thy words; I have given thee a wise and understanding heart. I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked, both riches and honor. MISCELLANEOUS PRAYERS. Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me nei-ther poverty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me, lest I be full and deny thee, and say who is the Lord; or lest I be poor and steal, and take the name of my God in vain. Prayer for faith. Mark ix 24. And straight way the father of the child |