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FELLOWSHIP PRAYERS
8w"^«»«
refected ^ ^arafv lTu«€ou>T)Lcl<xn50T>^
DEC 1% ]%]
1921
Original Prayers in this book
Copyright, July, 1918, by
The National Board of the Young Women's Christian Associations
or THE United States of America
Second Edition, 1921
PREFACE
DAVID LIVINGSTON, pleading for prayers and verses in small compass, brings forward the old- time petition of one "quha glaidlie wald carie ane thin buik that can not easilie carie the hail Psalmes," and he asks that it be *'of esie price."
This little *'buik of esie price" is sent out in the hope that it may encourage women who are working to- gether for the Kingdom of God in the use of more intimate speech with the "Great Companion" on public occasions.
In some of these prayers there are to be recognized phrases uttered by his personal friends of many cen- turies, but so absorbed as heart language that it has become impossible to ascribe them to their original sources.
Through these gathered orisons may there be estab- lished new fellowship with the heavenly Father, Whom to know is life eternal.
Sarah Truslow Dickinson.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
In these prayers a certain number of phrases and sentences have been used of which it has not been feasible to determine the origin. Aside from these, acknowledgment is made of the following sources from which prayers have been drawn by permission of the publishers.
'Trayers Ancient and Modern," by Mary W. Tilet- son. Little, Brown and Co. Prayers by Christina Ros- setti and John Henry Newman, and from the Moz- arabic Liturg}^
"A Book of Offices and Prayers." Edwin S. Gorham. (By permission of the compilers.)
"A Chain of Prayer across the Ages," by Selina F. Fox. E. P. Dutton and Co., holders of American copyright only. Prayers marked with an asterisk.
'Tra3Trs and Meditations," by Henry Sylvester Nash. Longmans, Green and Co.
"With God in Prayer," by Bishop Brent. Copy- right, 1907, by George W. Jacobs and Co.
"Prayers Written at Vailima," by Robert Louis Stevenson. Copyright, 1898, 1904, by Charles Scrib- ner's Sons.
"Closet and Altar." The Pilgrim Press.
CONTENTS
PAGE
1 Richard Dilworth
Lew Wallace (in "Ben Hur") Book of Common Prayer
2 Jeremy Taylor (abridged)
St. Chrysostom: Book of Common Prayer
Pericles; Chain of Prayer
John Wesley; Chain of Prayer
Henry Sylvester Nash
3 Alcuin; Book of Common Prayer
John Pearson; Chain of Prayer
) Christina G. Rossetti ; Chain of Prayer
Book of Common Prayer (adapted) Book of Common Prayer
5 Book of Hours; Chain of Prayer
Roman Breviary A Book of Offices and Prayers
6 Anon.
Henry Sylvester Nash (abridged) Henry Alford; Chain of Prayer (abridged)
7 James Martineau
Anon. Treasury of Devotion, Chain of Prayer
8 Walter Rauschenbusch
9 Francis Bourtillon
Book of Common Worship John Henry Jowett
V
vi CONTENTS
PAGE
lo Sarum Breviary; Chain of Prayer
From Taylor's Covenant
Bishop Brent, in "With God in Prayer" (adapted)
1 1 Adapted from Matthew Arnold and Ralph Waldo Emerson
S. T. D.
12 Col. III:i7 (adapted)
Book of Common Worship
Henry Sylvester Nash (adapted)
S. T. D.
13 Harry Emerson Fosdick (adapted)
14 Richard Roberts
John Henry Newman ; Prayers Ancient and Modern
S. T. D.
15 Book of Common Worship
J. D. Richard Roberts
16 William Bright
Richard Roberts (adapted) Richard Roberts
17 Richard Roberts
St. Augustine; Chain of Prayer 18 Antony Ashley Cooper, Earl of Shaftesbury; Chain of
Prayer Francis Greenwood Peabody
19 Sursum Corda; Chain of Prayer
Richard Roberts
20 S. T. D.
Henry Sylvester Nash (adapted)
21 Gelasian Sacramentary; Chain of Prayer
Anon 22, 23 Dedication Service, Y. W. C. A.
CONTENTS vii
PAGE
24 James Martineau; Chain of Prayer
Francis Bourtillon (adapted)
25 Anon.
James Martineau; Chain of Prayer (adapted)
26 Richard Roberts
Anon. Henry Sylvester Nash
27 Margaret Burton
Henry Drummond (adapted)
28 S. T. D.
Walter Rauschenbusch 29 . . Manual of the Guild of St. Peter; Chain of Prayer
Anon. Ps. XIX:i4 (adapted)
30 S. T. D.
Christina G. Rossetti ; Chain of Prayer Luke 1:78, 79 (adapted)
31 .... Anon.
W. Wollaston; Chain of Prayer Walter Rauschenbusch
32 Walter Rauschenbusch
33 Walter Rauschenbusch
34 Francis Bourtillon
35 Walter Rauschenbusch
Robert Louis Stevenson (abridged)
36 R. L. D.
37 Anon.
Book of Common Worship (adapted) Walter Rauschenbusch (abridged)
38 S. T. D.
"A Delegate's Prayers," Y. W. C. A. Convention,
1913 (adapted)
viii CONTENTS
PAGE
39 Dedication Service, Y. W. C. A.
II Cor. XIII :i4
40 Richard Roberts
Book of Offices and Prayers (abridged and altered) Calendar of the Church of the Epiphany, Washington,
D. C.
41 Charlotte H. Adams
Mrs. Abby Aldridge Rockefeller
42 ' . Richard Roberts
J. Hunter, "Devotional Services"
43 Book of Common Prayer (adapted)
Richard Roberts
44 . . Bishop Brent, in "With God in Prayer" (adapted)
Mabel Cratty
45 Book of Common Prayer (adapted)
R. L. D.
46 J. T. D.
Henry Sylvester Nash; Book of Offices and Prayers
47 J. T. D. (adapted)
Weaker Rauschenbusch
48 ... R. L. D.
49 Radindranath Tagore
Y. W. C. A. Summer Conference, 191 3
50 R. L. D.
51 St. Patrick (adapted)
R. L. D.
52 R. L. D.
Samuel H. Howe, D.D.
53 Charlotte H. Adams
^4 Francis Bburtillon
Book of Common Prayer R. L. D.
CONTENTS ix
PAGE
55 Anon.
Henry Sylvester Nash R. L. D. R. L. D.
56 R. L. D.
Lyman Abbott (adapted)
57 Anon.
Francis Bourtillon Walter Rauschenbusch
58 Epistle to Hebrews
Book of Common Prayer John Henry Jowett
59 John Henry Jowett
60 S. T. D.
Mozarabic Liturgy; Prayers Ancient and Modern Bishop Boyd Carpenter; Chain of Prayer
61 Delia Lyman Porter
John Henry Jowett
6z John Henry Jowett
63 Gordon Calthrop ; Chain of Prayer
64 Mrs. Emma Bailey Speer
Henry Sylvester Nash
65 Walter Rauschenbusch (abridged)
John Henry Jowett
66 John Henry Jowett
67 James T. Vance
68 Henry Sylvester Nash (adapted)
69 Book of Common Prayer
Anon. 70 . . Christina G. Rossetti; Prayers Ancient and Modern
St. James (adapted)
X CONTENTS
PAGE
71 Book of Common Prayer
John Henry Jowett (adapted)
72 Walter Rauschenbusch (abridged)
73 St. Paul
Bishop Joscelyne
St. Paul
Book of Numbers (adapted)
Book of Genesis
Book of Common Prayer
74 St. Peter
Book of Hebrews (adapted)
St. Paul (adapted)
St. Paul (adapted)
Anon.
St. Jude (Weymouth)
75 Bible Readings
(Variants in wording, from translations by
James Moffatt, D.D., R. F. Weymouth, D.Lit.)
FELLOWSHIP PRAYERS
SOLEMNIZE the thoughts of our hearts, O God, as we address ourselves, this morning, to the reali- ties of life. Make us say what we mean, and mean what we say, when we pray: —
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; forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who tres- pass 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.
FATHER of all, God, all we have is of Thee. _ Take our thanks, and teach us, That we may learn to do thy will.
GRANT to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the spirit to think and to do always, such things as are right; that we, who cannot do anything good without Thee, may by Thee be enabled to live according to thy will. Through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O ALMIGHTY God, give to thy servants meek and gentle spirits, that they may be sv^ift to hear, slow to speak, and slow to wrath. Give them wise and constant hearts, that they may never be moved to intemperate anger for any injury done or offered to them. Lord, let us ever be courteous, easy to be en- treated, and desirous to be reconciled. Let no sickness or accident, no employment or weariness, make us un- gentle or discontented, . . . through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, who has given us grace at this time with one accord to make our common suppli- cations unto Thee ; and dost promise that when two or three are gathered together in thy name Thou wilt grant their requests; fulfill now, O Lord, the desires and petitions of thy servants, as may be most expedient for them ; granting us in this world knowledge of thy truth, and in the world to come life everlasting. Amen.
RANT that no word may fall from me against my will unfit for the present need.*
o
LORD, let us not live to be useless: for Christ's sake. Amen.*
OGOD, author of the world's joy, bearer of the world's pain ; make us glad that we are women and that we have inherited the world's burden ; deliver us from the luxury of cheap melancholy; and, at the
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission. 2
heart of all our trouble and sorrow, let unconquerable gladness dwell; through our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, unto whom all hearts are open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid ; cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may per- fectly love Thee and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY and eternal God, who fillest all space, whom nevertheless no space can contain; from Thee, as the source of all things, we have our be- ing; to Thee, as the end of all things, we draw near. We acknowledge that every good and perfect gift is from above. May thy blessing, therefore, descend upon us, thy servants, who apply ourselves to our work ; . . . inspire us in our enterprises, help on our endeavors, promote our designs, purify our minds that yearn to know themselves and Thee. Be present with us and direct such works as we undertake in dependence on Thee and devote to thy honor. O Father of lights, give us discernment to know the truth. O Father of spirits, give us courage to uphold what we know to be true. O Prince of peace, grant us wisdom to labor for peace, to uproot evil, to worship Thee with one heart; . . . through Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord.
Amen.*
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
3
MAKE us of quick and tender conscience, O Lord ; that understanding, we may obey every word of thine this day, and discerning, may follow every sug- gestion of thine indwelling Spirit. Speak, Lord, for thy servant heareth ; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.*
DEFEND us, O Lord, with thy heavenly grace, that we m.ay continue thine forever, and daily in- crease in thy Holy Spirit more ^ and more, until we come unto thy everlasting kingdom; through Je$us Christ our Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, Father of all mercies, we, thine unworthy servants, do give Thee most humble and hearty thanks for all thy goodness and loving kindness to us, and to all men. We bless Thee for our creation, preservation, and all the blessings of this life ; but above all, for thine inestimable love in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ; for the means of grace, and for the hope of glory. And, w^e beseech Thee, give us that due sense of all thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly thankful; and that we 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 holi- ness and righteousness all our days; through Jesus Christ our Lord, to whom, with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end.
Amen.
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
OGOD, who art Love, grant to thy children to bear one another's burdens in perfect good will, that thy peace which passeth understanding may keep our hearts and minds in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Amen.*
OLORD, we beseech Thee that thy people may grow ever in love toward Thee, their Father w^ho art in heaven, and may so be schooled by holy works, that ever, as Thou dost pour thy gifts upon them, they may walk before Thee in all such things as be well-pleasing in the sight of thy divine Majesty.
Amen.
OMOST loving Jesus, pattern of charity, who makest all the commandments of the law to con- sist in love towards God and towards man; grant us so to love Thee with all our heart, with all our mind, and all our soul, and our neighbor for thy sake, that the grace of charity and brotherly love may dwell in us, and all envy, harshness, and ill-w^ill may die in us; fill our hearts with feelings of love, kindness, and compassion ; so that by constantly rejoicing in the hap- piness and good success of others, by sympathizing with them in their sorrow^s, and putting away all harsh judgments and envious thoughts, we may follow Thee, who art Thyself the true and perfect Love. Amen.
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the whole family in Heaven and earth is named, vouchsafe unto us who now seek to draw near unto Thee the help of thy Holy Spirit, that we may worship Thee with lowly, penitent and J obedient hearts, that all those things may please Thee ;- that we do at this time, and that by our prayers and thoughts we may be strengthened to make our whole life an offering pure and acceptable in thy sight: through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
O MASTER of men, set our hearts on fire with the desire to know thy blessed will, and send us forth amongst thy people to teach and to save; . . . set us free from vanity and fear, to the end that thine everlasting Gospel may through us reach the world without hurt or hindrance; . . . give us, O our Teacher, the lowliness and loftiness of mind becoming those who are thinking thy thoughts after Thee.
Amen.
OLORD, teach us to sacrifice our comforts to others, and our likings for the sake of doing good. Make us kindly in thought, gentle in word, generous in deed. Teach us that it is better to give than to receive; better to forget ourselves than to put our- selves forward ; better to serve others than to be served ourselves. And unto Thee, the God of Love, be praise forever. Amen.*
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
6
ETERNAL God, who committest to us the swift and solemn trust of life; since we know not what a day may bring forth, but only that the hour for serving Thee is always present, may we wake to the instant claims of thy holy will; not waiting for to-morrow, but yielding to-day. Consecrate with thy presence the way our feet may go ; and the humblest work will shine, and the roughest places be made plain. Lift us above unrighteous anger and mistrust into faith and hope and charity by a simple and steadfast reliance on thy sure will. In all things draw us to the mind of Christ, that thy lost image may be traced again, and Thou may'st own us as at one with Him and Thee. . . . Amen.*
LORD, these things we would do: Succeed, live well, laugh often, love much, gain the respect of intelligent men, and the love of little children, and leave the world a bit better than we found it. May we never lack appreciation of the beauty about us or fail to express it ; and always look for the best in others, and give to others the best we have in us: that thus, in some sense, our lives might be an inspiration and our memory a benediction. Amen.
OGOD, who knowest that we are not sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves, but that all our sufficiency is of Thee, assist us with thy grace in all the work which we are to undertake this
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
7
week. Direct us in it by thy wisdom, support us by thy power, that doing our duty diligently, we may bring it to a good end so that it may be profitable to our souls and tend to the greater glory of thy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*
WE praise Thee, O God, for our friends and fellow-workers, for the touch of their hands and the brightness of their faces, for the cheer of their words and the outflow of good will that refreshes us.
Grant us the insight of love that we may see them as Thou seest, not as frail mortals, but as radiant chil- dren of God who have wrought patience out of tribu- lation and who bear in earthen vessels the treasures of thy grace.
May nought mar the joy of our fellowship here. May none remain lonely and hungry of heart among us. Let none go hence without the joy of new friend- ships. Give us more capacity for love and a richer consciousness of being loved. Overcome our coldness and reserve that we may throw ajar the gates of our heart and keep open house this day.
Lift our human friendships to the level of spiritual companionship. May we realize Thee as the eternal bond of our unity. Shine upon us from the faces of thy servants, Thou all-pervading beauty, that in lov- ing them we may be praising Thee. Through Christ, our Lord. Amen.
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
8
MAY an Influence for good reach every dweller in this house, and go forth from it, through us, to all whose lives our lives touch. Thou dost make men to be of one mind in a house. Let it be in this house to-day; may we live together in peace, as a Christian household. Make us ready to help one another, and teach us to be merciful to one another's faults. Ketp us from provoking one another in word or deed, and make us willing to forgive. Amen.
OTHOU who art able to do exceeding abun- dantly above all that we ask or think, send us forth this morning with a clean spirit and a joyful courage, and with strength sufficient for our needs. Let not the needful study and business of this life steal away our hearts from Thee. Sanctify both our thought and our work, that we begin an action only with pure intent, and continue it only with thy bless- ing. Help us to see a little into the heart of trouble, and to do something to uplift those who are discour- aged or unhappy, or forgotten of their fellow-men. To us Thou hast given this day in trust; may we return it to Thee in service. To do justly, to love mercy, to walk humbly with Thee, our God, or to go, this day, one step nearer thereto — this is our pur- pose. Amen.
GRACIOUS God, remember us, we beseech Thee, in our work this day. If it be thy will, give unto us a prosperous day. May all our work be well done. May we turn nothing out half done. May we
9
glorify Thee by honest good work; for the sake of Him who completed his work for us, even Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
IN this hour of this day, fill us, O Lord, with thy mercy, that rejoicing throughout the whole day, we may take delight in thy praise; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*
DEAR Lord, we do here vow and promise to do our utmost endeavor that what Thou wiliest we also shall will. Come sickness, come health; come pleasure, come pain ; bitter, or sweet ; cold, or dry ; whatever Thou wiliest, that shall we also will; and desire altogether to come out from our own will, and to yield a whole and willing obedience, and not to desire aught else, either in will or thought, only to let thy will be accomplished in us, that thy kingdom come, which same kingdom of heaven cometh, not even when thy will is our law, but when thy will is our will. Amen.
OUR constant appeal to Thee, our King, so works upon our personality as to make it possible for Thee to control our destinies to our fullest benefit, giving to our life of prayer that security which fellow- ship with Thee imparts. Thy unlocked for succour rushes in to support us in moments of trial, handling our affairs according to thy large purpose, managing
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission. lO
our concerns to our advantage. Make us skilled to hear the music of thy counsels. Thou rememberest what we have placed in thy hands — let us forget to be anxious. May we give service that is love trans- lated into action, occupied in thy work without divi- sion of interests. Let us begin this day with a cheerful outlook, enter heaven and sojourn there in order to understand the meaning of life and do the work that lies before us in the world. Amen.
THOU Eternal not ourselves that maketh for righteousness, so give us to breathe the atmos- phere of thy influence that we show in our living that a little integrity is better than any career; nor forget that no performance is worth loss of geniality; and assume always toward our neighbor that attitude that expects nobleness. Keep our faces to the cheer and the certainties of our rich opportunities. Check our barking at the negatives, and nerve us with incessant affirmatives. And let our good hours cease to be occa- sional. We ask in thy Spirit. Amen.
THOU art not weary of our prayers — let us not be weary of praying. Let us talk with Thee and listen to thy answers to our speech, as friend talks with friend, in intimate discussion and closest confidence. Oh, our Great Companion, enter the very heart of our life with the sense of thy nearness and loving friend- ship, that no intimacy of earth may seem nearer, nor any lack Thee in the closest ties of family. Though
II
we are so unworthy, Thou hast delivered ourselves to our own care, as if to say: "I had no fitter to trust than you." May we accept such trust, in wonder of affection toward Thee who wilt give grace to us that we may honor thy belief in our best selves. Give us to live greatly, with free spirit and deep joy because we are beyond any doubt the children of God, and the loved companions of Jesus Christ. Amen.
MAY the blessing of God be with us all, that what- soever we do, in word or in deed, we do all in the spirit of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father. Amen.
MAY the great Head of the Church so enrich us with His heavenly grace, that at the last we shall hear Him saying unto us: — Well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy Lord.
Amen.
OGOD, Inspirer and Teacher of men, who art the truth Thou lovest; send out thy light and illumine us. Give us a deep and clear knowledge of ourselves; help us to a growing knowledge of our world ; confirm in us the holiness of true reason ; strengthen in us the aspiration towards noble and spa- cious thinking, . . . through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
O MASTER-BUILDER, in this great cit>^ of thine there is much work to be done: and we ask Thee to use us, who come before Thee, this day. We see many evil places that should be torn down and
12
rebuilt for safe living; waste places that should be made fruitful ; and opportunities for new building of character. We are appalled at our own littleness, until we turn our eyes to thj^ greatness. Give us, we beseech Thee, strength and wisdom for the planning now before us; may we have large comprehension, and keen insight, and courage from thy companionship in work. Teach us to know what we should do and how it should be done. Give us, we pray, more work- ers to share our burdens, more givers of thy riches in trust. Use us, that we may be in thy great plan — nor left alone to our own small doing; use us, that we may grow in grace and in the knowledge of Thee, whom to know is life eternal. Amen.
GIVE to us, every one, the "preparedness of the Gospel of peace," that lifting power that makes the most of adversity, that invincible love that volun- tarily overspreads and saturates the necessary, that surplus tenderness and unwearied willingness to over- pass a.V boundaries so that the sting of compulsion is gone. May we have that supernally divine sense that never discovers limits to love in all our wide horizons, so exhaustless in its willingness to serve with unstinted, superabundant heartiness that work and duty are glori- fied privilege, all blessings large with thy favor, all trials meaningful with purpose. May the surprises of kindliness carry us bej-ond obligation to the second mile of unmeasured love and service, not only to those we love but to all the peoples of the earth. Amen.
13
GOOD Lord, deliver us from envy, hatred and malice, from all uncharitableness, from needless perplexity, from untimely projects, from the devil's power and craft, from the deceitfulness of riches, from all sin and from eternal death.
Good Lord, deliver us from coldness to thy merits and death, from the loss of our joy in Thee, from error and misunderstanding, from hypocrisy and fanat- icism, from pride, vanity, and hardness of heart, from unhallowed ambition, and from the influence of the spirit of this world. Amen.
LORD, we give ourselves to Thee — we trust Thee wholly. Thou art wiser than we can be — more loving to us than we can be to ourselves. Deign to fulfill thy high purposes in us, whatever they may be — work in, and through us. . . . We ask not to see. . . . We ask not to know. . . . We ask simply to be used. Amen.
THY kingdom come, our Father, who 'art in heaven and on earth! The earth is thine, and we are thine. All that we have failed to be, as part of thy kingdom of love and eternal life, do Thou, we entreat Thee, blot out from thy remembrance, that we may turn with new hope to that which Thou canst make of us, as women working together in thy service, striving to win our sisters into the safety and joy of thy kingdom, in a fellowship of love wide as thy world. Amen.
14
OGOD: light of the hearts that see Thee; life of the souls that love Thee ; strength of the thoughts that seek Thee; from whom to turn away is to fall; to whom to turn to is to rise; in whom to abide is to stand fast forever ; vouchsafe to us the knowledge of thy presence, as we gather here to turn to Thee, to set our purposes and our faces for another week toward that light and life and strength. Grant unto us, we beseech Thee, that we may desire earnestly, search wisely, perceive truly, and fulfill perfectly, those things that are pleasing in thy sight. Amen.
OUR loving Father, who considerest even the spar- row's fall, be with those we love, from whom we are parted. May we never doubt that they are safe in thy care, for we know whom we have be- lieved, and are persuaded that Thou art able to keep those we have committed unto Thee. May we remem- ber that with confidence they and we may go ''with God over the sea," but "without Him, not over the threshold." This we ask in the name of Him who taught us that God is Love, and watches between them and us when we are absent, one from another.
Amen.
WE worship Thee, O God: in thy Church throughout the world, in the Holy Spirit who guides us into all truth in every holy impulse and every holy life, in every victory over evil within and without, in every outgoing of love, service, and devo-
15
tlon, In every vision of thy purpose and thy kingdom on earth. Amen.
OGOD, the Sovereign Good of the soul, who requirest the hearts of all thy children, deliver us from all sloth in thy work, all coldness in thy cause ; and grant us by looking unto Thee to rekindle our love, and by waiting upon Thee to renew our strength ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OGOD, whose nature and property it is ever to have mercy and to forgiVe, receive our humble confessions: — for our fretful sufferance of wrong; . . . for our intolerance, injustice and uncharitableness ; for our readiness to blame and our want of thoughtful- ness, patience, kindness, and sympathy in our social relations; for all the goodness of life which we have received thanklessly; for the strength which we have wasted; for the gifts we have not cultivated; for the opportunities which we have neglected ; . . . for our selfish comfort amid the wrongs, oppressions and sor- rows of life; for our undue and exclusive regard to our own interests; for our lack of brotherhood and neglect of the service of humanity, — have mercy upon us, O Lord. Amen.
THE Lord's name be praised for the work we are enabled to do, and the truth we are permitted to learn; for whatever of good there has been in our past lives, and for all the hopes and aspirations which i6
lead us on toward better things; for the order and constancy of nature ; for the beauty and bounty of the world; . . . for all the comforts and gladness of life; for our homes and all our home blessings; for our friends and all the pleasures of social intercourse; . . . for the desire and power to help others; for every opportunity of serving our generation according to thy will, and manifesting the grace of Christ to men ; for all the discipline of life; for the tasks and trials by which we are trained to patience, self-knowledge and self-conquest, and brought into closer sj^mpathy with our suffering brethren ; and for troubles that have lifted us nearer Thee and drawn us into deeper fellowship with Jesus Christ. Amen.
OGOD, the Strength of the weak, the Refuge of the sorrowful, we pray Thee to have compas- sion on those who are worn with toil; to defend and cherish all little children ; to bless and support all aged persons; to protect all who travel by land or sea; to comfort those who are suffering in body or mind; to extend thy mercy to the oppressed, and especially to those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake; to deliver the tempted and bring back all who have wan- dered from thy way. Amen.
OLORD, our Saviour, who hast warned us that Thou wilt require much of those to whom much is given; grant that we whose lot is cast in so goodly a heritage may strive together the more abundantly
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by prayer, by almsgiving, by fasting, and by every other appointed means, to extend to others what we so richly enjoy; and as we have entered into the labors of other men, so to labor that in their turn other men may enter into ours, to the fulfilment of thy holy will ; . . . through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*
OGOD, the Father of the forsaken, the help of the weak, the supplier of the needy, who hast diffused and proportioned thy gifts to body and soul, in such sort that all may acknowledge and perform the joyous duty of mutual serVice; who teachest us that love towards the race of men is the bond of perfect- ness, and the imitation of thy blessed self; open our eyes and touch our hearts, that we may see and do, both for this world and for that which is to come, the things which belong to our peace. Strengthen us in the work we have undertaken ; give us counsel and wisdom, perseverance, faith and zeal, and in thine own good time, and according to thy pleasure, prosper the issue. Pour into us a spirit of humility ; let nothing be done but in devout obedience to thy will, and thank- fulness for thine unspeakable mercies. . . . Amen.*
WE pray Thee for that which we most deeply want, we open to Thee the realities of our heart and seek the blessing most sincerely desired — to know the will of God and to do it. Make us open- minded to good, free from the curse of conceit; may
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
i8
we stop and let Thee speak to us, asking for the grace of Jesus Christ. May we keep the soil of life soft, its sympathy tender. Keep our souls in training, O great Physician, ready for the strain and effort of life ; not the slave of circumstance; bearing with incom- pleteness, working not for temporary results but for permanent achievement. May there be more consid- erateness in our daily life, a natural and spontaneous self-forgetfulness, a free and generous offering of uncalled-for kindness. May we keep room for God, and give to others the message given to us by Thee.
Amen.
GRANT, O Lord, that all whom Thou dost choose to work for Thee may this day labor in union with thy holy purposes and in living unity with thy dear Son Jesus Christ, that by the power of thy Holy Spirit they may accomplish far more than they ever know, and work not for results, but for the single love of Thee. Amen.*
WE humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, give us knowl- edge of ourselves, our powers and weaknesses. Teach us by thy Word, by the judgment of others, by examination of ourselves: give us earnest desire to strengthen ourselves continually by study, by diligence, by prayer and meditation ; and save us from all delu- sions and prejudices, individual or corporate. Chiefly, O Lord, we pray Thee, give us knowledge of Thee,
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission.
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to see Thee in all thy works, always to feel thy pres- ence near and to hear thy call. Uplift our hearts in new love, energy, and devotion, that we may be unbur- dened from the grief and shame of past faithlessness and go forth in thy strength to persevere through suc- cess and failure, through good report and evil report ever to the end. Amen.
OOUR Father! Thou knowest us, thy children, better than we know ourselves. Thou knowest our essential weaknesses and our potential strengths. Give, we pray Thee, thy Fatherly correction to what is wrong in us and in our work; and nerve us with thy indwelling Spirit to make ourselves and our en- deavors worthy of Thee, by whose Name we are called. Enlarge our horizons that we may see beyond the present plans into futures glowing with beauty and beneficence. May we ever press forward — our hands clinging to thy leading hand, our ears listening to thy voice, hour by hour, day after day, and our eyes look- ing upward into thy face, that we may reflect the glory of thy presence with us. Amen.
OGOD, day by day lead us deeper into the mys- tery of life, and make us interpreters of life to our fellows. . . . O blessed Jesus, who didst bid all those who carry heavy burdens to come unto Thee; refresh us with thy presence and thy power. Quiet our understandings and give ease to our hearts by bringing us close to things infinite and eternal. Open 20
to us the mind of God, that in his h'ght we may see light. And crown thy choice of us to be thy min- isters by making us springs of strength and joy for those whom Thou hast sent us to serve. Amen.
OGOD of unchangeable power and eternal light, look favorably upon thy whole Church: ... let the whole world feel and see that things which were cast down are being raised up, that those which had grown old are being made new, and that all things are returning to perfection; through Him from whom they took their origin, even Jesus Christ thy Son our Lord. Amen.*
OUR Father, may we step out of self-life into Christ-life. . . . Lay thy healing hands upon our souls, and draw all the hurry and fever from our veins. May we realize that we are not mighty, or impor- tant, but only little children with a Father's gentle bidding to heed and fulfil. Let us lay our busy plans and ambitions confidently in thy hands. May we serve Thee by waiting, cease to hurry so that we lose sight of thy face; learn to follow Thee and not run ahead of orders; cease to live in self and for self, and live in Thee for Thee; love thy honor more than our own; and be a clear medium for thy life-tide to shine and glow through. We make this our consecration, and in it we rest. Amen.
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission, 21
DELIVER and cleanse us, Saviour divine, from all strife and jealousy, from contentment with the lesser where Thou offerest the greater good, from self-seeking and grudging effort, from stubborn greed and bitter wrangling, from fear lest Thou fail us, from eyes blinded to thy goodness, or ears that hear not the cry of the needy. Amen.
Deliver and cleanse us. Saviour divine, from all arrogance and vanity of life, from trifling self-com- placency, and limp indifference, from empty words and hearts grown dull, from restless haste and fretful ques- tioning, from sloth in thought and sloth in prayer, from doubt and hatred and disdain of people, from overt act and hidden shame. Amen.
Deliver and cleanse us, Saviour divine, from love of darkness rather than light; from shirking where Thou callest to advance, from stinging words instead of gentleness, from unholy ambitions and false stand- ards of truth, from heedlessness and heartlessness, and from all deafness to thy Spirit's call. Amen.
That Thou hast not left a few of thy servants to struggle with a task too great for them, but hast called together from many places and divers interests those who in unity of spirit and burning faith shall guide and direct the work of thy kingdom, shall lead and inspire the ranks of thy followers, shall ever pass onward to larger endeavor, we bless and magnify thy name, Father eternal. Amen.
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For all who are among the cities' thronging multi- tudes, who dwell in comfort and know no ceaseless struggle for their daily bread, for those who bear the burden of the world's long days, for all borne down with bitter grief or anguished sorrow, for all who find thy radiant joy along the way, for all who serve the aged or the sick, for all who guide the footsteps of thy little ones, we intercede before thy throne, Spirit of Love. Amen.
For all who press along the paths of truth, who seek for wisdom and would know thy laws, who dare to probe the mystery of the universe, jTt challenge every phase of truth or call it false, who long for freedom and the better way, yet strive half-hearted or with flagging will, for those who question and for those who find, we intercede before thy throne, Spirit of Love. Amen.
For all who toil before the dawn and tarry working till the night is spent, for all deprived the right of play, who break beweath the load they cannot bear, for all who come from distant nations to our gates and grope in baffled weariness before our curious speech and stranger ways, for all unfriendly and in peril's path, we intercede before thy throne, Spirit of Love.
Amen.
For all who dwell apart and long for comradeship, for all who face the sharp temptations of their lone- liness, for all discouraged by the common round of
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petty drudgery, for all who glory in the power to share thy gifts of joy, of knowledge and of growing life, we pray to Thee. Amen.
OTHOU Eternal, in whose appointment our life standeth. Thou hast committed our work to us, and we would commit our cares to Thee. May we feel that we are not our own, and that Thou wilt heed our wants, while we are intent upon thy will. May we never dwell carelessly or say in our hearts: "I am here, and there is none over me," nor anxiously, as though our path were hid ; but with a mind simply fixed upon our trust, and choosing nothing but the dispositions of thy Providence. More and more fill us with that pity for others' troubles, which comes from forgetfulness of our own and the glad hope of children of eternity. And unto Thee, the Begin- ning and the End, Lord of the living, refuge of the dying, be thanks and praise forever. Amen.*
GIVE us this day a collected mind and a tender conscience, we who are called Christians, asso- ciated for thy service on many lines of work. We pray Thee to preserve us from mistakes in judgment; and wilt Thou also preserve us from letting slip the lessons we learn ; and from unguarded words. O Lord, make us to care more for the souls of others, for their spiritual lives. We are thy stewards of all that Thou hast given us ; make us faithful stewards, that we may
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission. 24
not misuse thy gifts, nor waste time, nor our master's goods, nor forget Thee. We are bound to serve Thee ; help us to serve Thee truly, and cause thy service to be a delight to us. Give us more earnest and steadfast desire to bring others to Thee; no half-service, but our best. Increase our faith ; and thus may our hearts be untroubled and not afraid, as we undertake for Thee, O our God. Amen.
GRANT to us, our Father, to go down into the battle of life giving a smile for every frown, a cheery w^ord for every cross one, and may we be thy missionaries lending a helping hand. May we not be uneasy, discouraged or out of humor because practice falls short of precept in some particulars. May we see that thorns have roses, and work our best, subject to ultimate judgment, — God's, not man's. May we remember that the Church of our God stands for thy rule in however few, and through thy way of the patient endurance of love, however long. Amen.
PRESERVE us blameless, O Lord, in our goings ' out and comings in this day. Fill us with the simplicity of a divine purpose, that we may be inwardly at one with thy holy will, and lifted above vain wishes of our own. Set free from every detaining desire or reluctance, may we heartily surrender all our powers to the work which Thou hast given us to do; rejoicing in any toil, and fainting under no hardness that may befall us as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. . . . Amen.*
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission. 25
WE bring to Thee, O God, as is most justly due: our lives in every relation, ... in forbear- ance and forgiveness, in the bearing of one another's burdens, in mutual loyalty, in the unity of the Spirit, in love of one another even as Christ hath loved us ; in assurance of being accepted in common cause against the powers of evil, in readiness to bear the Cross, in a solemn devotion and an abounding joy in Christ our Lord. Amen.
O GREAT Lord of all the earth. Thou hast taught us to know that **in this world it is not what we take up but what we give up that makes us rich ;" that when w^e lose all for Thee then are we filled ; that when w^e are weak then are we strong. As Christians, we see ourselves "put into the world to do the impos- sible," for with Thee all things are possible ; with Thee is the power, and the choice and the final out- come, according to thy Spirit. Amen.
OMY dear Master, give me a deeper love for the minds of those I teach. Keep me from forcing my opinions on them. Let me reverence them, and so teach them to reverence themselves. Deepen and quicken in us the sense of thy presence. Make us to know and feel that Thou art more ready to teach than we to learn. Grant us dignity in our own eyes, by taking us into thy service. Humble us by laying bare 26
before our eyes our littleness and our sin, and then exalt us by revealing thyself to us as our Counsellor, our Father, and our Friend : through Jesus Christ our Lord. Send out thy light and thy truth, O God, and lead us through the mists of ignorance, vanity, and fear, into the clear shining of the perfect day of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
WE are far, O our Father, from the homes in which we were born, and many miles lie between us and dear familiar places. But Thou, Lord, art the Eternal Home of our spirits, and homesickness is, for us, impossible. Many whom we love are far distant from us, and our hearts reach out to them. But in the shelter of Thine everlasting arms they are safe, and we are at peace. For with Thee is no near or far. And they, and we, are Thine.
OH Thou who art no respecter of persons, grant that we may without distinction and without procrastination, love our neighbor; to lavish it upon the poor where it is very easy, especially upon the rich who often need it most, most of all upon our equals where it is very difficult and for whom perhaps we each do least of all. May we also think thy thoughts after Thee and learn of Thee the democracy of the kingdom of God. Amen.
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O FATHER of love, look down upon the woman- hood of this suffering world: upon those left in disrupted homes who are facing, with leaden hearts the burden of sustaining families deprived of their men; upon young girls forced into men's work and missing the hope of marriage, the lonely laboring girls before whom stretch long monotonous years, and give to us who are associated in thy name, the joy of bringing beauty for ashes. Make us better than our best, for thy service, in thy spirit. Amen.
WE implore thy blessing, O God, on all the men and women who teach . . . the youth of our nation. . . . Grant them an abiding consciousness that they are co-workers with* Thee, Thou great teacher of humanity, and that Thou hast charged them with the holy duty of bringing forth from the budding life of the young the mysterious stores of character and ability which Thou hast hidden in them. . . . Gird them for their task with thy patience and tranquillity, with a great fatherly and motherly love for the young, and with special tenderness for the backward and af- flicted. . . . We bless Thee for the free and noble spirit that is breathing with quickening power upon the educational life of our day, and for the men and w^omen of large mind and loving heart who have made that spirit our common possession by their teaching and example. But grant that a higher obedience and self- restraint may grow in the new atmosphere of freedom. . . . May the strength and beauty of Christ-like ser- 28
vice ... be plainly wrought . . . that our children may not want for strong models of devout womanhood on whom their characters can be molded. Do Thou reward thy servants with a glad sense of their eternal worth as teachers of the race, and in the heat of the day do Thou show them the spring by the wayside that flows from the eternal silence of God and gives new light to the eyes of all who drink it. Amen.
DIRECT, O Lord, the work of education, and guide all those to whom Thou hast entrusted it, that in their various stations they may do Thee hearty service; and when their task is completed, they may render up their account with joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.*
THY goodness has been great to us, may we make the best of ourselves in gratitude to Thee. May we fear to sit at ease, lest any seeing us see not Thee nor seek to know Thee, nor find the world better be- cause we have lived in it. May we show our spiritual character by seeing God in common things and show- ing God in common tasks; may we be God-possessed to do our work in the kindling light of God's grace. We ask Thee for understanding minds, in thy Spirit, O God of Love. Amen.
LET the words of our mouths and the meditations of our hearts be acceptable in Thy sight, O Lord, our rock, and our redeemer. Amen.
• From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission. 29
MAY we be, still, and know that Thou art God. Teach us, we pray Thee, to listen. Teach us to think, that we may be ready to receive the great ideas Thou wouldest have thy messengers understand. May we know when Thou art offering us thy wisdom, thy discretion, thy way of service, — to the accomplishment of the needs of thy children. Give us that sense of thy working in the souls of men and waiting to ''invade their lives through ideals," as shall be a revelation to us. Reveal thj-self to us through the Bible, and help us to read much and to think more, and to love most. Give us to see what Thou dost open to us: — heal our blind eyes and our deaf ears and open our hearts to thy message, that we shall always hear the music of thy promises. Give us "supreme spiritual quietude" that knows and hears thy voice, O our Father, and is con- tent. Amen.
GIVE us grace, O Lord, to work while it is day, fulfilling diligently and patiently whatever duty Thou appointest us; doing small things in the day of small things, and great labors if Thou summon us to any; rising and working, sitting still and suffering, according to thy word. Go with me, and I will go; but if Thou go not with me, send me not: go betore me, if Thou put me forth; let me hear thy voice when I follow. . . . Amen.*
LET the tender compassion of our God. . . . guide our feet into the way of peace.
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permissian. 30
OOUR Father, as we meet to decide upon detail* of work, upon adjustments of petty import, ma> we not lose the sense of larger service nor ignon the great issues in the fret of small things. May ws live as on a mountain seeing afar to other heights that we would attain in fresh ascents toward the heaven above. Let it be given us to bring back to the trail the lost children who have wandered off; and with helping hand and fellowship complete to lead them ever higher until the lure of the climb keep them on the upward way. Amen.
VOUCHSAFE unto us clear and distinct percep tions of things, for Christ's sake. Amen.*
OGOD, we pray Thee for our sisters, who are leaving the ancient shelter of the home to earn their wage in the factory and the store amid the press of modern life. Save them from the strain of un- remitting toil that would unfit them for the holy duties of home and motherhood which the future may lay upon them. Give them grace to cherish under the new surroundings the old sweetness and gentleness of womanhood, and in the rough mingling of life to keep their hearts pure and their lives untarnished. Save them from the terrors of utter want. Teach them to stand loyally by their sisters, that by united action
* From "A Chain of Prayer." By permission, 31
they may better their common lot. If It must be so that our women toil like men, help us still to rever- ence In them the mothers of the future. But make us determined to shield them from unequal burdens, that the women of our nation be not drained of strength and hope for the enrichment of a few, lest our homes grow poor In the wifely sweetness and motherly love which have been the saving strength and glory of our country. To such as yearn for the love and sovereign freedom of their own home grant in due time the fulfilment of their sweet desires. By Mary, the beloved, who bore the world's redemption in her bosom ; by the memory of our own dear mothers, who kissed our souls awake; by the little daughters who must soon go out into that world which we are now fashioning for others, we beseech Thee that we may deal aright by all women. Amen.
AS we look across the vast field of our work, O Master, we feel the challenge of thy call and turn to Thee for strength. So much to do for Thee, and so little wherewith to do it!
O Christ, Thou who art touched with a feeling of our infirmities and hast been tempted even as we, look with thy great sj^mpathy on thy servants. Thou knowest the drain of our daily work and the limitations of our bodies. Thou knowest that we carry but a little candle of knowledge to guide the feet of the erring amid the mazes of modern life. Thou knowest that our longing for holiness of heart is frustrated
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by the drag of our earthliness and the weight of ancient sins.
Fit us for our work, lest we fail Thee. We lean on Thee, Thou great giver of life, and pray for physical vigor and quiet strength. We call to Thee, Thou fountain of light, to flood our minds with thy radiance and to make all things clear and simple. We submit our inmost desires to thy holy will., and beseech Thee to make thy law sweet to our willing hearts.
Give, Lord, what Thou askest, and then ask what ; Thou wilt. We make our prayer, O God, by faith in ; Christ, our Lord. Amen. w>^«,v,.»4»^^^«^4^
WE invoke thy grace and wisdom, O Lord, upon all men of good will who employ and control the labor of men. Amid the numberless irritations and anxieties of their positions, help them to keep a quiet and patient temper, and to rule firmly and wisely, without harshness and anger. Since they hold power over the bread, the safety, and the hopes of the workers, may they wield their powers justly and with love as older brothers and leaders in the great fellowship of labor. Suffer not the heavenly light of compassion for the weak and the old to be quenched in their hearts. When they are tempted to follow the ruthless ways of others, and to sacrifice human health and life for profit, do Thou strengthen their will in the hour of need, and bring to naught the counsels of the heartless. Save them from repressing their workers into sullen sub- mission and helpless fear. May they not sin against
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the Christ by using the bodies and souls of men as mere tools to make things, forgetting the human hearts and longings of these their brothers. Raise up among us employers who shall be makers of men as well as makers of goods. Give us masters of industry who will use their higher ability and knowledge in lifting the workers to increasing independence and vigor, and who will train their helpers for the larger responsibil- ities of the coming age. Give us men of faith and catch a vision of a nobler organization of our work, when all will still follow the leadership of the ablest, not in fear but by the glad will of all; and when none shall be master and none shall be man, but all shall stand side by side in a strong and righteous brother- hood of work. Amen.
C%\yt -
Ai- QEND forth thy light and thy truth to all nations O and peoples upon earth, and show us wherein we may be thy messengers to those who know Thee not, — here in our cities full of foreign-born, or in the distant lands which they call home. Bless all who have gone from their own land to carry the Good-Tidings of thy grace to those who sit in darkness. Especially help the suffering womanhood of the world, and quickly trans- form slavery and hopelessness into equality and liberty and the freedom that is in thy service. Give us a part in this great work, in thy Spirit, — with our little or with much, in money, in prayer, in spoken word and kindly deed, — until we shall be all one in thy sight; one family of our Father eternal. Amen.
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OTHOU great Champion of the outcast and the weak, wc remember before Thee the people of other nations who are coming to our land, seeking bread, a home, and a future. May we look with thy compassion upon those who have been drained and stunted by the poverty and oppression of centuries, and whose minds have been warped by superstition or seared by the dumb agony of revolt. We bless Thee for all that America has meant to the alien folk that have crossed the sea in the past, and for all the patient strength and God-fearing courage with which they have enriched our nation. We rejoice in the millions whose life has expanded in the wealth and liberty of our country, and whose children have grown to fairer stature and larger thoughts; for we, too, are the chil- dren of immigrants, who came w^ith anxious hearts and halting feet on the westward path of hope. . . . For all the oppressed afar off who sigh for liberty ; for all lovers of the people who strive to break their shackles; for all who dare to believe in democracy and the king- dom of God, make Thou our great commonwealth once more a pure beacon-light of hope and a guide on the path which leads to the perfect union of law and liberty. Amen.
WE beseech thee. Lord, to behold us with favor, we who subsist under the covert of thy patience. Be patient still; suffer us yet a while longer: — with our broken purposes of good, our idle endeavors against
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evil; suffer us a little while longer, and (if it may be) help us to do better. Bless to us our extraordinary mercies; if the day come when these must be taken, brace us to play the man under affliction. Be with our friends: be with ourselves; go with each of us to rest; if any awake, temper to them the dark hour of watch- ing; and when the day returns, return to us, our Sun and Comforter, and call us up with morning faces and morning hearts — eager to labor — eager to be happy, if happiness be our portion — and if the day be marked for sorrow, strong to endure it. Amen.
THOU who art able to understand and to help, pity us tired folk. Aching in body, breaking in spirit, brittle in temper, hounded by things undone, anxious, exhausted, and heavy of heart — pity us, All- Merciful. Put courage into us, All-Powerful. Cut out our canker of fear. Heal our irritations. Soothe us to restful sleep. Steady our wavering minds. Calm our incessantness.
Stand by us, O Lx)rd, while we patch up our lives — or remake them. Yield us content on the lower plane, if this is our lot. Teach us acceptance of fallow-time, patience in drudgery, wholesome tranquillity, dogged remastery, ultimate come-back.
Stand by us, dear Lord.
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GOD of hope, fill us with thine own Spirit of hope- fulness, that we, not knowing thy resources, may- trust In Thee and in them, desire for ourselves what Thou dost desire for us, and be sure for ourselves, as Thou art sure for us, that if we fight with Thee we shall be conquerors and more than conquerors, through Him that loved us. Amen.
LORD, if it be thy will. Thou wilt let this come to pass. Lord, If Thou seest this Is well for us, and useful, Thou wilt grant it unto us to use for thine honor, but If Thou knowest It to be harmful, and of no profit, then take from us the longing. Lord, Thou knowest In what way It is better. Give unto us what Thou wilt, how much Thou wilt, when Thou wilt. Do with us as Thou deslrest, put us where Thou seest fit, deal freely with us every day. We would not live unto ourselves, but unto Thee. And we would that we could do so, worthily and perfectly; through our teacher Jesus Christ. Amen.
OGOD, we praise thy holy name, for Thou hast brought us from afar, drawn together by the splendor of thy Kingdom, to take counsel for thy work. Be with us through all the strain of the days that are before us. . . . Give us vision beyond the range of worldly prudence, and by thy wisdom make us wise, lest all our planning be futile. If difficulties confront us, give us the courageous faith that bids the moun- tains melt away. Smite a pathway even across the
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impassable sea for thy people. Hush all spirit of con- tention and self-will. Make us peaceful through love and through the unity of our desire. May this gath- ering set the standard of our Lord high up where in coming years we may see it and take courage to fulfil the vows we here make. Amen.
WE would especially ask thy presence and guid- ance for this great undertaking; pleading thy promises that "If in all our waj's we acknowledge Thee, Thou wilt direct our paths." With Thee we dare large plans, w^ithout Thee not one step of our way. Thou art more ready to give than we are to ask; therefore we ask Thee to open the hearts of those in this city who do not yet give toward the needs of girl- hood, that they may see a new light, and joy in service; open the hearts and the hands of these girls that they be ready to receive life more abundantly in the spirit of Christ. Amen.
O LIVING Lord, able and willing to help, we thank Thee that in all our perplexities Thou art with us to lead us through them. ... So often Thou leadest us in wa5-s that seem strange to us, guiding us a long way around when to us the direct way had seemed the more beautiful and even the more service- filled for Thee. . . . Yet alwaj^s, knowing our weak- ness, Thou leadest us in thine own time to a high place whence looking backward we may see our road and cry with thankful hearts, "Hitherto has Thou
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helped us, O God!" Dear Lord, in the work we are doing in thy name we grow discouraged: the raising of money, the winning of girls, the entering into new places, the breaking down of prejudice, the holding fast to thy name as our basis of inspiration, all tax our utmost strength — and we would have it so, for only thus may we attain the fulness of thy presence. But let us see thy face with increasing clearness. Withdraw not thyself from us, but lead us, guide us, cheer us, O Thou who livest and lovest us. Amen.
THAT Thou hast graciously hearkened to the de- sires of thy servants, and hast given unto us a building wherein to labor with unfaltering devotion for the welfare of thy children, that Thou hast set it as a beacon and a promise to all women who stretch out their hands in longing for thy greater gifts, we bless and magnify thy holy Name, Father eternal.
That Thou in thine infinite goodness hast been pleased to entrust us with a large task, hast bidden us lift up our eyes from afar and behold this land, which may be our heritage v/ill we but enter in and possess it; that Thou hast thus shared with us thy vision of the young women of our country fulfilling all thy glorious laws in fullest radiance of life, we bless and magnify thy holy Name, Father eternal. Amen.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all, evermore. Amen.
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OGOD, the Father of all mankind, we pray for all the nations of the earth; more especially for thy servant the President of the United States, for the Congress, and for all the people of this Republic; that all things may be so ordered and settled that truth and justice, piety and peace may be established among us to all generations. Amen.
LORD of Hosts, help us to do our small part to- ward the closing of the chasm between the strong and the weak, the rich and the poor; to cast into it all pride, and prejudice; luxury and lust; envy, and covetousness ; the insolence of riches, and the rancor of poverty; that we may fill it full and make a highway for our Leader to pass over, and for all the people to walk in together. So may we establish the Republic and build in America the Holy City. This we ask in the name of Him who maketh men to be of one mind in an house; who giveth integrity to states; who confoundeth the tongues of foolish counsellors; Brother of man and Desire of the nations, Jesus the Christ. Amen.
OTHOU Holy One, . . . forgive, we pray Thee, our sins against the spirit of peace and brother- hood, by thought or word or deed. Forgive the sins of the nations. Forgive the sin of Christendom against the spirit and temper of its Divine ]VIaster; for his sake, who loved us and taught us to love one another.
Amen. 40
THOU who art the God of all Comfort, draw near to us to-day. We hear Thee bid us lift up our hearts, and we would lift them up unto Thee, O Lord. Thou dost know us altogether, and we are unafraid as Thy loving eye reads our secret thoughts. As a father pitieth his children, so dost Thou pity us; and as one whom his Mother comforteth so dost Thou comfort us. We are at rest because Thou knowest us ; we are at peace because Thou forgivest us; we are made strong because Thou abideth with us. In this confidence in Thee help us to live. By this faith help us to endure whatever may threaten to destroy our peace. Whom have we, O Lord, but Thee? Into Thy hands we commit ourselves for life, and for that which lies bej^ond our mortal vision, through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.
DEAR Lord and Father of Mankind, wilt Thou bless this building to Thy use? Bless the women who will work here. May they realize the privileges and the responsibility that are theirs. Lighten their burden and show them their opportunity. Bless the mothers and the fathers. Show them how they can so co-operate with their daughters that the home and the Association may be an unbroken influence for the moral and physical welfare of the girl. But especially we crave Thy blessing for the girls themselves. May they be just and fair in their work and in their play. May t^f* love of kindness fill their hearts and may they have
41
that humility which denotes modesty and purity of mind. Let love and happiness reign here, we beseech Thee, O Lord. Amen.
O FATHER of light and God of all truth, purge the whole world from all errors, abuses, corrup- tions and sins. Beat down the standard of Satan, and set up everj^vhere the standard of Christ. Abolish the reign of sin, and establish the kingdom of grace in all hearts. Let humility triumph over pride and ambition ; charity over hatred, envy, and malice; purity and tem- perance over lust and excess; meekness over passion; and disinterest and poverty of spirit over covetousness and the love of this perishing world. Let the Gospel of Christ, in faith and practice, prevail throughout the world. Amen.
OTHOU whose eye is over all the children of men, and who has called them, by thy Prince of Peace, into a kingdom not of this world ; send forth his spirit speedily into the dark places of our guilt and woe, and arm it with the piercing power of thy grace. May it reach the heart of every oppression, and make arrogancy dumb before Thee. Let it still the noise of our strife and the tumult of the people; put to shame the false idols of every mind ; carry faith to the doubting, hope to the fearful, strength to the weak, light to the mourners, and more and more in- crease the pure in heart who see their God. Commit 42
thy word, O Lord, to the lips of faithful men, or to the free minds of thine invisible Providence; that soon the knowledge of Thee may cover the earth as the waters cover the channel of the deep. And so let thy kingdom come through Christ, thy Son. Amen.
OGOD who hast made of one blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and didst send thy blessed Son to preach peace to them that are far off and to them that are nigh ; grant that all men everywhere may seek after Thee and find Thee. Bring the nations into thy fold, and add the heathen to thine inheritance. And we pray Thee shortly to accom- plish the number of thine elect, and to hasten thy king- dom ; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
WE thank Thee for our inheritance in the nation of which we are members, for the land we love; for the calling and privileges of the Republic, for the enrichment of mutual interest and service, for exchange of thought, for brotherly emulation, for mutual aid. We thank Thee for the gifts of the past and the hope of the future; for the noble traditions and high ideals committed to our charge; for civil and re- ligious liberty; for the open Bible, and the inviolable conscience ; for the gospel of thy grace ; for the awaken- ing sense of brotherhood and social obligation ; and for the hope of the coming of thy kingdom. Amen.
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O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God . . . grant that neither through arrogance begotten of pros- perity, nor conceit bred of successful achievement, may we forget our dependence upon Thee for daily suste- nance. . . . To those Vv^ho sit in the seats of authority impart purity of motive, right judgment in counsel, discretion in administration; to the people of the land grant loyalty, industry and godliness, that all things may tend to the healing of divisions, the establishment of peace, and the promotion of thy kingdom among men ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
OUR Loving Father, we have come into this house this morning from our work: work which is varied. We come, each from her own past — the home, the training, the traditions w^hich have been hers. We bring with us, each our own present — its personal care, its failure, its easy success or the plain and common- place routine; its grief or its imagined troubles, the happiness or its substitute for happiness. May we be of one mind in one place this hour. We enter into Thy Presence. May we have ears to hear, eyes to discern Thee, understanding hearts. Help us to real- ize Thy nearness. We know that in measure as Thou dost dwell in us we make wherever we are, a part of Thy Kingdom. Once again to-day we listen to the story of the planting of the seed, of the burying of the leaven, of the net which was thrown into the sea. As
44
Thy disciples of old received new faith and courage to carry on, so may we this day. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in this place and in our hearts as it is in heaven and this we ask in the hope of the coming of Thy Kingdom everywhere. Amen.
OGOD, the Creator and Preserver of all man- kind, we humbly beseech Thee for all sorts and conditions of men: that Thou wouldst be pleased to make thy waj^s known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations. More especially we pray for thy holy Church universal; that it may be so guided and governed by thy good Spirit, that all who profess and call themselves Christians may be led into the way of truth, and hold the faith in unity of spirit in the bond of peace, and in righteousness of life. . . . Amen.
FOR sheer delight in living we praise thee, dear God, for vigor in youth and well-being in age. You give us mountains to climb and surf to ride and zest in sport and the sporting spirit in work. We want to play the game, Great Captain. We aim to keep in training our whole life long — live clean, drive hard, win out. We mean to stay fit to welcome happy hard- ships that harden us. Exult with us in our success. Stiffen our pluck in defeat. Keep us watching the sig- nals. And hearken, O Lord, to this our chant for our chance in this good, glad world.
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WHEN we consider thy heavens, O Lord, the work of thy fingers, the sun and moon and stars which Thou hast made, what is man that Thou art mindful of him, and the son of man that Thou visitest him ? Thou coverest thyself with light as with a garment. Thou spreadest out the heavens as a cur- tain. Thou makest the clouds thy chariot, and ridest upon the wings of the wind. The heavens declare thy glory and the firmament showeth the work of thy hands. Day uttereth instruction unto day, and night showeth knowledge unto night. The voice of thy works goeth forth to the ends of the world.
O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness and for the wonder of His works. Give us, O Lord, souls that see. Amen. T.T3)
FATHER of light, by whose hands the fires of the sun are fed; who hast kindled in our hearts the desire to know; we bless Thee for leading us into a life wherein light and darkness are wonderfully min- gled. On our knees we would learn to think. Stand- ing on our feet we w^ould learn to pray. O Thou in whose being the simplicity and mystery of life do meet together, cleanse our prayers with the sanctity of rea- son, ennoble our reasonings with the majesty of prayer, and bring us onward through darkness and through light, till, in thy presence, and before our eyes, the power that made the stars and the love that exalts our hearts shall kiss each other, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
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ALL creatures, O LoxJ, wait upon Thee. What Thou givest they gather. Thou openest thy hand, they are filled with good. Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, they are created. Thou renewest the face of the earth. Thou sendest the springs into the val- leys which run among the hills; they give drink to every beast of the field: and by them the birds of the heavens have their habitations, singing among the branches. All thy works praise Thee and the earth is full of thy goodness. What shall we render unto the Lord for all his benefits? We will take the cup of salvation and call on the name of the Lord.
We bless Thee for all Thou hast done for us, for all Thou art doing especially for our higher nature, for our inheritance uncorruptible, and for that the Son of Man came to seek and to save, that we might have life, and have it more abundantly. Give us grace to live as we ought to live in view of these great things. Convince us of the value of our souls, made for immortality, made to outlive the earth and out- shine the stars. Amen.
OGOD, we thank Thee for this universe, our great home; for its vastness and its riches, and for the manifoldness of the life which teems upon it and of which we are part. We praise Thee for the arching sky and the blessed winds, for the driving clouds and the constellations on high. We praise Thee for the salt sea and the running water, for the everlasting hills, for the trees, and for the grass under
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our feet. We thank Thee for our senses by which we can see the splendor of the morning, and hear the jubilant songs of love, and smell the breath of the springtime. Grant us, we pray Thee, a heart wide open to all this joy and beauty, and save our souls from being so steeped in care or so darkened by pas- sion that we pass heedless and unseeing when even the thornbush by the wayside is aflame with the glory of God. Amen.
OTHOU who flingest cloud shadows over lonely blue summits and fertile green valleys, thy prodigality amazes us. The vast wild uplands that are parks of thy planting; the steeps patterned in loveli- ness— and sky glory over all. Ever Thou lurest us aloft. "Keep us on the higher levels of desire." Give us to "live as on a mountain:" with wide outlook: with past and future spread out before us in per- spective and proportion. May we go forward and upward, on difficult or dizzy ways, with eye fixed on the path, step by quiet step, until, in time, we gain that sinew and endurance that delight in toil and hard- ship.
For on thy mountains, Lord, we find, at first, weari- ness and panting discouragement. Then, as we set our- selves, on a day, or day by day, at slopes that seem impossible, there cometh to us, by degrees, a sweet readiness of all our frame, balanced, obedient, uncon- scious. So do we crave a training for our other selves, that, though daunted, we gain, by plodding on, that
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swing of habit, and that joy in overcoming that our good bodies teach us.
And, as after the long day of strenuous endeavor we are overtaken with utter physical content In every fibre of our being, may that other high emprise bring us this very perfection of peace of mind and of satura- tion of soul with the clear high air of thy spirit.
Thus pray we, Mountain Lovers, O Mountain God. Amen.
LET the earth and the water, the air and the fruits of my country be sweet, my God. Let the homes and marts, the forests and fields of my country be full, my God.
Let the promises and hopes, the deeds and words of my country be true, my God.
Let the lives and the hearts of the sons and daugh- ters of my country be one, my God. Amen.
OUR Father God, we thank Thee. In the silence of our hearts we have looked up into thy face and found that Thou art loving; In the wonder of the hills, the waters, the sky, we have found that Thou art infinite; in the peoples of the world we have seen Thee working; in their cry of need we have heard Thee calling — for us.
And we now go out again to live among those who have not seen Thee here. In the chill of their indifference, in the fire of their mocklngs, in the shadow^and of their unbelief, grant that we may hold
49
fast. Keep our spirits broad awake. Help us to remember.
Thou hast not said that life depends upon how we feel. And for that we thank Thee. When feeling goes, help us to hold our wills steady that we may live steadily for Thee.
Give us each day to look into thy face. In laying hold of thy strength, help us to forget our weakness. In the quiet assurance of thy power help us to go joyously about our business.
And w^hether Thou leadest us into the loneliness of the country, the seething of mighty cities, or to thy children across the seas; whether we walk by quiet waters or are thrust into the heat of battle; whether the road winds up into the sunlight or down into deep darkness, help us to remember. Thou our Lord Christ, art there as Thou art hcEC. And Thou art Light, and Life, and Love. Amen.
O FATHER of a Son who was a lover of little boats, whose rest was to go out upon the lake, whose teaching was of choice by the shore, we, here (where He would have loved to be) turn to Thee for his secrets of rest and re-creation.
We too have been torn and tormented by the prob- lems of the burdens and pains and hardships of others, so that at times we also have scarce had time to sit down to eat. We have come apart awhile to get fresh courage and renewed balance that we may see more clearly and be shown how to choose, among
50
many demands and desires for service, that one or two in which each of us is best qualified to serve. From thy Son we would learn not to fret at being but one-man or one-woman power, seeing that what- ever we do — little or much — if done in thy service and in thy Spirit, is- God-power. Thus pray we, O Vacation Giver. Amen.
HERE, by the sea, this day, the strength of God pilot us, the power of God preserve us, the wis- dom of God instruct us, the eye of God watch over us, the word of God give us sweet-talk, the hand of God defend us, the way of God guide us. Christ, be with us, Christ, before us, Christ, after us, Christ, in us. Christ on our right hand, Christ on our left hand, Christ at our back. Christ in the heart of everyone to whom we speak, Christ in the eye of everyone who leoks upon us, Christ in the ear of everyone who hears. Here, by the sea, this day. Amen.
WE thank Thee, O Thou maker and giver of all things beautiful, for the glory and grace of the world. For the wonders of sea and sky; for the de- light of the eye in color of marsh, and wave of grass- stem, and curl of breaker, and leap of foam; for the gladness in the call of a song sparrow; for the scent
51
of thy sea; for the tonic touch of water and of air. Help us, O God, lest we forget, in any hour, whence these things come. Fill us with the gratitude that gives thanks, not in sentiment alone, but in living a life, large as thy sea, open and pure as thy sky, with grace in it, and growth. Amen.
LORD, we have often, as the sun dipped to the edge of the world, and the day faded from serene and stately glory, thanked Thee dearly, and stored up the memory of that splendor to color some dull future prisoned times. As this summer ends we are heartful of gratitude for the richness and spaciousness of our re-creation. For us on the long beaches there are many special reasons. . . . Our work done with the blue immensity and the mile long rollers under our eyes. The pure delight in being alive and in motion: the dip of the sail as the breeze freshens; the dive through the breaker, the shoot of the surf, — the ad- venture of it all. The freedoms, the friendships, the come-back of vigor, the readiness to tackle work again, the changing, multiplied, spacious glory. O generous Planner, it must have given Thee great gladness to have seen all this happiness. May we render it back in service. Amen.
OGOD, who has promised to be an everlasting presence among men, graciously go with us and before us that we may walk with thee and be thy disciples. May thy spirit sink into us, broadening and unfolding our lives into larger proportions. Give us
52
wider horizon and larger liberty. Make duty delight- ful and service freedom. Make shameful to us every act of sin ; let the lure of evil fade from off it, and may the obedient and loyal spirit sway us like a pas- sion. Grant us true fellowship with Jesus Christ that we may be able to enter deeper and deeper into His life and spirit. Amen.
THOU, from whom my life has come, to whom it returns: Thou, Father of my spirit, accept my thanks this day for all I have come to know about Thee. Earth and sea and sky have been vocal with thy messages of power and of beauty : human beings around me have taught me much of thy tenderness: in the face of thy Son I have seen shining the love of thy perfect Fatherhood. My mind worships: my heart adores. Life is filled with a new glory: help me to live it radiantly until everything I touch shall be trans- figured: until the ordinary and commonplace shall glow with sacred meaning and the whole of life be- come a sacrament. Give me, O my Father, the vision that comes to the pure in heart, even the discernment of thy presence through every hour of my days. Give me strength to bear, courage to stand, patience to w^ait. Help me to make the mind of Christ the standard of my actions, the cross of Christ the measure of my love, until through fellowship with Him my life reflects Thee truly. To Thee, my God and Father, I come with this my prayer, through Jesus Christ, my Lord.
Amen.
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GRANT thy grace to thy servants whose lives are being united before Thee, that they may be true helpers to each other, bearing one another's burdens, having compassion on each other's infirmities, walking together in faith and holiness and love. May their house be one in which Thou dost love to dwell, in which they talk with Thee as with an own familiar friend. Supply their temporal w^ants as may be best for them, and make them a blessing to others. Fill their lives with love of the best things in thy world, and may they rejoice in each other and in Thee all the days of their life, whether in prosperity or adver- sity, in health or in sickness, — may they always find in Thee their comfort and strength and their abiding peace. Amen.
GOD the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless, preserve, and keep you. The Lord mercifully with his favor look upon you, and fill 5^ou with all spiritual benediction and grace ; that ye may so live together in this life, and that in the world to come ye may have life everlasting. Amen.
GIVER of all gladness, freely we have received, freely we would give; and chiefly we would re- member that he that cometh to Thee shall never hunger, and he that believeth . . . shall never thirst.
Amen.
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THE lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly heritage in our country, in our city: and so in this hour of feasting, we turn to Thee. Show us. Lord, what thy plan is for us in the way of simpler living — variety without luxury, plenty without excess. Amen.
UNTO him w^ho, through the breaking of bread, brought us close unto God, be glory and honor now and for ever. Amen.
TEACH us to feed our spirits as regularly as our bodies, Lord, w^e pray, that we may do this as oft as we eat or drink in remembrance of Thee. Therefore Lord, let not this meal-time bring food for the body alone, but for our souls as well. Amen.
O CHRIST, In thy presence, In thy spirit. We take bread, We give thanks, We break it.
We do this, as oft as we eat and drink, In remembrance of Thee.
OUR food and our comforts come so regularly, Lord, that we resent delay or withdrawal. Keep us well recollected, for not only here, O generous Lord, have we far more than our need, but in all our lives. Amen.
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LORD, be glad of us. In his Spirit we ask grace.
With Him whose table-talk was inspiration,
Lord, we sit down.
Teach us to feed our spirits as regularly as our bodies,
Lord.
Lord, we beseech Thee, "give us that due sense of all
Thy mercies, that our hearts may be unfeignedly
thankful" and we show forth our gratitude, "not only
with our lips but in our lives."
We bless thee for thine inestimable love.
We do this, as oft as we eat or drink, in remembrance
cf Thee.
Grant that we may not miss the best in life.
We thank Thee for a world all doors.
Maker of sun-light, Give us soul-light.
God of the one idea, maker of a world with one work in it, we give thanks for love, and ask for service.
Into our lives we, greatly daring, invite Thee, Lord.
MAY we, our Father, think of the dead as possess- ing a more splendid equipment for a larger life of diviner service, than was possible to them on earth — a life in which we shall in due time join them if we
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are counted worthy of their fellowship in the life eternal. Amen.
WE remember to-day, those our sisters who have met with us in times past, and "are now de- parted this life in thy faith and fear, beseeching Thee to give us grace so to follow their good examples, that with them we may be partakers of thy Heavenly Kingdom. Grant this, O Father, for Jesus Christ sake, our only Mediator and Advocate." Amen.
THOU hast visited us through the angel of death, taking from us the familiar face of one who be- longed in our group, opening to her the gates of eternal life. May we see beyond the sorrow of this hour, into the glory that is beyond, that we may know Thou art the One whom we would see, the Father of all thy children, and that when we go out of this world it is to go home, to the welcome and love of our Father's house. We would go to Thee with clean hands and a pure heart. Cleanse us, we pray, from all that would make us afraid before Thee. Make us glad to think of the day that will bring thy message to us also to come home. Amen.
WE remember with reverent love our friends and fellow-workers who rest from their labor and now behold Thee face to face. . . . May the life of our heroic dead still be a living force among us, through the characters they have moulded and through thy 57
Holy Spirit which binds in one the Church militant and the Church triumphant.
Thy peace be upon this city, and upon all who love the Lord Jesus. In his name we pray. Amen.
NOW the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting cove- nant, make us perfecl in every good work to do his will, working in us that which is well pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
OMOST merciful Father, who hast blessed the la- bors of the husbandman in the returns of the fruits of the earth, we give Thee humble and hearty thanks for thy bounty; beseeching Thee to continue thy loving-kindness to us, that our land may still yield her increase to thy glory and our comfort ; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ETERNAL God, we pray that . . . our memories be eager to recall the way of thy providence. We have been led by thy grace to the close of the year. Thou hast brought us over many varied roads, in light and shadow, in health and in sickness, in success and in apparent defeat; thy care has never left us and thy love has never slept. Thou dost not leave thy chil-
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dren when the night suddenly falls upon them and their way is hid. Thou dost not cast us away in the times of our weakness when we can no longer serve Thee with strength. Thy companionship becomes more intimate in the days of adversity. Nor dost Thou leave us in our radiant noondays. In times when everything is prosperous and fair Thou dost share our festival and the joy of the Lord is our strength. We magnify thy name for thy providential bounty. But more than all we bless Thee for the fulfilment of thy promise to us in Jesus Christ our Lord. Not one word has failed of all that Thou hast spoken to us in Him. We bow at the cross of our Saviour and we surrender our lives to his service. Graciously hal- low these closing days of the old year, and may we so use them that we can enter the New Year clothed in the glory of the Lord. Amen.
ETERNAL God, we bow before Thee as the chil- dren of grace and love. Thy mercy has brought us into the New Year. We thank Thee for the assur- ance that fills our souls that the New Year brings new mercies and new opportunities for service. Let in the light as our eyes are able to bear it. Tell us some of the many things which are yet withholden because we are not able to bear them. May we exer- cise our senses in discernment, that so we may be led into the deeper secrets of thy truth. And w^ilt Thou graciously grant unto us new possibilities of service. May we light lamps on many a dark road. May we
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give help to many a tired pilgrim who is burdened by the greatness of the way. May we give cups of re- freshment to those who are thirsty and faint. And may our own faith and hope restore the flickering light when courage is nearly spent. Amen.
O ETERNAL Father, strong to save, cleanse us, we beseech Thee, from the stain of the years that are past. May light, not only of a New Year but of a new era, dawn for the awakening of the world. Make this year better than former years, nobler in character and attainment, more perfect in the power of self-government, self-discipline, self-sacri- fice. May we live the days as gifts from Thee, en- joyed in thy companionship, inspired by thy presence, and sweetened by thy love, in thy Spirit. Amen.
OTHOU, who art ever the same, grant us to pass through the coming year with faithful hearts, that we may be able in all things to please thy loving eyes. Amen.
O GRACIOUS Lord, who as at this time didst raise thy Son Jesus Christ with power from the grave, raise us up, we beseech Thee, from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. Revive our faith, and make us followers of Him who hath taken away the "sin of the world; who by his death hath destroyed death, and by his rising to life again hath restored us to everlasting life." Hear us, O merciful Father, we 60
pray Thee, for the sake of our risen Saviour, to whom with Thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honor and glory, world without end. Amen.*
OUR heavenly Father, may each one of us bring to this hour which we spend together, not only our mind, but our whole heart and soul. As on the way to Emmaus the hearts of the disciples burned within them as they talked, because Jesus was with them, so may we have such a sense of thy presence here with us that we waste no moment in purposeless talk; but may there be kindled in us an unquenchable thirst for Thee, an intense dissatisfaction with ourselves as we are, an ever increasing sensitiveness to thy voice in our souls, an ever stronger setting of our wills to choose always the right rather than the easy thing. And as we go out, may the inspiration which we have here caught, be transmuted into our every word and thought and act; and so, "seeing Thee in common things, and showing Thee in common tasks" may each one of us become a more perfect instrument through which Thou mayst express thyself and work thy will. For Jesus' sake. Amen.
GRACIOUS Father, wilt Thou guard us by thy Holy Spirit. May we keep the thought of thy- self present to us as our Father in Christ Jesus. Keep alive in us a spirit of love and meekness to all men. Deliver us from everything that narrows our affec-
* From "A Chain of Prayer," By permission.
6i
tions and straightens our compassions. Give us larger thoughts of thy purposes concerning us. May our daily life be governed by the fulness of thy purpose. Especially wilt Thou help us through this Christmas season, so that in all our festivity we may glorify thy name. May our joy be pure and undefiled. Let the light of thy fellowship fall upon our way, and may our Christmastide be full of Christ. Bless all little children. Let the grace of the Lord Jesus fill their lives, and in all the gladness of the season may they feel the friendship of the Lord. Hallow our mem- ories, and may thy continued goodness fill us with thanksgiving. We pray that the bounties of thy love may become known far and wide during this sacred season and may the bells of peace soon be heard ring- ing throughout the world. May all the gracious asso- ciations of Christmas hallow the minds of the nations until all people shall come nearer together in common devotion to the Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, our Father, the Christmas bells are beginning to ring out the evangel of our Saviour's birth. We humbly pray that the bells of Christmas joy may ring in our souls as we remem- ber his love and grace. We pray that we may not only commemorate his birth in Bethlehem, but may we rejoice that He has been born in our souls. May we be found this Christmas-tide near the wells oi salvation. If in any way we are unfitted to celebrate the festive season wilt Thou prepare us by thy Spirit. 62
Deliver us from every sin which would scale our sight. Lift us out of all littleness and meanness, and make us noble and generous, endowing us with the very Spirit of our Lord. May we be mindful of others, and con- cerned about their good. May we find our own strength in helping the weak. May we discover our own light in bringing sunshine to others. May we have new surprises of grace while we are serving others in difficult roads. Let the Christmas angels make their music in desolate places. May they fill the darkness with their songs. Even in this time of war and convulsion may we hear the heralds of peace. May the entire world be hushed to hear the angels sing. Come to us in this service ; let thy light illumine all our lives, and may w^e be lifted into heavenly places in Christ Jesus our Lord. Amen.
OGOD, who of thy compassion and tenderness towards the human race didst send thine only begotten Son, that He might take upon Him our flesh and dwell amongst us; we desire to worship before the infinite greatness of thy love. Our hearts are filled with joy, our tongues with praise. O blessed Jesus, who as on this day wert born in Bethlehem, and didst lie a weak and helpless Child, whilst yet Thou wert the eternal Son of God, look upon us, we beseech Thee, and make us willing to be partakers of thy meekness and humility. O Thou who art the Prince of Peace, grant us that inward peace which Thou alone art able to bestow. Amen.
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OGOD, who hast given us the great gift of Life, help us to see the meaning of it. Thou hast given us bodies with urgent needs and lively pleasures. Help us to understand and keep Th}^ laws for these quickened tenements. Thou hast given us minds, per- plexed and eager, minds that will not, can not know rest apart from Thee. Help us to seek ceaselessly until we see Thee in history, in human life, until we see thee and the working of Thy iS^^ of love under and through our human failures and thwartings. But Thy greatest gift, our Father, is the Life of the Spirit. We ignore, we misuse, we dim this flame. Help us to know it as the sharing of Thy Life. May body and mind be for it fit channels. May it be our passion to fulfill this Life,*dSs*fcieaging thmugh the dory of Life . in Christ Jesus, who isWay,4^ruth anaHLight. ^,
X-
O MASTER of life and God of our salvation, we are making bold this day to enter the Holy of Holies, even the life and mind of thy dear Son. Fill us with reverence and awe. Fasten our attention on the things that are high and eternal. Keep us from the profanity of wandering thoughts and the frivolity of surface thinking. Help us this day to live with Jesus, so that in the coming days our message may be a word from Him to men, winged with power to reveal and to bless, to thy honor and praise and to the help of our fellow-men. Amen.
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ON this day of our Lord and in his sight I affirm my faith in the reality of the spiritual world, in the sacred voice of duty, in the compelling power of truth and holiness, in prayer, in the life eternal, in Him who is the life of my life and the reality behind all things visible. I rejoice to believe in God.
I affirm my faith in the Kingdom of God and my hope in its final triumph. I determine by faith to live day by day within the higher order and the divine peace of my true fatherland, and to carry its spirit and laws into all my dealings in the world that now is.
I make an act of love toward all my fellow-men. I accept them as they are, with all their sins and failures, and declare my solidarity with them. If any have wronged or grieved me, I place my mind within the all-comprehending and all-loving mind of God, and here and now forgive. I desire to minister God's love to men and to offer no hindrance to the free flow of his love through me.
I affirm my faith in life. I call life good and not evil. I accept the limitations of my own life and believe it is possible for me to live a beautiful and Christ-like life within the conditions set for me. Through the power of Christ which descends on me, I know that I can be more than conqueror. Amen.
OUR gracious Father, we bless Thee for our com- munion in the ministries of intercession and praise. We thank Thee that the solitary life can meet its fellows, and we can get together in the presence
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chamber of the Lord. We thank Thee that those who are strong in faith can be the helpers of those who are trembling, and that those whose hopes are burning dim can be encouraged by the spirits of those who are full of joy and expectation. Wilt Thou help us to be real companions in worship. May we be very willing to hold our strength in the service of one another. We rejoice in the confidence that all things are now ready, that the table is spread with provisions, and that the Saviour is waiting for his guests. May we come to Thee with a great hunger for the best things which Thou art waiting to give. May we be ambitious to possess the unsearchable riches of Christ. Wilt Thou graciously give us thy strength, so that we may use it in unselfish service. Guide us in the ser- vice of our country, and may we be ready to help her to the uttermost. Help us all to believe in Thee in difficult times. May we have the faith which can sing songs in the night. May we be believers in the dawn even when the darkness is round about us. May we fight the good fight of faith, and be more than con- querors through Him that loved us. Amen.
MOST merciful Father, we thank Thee that Thou dost call us to be children of light. Thou dost graciously offer us thy peace so that when our hearts are at rest we may face the Iniquity of the world with triumphant courage. Feed us with the bread of life in order that we may minister to the hungers of others. Speak thy great promise to our spirits so 66
that we may become heralds of thy grace. Give us true discernment so that we may look at everything with the vision of our Lord. We humbly pray that Thou wilt impart unto us the spirit of worship. May we have the wings which will lift us above transient things into the heavenly places in Christ Jesus. May we breathe the air of the heights, and return to the vale clothed 'in new strength. Make us thy servants in winning the outcast and the stranger and those who are indifferent to thy wonderful love. May we share the secret of Jesus, and manifest the secret be- fore our fellowmen. Thou seest us, a company who have come over many different roads. Some are the children of joy and they have danced along the way. Others are the children of grief and they journey with heavy feet. Some have found the pearl of great price and the new song is in their hearts. Others are look- ing for that pearl and we pray that they may find it. Reclaim the prodigal. Hearten the defeated. Min- ister to those who are blinded with tears. Help those who have been lamed in battle and graciously restore their strength. May we all meet at the cross of our Saviour, and In Its solemn shadow may we discover life and peace. Amen.
OUR heavenly Father, we come to thank Thee for thy many mercies, and Invoke thy protec- tion and guidance for all the way of life. We rejoice that we may know Thee and love Thee and serve Thee and be like Thee. Grant us grace to please
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Thee in all that we think and plan and do. Help us to live in such fellowship with Thee that Thou canst not only dwell in us, but work through us. Help us to share our blessings with others, and to find in our privileges an obligation to minister to those who need what we have. Bestow upon us strength for our daily tasks; courage in the face of fears; comfort in sorrow ; quiet in the midst of tumult ; hope in the pres- ence of uncertainty; high motives for humble as well as high deeds; self-control in the hour of provocation; gentleness and forgiveness when tempted to revenge; and the peace which passeth all understanding. Hold in thy holy care all our loved ones, and keep guard over our interests in life. Give us to see the speedy coming of thy Kingdom among all men, and let us have an increasing share in Its establishment. Fill our hearts with songs of expectation, and flood our faces with morning light, and when the day is done let the weariness of work make welcome the rest of home, we beg in our Redeemer's name. Amen.
LET thy Spirit, O Lord, rest upon thy congrega- tion. We have brought to thy house our selfish- ness and vanity, our vulgar delight in our possession of the things which our neighbors do not possess, our debasing pride in the things which cause us to differ from our brethren, our hard-hearted Indifference to others* needs and pains, our gilded hypocrisies, our smug self-satisfaction, our hideous formalism, our heathenish ingratitude to Thee. Yet we are thy 68
people. Thou hast redeemed us. Thou hast called us. . . . We are thine. O let thy Spirit rest upon us. Visit us with thy salvation. Melt our hearts with the divine glow of thy presence. And send us home forgetful of everything save thy goodness and the infinite debt we owe to our fellow-men. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all things, judge of all men ; we acknowledge and bewail our manifold sins and wickedness, which we, from time to time, most griev- ously have committed, by thought, word, and deed, against thy divine Majesty, provoking most justly thy wrath and indignation against us. We do earnest- ly repent, and are heartily sorry for these our mis- doings; the remembrance of them is grievous unto us; the burden of them is intolerable. Have mercy upon us, have mercy upon us, most merciful Father; for thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive us all that is past; and grant that we may ever hereafter serve and please Thee in newness of life, to the honor and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
ALMIGHTY God, fountain of all wisdom, who know^est our necessities before we ask, and our ignorance in asking: we beseech Thee to have com- passion upon our infirmities ; and those things which for our unworthiness we dare not and for our blind- ness we cannot ask, vouchsafe to give us, for the worthiness of thy Son Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen.
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JESUS who didst touch the leper, Deliver us from antipathies, Who didst eat with them who washed not before meat,
Deliver us from fastidiousness. Who didst condone inhospitality, Deliver us from affront taking. Who wouldst not promise the right hand or the left.
Deliver us from favoritism. Who having called didst recall Peter,
Deliver us from soreness, Who didst love active Martha and contemplative Mary, Deliver us from respect of persons.
Deliver us while it is called today,
Thou who givest today, And promisest not tomorrow.
SANCTIFY, O Lord, our souls and bodies, and spirits, and touch our apprehensions and search out our consciences and cast out of us every evil thought, every base desire, all envy, and pride, and hypocrisy, all falsehood, all deceit, all remembrance of injuries, all malice, all anger — even^ motive of flesh and spirit contrary to thy holy will. And grant us, O Lord. Lover of men, to call upon Thee with free- dom, without shame or confusion of face, with a pure heart and contrite soul, and with sanctified lips, boldly. Amen*
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STIR up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of thy faithful people; that they, plenteously bring- ing forth the fruit of good works, may by Thee be plenteously rewarded; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
ETERNAL God, our Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast made us the children of promise, and therefore we may all receive the bounties of thy grace. Thou wilt not turn us away from thy door if we come to Thee in all the hunger of our spiritual needs. Thou wilt receive us with heavenly hospitality and Thou wilt feed us with the bread of life. We bless Thee for this glorious hope, and we pray that in this service the hope may be realized. May we have the willing- ness to lay our burdens down at thy feet. May we carry nothing away from this service which ought to be left with Thee. May our guilt be buried in the un- fathomable sea of thy forgiving love. May our fail- ures be lost in the restoring ministries of thy grace. May our disappointments be changed into radiant ex- pectations. May all bitterness be transformed into Christian love. . . . Thou has brought us here over many different roads. May we meet at the common spring. May we find that our God's sufficiency is greater than all our need. May ever}- soul be minis- tered to by the Spirit, and be overwhelmed by the glorious thought that this is the house of God and this is the gate of heaven. Amen.
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OUR Father, as we come to the parting, we humbly give Thee thanks. . . . We thank Thee for the real work accomplished, for the plans laid . . . and we beseech Thee to set thy seal beneath what we have done and make it valid.
We thank Thee for the quickening of old friend- ships, for new and fruitful contacts, and for the broadened understanding of our common work. . . . Make us worthy to bear thy message. May every word and act be the simple pulsing of a Christian heart.
We thank Thee for the voices that have inter- preted thy will and summoned us to thy work. We praise Thee for hours of holy quiet in which we crossed the threshold of thy presence and listened to the inner voice in the most holy place. Fix on tht- sensitive film of our spirits the image and splendor of Christ which shone upon us in the great moments.
And now . . . we feel our utter need of Thee, Thou great companion of our souls. Be Thou the strength of our weakness, the wisdom of our foolish- ness, the triumph of our failures, the changeless unity in our changing days. Knowing the brevity of our years, help us to work resolutely while it is day. Shine upon us, Thou sun of our life, even in the valley of the shadow, and may the song of faith never die in our hearts. We make our petition through Jesus Christ our Saviour and Lord. Amen.
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Now unto him that Is able to do exceeding abun- dantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.
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LORD, relieve the wants of others, And give us thankful hearts. Amen.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be vdth us all evermore. Amen.
THE Lord bless us and keep us; The Lord make his face shine upon us, and be gracious unto us ; The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace, both now and evermore.
'HE Lord watch between me and thee when we are absent one from another. Amen.
THE peace of God which passeth all understand- ing, keep your hearts and minds in the knowl- edge and love of God, and of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord ; and the blessing of God Almighty, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, be amongst you and re- main with you alwaj's. Amen.
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AND now as we go forth, may our eyes be opened, according to His promise, to see the new heavens and the new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Amen.
MAY He who is the same yesterday, today, and forever, send us forth with hearts established by happiness. Amen.
MAY the God in whom you hope, grant you per- fect happiness in your faith that you may be over- flowing with hope through the power of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
MAY our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and God our Father who has loved us and given us eternal encouragement and a bright hope, comfort your hearts and make you stedfast in every good work and word.
Amen.
LORD, dismiss us with Thy blessing, that we, in- spired by this hour, may radiate light and life.
Amen.
NOW may He that is able to keep you safe from stumbling, cause you to stand in the presence of His glory free from blemish and full of exultant joy . . . now, and forevermore. Amen.
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BIBLE READINGS
ASK, and it shall be given you ; seek, and ye shall ind ; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For everyone that asketh receiveth ; and he that seeketh flndeth ; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will be give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask Him? {Matt, viiiy-ii.)
AGAIN I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father who is in heaven {Matt, xviiiiig).
YE are the temple of the living God ; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people (2 Cor. vi:i6).
MY God will supply all your own needs from his wealth in glory in Christ Jesus {Phil. iv:i9).
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WE glory in tribulations also : knowing that tribu- lation worketh patience; and patience, charac- ter ; and character, hope ; and that this hope never dis- appoints; because the love of God floods our hearts by the Holy Spirit w^hich is given unto us. {Rom. v:3-5.)
I THEREFORE, the prisoner of the Lord, beg of you to live a life worthy of your calling, with per- fect modesty and gentleness, show^ing forbearance to one another, patiently zealous in love to preserve the unity of the Spirit, by binding peace upon yourselves. (Eph. iv:i-3.) And it is to this you were called: be- cause Christ also suffered on your behalf, leaving you an example, so that you should follow in his steps. He never sinned, and no deceitful language was ever heard from his mouth. When He was reviled. He did not answer with reviling; when He suffered, He uttered no threats; but left His wrongs in the hands of the righteous Judge, (i Pet. ii:2i-23.) Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is merciful. {Lu. vi :36.) If thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there remem- berest that thy brother has any grievance against thee, leave thy gift there before the altar, go and make friends with thy brother first, and then return and offer thy gift. {Matt. v:23, 24.) Love your enemies . . . and pray for your persecutors, that so you may become true sons of your Father in Heaven. {Matt, v :44-45.)
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J LIVED without law. The commandment came. The command gave an impulse to sin. The law is spiritual. I am a creature of flesh and blood. That which I do I cannot understand. For the good which I would I do not, but the evil I detest, that I do. I know that in me (that is in my lower na- ture) dwelleth no good thing. For the wish is pres- ent with me, but the power to do that which is right is not. Against my will I do wrong. I delight in the law of God in my mind. In my members I see an- other law, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity. O miserable wretch that I am! Who shall deliver me? God through Jesus Christ! Thanks be to him, through Jesus our Lord, there is no doom. The Spirit of life sets me free! {Rom. vii:i4 to viii:2.)
LET us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest who is not able to feel for us in our weaknesses; but was tempted in every respect just as we are tempted, yet did not sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of love, that we may ob- tain mercy and find spiritual strength in time of need. The love of God floods our hearts by the Holy Spirit which is given unto us. Likewise the Spirit also help- eth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought. The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, good-temper, kindliness, generosity, good faith, gentleness, self-control; against such there is no law. (Heb. iv 114-1 6, Rom. v:5, viii:26. Gal. v:22, 23.)
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THEN shall the King say unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world : for I was an hungered, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink : I was a stranger, and ye took me in: naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me. Then shall the righteous answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered, and fed Thee? or thirsty, and gave Thee drink? when saw we Thee a stranger, and took Thee in ? or naked, and clothed Thee ? or when saw we Thee sick, or in prison, and came unto Thee? And the King shall answer and say unto them. Verily I say unto you. Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me {Matt. xxv:34-4o).
JUDGE not, that ye be not judged. For with what judgment j^e judge, ye shall be judged: and with what measure ye mete, it shall be measured to you again. And why beholdest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but considerest not the beam that is in thine own eye? Or how wilt thou say to thy brother, Let me pull out the mote out of thine eye; and behold, a beam is in thine own eye? Thou hypo- crite, first cast out the beam out of thine own eye ; and then shalt thou see clearly to cast out the mote out of thy brother's eye {Matt. vii:i-5).
OTHOU that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.
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MARK this: he who sows sparingly will reap sparingly, and he who sows generously will reap a generous harvest. Everyone is to give what he has made up his mind to give; there is to be no grudg- ing or compulsion about it, for God loves the giver who gives cheerfully. God is able to bless you with ample means, so that you may always have quite enough for any emergency of your own and ample besides for any kind act to others. (2 Cor. ix:6-8.)
HE who furnishes the sower with seed and with bread to eat will supply seed for you and mul- tiply it; he will increase the crop of your charities — you will be enriched on all hands, so that you can be generous on all occasions, and your generosity, of which I am the agent, which will make men give thanks to God; for the service rendered by this fund does more than supply the wants of tlie saints, it over- flows with many a cry of thanks to God. This service shows what you are, it makes men praise God for the way you have come under the gospel of Christ which you confess, and for the generosity of your contribu- tions to themselves and to all; they are drawn to you and pray for you, on account of the surpassing grace with God has shown to you. Thanks be to God, for his unspeakable gift! (2 Cor. ix: 10-15.)
COME unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn of me: for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For
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my yoke is easy, and my burden is light {Matt, xi: 28-30). All that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. And this is the will of Him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on Him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day {John vi:37, 40).
LET not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself: that where I am, there ye may be also. H ye love me, keep my commandments. ... I will pray the Father, and He shall give you another Comforter, that He may abide with you for ever ; even the Spirit of truth ; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth Him not, neither knoweth Him: but ye know Him, for He dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. . . . These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Com- forter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled neither let it be afraid {John xiv:i-3, 15-17, 25-27). When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from 80
the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of me. ... He will guide you into all truth: for He shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that shall He speak: and He will show you things to come. He shall glorify me: for He shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you. All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that He shall take of mine, and shall show it unto you {John xv:26; xvi:i3- 15).
THERE is that maketh himself rich yet hath noth- ing; there is that maketh himself poor yet hath great wealth. He that loveth silver shall not be satis- fied with silver, and he that loveth abundance, with increase. . Consider your ways. Ye have sown much and bring in little ; yt eat and have not enough ; ye clothe j^ou, but there is none warm; and he that earn- eth wages earneth wages to put into a bag with holes. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which satisfieth not? He that misseth God wrongeth his own soul. Seek ye first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be added unto you. He will open upon you the windows of heaven and pour out blessing so that there shall not be room enough to receive it. {Prov. xiii:7, Ec. v:io. Hag. i:6, ha. lv:2, Prov. viii:36, Matt, vi:33, Mai. iii:io.)
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I ^T^HE Day-Spring from on high hath visited us, to A give light to them that sit in darkness and in ' the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace {Luke i:78, 79). In Him was life, and the life was the light of men. . . . That was the true Light, w^hich lighteth every man that cometh into the world {John i:4, 9). I am come a light into the world, that no one who believes in me may remain in the dark- ness. {John xii:46). For God, who said out of I darkness let light shine, is he who has shone in our ^ hearts, to give us light of the knowledge of God's i glory, which is radiant on the face of Christ. (2 Cor. I iv:6).
WHEN I fall, I shall arise; when I sit in dark- ness, the Lord shall be a light unto me. He I will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness {Micah vii:8, 9).
BE strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them, for Jehovah thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee nor forsake thee. And Moses called Joshua, and said unto him. Be strong and of good courage: for thou shalt go with this people into the land which Jehovah hath sworn unto their fathers to give them; and thou shalt cause them to inherit it. And Jehovah, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee. He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee; fear not, neither be dismayed {Deut. xxxi:6-8). 82
THE merciful goodness of the Lord endureth for ever and ever upon them that fear Him and his righteousness upon children's children, even upon such as keep his covenant, and think upon his com- mandments to do them (Ps. ciiiiiy, i8). The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. . . . The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them that trust in Him {Nahum 1:3, 7).
HE that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his spirit than he that taketh a city {Prov. xvi:32). The discretion of a man de- ferreth his anger: and it is his glory to pass over a transgression {Prov. xix:ii). He that hath no rule over his own spirit is like a city that is broken down, and without walls {Prov. xxv:28).
IF 3^ou bear the name of [Christian], priding your- self on understanding God's will, and with a sense of what is vital in religion; if you are persuaded you are a light to darkened souls, a tutor for the foolish, — well then, do you ever teach yourself, you teacher of other people? You preach against stealing; do you steal ? You pride yourself on keeping the law ; do you dishonor God by breaches of the law?
He is no [Christian] who is merely a Christian out- wardly. [The Sacrament] is a matter of the heart, spiritual not literal, praised not by man, but by God. {Ro7n. ii 117-29 Adapted.)
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OUR talents differ with the gift that is given us; ... if the talent is practical service, let us mind our service; the teacher must mind his teaching; the speaker, his words of counsel ; the contributor must be liberal ; the superintendent must be in earnest ; the sick- visitor must be cheerful. Let your love be without insincerity, with a loathing for evil, and a bent for what is good. Put affection into love for the brother- hood; be alert to honor one another; your zeal, never let flag; keep alive your spiritual fervor; serve the Lord; let your hope be a joy to you; be steadfast in trouble; devote yourselves to prayer, make a practice of hospitality. . . . Cultivate the spirit of harmony. Instead of being ambitious, associate with humble folk. Be not wise in your own conceit. Render not evil for evil. . . . Let not evil get the better of you; get the better of evil by doing good. (Rom. xii:6-2i.)
WHY art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? He that keep- eth thy soul, doth he not know ? In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be your strength. He that believeth shall not make haste. His soul shall dwell at ease. By faith in his spirit hath his spirit made this man strong — yea, hath given him this perfect soundness. The work of righteous- ness shall be peace: and the effect of righteousness, quietness and confidence forever. (Ps. xlii; Prov. xxiv:i2; Isa. xxx:i5; Isa. xxviii:i6; Ps. xxv:i3; Acts iii:i6; Isa. xxxiiiiy.)
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HAST thou not known? hast thou not heard the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He in- creaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength ; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint {Isa. xl:28-3i).
FOR as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater; so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. For ye shall go out with joy and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and in- stead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it sh^ll be to the Lord for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off {Isa. Iv: 10-13).
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THE Lord himself is the portion of mine inheri- tance, and of my cup ; Thou shalt maintain my lot. The lot is fallen unto me in a fair ground ; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I will thank the Lord for giving me warning. . . . Thou shalt show me the path of life; in thy presence is the fulness of joy, and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore {Ps. xvi:6, 7, 12).
THE stranger that sojourneth with you shall be unto you as the home-born among you, and thou shalt love him as thj'self ; for ye were strangers in the land of Egypt {Lev. xix:33, 34). When thou reapest thine harvest in thy field, and has forgot a sheaf in the field, thou shalt not go again to fetch it : it shall be for the stranger, for the fatherless, and for the widow; that the Lord thy God may bless thee in all the work of thy hands {Deut. xxiviig).
And it shall be, if thou go with us, yea, it shall be, that what good soever the Lord shall do unto us, the same will we do unto thee {Num. x:32).
Moreover concerning the foreigner, that is not of thy people Israel, when he shall come from a far country for thy great name's sake, and thy mighty hand, and thine outstretched arm; when they shall come and pray toward this house; then hear thou from heaven, even from thy dwelling place, and do according to all that the foreigner calleth to thee for; that all the peoples of the earth may know thy name, and fear thee, as doth thy people Israel, and that they 86
may know that this house which I have built is called by thy name (2 Chron, vi:32, 33).
O ISRAEL, fear not; for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord, thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. I, even I, am He that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins {Isa. xliii:i-3, 25). For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee (Isa. liv:io). They that put their trust in the Lord shall be even as Mount Zion, which may not be removed, but standeth fast forever. The hills stand about Jerusalem: even so standeth the Lord round about his people, from this time forth for evermore {Ps. cxxv:i, 2).
THERE is sprung up a light for the righteous, and joyful gladness for such as are true-hearted {Ps. xcvii:ii). O hold Thou up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. As for me, I will behold thy presence in righteousness; and when I awake up after thy likeness, I shall be satisfied with it {Ps. xvii: 5, 15). Lead me, O Lord, in thy righteousness; make
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thy way plain before my face (Ps. v:8). I will inform thee, and teach thee in the way wherein thou shalt go: and I will guide thee with mine eye (Ps. xxxii:8). I will bring the blind by a way that they knew not ; I will lead them in paths that they have not known: I will make darkness light before them, and crooked things straight. These things will I do unto them, and not forsake them (Isa. xlii:i6). Thine eyes shall see the King in his beauty ; they shall behold the land that is very far off [Isa. xxxiii:i7). The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom then shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: of whom then shall I be afraid? . . . One thing have I de- sired of the Lord, which I will require, even that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the fair beauty of the Lord, and to visit his temple. For in the time of trouble He shall hide me in his tabernacle; yea, in the secret place of his dwelling shall He hide me, and set me up upon a rock of stone. . . . O hide not Thou thy face from me, nor cast thy servant away in displeasure. Thou hast been my succor : leave me not, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. . . . Teach me thy way, O Lord, and lead me in the right way. ... I should utterly have fainted, but that I believe verily to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living (Ps. xxvii:i, 4, 5, 9, II, 13).
Y soul, wait thou in silence for God only (Ps. lxii:5).
88
M
IN all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths (Prov. iii:6). Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him (Job xiii:i5). Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation. Sing unto the Lord; for He hath done excellent things: this is known in all the earth (Isa. xii:2, 5). The Lord liveth; and blessed be my strong helper, and praised be the God of my salvation {Ps. xviii:46).
w
HERE there is no vision, the people perish {Prov, xxix:i8).
KEEP thy heart above all that thou guardest, for out of it are the issues of life {Prov. iv:23).
I w
AM come that they may have life, and may have it abundantly {John x:io).
E are a colony of Heaven {Phil. iii:2o),
SET your hearts on the higher talents. And yet I will go on to shew you a still higher path ( i Cor. xii'.si).
I KNOW, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that Thou of very faithfulness hast caused me to be troubled {Ps. cxix:75).
89
HE knoweth the way that I take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold {Job xxlii: 10).
Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby. {Heb. xiiiii.) Ac- quaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace: thereby good shall come unto thee. Receive, I pray thee, the law from his mouth, and lay up his words in thy heart. . . . Then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto Him, and He shall hear thee, and Thou shalt pay thy vows {Job xxii:2i, 22, 26, 27).
BUT from thence ye shall seek Jehovah thy God, and thou shalt find him, when thou searchest after Him, with all thy heart and with all thy soul. When thou art in tribulation, and all these things are come upon thee, in the latter days thou shalt return to Jehovah thy God, and hearken unto his voice: for Jehovah thy God is a merciful God: He will not fail thee, neither destroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thv fathers which he swore unto them (Deut. iv:29- 31').
B
EHOLD, it w^as for my peace that I had great bitterness {Isa. xxxix:i7).
90
THOU wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee. Trust ye in the Lord forever, for in the Lord Jehovah •.s everlasting strength (Isa. xxvi:3, 4). Blessed is the man that trusteth in the Lord, and whose hope the Lord is. For he shall be as a tree planted by the waters that spreadeth out her roots by the river, and shall not see when heat cometh, but her leaf shall be green; and shall not be careful in the year of drought, neither shall cease from yielding fruit {Jer. xvii:7, 8).
WHO is he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when the Lord commandeth it not? Let us search and try our ways, and turn again to the Lord. Let us lift up our heart with our hands unto God in the beavens {Lam. iii:37, 40, 41).
rHUS saith the Lord God ; Behold, I, even I, will both search my sheep, and seek them out. As a shepherd seeketh out his flock in the day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. And I wnll bring them out from the people, and gather them from the countries, and will bring them to their own land. I will feed them in a good pasture, and upon the high mountains of Israel shall their fold be. I will seek that which was lost, and bring again that which was driven away, and will bind up that which 91
was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick {Ezek. xxxiv:ii-i4, i6).
I WILL sing unto the Lord as long as I live; I will praise my God while I have my being. And so shall my words please Him: my joy shall be in the Lord {Ps. civ:33, 34).
THEN he said unto them: Go your way, eat the fat, and drink the sweet, and send portions unto him for whom nothing is prepared ; for this day is holy unto our Lord : neither be ye grieved ; for the joy of the Lord is your strength. . . . Hold your peace, for the day is holy; . . . And all the people went their way to eat, and to drink, and to send portions, and to make great mirth, because they had understood the words that were declared unto them {Neh. viii:io-i2).
EXALT Him: put forth all your strength; Ye can never go far enough; Even yet He will exceed. Though we speak much, We come short: Wherefore, in sum, He is AIL*
* {.Ecclesiasticus xliii:27, 30.
92
INDEX
By
Subject
Absence 152, 17S -^.f, 352, 492, 67, 73"
Benedictions. i2, 5^, I2i- 2, 29^, 30^, 392, 542, 581, 71I, 73^ 3, 4. b. b^
;7^1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6^
Bereavement. .sS 122, 152, if, 22, 23, 29^, 41I, 42", 56, 57^' 2. 3,
S8S 72.
Campaigns 12^ 13,36, 37I' 2. 3, 381. «
Christmas 6i2, 62, 63.
Committees and Meetings. . i^- 2. 3, 22. 3. 6, 31. \ 4I. \ ^\ &. \
f' 2. 3^ 8, 93, I02- 3, III, j2l, 2. 3. 4^ 13^ 14I. 2. 3^ 1^2^ ^(,1, 2. 3^ 172, 181- 2, 19I, 20l' 2, 22, 23, 241- 2, 25!, 261- 2. 8, 272, 28S 29I, 2^ 3^ 30I.2, 311,2, 322, 352, 36, 37I. 2.3^ 382, 392, 41I,
44^.2, 52^.2, 6iS 64I. Conventions and Conferences. .22, 4I, 6^ 'f' 2- 3, 8, 9^- 2, lo^ III- 2^ 122. 3^ J4I. 2, 3^ 151. 2, 3^ i62. 3^ i82^ 2oi- 2, 22, 23, 24I,
2SS 26I- 2. 3, 282, 29I. 2, 3^ 30I. 3, 31I, 352^ 373^ 41I, 442^ 492^
522, 61 S 64s 72.
Dedications 22, 23, 39s 41^
Easter 6o^ 6i^
Education i2, 2^ 62, I2^ 26^, 282, 29^
Fellowship. . .2S 51- 3, 61' 2. 3, 71. 2^ 8, iiS 13, 141- \ i62. 3, iS^,
26S 272, 352, 36, 4iS 442, 522, 6iS 64I.
Graces i2, 2^ iz\ 392, 542. 3, 55I. 2. 3. 4, 5^ ^^i-w 732, 3. 4.
Industry. .2S 7^, 8, 12*, 13, i63, 17I, 19I, 202, 22, 23, 262, 302,
31^ 32^ 33,40^. 44S 522. International 5^ G- 2, i8S 34, 35S 42i'2, 43I, 442, 45I, 492, 50.
Marriages 54^' ^«
93
Morning Worship. . i^ 2. 3, 2I .2. 3- S 3I, 4I. 2, 5I. 3^ 61. \ f' 2. ',
91.2,3^ IOI.2.3, III. 2^ 121.2^ 13, 14I, 2 15I. 2^ 161. 2, 3^ i82, 192, 20S 2l2, 22, 23, 24l'2, 251-2, 261' 2. 3, 272, 292- 3, 302. 3,
31^35', 36, 37'' S 641,702, 71I.
National 4oi- 2. 3, 42I. 2, 432, 44I, 45I, 491, 652.
New Year 2*, 43, 71, 452, 471, 582, 59, 6oi- \
Rejoicing 12, 2 s, 4', 72, 8, loS \&, 37^, 452, 47I- 2, 48.
Students, .ii' 2. 3, 2i' 2. 4, 5^ 3I, 2^ 4I, 2, 3^ 52, 3^ 61, 2. 3^ 7I. 2. 4^ g,
92-3, Io2. 3, III, 2^ 123^ 13, 142^ 151,2^ l61'2. 3, 172, i82, 192, 20I, 222, 23, 241, 25I' 2, 261- 2. 3, 272, 282, 29I. 2. 3^ 30I. 2^ 312,
35^ 36, 37S 4iS 44'-, 45^ 52^ 6iS 64I, 6sS 66, 67, 68, 69S
692, 7oi' 2, 711.2,72. Sunday., ii, 22, 3I, 41- 2. 3, ^2^ 51.2^ 72,4^ iqI. 2. 3, ii2, 13, 151,3^ 21I, 22, 23, 293, 30I, 352, 442, 45I, 46I' 2, 47I, 522, 61I, 64I,
651- 2, (i6, 67, 68, 691- 2, 702, 71I. 2, 72.
Thanksgiving i2, 43, 452, 451, 47I, 582, 732.
Vacation 452, 461. \ 471. \ 48, 49I. \ 50, siL 2, 52I. \ 53.
94
INDEX
By
First Lines
All creatures, O Lord, wait upon Thee 47
Almighty and Eternal God, who fillest all space 3
Almighty God, Father of all mercies 4
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, maker of all
things 69
Almighty God, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, of whom the
whole family 6
Almighty God, fountain of all wisdom, who knowest 69
Almighty God, our Father, the Christmas bells 62
Almighty God, unto whom all hearts are open 3
Almighty God, who has given us grace at this time 2
And now as we go forth 74
As we look across the vast field of our work 32
VJear Lord and Father of Mankind, bless this building 41
Dear Lord, we do here vow and promise to do 10
Defend us, 0 Lord, with Thy heavenly grace 4
Deliver and cleanse us. Saviour divine 22
Direct, O Lord, the work of education 29
Eternal God, our Father, we thank Thee that Thou hast
made us the 71
Eternal God, we bow before Thee as the children of grace. , 59
Eternal God, we pray that our memories be eager to recall. . 58
Eternal God, who committest to us the swift and solemn trust 7
Father of all, God, all we have is of Thee I
Father of Light, by whose hands the fires of the sun 46
For sheer delight in living we praise Thee 45
95
Giver of all gladness, freely we have received, freely we would 54 Give to us, every one, the "preparedness of the Gospel of
peace" 13
Give us grace, 0 Lord, to work while it is day 30
Give us this day a collected mind and a tender 24
God of hope, fill us with thine own Spirit of hopefulness. ... 37 God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Ghost, bless,
preserve 54
Good Lord, deliver us from envy, hatred, and malice 14
Gracious God, remember us in our work 9
Gracious Father, wilt Thou guard us by thy Holy Spirit. ... 61
Grant, O Lord, that all whom Thou dost choose to work. . . 19
Grant that no word may fall from me against 2
Grant Thy grace to Thy servants whose lives are being united 54
Grant to us, Lord, we beseech Thee, the Spirit to think. ... i
Grant to us, our Father, to go down into the battle of life. . 25
Here, by the sea, this day, the strength of God pilot us 51
In this hour of this day, fill us, 0 Lord, with Thy mercy 10
Jesus, who didst touch the leper 70
Let the earth and the water, the air and the fruits of my
country 49
Let the tender compassion of our God 30
Let the words of our mouths and the meditations 29
Lord, these things we would do; Succeed 7
Let Thy Spirit, O Lord, rest upon Thy congregation 68
Lord, be glad of us (and other Graces) 56
Lord dismiss us with Thy blessing 74
Lord, if it be Thy will. Thou wilt let this come to pass 37
Lord of Hosts, help us to do our small part toward 40
Lord, we give ourselves ^to Thee — we trust Thee wholly 14
Lord, we have often, as the sun dipped to the edge of the
world 52
Make us of quick and tender conscience, 0 Lord 4
May an influence for good reach every dweller in this house. 9
96
May He who is the same yesterday 74
May our Lord Jesus Christ Himself 74
May the blessing of God be with us all, that whatsoever 12
May the Grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God 39
May the God in whom you hope 74
May the great Head of the Church so enrich 12
May we be still, and know that Thou art God 30
May we, our Father, think of the dead as possessing 56
Most merciful Father, we thank Thee that Thou dost call.. . 66
Now may He that is able to keep you safe 74
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead. . . 58
Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly 73
O Almighty and Everlasting God, grant that neither through
arrogance 44
O Almighty God, give to Thy servants meek and gentle spirits 2
O Christ, in Thy presence, in Thy Spirit, we take bread. ... 55
O Eternal Father, strong to save, cleanse us 60
O Father of a Son who was a lover of little boats 50
O Father of light and God of all truth, purge the whole world 42
O Father of love, look down upon the womanhood 28
0 God, author of the world's joy, bearer of the world's pain 2
O God, day by day lead us deeper into the mystery of life . . 20
O God, Inspirer and Teacher of men 12
O God, light of the hearts that see Thee 15
O God of unchangeable power and Eternal light 21
O God, the Creator, and Preserver of all mankind 45
O God, the Father of all Mankind, we pray for all the nations 40
0 God, the Father of the forsaken, the help of the weak 17
O God, the Sovereign Good of the Soul 16
O God, the strength of the weak, the Refuge of 17
O God, we praise Thy holy name, for Thou hast brought us
from 37
O God, we pray Thee for our sisters 31
O God, we thank Thee for this universe, our great home 47
O God, who art Love, grant to Thy children to bear one
another's 5
97
O God who hast made of one blood all nations 43
O God, who hast given us the great gift of Life 64
O God, who hast promised to be an everlasting presence. ... 52
0 God, who knowest that we are not sufficient of ourselves . 7 O God, who of Thy compassion and tenderness toward the
human race 63
O God, whose nature and property it is ever to have mercy. 16
O gracious Lord, who at this time didst raise Thy Son 60
O great Lord of all the earth, Thou hast taught 26
O Lord, let us not live to be useless 2
O Lord, our Saviour, who hast warned us 17
O Lord, relieve the wants of others 73
O Lord, teach us to sacrifice our comforts 6
O Lord, we beseech Thee that Thy people may grow ever in
love 5
0 living Lord, able and willing to help. 38
O Master-builder, in this great city of thine 12
O Master of life and God of our salvation 64
O Master of Men, set our hearts on fire 6
O most loving Jesus, pattern of charity, who makest all the 5 O most merciful Father, who hast blessed the labors of hus- bandmen 58
O my dear Master, give me a deeper love for the minds. ... 26
On this day of our Lord and in his sight I affirm 65
O our Father, as we meet to decide 31
O our Father, Thou knowest Thy children better 20
O Thou great Champion of the outcast and the weak 35
O Thou Eternal, in whose appointment our life standeth. . . 24 O Thou Holy One, forgive, we pray Thee, our sins against the
Spirit 40
O Thou who art able to do exceeding abundantly . 9
O Thou who art ever the same, grant us to pass .... coming
year 60
Oh Thou who art no respecter of persons . 27
O Thou who flingest cloud shadows over lonely blue summits 48
O Thou whose eye is over all the children of men 42
Our constant appeal to Thee, our King 10
Our Father, as we come to the parting 72
Our Father God, we thank Thee 49
Our Father, may we step out of self-life, into Christ-life. ... 21
Our food and our comforts come so regularly 55
Our gracious Father, we bless Thee for our communion 65
Our heavenly Father, may each one of us bring to this hour 61 Our heavenly Father, we come to thank Thee for Thy many
mercies d"]
Our loving Father, we have come into this house 44
Our loving Father, who considerest even the sparrow's fall. . 15
Preserve us blameless, O Lord, in our goings out 25
Sanctify, O Lord, our souls and bodies and spirits 70
Send forth Thy light and Thy truth to all nations 34
Solemnize the thoughts of our hearts, O God i
Stir up, we beseech Thee, O Lord, the wills of Thy faithful. . 71
Teach us to feed our Spirits as regularly 55
That Thou hast graciously hearkened to the desires of Thy
servants 39
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God .... 73 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, the love of God, the
fellowship 39
The lines have fallen unto us in pleasant places 55
The Lord bless us and keep us 73
The Lord's name be praised for the work we are enabled to do 16
The Lord watch between me and thee 73
The peace of God which passeth all understanding 73
Thou art not weary of our prayers il
Thou Eternal not ourselves that maketh for righteousness. . 11
Thou from whom my life has come, to whom it returns 53
Thou hast visited us through the angel of death 57
Thou who art able to understand, pity us tired folk 36
Thou who art the God of all comfort draw near 41
Thy goodness has been great to us, may we make the best of
ourselves 29
Thy kingdom come, our Father, who art in heaven and on
earth 14
99
Unto Him who, through the breaking of bread 55
Vouchsafe unto us clear and distinct perceptions 31
We are far, O our Father, from the homes where 27
We beseech Thee, Lord, to behold us with favor, we who
subsist 35
We bring to Thee, O God, as is most justly due 26
We humbly beseech Thee, O Lord, give us knowledge of our- selves 19
We implore Thy blessing, O God, on all the men and women
who teach 28
We invoke Thy grace and wisdom, O Lord, upon all men of
good will 33
We praise Thee, O God, for our friends and fellow-workers . . 8 We pray Thee for that which we most deeply want. ...... 18
We remember to-day, those our sisters who have met with us 57 We remember with reverent love our friends and fellow- workers 57
We thank Thee for our inheritance in the nation 43
We thank Thee, O Thou maker and giver of all things beau- tiful.. SI
We worship Thee, O God, in Thy Church throughout the
world 15
We would especially ask Thy presence and guidance . . .
great undertaking 38
When we consider Thy heavens, 0 Lord, the work of Thy fingers 46
100
INDEX
By
Authors
Abbott, Dr. Lyman • • 5^
Adams, Charlotte H 4iS 53j
Alcuin 3
Alford, Dean y r -^l
Anon 6S 2i\ 251, 26^, 29^, 3iS 3 A SS\ 57\ 69^, 74^
Book of Common Prayer, i^, 42, 4^, 43I, 451, 542, 58^, 69I, 7iS 73j
Book of Common Worship 9\ 12', iS\ 37^
Book of Hours 5
Book of Offices and Prayers 5^ 40 •
Bourtillon, Francis 9\ 24^, 34, 54^ 57^.
Brent, Bishop 10'. 44^^.
Bright, William i^J
Burton, Margaret 27
Calendar of the Church of the Epiphany 40'
Calthrop. -63
Carpenter, Bishop Boyd ocr
Colossians '^2
Corinthians 39^
Cratty, Mabel 44^*
Dilworth, Richard i^
Drummond, Henry 272
J. D .....IS'
J. T. D 46s 47'.
S T D. 11^ 12^ I4^ 20', 28S 3oS 60^.
R. L. D.' 36, 45^ 48, So\ 51^ S4^ 55^' '• ', S^'-"' ^''.
lOI
Fosdick, Harry Emerson 13
Gelasian, Sacramentary 21*
Genesis 73^
Hunter, J 42^
Howe, Samuel H 52^
Hebrews 58^
Joscelyne, Bishop 70^
Jowett, John Henry 9^, 58^, 59, 612, 62, 65^, 6^^ 71^
Luke 30"
Manual of the Guild of St. Peter 29^
Martineau, James 7^ 24^, 252,
Mazarabic Liturgy 60^
Nash, Henry Sylvester 2^6^ I2^ 20^, 26^ 46^, 55^, 64^ 68.
Newman, John Henry 14^
Numbers 73*
Peabody, Francis G 18*
Pericles 3^
Porter, Delia Lyman 61*
Psalms 293
Rauschenbusch, Walter. 8, 282, 312, 32, 33> 3S^ 37^ \f, 57^ 65^, 72.
Roberts, Richard 14.2, 15^, 162, i6^ i/, 19^, 26^ 40^ 43^
Rockefeller, Mrs. Abby Aldridge 41^
Roman Breviary 5^
Rossetti, Christina 4S 30^, 70^
Sarum Breviary 10^
Shaftsbury, Earl 181
Speer, Mrs. Emma Bailey 64^
Sursum Corda 19^
St. Augustine 17^
102
St. Chrysostom 2'
St. James 79^
St. Jude 74"
St. Patrick 51^
St. Paul 73^' \ 74'- '• '
St. Peter 74^
Stevenson, Robert Louis 35^
Tagore, Rabindranath 49^
Taylor's Covenant 16*
Taylor, Jeremy 2^
Treasury of Devotion 7^
Vance, James T 6y
Wallace, Lew i^
Weslev, John 2*
Wollaston, W 31^
Y. W. C. A.
Dedication Service 22, 23, 39^
A Delegate's Prayers 38^
Summer Conference 49^
Matthew Arnold Ralph Waldo Emerson
Combined and adapted 1 1^
103
fl^^*,i, l-:tJ^^ oj-^:^ ^_»..^.,.v -
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