7

PRAYERS.

Leader.-IN every place where I cause My name to be

I will bless thee.

remembered, I will come unto thee, and

And from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God, and thou shalt find H m, if thou search after Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul.

May my prayer unto Thee, O Lord, be in an acceptable time: O God, in the abundance of Thy lovingkindness, answer me in the truth of Thy salvation.

Leader.-Bless ye the Lord, who is to be blessed. Cong.-Blessed be the Lord, who is to be blessed for ever and ever.

MY

1.

Y God, the soul which Thou hast given me is pure. Thou didst create it and breathe it into me. Thou preservest it within me during my life on earth, and Thou wilt hereafter take it to life everlasting. As long as the soul is within me I will give thanks unto Thee, O Lord my God and God of my fathers, Sovereign of creation, Lord of all souls. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who callest the dead to everlasting life.

2.

SOVERE

OVEREIGN of all worlds! Not because of our righteous acts do we lay our supplications before Thee, but because of Thine abundant mercies. What are we? What is our life? What our righteousness? What our strength? What shall we say before Thee, O Lord our God and God of our fathers? Are not all the mighty men as nought before Thee, the men of renown as though they had not been, the wise as if without knowledge, and the men of understanding as if without discernment? For most of their works are void, and the days of their lives are vanity before Thee, and the pre-eminence of man over the beast is nought, for all is vanity; save only the pure soul, which will hereafter render its account before the throne of Thy glory. Nevertheless, we are Thy people, the children of Thy covenant, whose duty it is to offer praise and thanksgiving unto Thy Name. Happy are we! How goodly is our portion, and how beautiful our heritage! Happy are we, who proclaim the unity of Thy name, as it is written: Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is One. Thou wast the same ere the world was created; Thou hast been the same since the world hath been created; Thou art the same in this world, and Thou wilt be the same in the world to come. Sanctify Thy name upon them that sanctify it; yea, sanctify Thy Name throughout Thy world, and exalt us through Thy salvation.

Thou art the Lord our God in heaven and on earth, and in the highest heaven of heaven. Verily, Thou art the first and Thou art the last, and beside Thee there is no God. O gather them that hope for Thee from the four corners of the earth. Let all the inhabitants of the world perceive and know that Thou art God, Thou alone, over all the kingdoms of the earth. Thou hast made the heavens and the earth, the sea and all that is therein; and which among all the works of Thy hand, whether among those above or among those beneath, can say unto Thee, What doest Thou? Our Father who art in heaven, deal kindly with us for the sake of Thy great Name, by which we are called; and fulfil unto us, O Lord our God, that which is written: At that

time will I bring you in, and at that time will I gather you; for I will make you a name and a praise among all the peoples of the earth, when I bring back your captivity before your eyes, saith the Lord.

MAY it be Thy will, O Lord our God and God of our

fathers, to make us familiar with Thy Law, and to make us cleave to Thy commandments. O lead us not into the power of sin, or temptation, or contempt: let not the evil inclination have sway over us keep us far from a bad companion: make us cleave to the good inclination and to good works: bend our heart so that it may submit itself unto Thee; and let us find this day, and every day, grace and mercy in Thine eyes, and in the eyes of all who behold us; and bestow lovingkindnesses upon us. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, who bestowest lovingkindnesses upon Thy people Israel. Amen.

4.

THE

HE breath of every living being shall bless Thy name, O Lord our God, and the spirit of all flesh shall continually glorify and exalt Thee, O our King; from everlasting to everlasting Thou art God; and beside Thee we have no King who redeemeth and saveth, setteth free and delivereth, who supporteth and pitieth in all times of trouble and distress; yea, we have no King but Thee.

Thou art God of the first and of the last, the God of all creatures, the Lord of all generations, extolled with many praises, who guidest Thy world with lovingkindness and Thy creatures with tender mercies. Thou, O Lord, slumberest not, nor sleepest; Thou arousest the sleepers and awakenest the slumberers; Thou makest the dumb to speak, loosest the bound, supportest the falling, and raisest up those that are bowed down. To Thee alone we give thanks.

5.

I CHRON. XXix. 10—13.

AND David blessed the Lord in the presence of all the

congregation: and David said, Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of Israel our father, from everlasting to everlasting. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty : for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is Thine; Thine, O Lord, is the kingdom, and the supremacy as head over all. Riches and honour come of Thee, and Thou rulest over all; and in Thine hand are might and power; and in Thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we give thanks unto Thee, and praise Thy glorious

name.

Thou art the Lord, even Thou alone; Thou hast made the heavens, the heaven of heavens, and all their host, the earth and all things that are thereon, the seas and all that is in them, and Thou givest life to them all; and the host of heaven worship Thee.