THE WRITER S PRAYER. 9 



incredulity, or intellectual night, may arise in our 

 minds towards divine mysteries. But rather, that 

 by our mind thoroughly cleansed and purged from 

 fancy and vanities, and yet subject and perfectly 

 given up to the divine oracles, there may be given 

 unto faith the things that are faith s. Amen. 



THE WRITER S PRAYER. 



Thou, O Father, who gavest the visible light as 

 the first-born of thy creatures, and didst pour into 

 man the intellectual light as the top and consumma 

 tion of thy workmanship, be pleased to protect and 

 govern this work, which coming from thy goodness, 

 returneth to thy glory. Thou after thou hadst 

 reviewed the works which thy hands had made, 

 beheldest that every thing was very good, and thou 

 didst rest with complacency in them. But man, 

 reflecting on the works which he had made, saw that 

 all was vanity and vexation of spirit, and could by 

 no means acquiesce in them. Wherefore, if we 

 labour in thy works with the sweat of our brows, 

 thou wilt make us partakers of thy vision and thy 

 sabbath. We humbly beg that this mind may be 

 stedfastly in us ; and that thou, by our hands, and 

 also by the hands of others, on whom thou shalt 

 bestow the same spirit, wilt please to convey a largess 

 of new alms to thy family of mankind. These things 

 we commend to thy everlasting love, by our Jesus, 

 thy Christ, God with us. Amen. 



