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Review and Herald, Vol. 22, No. 3.

The Moral System

Review and Herald

Jun 16, 1863

The Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · Jun 16, 1863

The Moral System.

By J. H. W.

(Continued.)

V. VOLUNTARY SUBSTITUTION

1. Recognizes the claims of law. I have supposed substitution wherein all parties are satisfied—all conflicts reconciled. But if the law were unjust, if the accused were not really guilty of a wrong, the act of condemning would be tyrannical. There could then be no satisfaction either to justice, or to the condemned, or his substitute. Hence to obtain the desired result, there must be acquiescence in the justness of the proceeding, which is a recognition of the justice of the law which condemned.
2. It honors and maintains the government. I have shown that every infringement on the claims of law, every departure from strict justice is a violation of common rights, and endangers the government. Whatever honors and vindicates the claims of law and justice, tends to maintain the government; and of course to vindicate personal rights under it. This voluntary substitution does, as has been shown.
3. It dispenses mercy; which could not otherwise be offered consistently with the great principles of right and justice. Hence all the objects of government—justice and mercy—truth and love—meet in this arrangement. This is precisely what I understand by an atonement. Not a thing to be deprecated, as some have vainly imagined; but to be loved and esteemed, as a certain vindication of right and justice, and a beneficent dispensation of love and mercy.
We notice here that the atonement affects our relation to the government in two respects, looking to the past and to the future. To the past, in that it frees from condemnation for past offenses; and to the future, in that it recognizes the claims of the law, thus binding us to future obedience to the law.
But some affect to discover no harmony between these objects; though it is plain that a proposed atonement which should lose sight of either of these would fail to unite justice and mercy: it would leave the sinner condemned or dishonor the government. It may however be noticed further.

VI. AN ATONEMENT IS NECESSARY.

1. Future obedience will not justify the guilty. To argue this seems hardly necessary, as it has been shown that justice and mercy meet in no way, but by an atonement. But some deny the use, by which I suppose they mean the necessity, or justness, of obeying a law which will not justify the guilty. But the difficulty lies only in their own oversight. They make no distinction between justifying the innocent and the guilty. The innocent are justified by law; the guilty cannot be. But the innocent are justified by law only if they remain innocent; that is, if they continue to obey. While the transgressor, already condemned, is not freed from condemnation of past offense by future obedience.
In this I only claim what is settled as a principle of action in legal and even in commercial transactions. He who killed last year cannot offer in justification that he has not killed this year. The judge has no right to listen to the plea of the thief, that he has not recently stolen, while the evidence of his past guilt is clear. It does not release a man from a past debt to pay for what he buys to-day. Present justice and present morality simply answer a present demand, leaving the past unsettled. But, query, for those referred to in the beginning of this paragraph. If the law condemns a thief, and he can only be cleared by pardon, does the granting of a pardon release him from obligation to keep the law, leaving him free to steal thereafter?
2. We have no ransom to bring. The demand of the government is obedience; and the duty is perpetual. Any cessation or suspension is a break in the chain which we cannot restore. We cannot on one day perform the duties of another, in such a manner as to suspend obligations on that other day. And the idea I wish to enforce now is this: no substitute for obedience can be accepted. Hence the transgressor could not save himself, even though he retained all his original strength to obey; but the following truth is well-known.
3. We are incapacitated by immoral practices. In this I appeal to the consciousness of every candid, reflecting mind. We all acknowledge ourselves to be subjects of temptation, and often find in ourselves a proneness to do that which our convictions forbid. If we allow ourselves to do wrong these feelings become still stronger, and we are less able to resist the temptation. Wrong doing becomes a habit, hard to resist or overcome. Thus, he who has a moderate desire to drink ardent spirits, will find that desire greatly strengthened by indulgence: and it will finally, if indulged too far, bring him completely under its control. This is the tendency of all wrong-doing. But we all feel conscious of having done more or less wrong; and it is but reasonable to say we have done more than we are conscious of, inasmuch as we have not been sufficiently tenacious of the right, nor very watchful to observe our own wrongs. And according to the plain truth herein stated, we have become weak according to the wrong we have done; and so much the more need the assistance of a third party to set us right with the power we have offended.
An Atonement must not only unite justice and mercy, and reconcile the transgressor to the law; but the perpetuity and stability of the government should be the first consideration, as they are first in importance in our relations and duties, because on them the perpetuity of all private relations and rights depend. We all assent to this, that public good should be held paramount to private interest. But these only come in conflict, when we place ourselves in opposition to the government. Hence, if our interest conflicts with the government, which is the conservator of general rights, it is proved to be a selfish interest. For, had we honored and sustained the government in our lives or actions, it would justify or sustain us; but if our rights are forfeited by disobedience, wherein is the government to blame? Because the transgressor has sacrificed his own rights, it is not therefore reasonable to ask that justice be dishonored, and the rights of others sacrificed for his benefit. As right should be the first consideration in all transactions, the interest of the government, which is right, should certainly be held paramount to the good of the transgressor, who is wrong. Therefore in making an atonement the upholding of law—the maintaining of governmental authority should be held as of the first importance. This is, indeed, the only manner in which an atonement can honor the government in behalf of which it is made.
By a single violation of law we forfeit our rights and privileges; but by persisting in such violation, or inducing others so to do, and thus disregard the authority of law, we take the rank of rebels or traitors against the government. Let us examine this subject briefly. The following propositions are plain:
1. Treason is the highest crime. He who commits murder takes a life, but he who seeks to subvert the law, seeks the destruction of life's safeguard; of that which is to protect life by preventing and punishing crime. Hence it is the aggregation of all crimes.
2. The Government has the sole right to free therefrom. By this I mean that the government has the sole right to dictate the terms or conditions by which the rebel may be restored to citizenship. This is true also, in regard to all crimes for which pardon is desired. And this right, government ought to exercise. No one who has any regard for violated rights, for down-trodden justice, for the sacred principles of law and order, could be willing to see the traitor unconditionally restored to place and favor. No government would be safe pursuing such a course; neither could it command respect.
  1. He who will not accept the conditions is a traitor still. If the government has the sole right to dictate terms to rebels which all must allow, then the transgressor can only change his relations to the government by accepting those terms; and if he refuses to accept them, he of course persists in maintaining his position in rebellion. Or to substitute terms of his own would be no better; but rather an insult to the government, a denial of its right and authority. If a traitor were to dictate how crimes should be treated, government would be a farce, and become the contempt of honest men. Therefore two things must be required of a transgressor or rebel, which only can be accepted, to wit:
  2. Unqualified submission to the laws which have been transgressed, and,
  3. A hearty acceptance of the plan or conditions offered for his restoration.
Pardon granted on any other terms tends to iniquity, violating the principles of right and justice, and subverting government.
It is unnecessary to argue, but well to mention, that a substitute, to render satisfaction to justice, must be free from condemnation in his own life; he must be innocent in the sight of the law, or free from its transgression. For one criminal to offer his life for another would not be any satisfaction to justice, seeing his own was already forfeited.

RIGHTS OF SUBJECTS.

While advocating the claims of the government, I would not lose sight of the truth that the subjects have claims on justice also. As very much is due from the subjects to the government, so something is due from the government to the subjects. It is expected of a government to establish its laws, and of the subjects to obey them; but it should be able to present tangible and substantial claims to obedience. We notice, then,
1. The government must plainly reveal its laws. It is recorded of a certain tyrant, that he caused his laws to be posted at such a height that they could not be read, and then punished those who did not keep them. This was injustice—it was indeed tyranny. It is law that defines our duty; and in order that obedience may be justly enforced, such declaration of duty should be clear and distinct: not left to supposition or to doubtful inference. We have before considered that a moral government, a system above nature, is acknowledged; but what is due to that government our consciousness or moral sense does not inform us. On this point our opinions, if not guided by revelation, will be as various as our impulses, our interests, or the difference of our circumstances and education.
But if our duties be left to our own judgments, with our conflicting feelings and interests, our determinations will be so various, that confusion and anarchy must unavoidably be the result. It would be in truth, no law—no government. Was ever a government known that proclaimed no laws, but left all actions entirely to the choice of the subjects? No! there could be no government under such conditions. Shall we then admit that God, the Creator of heaven and earth, is a moral Governor, and this we do by admitting a Moral System, and yet deny his justice, his wisdom, and in fact his very government, by denying the revelation of his will, or law to man? Such a denial is too unreasonable for me; it involves conclusions too absurd and derogatory to the divine character. It is really sinking Deity below our ideas of a human governor.
But again: as it is the prerogative of the government to ordain its laws, so it is its sole prerogative, as we have seen, to determine the means whereby a rebel may be restored to citizenship, and as the law must be plainly revealed to serve the purposes of justice, so,
2. The government must plainly reveal the conditions of pardon. The right to ordain conditions being exclusively in the government, the subjects or offenders can have no means of ascertaining them, except by direct revelation. If left without this they can never be restored, for it would be absurd to leave the offenders to devise their own means. That would be to place the dearest rights of the government into the hands of criminals: a thought unworthy of consideration. In all this we plainly see that one demand of justice, is a written revelation. And so reasonable is this, so consistent with the plainest principles of justice, that, instead of objecting to a written revelation, every one that is capable of reasoning correctly should expect such a revelation, as strictly necessary to the moral government of God.

CONCLUDING REMARKS AND QUESTIONS.

1. If God has instituted morals, he is a moral Governor, and has a moral law; for there can be no government without a law. If there is a moral law it must be the only rule and standard of morality; and it follows that we can only determine a man's character in a moral point of view, by comparing his life with the law of God—the moral rule. And whoever has violated that law has lost his moral character by such violation, as surely as that morality consists in obedience to moral law. But we are all conscious of having violated the principles of right and justice; most of our race in a most glaring manner. All around us are evidences that man has ruined himself by sin. How may he be acquitted and restored?
2. We have considered that the government has the sole right to dictate the terms whereby man may be restored to favor. We trace a plain distinction between the systems of nature, and morality; but in neither, can we discover the measure of obedience due to the divine government, or the method or means, whereby we may be reconciled to our Creator. How shall we obtain this information?
3. We have seen the utter inability of man to save himself from the penalty of his transgressions, and his imperative necessity of a mediator to atone for us, and to vindicate justice in our pardon. And our fellow men are all in the same condition, as helpless and unworthy as ourselves. Who shall act as our mediator?
My dear friend! turn not hastily away from these thoughts; pause and reflect. You have talked of reason; boasted of reason: "Come now and let us reason together." Can you deny or invalidate the positions taken in the preceding pages? If not, as I believe you cannot, can you answer the three questions above? Can you tell me to a certainty what duty you owe to your Creator? or on what principle you expect to be justified before God? or by whom or by what means you may be restored after offending? Can you tell me how and where we may learn all this? Is it in Nature? Do you not need a written revelation?
Again, would it not serve the cause of justice, and the true purpose of government, to have the laws of our lives, moral laws, published for the benefit of those amenable thereto? Surely it would. So far from being astonished at the idea of a written revelation,—a publication of the Divine laws, we should expect it; justice demands it. And, if we could not produce such a document, would you not esteem it an oversight in the Governor?
Once more: An atonement has been supposed to lead to immorality. But according to what has been proved it is the only possible method of restoring the sinner to favor which does not lead to immorality. I will readily grant that any theory by which the atonement is claimed to have abolished the law, or relaxed its claims, leads to immorality. But can that lead to it, which acknowledges the justice of law, removes rebellion and restores the wrong-doer to obedience? You will see that this objection arises, not from any defect in the system of the atonement, but from the ignorance of the objector as to what that system is. There is as much difference between pardon and license, as there is between liberty and licentiousness; and he who cannot discern the difference is to be pitied.
Now if it can be shown, as I claim it can, that the Bible is in perfect harmony with these principles, and enforces them strictly, there will remain no reasonable objection against receiving it as a revelation from the great "Law Giver." To this we turn our attention.
(To be Continued.)

The Call.

The night is dark; behold, the shade was deeper In the old garden of Gethsemane, When that calm voice awoke the weary sleeper— "Could'st thou not watch one hour alone with me?"
O thou! so weary of thy self-denials, And so impatient of thy daily cross, Is it so hard to bear thy little trials, To count all earthly things a gainful loss?
What if thou always suffer tribulation, And if thy Christian warfare never cease, The gaining of the quiet habitation Shall gather thee to everlasting peace.
But here we all must suffer, walking lonely The path that Jesus once himself hath gone: Watch thou in patience through the dark hour only— This one dark hour before the eternal dawn.
The captive's oar may pause upon the galley, The soldier sleep beneath the plumed crest, And peace may fold her wing o'er hill and valley, But thou, O Christian! must not take thy rest.
Thou must walk on, however man upbraid thee, With him who trod the wine-press all alone: Thou wilt not find one human hand to aid thee— One human soul to comprehend thine own.
Heed not the images forever thronging From out the foregoing life thou livest no more; Faint-hearted mariner, still art thou longing For the dim line of the receding shore?
Wilt thou find rest of soul in thy returning To that old path thou hast so vainly trod? Hast thou forgotten all thy weary yearning To walk among the children of thy God—
Faithful and steadfast in their consecration, Living by that high faith to thee so dim, Declaring before God their dedication, So far from thee because so near to him?
Canst thou forget thy Christian superscription— "Behold we count them happy who endure?" What treasures wouldst thou, in the land Egyptian Repass the stormy water to secure?
Poor wandering soul! I know that thou art seeking Some easier way, as all have sought before, To silence the reproachful inward speaking— Some landward path unto an island shore.
The cross is heavy in thy human measure— The way too narrow for thy inward pride; Thou canst not lay thine intellectual treasure At the low footstool of the crucified.
Oh! that thy faithless soul, one great hour only, Would comprehend the Christian's perfect life— Despised with Jesus, sorrowful and lonely, Yet calmly looking upward in its strife.
For poverty and self-renunciation, The Father yielded back a thousand fold; In the calm stillness of regeneration, Cometh a joy we never knew of old.
In meek obedience to the heavenly Teacher, Thy weary soul can find its only peace; Seeking no aid from any human creature— Looking to God alone for his release.
And he will come in his own time and power, To set his earnest-hearted children free: Watch only through this dark and painful hour, And the bright morning yet will break for thee.

Grace.

In the place of our sin grace meets us, nay, only there. It was in the land of the Chaldees, the place of his idolatry, that the grace of God met Abraham. It was on the way to Damascus, breathing out slaughter against the saints, that the grace of God met with Saul. It was to the woman, caught in the act of sin, that the Lord spoke in words of such marvelous grace, "Neither do I condemn thee; go and sin no more." In the prison of Philippi, the scene of his hard-heartedness and cruelty to the saints, the grace of God found the poor heathen jailor, and made him to rejoice in God that very night with all his house. It was to the sinners of Jerusalem that the Gospel was to be first proclaimed, that, on the very spot where the deed of infinite guilt had been done, there grace might find the doers and tell its glad story in their ears.
Grace does not stand upon the distant mountain-top and call on the sinner to climb up the steep heights, that he may obtain its treasures; it comes down into the valley in quest of him; nay, it stretches down its hand into the very lowest depths of the horrible pit, to pluck him thence out of the miry clay.—Bonar.

Strong in the Lord.

PAUL had a sense of "weakness," "fear," and even "trembling," in his public exercises, especially when he had to confront the gainsaying heathen multitudes. But the "grace" of God was "sufficient for him." It enabled him to sacrifice himself on these occasions for his Divine Master. It revealed his own power in contrast with his weakness, and his preaching, though without the enticing words of man's wisdom, "was in demonstration of the Spirit and with power." There is something both affecting and sublime in this spectacle of an infirm, trembling man throwing himself with self-distrust and self-sacrifice, but with triumphant power, against the strongholds of ancient philosophy and heathenism—glorying only in the delegated strength of his God;—in that strength challenging all the mightiness of earth and hell, and by it revolutionizing the moral world—"turning the world upside down." Learn well the lesson of his example, O, trembling man of God! remember that in thine own weakness is thy divine strength : that the humble, earnest soul is irresistibly and always triumphant; that God must fall before he can fall who stands forth only in the name and strength of his God.—Methodist.

Progress of Skepticism.

ONE startling fact is very apparent at the present time, that is, the rapid increase of skepticism. Some of the faithful are beginning to open their eyes to this sad truth, who, till recently, had supposed the world was really growing better, and that the millennium was about to begin, when nearly all would be converted; but they now see the very opposite is true, and these are truly times of great peril to the church of Christ.
Says the Tract Journal for April, '63:—"The progress of skepticism in the English Established Church has been so great as to occasion serious alarm among the lovers of truth. A meeting has recently been held in London, of three hundred clergymen, to consider what should be done in this emergency. It was there stated by the most eminent divines that the infection prevails in the universities. Young men, both at Oxford and Cambridge, are 'becoming so unsettled in their minds that in many cases they shrink from the responsibility of taking orders in the church;' 'the more daring the skeptical statements broached in the Common Rooms the more favorably they are received.' The nature of this unbelief was summed up by the chairman of the meeting, Rev. Daniel Wilson, Vicar of Islington:—
'If I were asked to express in a single word the prevailing sentiment of those who indulge in this unrestrained spirit of free inquiry, I should describe it thus—that the Bible is behind the age; that it was well adapted to the childhood of the church, but that in the present advanced period of knowledge the final appeal must be withdrawn from the written Word and transferred to man's verifying faculty.'
It is well known that the most elaborate attacks have of late been made upon the authenticity of the Scriptures. These are not of the gross and repulsive school of Voltaire and Paine, but they assume the more decent guise of learning, and a zeal for the truth. The late notorious work of Bishop Colenso is a specimen. In our own country there have been a few feeble imitators of these writers, one of the feeblest of whom is the Rev. L. A. Sawyer, author of a new translation of the New Testament and parts of the Old. He has published several articles denying the historical verity of the Pentateuch and claiming for the Hebrew books a comparatively modern date."

“What is Truth.”

“WHAT IS TRUTH?” said jesting Pilate, and never waited for a reply. “Art THOU A KING, then?” said Pilate equally in jest, and paid no attention to the reply. The race of PILATE will never be extinct. Were the Roman procousul to come to life again, he would find a numerous family of descendants. Three-fourths, at least, of professing Christendom are Pilates in their hearts. They do not wish to destroy Christ, nor do they much care for defending him. They are cool and indifferent. They wash their hands and say they are clean every whit. They are satisfied like Pilate, with the outward ceremonial, but care as little as he did for the inward reality. Pilate did not deny that our Lord was King, he only laughed at the idea. No one now denies that the Lord is King they only laugh at the mention of the Kingdom. Then comes the solemn answer, “My kingdom is not of this world”—an answer that will stand good against all the Pilates of the Christian apostasy, and one that has been shamefully perverted.
Christendom, like Pontius Pilate, passes over with a good-humored laugh the mention of the kingdom of God. It listens with good humor because it believes it to be a harmless jest. Were it to be offered in reality they would crucify the Son of God afresh, to get rid of the nuisance of his government. Press them hard upon the subject, and they have their answer ready. “My kingdom is not of this world. Does not the Lord tell us that his kingdom is not a worldly but a spiritual one? Are you not satisfied with so conclusive a reply?”
We answer that we are satisfied with the reply, but by no means with the interpretation. Our Lord never said that his kingdom was not OVER this world, he only says that it is not of this world; and if any one will look at the original Greek Testament he will find that “of” means “out of,” or “from out of.” It is certainly true that the Kingdom of God does not arise “out of” the world, for the world hates it more than it hates the kingdom of the Evil One; but it is equally certain that the Kingdom of God will be “OVER” this world. Our Lord's kingdom does not rise “out of” the world, and therefore, as he says, his servants did not employ an army of flesh and blood to establish his kingdom, because his kingdom was not to take its ORIGIN from the world, or powers of the earth. But that is all which his answer implies. He never says that his kingdom is not OVER this world, nor would it have been possible for him to have said so; for the angel Gabriel, in Luke declares that the Son of Mary shall reign on the throne of his Father David. The throne of David, we know was literal not spiritual, and, therefore, in spite of Caiaphas, Pontius Pilate, and modern Christendom, the Son of David shall reign OVER the world; and “of his kingdom there shall be no end.”
The capital city of that Kingdom will be the New Jerusalem—a “city having foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” It is the place of which our Lord spoke when he said to the apostles, “I go to PREPARE a place for you.” From those words we may infer that the New Jerusalem has been in preparation ever since, or least that it is in preparation now.—The last Vials.

Suggestions for Health-Preservation.

THE season is now upon us when, owing to the summer heats and atmospheric influences, fevers prostrate, and diarrheas, exhaust multitudes who, during less debilitating seasons of the year, are comparatively exempt from disease. Yet this class of complaints may generally be avoided. The readers of the Agriculturist should be well enough acquainted with the subject of Health-Preservation to know that it does not depend upon medicines. These would rarely be necessary, if we were as anxious to take care of our own health as a thrifty farmer is to take care of that of his sheep and hogs.
Men are apt to employ less common sense in their behalf, in this regard, than in behalf of their swine! They will carefully study and profit by information relative to the ailments of their herd, and how to avoid them, while the preservation of their own health, and that of their children, is a subject rarely thought of. Worse still, sparing neither pains nor expense to procure the most wholesome food for their animals, they debilitate their own stomachs with that which they know to be unwholesome. The general rules and requirements of health are simple and easily learned. In fact, one has but to watch the sensations of his olfactories, skin, and stomach, and heed them, to keep clear of all danger from ordinary diseases. The sense of smell warns him against inhaling impure air; the skin, by dryness, feverishness, or irritation, indicates a want of that frequent bathing, which is so essential to health; and the stomach calls for food when needed repels it when enough has been eaten, and in a natural state, betokens generally that which is unwholesome. A little extra pains to notice these indications will greatly sharpen the perceptions.
It may be set down as a general rule that ordinary diseases can not obtain a foothold where only pure air is inhaled, the skin is clean and healthy, and the stomach kept in good condition. The latter involves the most difficulty, owing to the depraved habits of diet in "civilized" society. But a few rules, well lived up to, will rarely fail. viz.: Be regular as to time of eating; do not exercise violently either immediately before or immediately after meals; and let the last meal of the day be light and easy of digestion, so that sleep may be undisturbed and refreshing. In the morning, any bilious disturbance of the stomach is known by the bitter taste in the mouth. Heed this warning by restricting diet to plain bread, vegetables, and ripe fruits; and if it increases, go without supper, and take a thorough warm water bath—rinsing off in cool water—just before retiring to bed. As a general dietetic rule for summer, persons in any degree delicate should use plenty of ripe, raw, and cooked fruits at meals, and but little, if any, fat meats. Let all dietetic changes be gradual; and for the most part use food that requires chewing, and chew it well, in order to give the stomach the full benefit of the assistance of the saliva in digestion.
Avoid sudden changes in quantity of clothing, cooling off suddenly when heated and perspiring, and all sudden changes. In keeping the skin clean, do not neglect that most important part, the scalp.—Sel.

Vulgar Language.

THERE is as much connection between the words and the thoughts as there is between the thoughts and the actions. The latter are not always the expression of the former, but they have a power to react upon the soul, and leave the stain of their corruption there. A young man who allows himself to use one vulgar or profane word, has not only shown that there is a foul spot upon his mind, but by the utterance of that word he extends that spot and inflames it, till by indulgence, it will pollute and ruin the soul. Be careful of your words as well as your thoughts. If you can control the tongue that no improper words are pronounced by it, you will soon be able, also, to control the mind, and thus save that from corruption. You extinguish the fire by smothering it, or preventing bad thoughts from bursting into language. Never utter a word anywhere which you would be ashamed to speak in the presence of the most refined female, or the most religious man. Try this practice a little while and you will soon have command of yourself.—Sel.

The Lord's Prayer Illustrated.

Our Father, Isa. lxiii, 16.
By right of creation, Mal. ii, 10.
By bountiful provision, Psa. cxlv, 16.
By gracious adoption. Eph. i, 5.
Who art in heaven, 1 Kings viii, 43.
The throne of thy glory, Isa. lxvi, 1.
The portion of thy children, 1 Pet. 1.
The temple of thy angels, Isa. lxvi, 1.
Hallowed be thy name; Psa. cxv, 1.
By the thoughts of our hearts, Psa. lxxxvi. 11.
By the words of our lips, Psa. li, 15.
By the work of our hands. 1 Cor. x, 31.
Thy kingdom come ; Psa. cx, 2.
Of providence to defend us, Psa. xvii 8
Of grace to refine us, 1 Thess. v, 23.
Of glory to crown us. Col. iii, 4.
Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Acts xxi, 14.
Toward us, without resistance; 1 Sam. iii, 18.
By us without compulsion; Psa. cxix, 36.
Universally, without exception; Luke i, 6.
Eternally, without declension. Psa. cxix, 93.
Give us this day our daily bread;
Of necessity, for our bodies; Prov. xxx, 8.
Of eternal life for our souls. John 6, 34.
And forgive us our trespasses, Psa. xxv, 11.
Against the commands of thy law; 1 John iii, 4.
Against the grace of thy gospel. 1 Tim. i, 13.
As we forgive them that trespass against us; Matt. vi, 15.
By defaming our characters, Matt. v, 11.
By embezzling our property, Phile. 18.
By abusing our persons. Acts vii, 60.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: Matt. xxvi, 41.
Of overwhelming affliction, Psa. cxxx, 1.
Of worldly enticements, 1 John ii, 15.
Of Satan's devices, 1 Tim. iii, 7.
Of error's seduction, 1 Tim. vi, 10.
Of sinful affections. Rom. i, 26.
For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Jude 25.
Thy kingdom governs all, Psa. ciii, 19.
Thy power subdues all, Phil. iii, 20.
Thy glory is above all. Psa. cxlviii, 13.
Amen. Eph. i, 11.
As it is in thy purposes, Isa. xiv, 27.
So it is in thy promises; 1 Cor. i, 20.
So be it in our prayers; Rev. xxii, 20.
So it shall be to thy praise. Rev. xix, 4.
From Bernard's Thesaurus.
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