An Evening Prayer, 1866
The day is gone, and we give Thee thanks, O Lord. The evening has come; make it bright unto us. As day has its evening, so also has life; abide with us Lord, for it is toward evening, and the day is far spent of this fretful life. Let thy strength be made perfect in our weakness. We beseech of Thee for the close of our life, that Thou wouldst direct it in peace, gathering us together in the repose of thy saints, when Thou wilt, and as Thou wilt, only without shame and sin.
As long as we live we will magnify Thee, O Lord, and lift up our hands in thy name. Let our prayer be set forth before Thee as incense, and the lifting up of our hands as an evening sacrifice. Blessed art Thou, O Lord, our God, the God of our Fathers, who hast created the changes of days and nights, who givest songs in the night, who hast not cut off like a weaver our life, nor from day even to night made an end of us.
Lord, as we add day to day, so do we add sin to sin. But we turn with groans from our evil ways, and we return into our heart, and with all our heart we turn to Thee, O God of penitents and Saviour of sinners. We have sinned, O Lord, against Thee; heavily against Thee. We repent; spare us, O Lord: we repent; help Thou our impenitence. Have mercy upon us, O Lord, after thy great goodness; according to the multitude of thy mercies do away our offences. O bring Thou us out of our trouble. Cleanse Thou us from secret faults; keep back thy servants also from presumptuous sins. Our wanderings of mind and idle talking, lay not to our charge. Deal not with us after our sins, neither reward us after our iniquities. Look mercifully upon our infirmities; and for the glory of thy holy name, turn from us those ills and miseries, which for our sins, are by us most righteously deserved.
To our weariness, O Lord, vouchsafe Thou rest; to our exhaustion renew Thou strength. O Keeper of Israel, who neither slumbersest nor sleepest, guard us this night from all evil; guard our souls, O Lord. Visit us with the sleep of those who rest in thy love; reveal to us wisdom in the visions of the night; or if not, for we are not worthy, at least let sleep be to us a breathing time as from toil, so from sin. Yea, O Lord, let us not in our dreams imagine what may anger Thee, what may defile us. Lord, Thou knowest how sleepless are our unseen foes, and how feeble is our wretched flesh. O shelter us, we pray Thee, with the wing of thy pity. Awake us at the fitting time: and bring us to seek Thee early, for thy glory, and for thy service.
O Thou, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, remember thy whole creation for good, visit the world in thy compassion.
O God of grace and truth, establish all who stand in truth and grace; restore all who are sick with heresies and sins.
O wholesome defence of thine anointed, remember thy Church which Thou hast purchased and redeemed of old; O grant to all believers one heart and one soul.
O Thou by whom are ordained the powers that be, grant to those who are chief in authority over us, to be chief in virtue and thy fear; grant to the National Congress thy holy wisdom; and to our great men to do nothing against, but for the truth.
O Helper of the helpless, seasonable aid in affliction, remember all who are in necessity, and need thy succor. Have mercy on them, as on us also, when in extremities. Remember, Lord, infants and children, orphans and widows, foreigners, travelers and voyagers, the sick in soul or body, all in extreme age and weakness, all in prison and chains, all in bitter servitude, or in loneliness. Thou, Lord, preservest both man and beast; how excellent is thy loving-kindness, O God; therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings.
The Lord bless us, and keep us, and show the light of his countenance upon us, and be merciful unto us; the Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace. Amen.
Order of Worship for the Reformed Church in the United States (Philadelphia: The Publication and Sunday School Board of the Reformed Church in the United States, 1866) pp. 301-303. Copyright Public Domain.