THE GENERAL INTERCESSION.

Almighty everlasting God, heavenly Father, look with the eyes of thy boundless pity on our adversity, misery, and need. Have mercy on all who believe in Christ, for whom thy only-begotten Son, our dear Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, was willing to give himself into the hands of sinners, and hath shed his precious blood upon the tree of the holy cross. For the sake of this thy Son, mayest thou be willing, O most gracious Father, to avert from us all well-deserved punishments, present and future dangers, pernicious seditions, war, scarcity, famine, infectious diseases, and times of misery and trouble. Enlighten and strengthen for every good end all spiritual and temporal powers and rulers, that they may promote what will most redound to the honour of thy name, to our true happiness, and to the common welfare of the whole of Christendom. Bless, O Lord, the shepherds of thy holy Church, especially our Bishop. In particular let thy grace rest abundantly upon the Emperor and King, our Lord, and the Empress and Queen his wife, and over the whole regal house. (Slight alterations must be made in this clause to suit the various political circumstances of Bavaria, Wurtemberg, Baden, &c.; and during the Session of Parliament shall be added,) Enlighten and guide with thy spirit the assembled delegates, that all their consultations and works may be undertaken in thy fear, in Christian unity, and in conscientious attention to the inseparable welfare of our king and fatherland. May their consultations tend to increase and perpetuate amongst ourselves and our posterity, peace and prosperity, discipline and order, truth and righteousness, piety and the fear of God.

Grant unto us, O God of peace, a true unity in the Faith without any dissension or schism. Convert our hearts to true repentance and the amelioration of our lives. Kindle within us a zealous striving after all righteousness, that as thy obedient children we may be well-pleasing unto thee in life and death. We also pray, as thou desirest that we should pray, for our friends and enemies, for those in health and sickness, for all Christians in trouble or distress, for the living and the dead. Let us commend to thee, once for all, what we do and what we leave undone, our trade and traffic, our life and death. Vouchsafe unto us here to enjoy thy grace, and yonder with all the elect to attain unto that place where we may praise and glorify thee in everlasting felicity. Grant this, O Lord and heavenly Father, through our Lord Jesus Christ thy Son, who with thee and the Holy Ghost liveth and reigneth, true God for ever and ever. Amen[1].