The Enquirer

BISHOP MADISON'S
PRAYER,
DELIVERED AT THE JUBILEE AT
JAMES-TOWN.

O GOD! parent almighty, who, tho' unseen, upholdeth this ponderous ball, and breathing through the immensity of space, fillest with stupendous life all which it inhabit: Spirit invisible! God of our forefathers, to thee we raise the voice of praise and thanks-giving; O hear us, and deign to accept this our imperfect homage. Thou great and glorious being, who, according to the plans of thy wisdom, did'st first inspire our forefathers with the elevated idea of seeking an asylum for man in this Western World; thou, who, bad'st the terrors of death to retire from their hearts, the remorseless billows of the deep to be at rest, and the horrors of the howling wilderness no longer to alarm, O hear; and on this eventful day, suffer us to pour forth, from the fulness of our souls, the tide of reverential affection of joy, and of gratitude; Suffer us, the descendants and heirs of those mighty men, whose footsteps under thy gracious providence here were first impressed, to approach thy divine majesty, to declare the wonderous things which thou hast done for us, and to implore thy continued protection.

Assembled in thy sight, we now prostrate ourselves before thee upon that ground, which thou, O God! did'st choose whereon to rest the wearied feet of our progenitors. Twice one hundred times hath this earth, in obedience to thy command, performed it's faithful revolutions around the fountain of light, since thy providential goodness was here testified by our ancestors with heartfelt songs of gratitude and praise. The stream of time hath swept before thee, the generations which since have arisen and passed away; but, we, upon whom this day hath fallen, will rejoice in thy presence, and with a sincere and ardent gratitude will recall to vivid memory thy former and thy present mercies.

Hallowed be the place where thou did'st particularly manifest thy goodness to our forefathers; and where the heavenly plan for spreading wide the blessings of social rights first beamed forth. It was here O God, it was on this chosen ground that thou did'st first lay the sure foundations of political happiness.— Here, did'st thou say to our fore-fathers, who, under thy guidance, had defied the perils of an untried ocean, here fix your abode; here shall the great work of political salvation commence; here I will strike deep the roots of an everlasting empire, where justice and liberty, and peace shall flourish in immortal vigor, to the glory of my name and the happiness of man. Here ye shall sleep; but your sons and your daughters shall possess the land which stretcheth wide before you; Shall convert the wilderness and solitary places into fields smiling with plenty; shall in ages yet to come exceed the sands upon the Sea-shore in number; shall, when, 200 years are accomplished, here resort, here recall to mind your valor and your sufferings; and here, touched with a lively sense of the blessings vouchsafed to them, they shall exalt and adore my name, and acknowledge that the mightiness of my arm and the overshadowing of my spirit, hath done these great and excellent things for them.

Such, O God, was thy will. To thy servants now before thee has been given the high boon of living to see the light of that day, and of acknowledging, that thy promises are as steadfast as the everlasting hills.-- To us has been given the triumph which this day affords: It was thy providence which reared the tender plant that here took root, which nourished it with the dews of heaven until it's branches have cast their shade from ocean to ocean. It was thy providence, gracious benefactor of man, which awoke in our breasts a just sense of the inappreciable value of our rights, and infused that indomitable spirit which effected a revolution the most important in the annals of time, and which led to the establishment of civil governments throughout this rising empire, upon the broad and firm basis of equal laws. It was thy providence, which inspired that wisdom, which hath guarded us against the horrors of war, and which, amidst the dread convulsions that agitate the old world, hath still irradiated this thy chosen land with the blessings of peace. To thee O God we ascribe, as is most due, that never ceasing current of national prosperity, which has daily increased; and which under thy auspices, we trust, will continue to increase, until its waters, spreading over every region of the earth, shall gladden with their salubrious streams nations which are now the victims of ambition, and thus diffuse peace and good will among the whole family of mankind.

Continue, gracious benefactor, thy mercies toward us. O teach us ever to love and to reverence thy name; teach us, that the God of virtue can love only virtue: teach us, that it is thou only, the first source of happiness, who can secure it to the human race; impress upon our hearts an ardent love for thy holy religion: May its pure and sublime morality be to us the rule of all duties; may it guard us against the debasing influence of licentiousness and vice, and inspire the people of these United States with those inflexible virtues, which republics demand; may the love of our country and obedience to law be the dignified characteristic of citizens; may they never forget, that, without religion, morality dies; and, that without morality, republics are swept from before thee with the besom of destruction.

Bless all the constituted authorities, and so rule their hearts, and strengthen their hands, that they may drive from among us all manner of vice. Give prosperity to the different seminaries of learning; increase true knowledge, and infix upon the hearts of the rising generation a just sense of the duties, which they owe to themselves, to their fellow-creatures, and to their God.

Finally, O God, pardon our offences, and deign to hear our imperfect prayer for the sake of thy son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.