Loyalists’ Centennial Souvenir - 1887 - p12-14

Year
1887
Article Title
DR. POPE'S PRAYER
Author
<Anonymous>
Page Number
12-14
Article Type
Language
Article Contents
Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God Almighty, which was, which is, and which is to come. Far back in the sublime solitude of Thine own underived and self-existent being Thou had laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the work of Thine hand; they shall perish, but Thou remainest; they all shall wax old as a garment, as a vesture shalt Thou fold them up and they shall be changed, but Thou art the same, and Thy years shall never fail. Centuries may begin and end, millenniums come and go, but the hand of time may write no wrinkle on Thy brow, for one day with Thee is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. Compared with the infinitude and changelessness of Thy endless being, how insignificant appear the duration of empires and the life-time of our race. Standing, as we now do, amid the evening shades of a closing century, and thinking of the men who witnessed its opening morning, we are deeply impressed with the frail and evanescent character of human life, and are led to exclaim: "Our fathers! where are they? and the prophets! do they live for ever?" So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. Assembled to retrace the course and recall some of the events connected with the first century of our existence as a people in this country, and desiring to solemnize its expiring moments by worshipping Thee in this sanctuary in the spirit of Christian gratitude, penitence, and devotion, we place ourselves immediately under the guidance and inspiration of Thy holy spirit; we trust for acceptance with Thee and pardon at Thy hands only through the infinite merits of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, desiring humbly to confess our manifold sins as a people and as individuals, while we earnestly pray God to be merciful unto us and bless us and cause His face to shine upon us. We recognize in Thee and worship Thee as the Supreme Ruler of the universe and sovereign Governor among the nations of the earth. Thou it is that setteth the solitary of mankind in families; that hast made of one blood all nations of men to dwell upon all the face of the earth, who hast determined the times before appointed and the bounds of their habitations; we, therefore, recognize Thine hand in the coming to this section of the great American continent of our Loyalist ancestors, whose landing on our shores one hundred years ago we would now gladly and gratefully commemorate. We thank Thee, we glorify Thee on behalf of those brave and enterprizing men, those heroic and enduring women, who contributed so largely to the laying, broad, and deep, and strong, the foundation of that great Canadian Dominion beneath whose flag we worship, and are permitted to enjoy so much peace and prosperity. We bless Thee for Thy grace afforded in connection with their wise legislation; their skilful enterprises, before which the unbroken desert became as a fruitful field; and the fruitful field as a garden which the Lord delighteth to bless, so that now with goodly cities, thrifty towns, growing villages, and an increasingly fruitful country, with the hum of industry saluting the ear on every hand, with the sails of our commercial marine whitening the waters in every direction, with our collegiate and academic institutions, and an unrivalled educational system, as the free heritage of every child in the land, and, above all, the sacred edifices and beneficent institutions of our holy Christian faith, we are gathered within these hallowed walls to-night to rejoice before Thee in Thy goodness and to praise the Lord for all His mercy. We would also invoke Thy continued blessing upon the entire common-wealth; God bless the Queen, the Governor General of this Dominion and his honored wife, the fair and beloved representative of an illustrious line, through whose veins flows the Royal blood of that great British Empire to which we are so proud to belong; God bless the Ministry and Parliament of this Dominion; God bless the Governors and Legislatures of the several Provinces; God bless the people composing the rapidly increasing population of this magnificent and richly endowed country; and, while we view with admiration and pride those grand elements of character by which our Loyalist ancestors and predecessors were so eminently distinguished—loyalty to the Crown, to the country, and to the constitution, and loyalty to their God—we pray we may so successfully imitate their virtues that we may prove ourselves not unworthy to succeed them in the occupancy and enjoyment of this land. God grant that our sons may be as plants grown up in their youth; that our daughters may be as corner stones polished after the similitude of a palace; that our sheep may bring forth thousands and tens of thousands in our streets; that our oxen may be strong to labor; that there be no decays no going out, and no complaining in our streets; and grant that every home in our land may share largely in the happiness of our people, whose God is the Lord. The Lord hear us and answer us, through Jesus Christ, our adorable Redeemer, to whom with Thee and the ever blessed Spirit be all praise, glory, and adoration, world without end. Amen and amen.