and impute all her good deeds, and forgive her all
those offences against Thee which she hath sincerely
repented of or through the frailty of memory hath
forgot. And now, O Lord, we turn to Thee in
behalf of ourselves and the rest of her sorrowful
friends. Let not our grief afflict her mind,
and thereby have an ill effect on her present distemper.
Forgive the sorrow and weakness of those among us
who sink under the grief and terror of losing so dear
and useful a friend. Accept and pardon our most
earnest prayers and wishes for her longer continuance
in this evil world, to do what Thou art pleased to
call Thy service, and is only her bounden duty, that
she may be still a comfort to us and to all others
who will want the benefit of her conversation, her
advice, her good offices, or her charity. And
since Thou hast promised that where two or three are
gathered together in Thy name Thou wilt be in the
midst of them to grant their request, O gracious Lord,
grant to us who are here met in Thy name that those
requests, which in the utmost sincerity and earnestness
of our hearts we have now made in behalf of this Thy
distressed servant and of ourselves, may effectually
be answered, through the merits of Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
Footnotes:
{1} A clearer style, or a discourse more properly adapted to a public audience, can scarce be framed. Every paragraph is simple, nervous, and intelligible. The threads of each argument are closely connected and logically pursued.—Orrery.