Repent ye; for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand. St. Matt. 3:2.
I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. St. Luke 15:18, 19.
Enter not into judgment with thy servant, O Lord; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. Psalm 143:2.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us; but if we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 1 St. John 1:8, 9.6
These scriptures provide an outline of the historic Christian Gospel—we are sinners before a just God. We need to repent of our sins and turn to the Lord for forgiveness. After reading these convicting Bible verses, the worshipers would recite the following prayers of repentance and of forgiveness:
A general Confession to be said of the whole Congregation after the Minister, all kneeling.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; We have erred, and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare thou them, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; According to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for his sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, To the glory of thy holy Name. Amen.
The Absolution, or Remission of sins, to be pronounced by the Priest alone, standing; the people still kneeling.
ALMIGHTY God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who desireth not the death of a sinner, but rather that he may turn from his wickedness, and live; and hath given power, and commandment, to his Ministers, to declare and pronounce to his people, being penitent, the Absolution and Remission of their sins : He pardoneth and absolveth all them that truly repent, and unfeignedly believe his holy Gospel. Wherefore let us beseech him to grant us true repentance, and his Holy Spirit, that those things may please him, which we do at this present; and that the rest of our life hereafter may be pure, and holy; so that at the last we may come to his eternal joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
The people shall answer here, and at the end of all other prayers, Amen.7
Whatever may have been Washington’s personal faith, it is clear that the guide for worship used by his church, his family, his soldiers, and himself was unmistakably Christian.
WASHINGTON’S USE OF THE PRAYER BOOK AT BRADDOCK’S FUNERAL
During the French and Indian War, George Washington presided over the funeral of his British commanding officer, General Edward Braddock, shot in the massacre at Monongahela on July 9, 1755. For this funeral service, Washington again used the 1662 Book of Common Prayer, and he did so by candlelight. They buried Braddock in the middle of the trail, so that Indians would not find and desecrate his grave.
The service he would have said that fateful night began with these three Bible verses. (Note that the first was put on Washington’s own tomb thirty years after he died):
The Order for the Burial of the Dead.
I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. St. John 11:25, 26.
I KNOW that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shalt stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another. Job 19:25, 26, 27.
WE brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the Name of the Lord. 1 Tim. 6:7. Job 1:21.
Then, after reading a Psalm, the priest (on in this case, the lay-leader) was to read from the Resurrection chapter:
1 Cor. 15. 20
NOW is Christ risen from the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept. For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive….Behold, I shew you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump, (for the trumpet shall sound,) and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality; then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord.
After other prayers (such as the Lord’s Prayer) are said and other scriptures are read, the leader closes with this prayer and the attached benediction
O MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life; in whom whosoever believeth shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us, by his holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for them that sleep in him: We meekly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him, as our hope is this our brother doth; and that, at the general Resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all that love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world: Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.
THE grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with us all evermore. Amen.8
Again, how could a Deist say all these words in good conscience? The point is simply this: George Washington was an eighteenth century Anglican, and we do injustice to his memory by ripping him out of that context, as many modern scholars consistently do.
WASHINGTON’S SUPPORT FOR PUBLIC AND PRIVATE CALLS FOR PRAYER
As a military and political leader, George Washington called for prayer on a multitude of occasions or he received such requests from Congress and church leaders, and then passed them on to others with his blessing and commitment to participate. Excellent examples of the Congressional calls for prayer come from 17779 and 1779. On the second date, Washington, acting on Congress’ request, not only ordered his men to pray but in the process, mentioned “our gracious redeemer,” the “light of the gospel,” “the church,” “the light of Christian knowledge,” and “the Holy Spirit.” Washington proceded to command his chaplains to promulgate this message to the whole army.10
After the end of the War, General Washington explained how the surrender of the British would be proclaimed to the troops, making sure that he gave thanks to God first.
General Orders
Friday, April 18, 1783.
The Commander in Chief orders the Cessation of Hostilities between the United States of America and the King of Great Britain to be publickly proclaimed tomorrow at 12 o’clock at the New building, and that the Proclamation which will be communicated herewith, be read tomorrow evening at the head of every regiment and corps of the army. After which the Chaplains with the several Brigades will render thanks to almighty God for all his mercies, particularly for his over ruling the wrath of man to his own glory, and causing the rage of war to cease amongst the nations.11
During the Constitutional Convention in 1787, when a passionate plea to turn to God for help came from none other than Benjamin Franklin, Washington ostensibly was in complete agreement.12 As the new president, Washington wrote to the ministers, church wardens, and vestry-men of the German Lutheran Congregation in and near Philadelphia on April 27, 1789: “I shall earnestly desire the continuation of an interest in your intercessions at the Throne of Grace.”13 In short, Washington said: keep praying for me.
This biblical allusion reminded his hearers (who were likewise biblically literate) of Hebrews 4:16: “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.” Washington repeated this allusion to” “the Throne of Grace” in his May 29, 1789, letter to the bishops of the Methodist Episcopal Church in the United States of America.14
Since America now had a president and Congress was operating under the new Constitution, Congress sent word to Washington to call for a day of thanksgiving and prayer. Thus, Washington issued a call for prayer to the nation on America’s first official Thanksgiving. The purpose was to thank God for the chance to peaceably assemble and operate under the new government. Washington complied and on October 3, 1789, he issued a proclamation (which is found in full in this chapter.) We quote the opening here to show that our first president believed that prayer had a place in society:
…it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the Providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor….15
In his Sixth Annual Address to Congress on November 19, 1794 he again called the nation to prayer:
Let us unite, therefore, in imploring the Supreme Ruler of nations, to spread his holy protection over these United States: to turn the machinations of the wicked to the confirming of our constitution: to enable us at all times to root out internal sedition, and put invasion to flight: to perpetuate to our country that prosperity, which his goodness has already conferred, and to verify the anticipations of this government being a safe guard to human rights.16
In his final, Eighth Annual Address to Congress, dated December 7, 1796, Washington again referred to his prayers for the nation:
The situation in which I now stand, for the last time, in the midst of the Representatives of the People of the United States, naturally recalls the period when the Administration of the present form of Government commenced; and I cannot omit the occasion, to congratulate you and my Country, on the success of the experiment; nor to repeat my fervent supplications to the Supreme Ruler of the Universe, and Sovereign Arbiter of Nations, that his Providential care may still be extended to the United States; that the virtue and happiness of the People, may be preserved.17
WASHINGTON’S WRITTEN PRAYERS
