Three Prayers by Jane Austen

THREE PRAYERS BY JANE AUSTEN - I

Give us grace, Almighty Father, so to pray, as to deserve to be heard, to address thee with our Hearts, as with our lips. Thou art every where present, from Thee no secret can be hid. May the knowledge of this, teach us to fix our Thoughts on Thee, with Reverence and Devotion that we pray not in vain.

Look with Mercy on the Sins we have this day committed, and in Mercy make us feel them deeply, that our Repentance may be sincere, and our resolution stedfast of endeavouring against the commission of such in future. Teach us to understand the sinfulness of our own Hearts, and bring to our knowledge every fault of Temper and every evil Habit in which we have indulged to the dis-comfort of our fellow-creatures, and the danger of our own Souls. May we now, and on each return of night, consider how the past day has been spent by us, what have been our prevailing Thoughts, Words, and Actions during it, and how far we can acquit ourselves of Evil. Have we thought irreverently of Thee, have we disobeyed thy commandments, have we neglected any known duty, or willingly given pain to any human being? Incline us to ask our Hearts these questions Oh! God, and save us from deceiving ourselves by Pride or Vanity.

Give us a thankful sense of the Blessings in which we live, of the many comforts of our lot; that we may not deserve to lose them by Discontent or Indifference.

Be gracious to our Necessities, and guard us, and all we love, from Evil this night. May the sick and afflicted, be now, and ever thy care; and heartily do we pray for the safety of all that travel by Land or by Sea, for the comfort and protection of the Orphan and Widow and that thy pity may be shewn upon all Captives and Prisoners.

Above all other blessings Oh! God, for ourselves, and our fellow-creatures, we implore Thee to quicken our sense of thy Mercy in the redemption of the World, of the Value of that Holy Religion in which we have been brought up, that we may not, by our own neglect, throw away the salvation thou has given us, nor be Christians only in name. Hear us Almighty God, for His sake who has redeemed us, and taught us thus to pray.

Our Father which are in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

This is one of three evening prayers known to have been written by Jane Austen. The capitalization shown above is taken from a little booklet "Three Evening Prayers 'composed by my ever dear Sister Jane' and in the Handwriting of Cassandra, Henry and Jane Austen". This booklet was distributed at the 1994 annual general meeting of the Jane Austen Society of North America.

The introduction says the manuscripts of these prayers were owned by the descendants of Jane Austen's brother Charles Austen. "Each prayer was probably meant to be read or spoken by one person and followed by the 'Our Father' recited by all." The text of the Lord's Prayer shown above is taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

The three evening prayers by Jane Austen are reprinted in "Volume VI: Minor Works" (pp. 453-457) of R.W. Chapman's edition of "The Works of Jane Austen" (Oxford, 1954). Another source is "Jane Austen: Catharine and Other Writings", edited by Margaret Anne Doody and Douglas Murray (Oxford World's Classics, Oxford, 1993), an excellent paperback edition of Jane Austen's shorter works.