Thou who shuttest heaven by I have the keys of death and of
  Thy word, hell.  These things saith He that
And loosest its bars, is holy, He that is true:  He
                                      that hath the key of David.  He
                                      that openeth and no man shutteth,
                                      and shutteth and no man {267}
                                      openeth.  I have set before thee
                                      an open door, and no man can
                                      shut it.  Rev. i. 18; iii. 7,8

Release us by command, we pray Thy sins be forgiven thee. 
Thee, Matt. ix. 22.  Bless the Lord, O
From all our sins. my soul ... who forgiveth all
                                      thine iniquities.  Ps. ciii. 2.  This
                                      is your blood of the New Testament,
                                      which is shed for many
                                      for the remission of sins.  Matt.
                                      xxvi. 28.  Have mercy upon me,
                                      O God ... according to the
                                      multitude of Thy tender mercies,
                                      blot out my transgressions.  Wash
                                      me throughly from mine iniquity,
                                      and cleanse me from my
                                      sin.  Ps. li (l).

Thou to whose word is subject Bless the Lord, O my soul ... 
The health and weakness of all, who healeth all thy diseases.  Ps.
                                      ciii (cii). 2, 3.

Do Thou heal us who are morally Create in me a clean heart, O diseased, God, and renew a right spirit Restoring us to virtue; within me.  Ps. li. 10 (4.) That when Thou, the Judge, shalt appear in the end of the world, Thou mayest grant us to be partakers of eternal joy.

This would be a Christian prayer, a primitive prayer, a scriptural prayer, a prayer well fitting mortal man to utter by his tongue and from his heart, to the God who heareth prayer; and him who shall in sincere faith offer such a prayer, Christ will never send empty away.  But if this prayer, fitted as it seems only to be addressed to God, be offered to the soul of a departed saint—­I will not talk of blasphemy, and deadly sin, and idolatry,—­I will only ask members of the Church of Rome to weigh all these things well, one by one.  These are not subjects for crimination and recrimination. {268}

We have had far too much of those unholy weapons on both sides.  Speaking the truth in love, I should be verily guilty of a sin in my own conscience were I, with my views of Christian worship, to offer this prayer to the soul of a man however holy, however blessed, however exalted.