Pleading

“ Joyful recognition of the ingenuity of her pleading, and of her faith's bringing her within the circle of the 'children,' are apparent in His word, 'For this saying go thy way.' He ever looks for the disposition in us which will let Him, in accordance with His great purpose, pour on us His full-flowing tide of blessing, and nothing gladdens Him more than that, by humble acceptance of our assigned place, and persistent pleading, and trust that will not be shaken, we should make it possible for Him to see in us recipients of His mercy and healing grace. ”

“ Or how can our prayer change what He has ordained before? Then there is the question as to the need of persevering prayer, and long waiting for the answer. If God be Infinite Love, and delighting more to give than we to receive, where the need for the pleading and wrestling, the urgency, and the long delay of which [p148] Scripture and experience speak? Arising out of this there is still another question—that of the multitude of apparently vain and unanswered prayers. How many have pleaded for loved ones, and they die unsaved. How many cry for years for spiritual blessing, and no answer comes. ”

“ Dear reader, you and I have both a case of vital importance, the judgment of which will be eternal happiness or eternal misery. If we have no Friend at court, no skilful Advocate to plead, anything of our own—any pleadings based upon our own works or performances—will most assuredly fail. A form without the power will not stand the test of that tremendous, awful day. ”

“ Could a guilty man plead as I am pleading? By all your hopes of happiness, save me! No one is near; no one knows but you and I. It is so easy, so easy!—and I shall bless you all my life!"
"You tempt me sorely," said Mr. ”

“ We are especially impressed with the view that in code pleading, which was designed preëminently to be a system of fact pleading, a plaintiff, in suing in tort, may properly set out his contract, as constituting the underlying fact, instead of charging the defendant’s undertaking in general terms, and that the plaintiff does not thereby necessarily commit himself to the theory that his action is for breach of contract. ”

“ We are all of us denying or fulfilling prayers—and men in their careless deeds walk amidst invisible outstretched arms and pleadings made in vain. ”

“ Some plaintive plea subdues the reader's mind.
The Bard, perchance, is young, o'erwhelm'd with fears;
Forgive his faults, and spare his tender years.
Or want, not will, inspires his tuneful rage [7] ;
'Tis alms to buy—you need not read the page.
Or love [8] has led his gentle mind astray,
From humble prose, to tempt the arduous lay.
Perchance, surviving friends deplore his doom,
And print his strains to grace th' untimely tomb.
Can Censure rail against the recent dead?
Is Pity deaf when mourning parents plead? ”

“ Graciously hear, we beseech thee, O Lord, the prayers of thy suppliants, and forgive the sins of them that confess to thee; that, in thy bounty, thou mayest grant us both pardon and peace.
Shew forth upon us, O Lord, in thy mercy, the unspeakable loving kindness; that thou mayest both loose us from all our sins, and deliver us from the punishments which we deserve for them.
O God, who by sin art offended, and by penance pacified, mercifully regard the prayers of thy people making supplication to thee, and turn away the scourges of thine anger, which we deserve for our sins. ”

“ WE humbly implore thy mercy, O Lord, for ourselves also: we beg pardon for all our sins; we desire to detest them, and to renounce them for ever. All our hope is in the multitude of thy tender mercies, from which we confidently expect forgiveness, through Jesus Christ; and to be one day, through him, admitted into the company of the blessed apostles and martyrs, in thy heavenly paradise. In the meantime we desire to offer thee daily, through him, all honour and glory. ”

“ Lord strengthen my faith in my dying moments, that I may not dishonour thee by the fear of death, but enable me to bear a testimony to thy pardoning grace. May I die in the full assurance of faith, and leave a testimony of the freeness of thy grace, and of thy readiness to pardon the chief of sinners. ”

“ Divine victim for our sins, have mercy on us! Be our mediator with Thy Father; avert from us the punishment we have deserved for our sins, deliver us from all dangers that threaten us, and from all evil. Promote the welfare of Thy Church, and remember in Thy mercy those who have gone before us with the sign of faith and rest in peace. (Remember the departed for whom you intend to pray.)
To these, O Lord, and to all that sleep in Christ, grant, we beseech Thee, a place of refreshment, light, and peace. ”

“ Thou didst once a wretch behold, In rebellion blindly bold, Scorn Thy grace, Thy power defy: That poor rebel, Lord, was I. Once a sinner, near despair, Sought Thy mercy seat by prayer; Mercy heard, and set him free: Lord, that mercy came to me. Many days have passed since then, Many changes I have seen; Yet have been upheld till now; Who could hold me up but Thou? Thou hast helped in every need; This emboldens me to plead: After so much mercy past, Canst Thou let me sink at last? No, I must maintain my hold; ’Tis Thy goodness makes me bold; I can no denial take, When I plead for Jesus’ sake. ”

“ If, when overwhelmed with conscious guilt, you smote upon your breast and implored the divine mercy, your penitential tears moved the compassion of Heaven, how can you now harden your heart against the like plea of an offending brother? Even if he offer no plea, can you be utterly indifferent to his grief? ”

“ Thus we have not only examples of argument in prayer, but concessions of the living God Himself, that when we have His word to plead we may claim the fulfillment of His promise, on the ground not of His mercy only, but of His truth, faithfulness, and justice. Hence the 'holy boldness with which we are bidden to present our plea at the throne of grace. God owes to His faithfulness to do what He has promised, and to His justice not to exact from the sinner a penalty already borne in his behalf by His own Son. ”

“ A clergyman, who had laboured for a great number of years, once recorded his melancholy experience, that, out of two thousand whom he had known to give signs of repentance when prostrated by sickness, only two individuals evidenced by their conduct after recovery that their repentance had been sincere. Let all who would postpone the solemn work till they are stretched upon a death-bed, ponder well this alarming testimony. Friends may eagerly mark the cry for mercy, wrung by fear of approaching judgment, as evidence that a broken and contrite heart has been touched by the Spirit of grace ”

“ I love to feel the kindlings of repentance, self-loathing under a sense of ingratitude, heart-melting with the view of pardoning grace. I love to feel the sprinkling of my Redeemer's blood on my conscience, drawing forth the tears of joy and gratitude in the view of a free pardon. I love to dwell on the seal of reconciliation, while my heart, glowing with gratitude, sinks into the arms of my redeeming Lord, in full confidence of his love and my safety for ever. ”

“ Those who know most of God's testimonies desire to know more, and are still earnest with God to teach them, never thinking they know enough. 2. His pleas to enforce this petition. (1.) He pleads God's goodness to him: Deal with me according to thy mercy. The best saints count this their best plea for any blessing, "Let me have it according to thy mercy;" for we deserve no favour from God, nor can we claim any as a debt, but we are most likely to be easy when we cast ourselves upon God's mercy and refer ourselves to it. ”

“ And grant unto us, O Lord, through Thy clemency, that we may all together, and equally every day of our life, please Thy divinity, and be rendered worthy of the aid of Thy grace to offer Thee praise, honour, thanksgiving, and adoration at all times, O Lord. ”

“ O God, who dost bid us to praise Thee that Thou mayest be constrained to pardon, grant that the prayers which we have offered up at each hour of this day may be remembered in Thy mercy. Whatever evil we have done this day, do Thou in Thy loving kindness forgive. So guard us through the nights and days of this earthly life, that we may merit to see the dawn of the day that knows no night. Through our Lord Jesus Christ. ”

“ She bent low.
"Who seeks confession, absolution?" he whispered. "I am a priest."
"You are wounded, dying, father."
"How can I die better than shriving a fellow sinner?"
That was true. The heroic woman turned to the man who still kept up his monotonous appeal.
"The man next to you," she said, "dying like you, is a priest."
"Father," cried the first man with sudden strength. "I must confess before I die." ”

“ The blood, which as a Priest he bears For sinners, is his own The incense of his prayers and tears Perfume the holy throne. In him my weary soul has rest, Though I am weak and vile I read my name upon his breast, And see the Father smile. ”

“ As all the contrition yon could feel, or all the sorrow which ever filled the hearts of the greatest penitents, would of itself be insufficient to atone for your sins, you should always recollect to build your hopes of pardon on the merits of your Redeemer, and to unite your sentiments of contrition to the bitter anguish and efficacious sorrow which Jesus Christ was pleased to endure for your offences, particularly in the Garden of Olives. ”

“ RECONCILIATION. Sinner, I have got good news to tell you. There is one greater than the governor here to-night, and He wants to pardon every one. He does not want you to go away condemned. He wants to bring you from under condemnation; to pardon every soul. Will you have the pardon, or will you despise the gift of God? Will you despise the mercy of God? Oh, this night, while God is beseeching you to be reconciled, let me join with your praying mother, with your praying father, with your godly minister, with your Sabbath-school teacher, and all your praying friends ”

“ Thy grace my pardon seal'd.
6 This shall invite thy saints to pray,
When, like a raging flood,
Temptations rise, our strength and stay
Is a forgiving God.
Psalm 32:3. L. M. Repentance and free pardon; or, Justification and sanctification.
1 Blest is the man, for ever blest,
Whose guilt is pardon'd by his God,
Whose sins with sorrow are confess'd,
And cover'd with his Saviour's blood. ”

“ We confess our sins, O merciful God, in humility and sorrow of heart, and we acknowledge that in Thy sight no one living is justified. Woe to us, if Thou judge us according to Thy justice. To appease Thy anger, O Lord, we recur to the unbloody sacrifice of Him Who was nailed to the cross for our salvation, and who ceases not to intercede for us in heaven. O God of all clemency! forgive us our sins, we entreat Thee, and forgive also the sins committed by our deceased brethren, in the days of their mortal pilgrimage. ”

“ While at Thy feet we fall,
And humbly with united cry,
To Thee for mercy call.
The guilt is ours, but grace is Thine,
O turn us not away,
But hear us from Thy lofty throne,
And help us when we pray. ”

“ And, to make a right beginning of repentance, and as a mark of our mortal nature, let us now kneel before the Lord, our maker and redeemer.
Silence is then kept for a time, all kneeling.
If ashes are to be imposed, the Celebrant says the following prayer
Almighty God, you have created us out of the dust of the earth: Grant that these ashes may be to us a sign of our mortality and penitence, that we may remember that it is only by your gracious gift that we are given everlasting life; through Jesus Christ our Savior. ”

“ We desire to adore, praise, and glorify Thee, joining our hearts aud voices with all Thy Blessed in heaven, and with Thy whole Church upon earth. But acknowledging our great unworthiness and innumerable sins, for which we are heartily sorry and humbly crave Thy pardon, we dare not venture to approach Thee, save through Thy Son, our Advocate and Mediator, Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast given us to be both our High-Priest and Sacrifice. ”

“ No plea is more powerful than the Psalmist's—"Remember Thy word unto Thy servant, upon which Thou hast caused me to hope." How many sadly perplexed men have found rest from the words: "Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass." ”

“ Art thou not yet in Hell? Wonder, O heavens and be astonished, O earth, at the goodness and long-suffering of that God whose great name swearing persons so often and so awfully profane! Swearer, be thankful, oh! be exceedingly thankful, that God has not answered thy prayer! thy tremendous prayer; that his mercy and patience have withholden the request of thy polluted lips! Never let him hear another oath from thy unhallowed tongue, lest it should be thy last expression upon earth, and thy swearing prayer should be answered in Hell. ”

“ And pray one for another - There is no instance in auricular confession where the penitent and the priest pray together for pardon; but here the people are commanded to pray for each other that they may be healed. ”

“ Betaking himself, therefore, to a priest, who, he hoped, might show him the way of salvation, he confessed his guilt, and desired to be advised how he might escape the wrath to come. The priest having heard his offence, said, “A great wound requires greater care in the healing thereof; wherefore give yourself as far as you are able to fasting and psalms, and prayer, to the end that thus coming before the presence of the Lord in confession,”716 you may find Him merciful. ”

“ In all which is apparent the goodness of this great and sovereign God, and the desire that He has to pardon us.
Colloquy. — O merciful Father, " seventy and seven times," and thousands of times more, may the angels of heaven praise Thee for the favour Thou doest to us sinners that live upon earth. As often as we can sin, so often, if we ask pardon of Thee, Thou wilt pardon us, for Thy mercy is greater than our misery. ”

“ I tremble at the sentence of thy apostle: he that receives unworthily receives his own damnation; for I cannot but acknowledge myself infinitely unworthy; nor should I dare ever to come to thee, were I not excited by thy most loving and pressing invitation, and encouraged by thy infinite goodness and mercy: it is in this mercy, which is above all thy works, I put my whole trust ”