The Covington leader. (Covington, Tenn.) 18??-current, 1918-08-01
BILLY,s PRAYER


Billy Sunday said the invocation
III the national house Of representa-
tiyea recently, and for the first time
in its history the members and the oc-
cupants Of the galleries broke into
applause, mingled with yells, at its
conclusion.
This is what he prayed:
Almighty God, our heavenly Fa-
ther, We thank Thee and rejoice that
through faith in Thee and Thy word
this government was built upon that
foundation.
We thank Thee that the compact
signed in the cabin of the May
flower by our ancestors was for dem
ocracy, liberty, freedom and the right
to worship Thee according to the die
tates of our own conscience.
We thank Thee that as nation we
have the courage to proclaim to the
world our continued belief in Thee,
stamping on our coins the inscription,
SIN God We Trust"
We thank Thee that we are Amer
leans and live beneath the protecting
folds Of the Stars and Stripes. We
thank Thee that Thou canst look over
the battlements Of glory on our land
and see that there is not one stain on
any star or stripe in Old Glory.
we thank Thee FOR our happy
homes. we thank Thee for our wives
and little ones. We thank Thee for
the fruitful trees and bountiful har-
vests. We thank Thee that as a ma
tion we have never gone to bed hum
cry nor scraped the bottom of our
flour barrel, and we pray Thee con-
tinued mercy and blessings upon us.
We pray Thee that Thou wilt for
rive our transgressions and blot out
all our iniquities,
Thou knowest, @ Lord, that we are
iii j life and death struggle with one
on the most infamous, vile, crazy,
avaricious, bloodthirsty, sensual and
vicious nations that has ever disgraced
the pages Of history.
Thou knowest that Germany has
drawn from the eyes of mankind
enough tears to make another sea,
that She has drawn blood enough to
redden every wave Of that sea; that
sle has drawn enough groans and
shaieks from THE hearts of men, Wo-
men and children to make another
mountain.
we pray Thee that Thou wilt bare
Thy mighty arm and strike that great
mack off from the wolfish Huns whose
fingers drip with blood and gore We
prav Thee that the stars in their
courses and the winds and the waves
may fight against them.
We pray Thee that Thou wilt bless
onr beloved president, and give him
strength Of mind and body and cour-
ape or heart for his arduous duties in
these sorrow-laden, staggering days.
We pray Thee to bless the secretary
Of state, the secretary of war and the
secretary. Of the navy-and bless, we
prav Thee, the naval strategy board.
Bless, we pray Thee, Lord, the gem
eral at the head Of our party. Bless
the boys across the sea, somewhere
Ill France, and bless those protecting
our transports, loaded to the waters
edge with men and munitions.
Bless our boys at home who are
III the environments.
Bless, we pray Thee, the senate and
the house Of representatives, and give
them wisdom and strength, for they
seem to have come into the kingdom
for such time as this. And Lord,
NAV every man, woman and child
from Maine to California, and Mime
sofa to Louisiana, stand up to the
last ditch and be glad and willing
III suffer and endure until final victory
shall come.
Bless our allies, and may victory
Be ours.
And III Your Time and IN Your own
way, we pray Thee that Thou viii
release the white-winged dove Of peace
until It shall dispel the storm cloud
that hang lowering over this SIN
cursed. blood -soaked and sorrowing
world, and when ii Is all over, we viii |
sineover cur heads md lift our faces
NJ tie heavens and sing with 2 new
meaning. my country, It's Of Thee.
sweet land Of liberty, Of Thee ! sing" |
And the praise shall be to Thee for (
ever. Through Jesus Christ. Amen. {