Sunday's NY Times carried an article called "God, American History and a
Fifth-Grade Class" by Dean E. Murphy, about a controversy over religion in
the classroom.  The article is still on the Times website today.  One of
the religious texts mentioned in the article is "George Washington's
Prayer Journal."  A google search for that phrase will lead to multiple
websites where this journal is quoted.  The text of the "prayer journal"
derives from a 1919 book, based on a MS purchased from the Washington
family in the 19th century.  It seems that the prayers were not written
down by GW, but by someone else, perhaps in his family, so the attribution
to GW seems spurious.  My question is -- where do these prayers come from?
 I'm guessing they were copied from a 19th-century prayer book.  For
convenience I attach one of the prayers here.  I don't want to clog up the
list with all the prayers -- the others can be found through the google
search I mentioned above.  Can anyone provide a source for these prayers?

Sunday Morning

Almighty God, and most merciful father, who didst command the children of
Israel to offer a daily sacrifice to thee, that thereby they might glorify
and praise thee for thy protection both night and day, receive, O Lord, my
morning sacrifice which I now offer up to thee; I yield thee humble and
hearty thanks that thou has preserved me from the danger of the night
past, and brought me to the light of the day, and the comforts thereof, a
day which is consecrated ot thine own service and for thine own honor. Let
my heart, therefore, Gracious God, be so affected with the glory and
majesty of it, that I may not do mine own works, but wait on thee, and
discharge those weighty duties thou requirest of me, and since thou art a
God of pure eyes, and wilt be sanctified in all who draww near unto thee,
who doest not regard the sacrifice of fools, nor hear sinners who tread in
thy courts, pardon, I beseech thee, my sins, remove them from thy
presence, as far as the east is from the west, and accept of me for the
merits of thy son Jesus Christ, that when I come into thy temple, and
compass thine altar, my prayers may come before thee as incense; and as
thou wouldst hear me calling upon thee in my prayers, so give me grace to
hear thee calling on me in thy word, that it may be wisdom, righteousness,
reconciliation and peace to the saving of the soul in the day of the Lord
Jesus. Grant that I may hear it with reverence, receive it with meekness,
mingle it with faith, and that it may accomplish in me, Gracious God, the
good work for which thou has sent it. Bless my family, kindred, friends
and country, be our God & guide this day and for ever for his sake, who ay
down in the Grave and arose again for us, Jesus Christ our Lord, Amen.

Henry Wiencek
Charlottesville

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