It is now 250 years since the birth of Jane Austen whose books and their many screen adaptations are beloved around the world. Not many people know that she was a devout Christian who also wrote devotional prayers. This is the story …
Jane’s Prayers
Jane Austen is most famous for her novels, “Sense and Sensibility”, “Pride and Prejudice”, “Mansfield Park”, “Emma”, “Northanger Abbey”, and “Persuasion” - which were written in that order. She was also a prolific writer of letters and wrote many short stories and also devotional prayers, although not all have survived.
Austen may have written many prayers in her lifetime, but after she died in 1817, three of her prayers were kept by her sister Cassandra who wrote on them “composed by my ever dear Sister Jane”. It is not sure when Jane wrote them but the writing style is adult. Today framed copies of her prayers hang at St Nicholas church, Steventon which she attended until she was 25, and at St Nicholas church, Chawton which she attended later in life, and in her bedroom at her former home in Chawton, now called Jane Austen’s House Museum.
Her surviving three prayers give us an insight into her faith and spirituality. They also reflect the structure of the formal religion of the Church of England Book of Common Prayer, and the centuries-old language and idiom of Anglican liturgy. They were likely composed for family use as evening prayers.
1. A Reflection on the day
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 everywhere 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 resolutions steadfast 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 discomfort 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 commandants, have we neglected any known duty, or willingly given pain to any human being? Incline us to ask our hearts these questions, O 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 in 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 the widow and that Thy pity may be shown upon all captives and prisoners.
Above all other blessings, O God, for ourselves, and for 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 hast given us, nor be Christians only in name. Hear us, Almighty God, for His sake who redeemed us, and taught us thus to pray.
2. A Prayer for Pardon and Mercy
Almighty God, look down with mercy on Thy servants here assembled and accept the petitions now offered up unto Thee. Pardon, O God, the offenses of the past day. We are conscious of many frailties; we remember with shame and contrition, many evil thoughts, and neglected duties; and we have perhaps sinned against Thee and against our fellow-creatures in many instances of which we have no remembrance.
Pardon, O God, whatever Thou has seen amiss in us, and give us a stronger desire of resisting every evil inclination and weakening every habit of sin. Thou knowest the infirmity of our nature, and the temptations which surround us.
Be Thou merciful, O Heavenly Father, to creatures so formed and situated. We bless Thee for every comfort of our past and present existence, for our health of body and mind and for every other source of happiness which Thou hast bountifully bestowed on us and with which we close this day, imploring their continuance from Thy Fatherly goodness, with a more grateful sense of them, than they have hitherto excited.
May the comforts of every day be thankfully felt by us, may they prompt a willing obedience of Thy commandments and a benevolent spirit toward every fellow-creature.
Have mercy, O gracious Father, upon all that are now suffering from whatsoever cause, which are in any circumstance of danger or distress. Give them patience under every affliction, strengthen, comfort, and relieve them.
To Thy goodness we commend ourselves this night beseeching Thy protection of us through its darkness and dangers. We are helpless and dependent; graciously preserve us.
For all whom we love and value, for every friend and connection, we equally pray; however divided and far asunder, we know that we are alike before Thee, and under Thine eye.
May we be equally united in Thy faith and fear, in fervent devotion towards Thee, and in Thy merciful protection this night.
Pardon, O Lord the imperfections of these our prayers, and accept them through the meditation of our Blessed Saviour, in whose holy words, we further address Thee.
3. A Prayer for Grace and Compassion
Father of Heaven whose goodness has brought us in safety to the close of this day, dispose our hearts in fervent prayer. Another day is now gone, and added to those, for which we were before accountable.
Teach us, Almighty Father, to consider this solemn truth, as we should do, that we may feel the importance of every day, and every hour as it passes, and earnestly strive to make a better use of what Thy goodness may yet bestow on us, than we have done of the time past.
Give us grace to endeavour after a truly Christian spirit to seek to attain that temper of forbearance and patience of which our Blessed Saviour has set us the highest example; and which, while it prepares us for the spiritual happiness of the life to come, will secure to us the best enjoyment of what this world can give.
Incline us, O God, to think humbly ourselves, to be severe only in the examination of our own conduct, to consider our fellow-creatures with kindness, and to judge of all they say and do with that charity which we would desire from them ourselves.
We thank Thee with all our hearts for every gracious dispensation, for all the blessings that have attended to our lives, for every hour of safety, health, and peace, of domestic comfort and innocent enjoyment.
We feel that we have been blessed far beyond any thing that we have deserved; and though we cannot but pray for a continuance of all these mercies, we acknowledge our unworthiness of them and implore Thee to pardon the presumption of our desires.
May Thy mercy be extended over all mankind, bringing the ignorant to the knowledge of Thy truth, awakening the impenitent, touching the hardened.
Look with compassion upon the afflicted of every condition, assuage the pangs of disease, comfort the broken in spirit.More particularly do we pray for the safety and welfare of our own family and friends wheresoever dispersed, beseeching Thee to avert from them all material and lasting evil of body or mind; and may we by the assistance of Thy Holy Spirit so conduct ourselves on earth as to secure an eternity of happiness with each other in Thy Heavenly Kingdom. Grant this most Merciful Father, for the sake of our Blessed Saviour in whose holy name and words we further address Thee.
Summary
Austen’s prayers reflect her own personal Christian faith. They are heartfelt, sincere and founded on biblical principles. Each prayer reveals her gratitude for God’s blessings, her pursuit of a holy life, and a petition for the safety of others. The inscription on her tombstone in Winchester Cathedral speaks of her “charity, devotion, faith and purity”.
