Page:The Nestorians and their rituals, volume 2.djvu/146

contained in the concluding paragraph of the Article. In all their services they insist, with much earnestness, upon the vast importance of practical holiness; exhibit the motives which appeared to them best calculated to secure it, and represent the blessedness which awaits good men, and the condemnation reserved for the wicked; but they do not attempt to determine whether the sin which they were solicitous to remove could be accounted for consistently with the essential holiness and the unbounded mercy of God. In short they take that view of this subject which every Christian man takes when he is not seeking to enter into philosophical disquisition: never for one moment doubting that whatever is wrong was ultimately to be referred to man, and that the economy of grace proceeding from God, was the most convincing proof of His tenderness towards mankind. Hence, they teach that Christians should be thankful for the unmerited love of God, in having called them to participate in His grace;—that from this grace they may fall away and be lost;—but that if they repent and strive to continue in His favour. He is merciful, and will finally save them. In this spirit the following prayer from the collection of Collects at the end of the Khudhra is dictated: "From Thy treasures, O Thou Self-existent, we pray for mercy and pity; shut not Thy door against us, for we have no other hope but Thee. Who can overcome without Thy help, who can persevere without Thee? Vain are all the efforts of men unless Thy salvation accompanies them, and vain is the triumph which is not through Thee. The bird does not fall into the snare of the fowler without Thy will; how then can we overcome without the help of Thy grace? Turn towards us, O Thou Compassionate One, and hear the voice of our supplications whilst we pray Thee, in Thy mercy, to be favourable unto Thy servants."