O Almighty and all-knowing God, without beginning or end, who art the giver, preserver, and rewarder of all virtue: Grant me to stand firm on the solid foundation of faith, be protected by the invincible shield of hope, and be adorned by the nuptial garment of charity; Grant me by justice to obey thee, by prudence to resist the crafts of the Devil, by temperance to hold to moderation, by fortitude to bear adversity with patience; Grant that the goods that I have I may share liberally with those who have not, and the good that I do not have I may seek with humility from those who have; Grant that I may truly recognise the guilt of the evil I have done, and bear with equanimity the punishments I have deserved; that I may never lust after the goods of my neighbour, but always give thanks to thee for all thy good gifts... Plant in me, O Lord, all thy virtues, that in divine matters I might be devout, in human affairs wise, and in the proper needs of the flesh onerous to no one... And grant that I may never rush to do things hastily, nor balk to do things demanding, so that I neither yearn for things too soon, nor desert things before they are finished. Amen.
O Deus omnipotens, omnia sciens, principio et fine carens, qui es virtutum donator et conservator, digneris me stabilire solido fidei fundamento, et tueri inexpugnabili spei clypeo, atque decorare nuptiali charitatis vestimento; da mihi per justitiam tibi subesse, per prudentiam insidias Diaboli cavere, per temperantiam medium tenere, per fortitudinem adversa patienter tolerare; da bonum quod non habeo, ab habentibus humiliter quaerere; malum culpae quod feci, veraciter accusare, malum poenae quod sustineo, aequanimiter ferre: bono proximi non invidere; de bonis tuis semper gratias agere: habitu, incessu, et motu disciplinam semper servare; linguam a vaniloquio restringere, pedes a discursu cohibere: oculos a vago visu comprimere; aures a rumoribus separare: vultum humiliter inclinare: mentem in caelestia levare: transitoria contemnere: te tantummodo desiderare; carnem domare: conscientiam expurgare; sanctos honorare: te digne laudare: in bono proficere; et bonos actus fine sancto terminare. Planta in me, domine, virtutes, ut circa divina sim devotus, circa humana officia providus, circa usum proprii corporis nulli onerosus. Da mihi, domine, ferventem contritionem, puram confessionem, perfectam satisfactionem. Ordinare me digneris interius per bonam vitam; ut faciam quod deceat, et quod mihi proficiat ad meritum, et reliquis proximis ad exemplum. Da mihi ut nunquam ea quae fiunt insipienter appetam: et quae fiunt accidiose fastidiam; ne contingat inchoanda ante tempus appetere, aut inchoata ante consummationem deserere. Amen.
the standards against which refinement is usually judged are entirely secular—parsimony, clarity, logical unity, graceful expression, and the like. One seldom encounters standards of theological progress or refinement based on how effectively a doctrine could stir the faithful or satisfy the heart. As a result, the history of American religious ideas [(as distinguished from human actions and organizations)] always turns into an historical account of the march toward liberalism. That is, religious ideas always become more refined (i.e., better) when they are shorn of mystery, miracle, and mysticism—when an active supernatural realm is replaced by abstractions concerning virtue [(7)].
The use of economic tools in no way suggests that the content of religion is unimportant, that it is all a matter of clever marketing and energetic selling. To the contrary, we will argue that the primary market weakness that has caused the failure of many denomination, and the impending failure of many more, is precisely a matter of doctrinal content, or the lack of it. That is, we will repeatedly suggest that as denominations have modernized their doctrines and embraced temporal values, they have gone into decline [(9)].
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