ór Holy Ghost, I adore, I honour, I love thee with all my heart, with all my soul, and with all my strength. O Lord, how great, how good, how wise, how powerful, how bountiful, how gracious, how merciful art thou! my soul at this instant feels for thee sentiments of adoration, love, and gratitude inexpressible. But thou canst see it! O how earnestly do I desire to obtain thy favour; how do I hope to be admitted hereafter to thy glorious presence; what delight have I in thy commandments! how dearly do I prize the revelations of thy will; how firmly believe in thy promises! how greatly do I fear thy threatenings! Lord I most earnestly wish to cast out of my heart every thing that is offensive to thee! I lament that I cannot at all times keep up the flame of devotion which at this time glows in my heart. But alas! how long will this fervour of devotion last? a few short minutes perhaps; O that I could keep it eternally; surely it is a foretaste of the joys of heaven! Merciful and gracious Father, before it sinks into languor, accept my thanksgivings and praises! O Lord God of hosts, accept the praises of a poor weak mortal; what have I in heaven but thee, and there is nothing upon earth I desire in comparison of thee; glory to God in the highest! O Lamb of God, Son of the Father, graciously accept my praises and thanksgivings; thou art great and glorious; begotten of the Father before all worlds; very God of very God; King of kings, and Lord of lords; the Saviour and Re race. deemer of a lost world; my Lord and my God, my Saviour and Redeemer. I thank thee, O Lord, most mighty for thy goodness in redeeming a lost I thank thee for the pattern of perfect virtue which thou gavest in human nature. I thank thee for causing thy Gospel to be written. I thank thee for the comfortable hopes I derive from that blessed Gospel. I thank thee for the honour thou hast bestowed upon me in allowing me to be instrumental in spreading the knowledge of it. O continue to me thy loving-kindness; vouchsafe to accept my services; employ me, blessed Lord, I most humbly beseech thee; O cast me not off; turn not away thine ear from my humble petition, Lord, if faith can recommend me, I trust I shall find acceptance; Lord, I as firmly believe all that is recorded in Scripture concerning thee as if I had been an eye-witness of it. Every word that thou hast made known concerning the redemption of mankind I as firmly believe as I believe that I am now alive; I see them all as realities with my mind's eye. O according to my faith be it unto me! O divine Spirit! my faith in thee is equal to that which I feel respecting the Father and the Son. I believe that there is a Holy Spirit as firmly as I believe that I have a soul. I believe that thou art the Sanctifier and Comforter; how hast thou renewed, refreshed, sanctified, and comforted me; but let me remember that faith without works is dead: adorable Trinity! in whose name was bapti ed, whatever works thou requirest of me I will strive to do. I will obey thee, O Father, I will honour thee, O Son; I will yield myself to thy guidance, O Holy Ghost; may I be enabled to fulfil these resolutions; may I improve by divine grace in every Christian virtue. Having prayed for myself, I now presume to offer my intercessions for my dear family. A husband I no longer have: but he wants not the prayers of a poor mortal. O Lord, I beseech thee to bless my dear children; preserve them from all evil, particularly from sin. Let not one of them be drawn away from thee; give to every one of them grace to serve and obey thee; withdraw their minds from earthly trifles, and fix them upon heavenly things. Lord! with reluctance I quit this holy exercise; this delightful occupation; this heavenly work! O while I pray with my family keep up this spirit of devotion. March 5. Gracious Father, I most humbly beseech thee to prosper the journey I am about to uudertake, and permit me to return in health and safety to my dear family; and O, during my absence from them, bless and preserve my dear children, that we may have a happy meeting; pardon the tears that now fall at the recollection of my last sorrowful journey when I dreaded to meet the dear afflicted Father of my children; when I returned without a beloved son whom I had taken to Margate. But I will not give way to unavailing regrets. My dear child, and my dear husband, I hope and trust are out of the reach of pain and sorrow. For them it would be sinful to grieve, and my own portion of sorrow I must strive to bear it with patience, looking forward to the eternal world where all is peace and joy.Wherever I go, or whatever befals me, I will strive to act as becomes a child of God, the member of Christ, the inheritor of the kingdom of heaven glorious titles! inestimable privileges! what are the trifles of this world in comparison of these! Blessed Saviour, I humbly beseech thee to accept of my labours, and give efficacy to them. Thou knowest how I honour thee, and how I love O give me the blessing of a disciple. the poor. March 16. Upon my return from Christchurch I found my dear H but very indifferent; he is now better, but he has symptoms of consumption which alarm me very much. O Lord, I implore thy mercy and compassion in behalf of my dear child, now afflicted with sickness; vouchsafe to restore him if thou seest fit to perfect health. O forgive the wish of a widowed mother, that I may no more experience the bitter pangs of losing a child! but thy will not mine be done! whether he live or die I trust he will be thine evermore! March 17. Almighty God, merciful Father, what felicities hast thou provided for beings who in comparison of thee are nothing; and is it possible that such an insignificant creature as I am can be the object of divine regard? Is it possible that the Creator and Governor of the Universe will al low such a creature to call him Father; to look to him for blessings in this world; to hope to be admitted to his presence in heaven? With these hopes what should be my conduct upon earth? what must I do to shew my gratitude for the abundant kindness of an eternal God? O Lord, heavenly Father, I am very sensible that of myself I am not able to please thee. I know and feel my imperfections. Blessed Saviour, vouchsafe to intercede for me, To thee I fly. If I had not thy merits to depend upon what would become of me a miserable sinner; O Lord, have mercy upon me! have meṛcy upon me! speak peace to my troubled soul. ọ that I could get the better of every sin and every infirmity! that I could do the will of my Father which is in heaven as it is done by the angels. O that I may be admitted among them! that I may be allowed to approach the throne of God; that I may behold thee my divine Redeemer. O that I may be received by thee as a true and faithful disciple. I will strive to be faithful till death. May I attain to the crown of life. Accept my services, O Lord, I offer them with an humble mind, not in the pride of human reason! O Lord God Almighty, I now feel that veneration which becomes a rational creature when addressing thee, the Lord of glory. My spirit humbles itself before thee; in all humility acknowledging thine infinite greatness, and my own insignificance; how wonderful, how great, how excel |