in all our intercourse with men around us, may we think and speak and act as those whom thou hast made new creatures in Christ Jesus. While in the world, let us not be of the world. Strangers and pilgrims here, may we feel that we belong to a holier and a happier state. Hast thou not promised, O our God, to give thine Holy Spirit to them that ask thee. We want this blessed gift. We come to implore thy Spirit to guide, to strengthen, and to sanctify us. As we read thy word, may he teach us to understand it. May he take of the things of Christ and show them to us. May he convince us of sin, and make us penitent and humble; of righteousness, and lead us to depend on the righteousness of Christ alone for justification; of judgment, filling us with hope and joy that the prince of this world is judged. In all our conflicts may it cheer us that we contend against a vanquished foe. Thou, O God, knowest all our wants and desires. Let thy Spirit teach us how to pray, and what to pray for, and do thou accept our supplications, and answer them, for the Redeemer's sake. We have received much of mercy from thee. Thy goodness is new every morning, it is renewed every night. We would offer to thee our devout and grateful praise. Oh be with us, and grant us thy favour still; guide us with thy counsel, uphold us with thy hand, replenish our souls with every needful gift and grace by thy Spirit, and at last receive us to thy glory, through Jesus Christ the Mediator; for whom we thank thee, for he is thine unspeakable gift, and to whom we would ascribe all might, majesty, and dominion, for ever. Amen. O THOU Parent of all good, to thee would we approach with reverence and filial love, through the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Thou hast preserved us during the day, and brought us again to the family altar. Keep us in safety through the night, and grant that our rest may be undisturbed and refreshing; and may the coming day find our strength renewed, and witness our increased devotion to thy service. We are unworthy of the least of thy benefits, for we are vile and polluted sinners. We have often departed from thy ways, and violated thy laws; still thou hast been gracious unto us, and hast not visited us according to our iniquities. Remove our sinfulness from thy sight, O Lord, cleanse us from our guilt, and clothe us in the righteousness of Christ, through whose atonement, mediation, and advocacy we look for pardon, acceptance, and salvation. Guide us in the way in which we should go, and enable us so to act, that by a consistent walk and conversation we may glorify thee, and promote the interests of thy cause in the world. Preserve us from falling into the temptations to which we are exposed, and suffer us not in any way to bring a disgrace upon our Christian profession. Grant that our minds and hearts may not be engrossed by the concerns of this life, but may we think and feel, live and act, for eternity. May we be thy living epistles, known and read of all men. We earnestly beseech thee to pour out a very abund ant measure of thy Spirit upon the ministers of thy gospel, whether labouring in our native land or in foreign climes. Be with them in their private devotions; grant that they may find communion with their God to be beneficial, and may all their conduct prove to the world that they live near unto thee in their closets. Be with them in their studies. Guide their minds to such portions of Divine truth, and such trains of thought, as shall be made instrumental in the conviction and conversion of sinners, and the edification of believers. Be with them in their public ministrations, and powerfully apply the truths they utter to the souls of their hearers. Look down in mercy, O Lord, upon the other officers of thy churches; may they be men after thy own heart, actively employed in discharging the various and important duties devolving on them. May they be sober and blameless, holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience. We beseech thee, heavenly Father, to bless thy people generally. May they be conformed to the mind of Christ, and ever glorify thee. O thou long-suffering God, we implore thee to look in tender mercy on thy rebellious, outcast, and oppressed people of Israel. May they be led to see that their Messiah is indeed come, and turn with their whole minds and hearts to him whom their forefathers rejected and crucified; and may they, with the fulness of the Gentiles, be brought into thy gospel kingdom. These petitions we offer through Christ, and implore thee to hear and answer them for his sake; to whom, with thee, and the Holy Spirit, we would ascribe never-ending praises. Amen. PSALM XXXII. XXXIII. MORNING HYMN. "And call the Sabbath a delight; the holy of the Lord, honourable." LORD of the Sabbath and its light, I hail the hallow'd day of rest; It is my weary soul's delight, The solace of my care-worn breast. Its dewy morn, its glowing noon, Its tranquil eve, its solemn night, Yet, sweetly as they glide along, And hallow'd though the calm they yield; My soul is desolate and drear, My silent harp untuned remains, Unless, my Saviour, thou art near, To heal my wounds and soothe my pains. O Jesus, ever let me hail Thy presence with thy day of rest; PSALM XXXII. EVENING HYMN. "It is good for me to draw near to God." BLEST hour! when mortal man retires, Blest hour! when earthly cares resign Blest hour! when God himself draws nigh, Well pleased his people's voice to hear; To list the penitential sigh, And wipe away the mourner's tear. Blest hour! for then where he resorts And mortals find his earthly courts The house of God-the gate of heaven. And when my hours of prayer are past, A never-ending hour of praise. |