BUT I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you; That ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven: for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust. For if ye love them which love you, what reward have ye? do not even the publicans the same? Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is perfect.Matt. v. 44-46, 48. AT BEHOLD the love, the genʼrous love, That holy David shows! Hark, how his sounding bowels move When they are sick his soul complains How did his flowing tears condole, WATTS, PS. XXXV. I am T the close of another day I would desire to approach the throne and the presence of my God, in the name of Jesus. encouraged by thy mercy. Thou art "the Lord, the Lord God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and truth." Gracious and merciful God, when I look into my heart, what sinfulness and corruption do I see. What pollution is there which needs to be washed away. Holy Spirit, purify my polluted heart. When I look to my life, what multitudes of sinful actions look me in the face. Most merciful Father, forgive the sins of my life. Through the merit of the righteousness of Jesus, may the sins of my life be forgiven. As an evidence that I am forgiven, bless me with a forgiving spirit; convince me that it is vain to expect forgiveness from God, if I refuse to forgive others. O bestow upon me a forgiving spirit, and give me a loving spirit. May I not only love those that love me, but be enabled to pity, to love, and to pray for those who hate me. Lord, bless my parents, and brothers and sisters, with the grace of love in great degree. May love reign in our family, as an evidence that we shall live for ever in a heaven of love. Lord, bless the duties of this day, and accept of thanks for the mercies of the day. I commit myself into thy merciful hands this night. Hear and forgive, for Jesus' sake. Amen. Now OW the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.-Gen. iii. 1—4. 0 SHOUT to the Lord, and let our joys Ye British skies, resound the noise Thee, mighty God, our souls admire, Thy pow'r the whole creation rules, WATTS, Bk. ii. Hymn 92. GOD of my salvation, on the morning of another day I acknowledge thy mercy in sparing my life through the past night, and that I am not numbered with the dead. Unworthy as I am, thou art making the evening and the morning to rejoice over me. Fill my heart with thankfulness and love. As a mark of thankfulness and love, teach me to serve thee with diligence and faithfulness during the whole of this day. Bless to me the remembrance of the covenant made with Adam in the garden of Eden; teach me to know, to see, and believe that the covenant with Adam concerned me may I never think with indifference of that covenant. Open my eyes clearly to see that if Adam had kept the covenant, he, and all the human race, would have obtained heaven. And make me to see clearly that by breaking the covenant, he exposed himself and his descendants to the wrath of a just and holy God. Glory to God in the highest that there is a covenant of grace made betwixt the Father and the Son. Blessed Jesus, thou hast kept the covenant, and thus hast obtained salvation and heaven for a perishing world. O may my dear parents, and all my relatives and friends, see their saving interest in the covenant of grace. May my sins be forgiven, and my morning prayers answered, for Jesus' sake. Amen. ND when thou prayest, thou shalt ME, O my God, thy piercing eye, AN not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.-Matt. vi. 5, 6, 8. GOD In motion or at rest surveys; Or travel through frequented ways; Or forward bend my wand'ring sight, Thro' the wide fields of air and light, OD of salvation and Father of mercies, though thou art seated upon a throne of glory, thou dost also fill a throne of grace. Praise to thy great name that I am permitted, invited, yea, even commanded, to draw near that throne of grace. Agreeably to thy command I now enter the closet to pray to thee, my Father, in secret. I will rejoice in thy promise, "Thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly." I do not deserve, and never can deserve, any reward from thee, my God and Father. Glory to thy name that thou dost bestow rewards of grace on those who love thee, and on those who faithfully serve thee. “Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight." Mercifully forgive the offences of this day. As thy loving child, may my heart be grieved that I should offend a Father so kind and gracious as thou art. Make me a loving and obedient child. As Jesus so lovingly obeyed his Father, may thy law be in my heart. May the blessings which I have received this day from thy kind, gracious hand call forth the thankfulness of my heart. This evening may I sleep in the bosom of thy watchful and protecting love. Thou, in thy mercy, hast kindly commanded me to pray; O give me Divine grace, that I may pray with the heart. I pray, Lord, teach me to pray. Bless my parents and relatives with the blessed spirit of prayer. MANY there be which say of my soul, Selah. But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah. I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me. Ps. iii. 2-5. TIR'D with the burdens of the day, To thee I raised my evening cry; Supported by thy heav'nly aid, He rais'd my head to see the light, PRAISE waiteth for thee, O Lord in Zion; and unto thee shall the vow be performed. O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come." I desire now to come unto thee, for thou art the Lord my God. Let that day, that blessed day, that promised day, soon arrive, when "all shall know thee, from the rising to the setting of the sun." Hasten the day when all flesh shall come to thee, the God of salvation. Glory to thy name, that the time is fixed by heaven's decree "when the knowledge of the glory of the Lord shall cover the earth, as the waters cover the sea." I thank my God and Father for thy preserving care during the past night, and that I am spared to see the light of another Sabbath-day, another day of the Son of man. Greatly bless thy ministering servants this day. With earnestness and love enable them to preach Christ, and him crucified. May the richest blessings accompany the preaching of the everlasting gospel in all the churches. Bless to my soul all the sacred services of this day. O may my heart be deeply impressed. May this be a blessed Sabbath to my beloved parents, and to all the members of our family. Mercifully grant that I, and all my relatives and friends, my minister, and all who worship in our sanctuary, may meet in heaven. May that be our home, our eternal home. There may we see God and the Lamb; there worship God for ever and ever. Lord, hear and forgive, for Jesus' sake. Amen. MOST WHAT though the hosts of death and All arm'd against me stood, [hell My God has broke the serpent's teeth, OST gracious and merciful Lord God, I come unto thee as my refuge and strength. The enemies of my soul are many and mighty, but thou art Almighty. The Egyptians were the powerful and cruel enemies of thy people. Thou didst deliver thy people; thou didst destroy their mighty and their cruel foes. How true the declaration of thy word, " He saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to me made known." Praise to thy name that thou art willing to save me. O let thy mighty power be made known in saving me from sin, in saving me from Satan, in saving me from the sting of death, and in saving me from hell. O Lord, my God, I confess that I deserve to be cast into hell, for my numerous sins. Lord, I deserve to perish for my great and for my aggravated sins; but I come to thee for mercy, I come to thee for pardon. For what Jesus became, for what Jesus did, for what Jesus suffered, I plead with thee, the God of my salvation, that my sins may be forgiven. For this I pray, because thou hast found a ransom, even the Son of thy love, the Lord Jesus Christ. Holy Spirit, bless the services of this day. May the preaching of the gospel prove the salvation of thousands. My father, and mother, and friends, I commend to thy mercy. Lord, save them. During the silence and darkness of night, I seek thy watchful care. Lord, hear my feeble prayer, for Jesus' sake. Amen. |