Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/136

 Thine be done." O teach us with humble gratitude to acknowledge the mercies, benefits, and blessings of this day.

And now, Lord, into Thy hands we commend our spirits. Thou, whose eye is ever open, whose ear listeneth to the prayers of Thy creatures, graciously hear us. Let Thy divine Providence preserve and protect us. Pardon our evils and errors which we have this day fallen into. We will retire in humble confidence upon Thy mercy; O help us to love and serve Thee with greater faithfulness. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

E acknowledge our evils, O Lord, and how prone we are to fall into the commission of sin. Our iniquities are ever before us, and if Thou shouldest mark iniquity who could stand in Thy sight? But with Thee, O Lord, there is mercy. With Thee there is long-suffering and tenderness, and as we are willing to confess our evils and to turn from them, Thou art faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Aid us, O Lord, we intreat Thee, in the great work of moral and spiritual improvement; for without Thee we can do nothing. Cause us to hear Thy loving-kindness this morning, for in Thee do we trust. O give us experimentally to feel that the angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear Him, and delivereth them. May we taste and see that Thou art good; may we have an inward assurance that they who seek the Lord shall never want any good thing.

Lord be with us this day in our several avocations, and bless them to our good, and to the good of our fellow-creatures. May we ever bear in mind that Thou hast bestowed talents of a diverse kind upon us, that we may thereby be rendered more generally and particularly useful; and that the following out of our several employments with faithfulness is the performance of the true work of charity. Sanctify, therefore, we beseech Thee, all that we do, to the good of our fellow-creatures, and to the glory of Thy holy name. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD Jesus Christ, whose goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our life. Thy love is untiring, and never sleeps: we pray Thee that our souls may be filled with Thy love, and from that love may there be a going forth of pure benevolence, which, encircling all mankind, shall render us living models of true and faithful disciples, for "by this shall all men know that we are Thy disciples, if we have love one to another." Lord, teach us to look back upon the past day, that we may explore our souls, and see whether this love has been the mainspring of our actions. O God, aid us, we bescech Thee, to keep Thee continually before our eyes, that we may learn of Thee in all things, and by contributing to the happiness of our neighbour, glorify Thee, and increase the sum of our own enjoyments. Lord, we acknowledge the necessity of renewed trials, that our souls may be weaned from the earth. But Thou wilt never permit trial to come upon us without accompanying