Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/145

 FIGHTEENTH WEEK. 138

TUESDAY EVENING.

0 GOD our heavenly Father, help us to follow Thee, and learn of Thee

as Thou hast desired. When Thou hadst accomplished our redemption, and after freely offering salvation to all. Thou didst ascend up on high, comforting Thy faithful disciples, and through thei all future disciples, by the promise of imparting the influences of Thy Holy Spirit, promising to be with them even to the consummation of the age. O Lord God our Saviour, make us duly sensible of all Thy mercies, and endue us with Thy heavenly grace, that by obedience unto Thy precepts, we may inherit the promises, and by keeping Thee and the wonderful acts of Thy love constantly before us, we may exercise increasing watchfulness over our passions, and strive to shun every evil as a sin against Thee.

We desire to thank Thee. O Lord, for the marvellous outpouring of truth in these last days; Thou hast indeed visited us a second time unto salvation, and there is a shadowing forth of the fulfilment of the divine prediction, when the light of the moon shall be as the light of the sun, and the light of the sun shall be seven-fold—as the light of seven days. O Lord, prepare Thou the understandings of the people that this light may be perceived. By Thy providential dispensations check all impiety, disorder, and evil. Grant that Thy truth may be diffused among all classes and conditions of men; that the reign of peace and good-will may be speedily established throughout the world. These blessings we implore. O Lord, for Thine own name sake. Amen.

Our Father, ete.

LORD Jesus Christ, God of the universe, of worlds, impress us, we beseech Thee, with the sanctity of Thy divine presence. We cannot hide ourselves from Thee. Thy love still follows, and desires to save us, and to bring us into conjunction with Thyself.

Lord, help us to feel that we are entirely dependent upon Thee; that our temporal as well as spiritual blessings are the result of Thy divine beneficence; that whether we be in prosperity or adversity, health or sickness, strength or weakness, we are still the subjects of Thy care, and Thy grace alone supports us.

Lord, as we are thus enabled to see Thee in the exercise of Thy love towards us, without regarding our person—for there is no respect of persons with Thee—help us, we beseech Thee, to bring our affections under the perfect law of charity. We feel that we cannot seek the good of each other without promoting Thy glory. We cannot show our love to Thee, but as we bestow it upon our fellow-creatures; and by this shall all men know that we are Thy disciples, if we have love one to another.

With a due sense of Thy mercy in preserving us through the night season, Lord, we now go forth to our work and to our labour till the evening. In whatsoever we engage may a cheerful activity distinguish us, and may a consciousness of Thy care and providence enable us to pursue our duties in tranquillity, and to leave the issue of our labours to Thy divine disposal. Amen.

Our Father, etc.