Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/161

 the meek penitence of the publican of old. Lord have mercy upon us, for we have sinned, and are utterly unworthy to be called Thy children.

O suffer us not to die in our sins. Have mercy upon us, O Lord our Saviour. Deliver our souls from death, we beseech Thee; and help us to live according to Thy divine precepts, and to serve Thee with newness of life. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

GOD, Thou art our God, merciful and gracious, the year is crowned with Thy goodness, and a succession of beautiful objects beam before us, and call our souls to adore the Creator who has so marvellously beautified the world. As we behold the rich hues of spring open up before us, the flowers emitting their delightful fragrance, the herbs spreading fertility and abundance before us, the trees clothed in living green, the birds that sing among the branches,—with humble and devout gratitude we feel, These are Thy glorious works Parent of heavenly good. Every day opens up new beauties before us, and varied as are Thy favours to the children of men, so are the forms of use and beauty which daily come into existence, to minister to man's wants, or to delight him with variety. And thus dost Thou unfold before us, in the work of Thy creative hands, the beauties of nature, that we may see how progressive is the work of the regeneration, how numerous, how varied, and how beautiful the truths with which our minds should be adorned, how pure and delicate should be our affections, emitting, like the flowers, the fragrance of gratitude to Thee, O God, and of love to all the creatures Thou hast made.

Teeming with instruction as is the Word of Thy truth, the book which nature unfolds before us is equally so, and reminds us that the more pure we become, the more shall we be prepared to enter Thy heavenly Kingdom. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

OST holy and blessed Lord Jesus Christ, the source of all good and truth, with humble and heartfelt gratitude we would approach Thee as the Being by whom we were created, and without whom nothing was made that is made. From the meanest insect up to the crowning work of Thy creation, man, how marvellously is Thy wisdom displayed! Who can ascertain the boundaries or limits of Thy creative power; who can make himself thoroughly acquainted with any single part of Thy boundless empire? What miracles, hitherto concealed from our knowledge, will be disclosed as man recovers that image and likeness in which he was originally created! O heavenly Father, we desire to thank Thee for the knowledge wherewith Thou hast blessed us, and which will continually increase, as we grow in the knowledge and love of Thee and of Thy kingdom. Thou hast set no other limits to our attainments than such as are consistent with our finite being, but hast endowed us with capacities for the attainment of wisdom second only to Thine own. O may we