Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/167

 knowledge; we cherish those luxuries which chain the soul in sensuality; we are covetous, and all covetousness is idolatry; we make a pretence of honouring Thy church and kingdom, when yet all this results from self-love; and as whatsoever we love forms the chief object of our regard, so do we, living in a Christian land, and partaking of Christian privileges, yet dwell by our carnal delights in the midst of a wicked and adulterous generation of impure affections and depraved thoughts.

O Lord God our Saviour, again we implore Thee to pardon our iniquities, for they are great. Take away our stony hearts and give us hearts of flesh, and teach us to surrender our thoughts and affections to Thy divine government. Give us to see the necessity of obedience to Thy divine precepts; to love Thee with all our hearts, with all our souls, and with all our strength; and grant that this day may be as the beginning of a new period of our existence, in which we may love, honour, and obey thee henceforth and for ever. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD Jesus Christ, who hast encouraged us to draw near to Thee, promising that whatever we ask in Thy name Thou wilt do it; with such encouragement, we pray Thee to render us patient in well-doing; keep us stedfast in contending against our corruptions, and strengthen us by the arms of the hands of the mighty God of Jacob, so that we may at last obtain that crown of glory which fadeth not away.

Lord, we desire to praise and magnify Thy holy name for all the blessings we have this day enjoyed. Thou hast still afforded us time for repentance. We have been blessed with health, and have had all our necessities amply satisfied: Thou hast given us bread to eat and raiment to put on. We dwell in the midst of our family, and our kindred and friends increase the comforts and pleasures of bodily existence. O God, accept our humble thanks, and as long as Thou seest fit to continue us in our present spheres of use, may we with gratitude and thankfulness enjoy without abusing our privileges. Still, O Lord, may we have our loins girded, and our lamps trimmed, and we ourselves as servants who wait for our Lord's coming. May we bind around us the principles of truth and goodness. May our wills be as the lamps of our souls, filled with the oil of a divine charity, and ever ready to be ignited by the light of heavenly truth. So shall charity and faith in union be unto us as the lamp to our feet and the light to our path, to guide us from this world to the heavens. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD Jesus Christ, Thy Word declares unto us that evil shall slay the wicked; help us, we beseech Thee, to conquer our besetting sins; help us to subdue our craving after the world and its delights, and to acquire tempers and dispositions which shall adorn the name we bear. Weak and powerless in ourselves, Lord, we trust only on Thy