Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/231

 justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with Thee our God." Help us, O Lord, to perform this our reasonable service. Preserve us in integrity and uprightness. May our utmost efforts be (depending on Thy help) to form within our souls a conscience that shall be clear and void of offence. May every action in which we are about to engage be regulated by the wisdom of Thy Word, and may the wisdom which cometh from above permeate all our doings. Grant this, O Lord Jesus Christ, for Thine own name's sake. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD God Almighty, we thank Thee for the renewed opportunity of approaching Thee; we praise Thy holy name for the blessings we have enjoyed, and we supplicate a continuance of them for Thou art our Father, out Saviour, and our God, and Thy goodness and mercy have followed us all the days of our life,

But while we acknowledge Thy bounties, and praise Thee for their uninterrupted continuance. O suffer us not to be unmindful of the necessities of others. While Thou hast opened our eyes to behold Thy truth, enable us to pray continually for the sight of those who have eyes but see not.

Alas! how has goodness vanished from the land; how is truth perverted and falsified by error! We see on each side of us a grievous famine; a famine not of bread, but of hearing the Word of the Lord, Though Thy truth is preached, there seems to be ne love of it; no obedience to its divine precepts. Darkness seems indeed to cover the whole spiritual land, and gross darkness the people. Our whole mind seems overrun with error, and the pride of self-derived intelligonce is as the Goliath which continually vaunts itself against the spiritual Israel; and there is no David at hand to overcome these boastings of self-love, and the pride of arrogant self-intelligence. How long, O Lord, shall Thy people travel in fear? How long shall faith alone be dominant? Where is the charity to join with faith, by which Thy true disciples shall be known?—where the desire to see Thy Church grow and become a praise on the earth? O help us, Lord, we beseech Thee, and build Thou the waste places of Thy Church. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

MERCIFUL Lord God and Saviour, mindful of Thy gracious promise, that whatsoever we shall ask in Thy name, Thou wilt bestow upon us, we desire humbly to approach Thee this evening, and together with the many families who acknowledge Thee as the only wise God, our Saviour; we draw near unto Thee in humble confidence, we worship Thee, and pray that we, and every soul that waiteth upon Thee this evening, may be refreshed by Thy good Spirit, and strengthened to pursue that straight and narrow path which terminateth in everlasting

Before Thy name can be spiritually inscribed upon us, both our hearts