Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/238

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THIRTY - FIRST WEEK.

WEDNESDAY EVENING.

LORD Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour, under a deep sense of our utter unworthiness we come before Thee this evening. Our hearts

convict us of the grievous evil of having inwardly, frequently expressed, • We will not have the Lord to reign over us." All the faculties and talents Thou hast bestowed upon us we have abused. We have laboured

only for the gratification of self; and, though Thou hast repeatedly sought fruit from the vineyard Thou hast Thyself planted, yet has it produced only " grapes of gall, and clusters of bitterness ." Thus have we alienated our thoughts and affections from Thee, and have been the miserable subjects of sin.

But, О the goodness and mercy which has followed us all the days of our lives! Thou hast not left us to perish in our sins, but, ever anxious for our eternal happiness. Thou hast interfered in our mad

career by the wonder -working power of Thy providence. Thou hast not

left us to exercise uncontrolledly our vicious propensities and inclina tions; but hast, by the dispensations of Thy love, weakened our self ishness, broken down our stubbornness, punished us even in our most

cherished delights, and brought us to perceive that " there is no peace to the wicked ." Then have we cried unto Thee in our trouble, and Thou hast heard us, and delivered us out of our distresses.

0 King of heaven, reign Thou within us, and be Thou King over all the earth; and prepare us so that Thy kingdom of righteousness and peace may be established within us. Our Father, etc.

Amen.

LORD Thou wilt have mercy upon us, and wilt abundantly pardon. We desire to acknowledge that, by Thine aid, each successive victory we achieve over the kingdom of self, prepares the way for the more permanent establishment of the kingdom of heaven within us.

Dispose us, then, O merciful Saviour, to receive Thee in whatsoever way Thou mayest reveal Thyself, and through whatsoever dispensation of Thy providence Thou mayest make Thyself known. So long as evil has dominion over us, Thy kingdom cannot be established within us. So long as we refuse to yield Thee unconditional obedience, we are, like the Jews, under law. But when we no longer oppose the kingdom of self to Thy love and wisdom, when we are so far humbled as to see that in all Thy dealings with Thy creatures there is the stamp of Thy wisdom, impelled by the perfection of Thy love, then there is no longer any spirit of opposition within us; then there is no longer an opposition of our own wisdom to Thine; then Thy government is with meekness and gratitude submitted to; and from henceforth, with the humility of the mighty king of old, we can say, "Now we praise and extol and honour the King of heaven, all whose works are truth, and His ways judgment: and those that walk in pride He is able to abase." Set up this Thy kingdom within us, O Lord, and let the government be Thine alone. Amen.

Our Father, etc.