Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/262

 250 THIRTY-FIPTH WEEK.

lusts. May we take delight in doing Thy will. May Thy law be in our hearts and in our inward parts, that we sin not; and O make us zealous in the performance of every good work, that we may ultimately become « perfect, even ag our Father which is in heaven is perfect." 'To thee, 0 Lord, we now desire hnmbly to surrender ourselves. Protect us, we beseech Thee, through the night seeson. Thy goodness and mercy haa dullowed us all the days of our life; Thou hast preserved us from all our enemies, and there is no being te whom we oan 80 safely entrast ourselyes a8 He who hath declared, 'I will be your guide even nnto death." Enable us to Jay ourselves down in peace, with a humble confidence that we shall be permitted to enjoy the blessings and privileges of the forthcoming Sabbath; and permit us. O Lord, to ascribe unto Thee all honour and glory, praise, might, majesty and dominion, for ever and ever. Amen. Our Father, ete.

LORD Jesus Christ, we implore Thee to assist us in the great and important duty of regeneration. We feel that our inclinations turn rather to evil than to good; that in many instances even our acts of devotion are not sincere, and that while we profess to be Thy servants, we are in reality the servants of sin. "O wretched creatures that we are, who shall deliver us from the bondage of this death?" There is no escape, O Lord, unless by the power of Thy omnipotence; and no man can come unto Thee, unless he is drawn by the light of Thy truth. We pray Thee, therefore, O most merciful Saviour, to lift up the light of Thy countenance upon us; turn us, O Lord, and so shall we be turned; O cause Thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. Give us to perceive how gradual, and yet how indispensable, is the work of spiritual purification; and with the knowledge before us of the uncertainty of life in the body, may no moment of our existence be spent carelessly or negligently. At such an hour as we think not, Thou comest, and if we have not Thy love shed abroad in our hearts, if our lamps be destitute of the oil of goodness, we cannot enter into Thy rest. O Lord, help us to strengthen the things which remain, for our works have not been perfect before Thee. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD, the divine Word hath assured us that whosoever waiteth upon upon the Lord shall renew his strength. It is Thou alone that canst enable us to tread on serpents and scorpions and all the powers of the enemy. It is by the force of Thy truth that we can subdue the serpentine cunning of our own sensualism. It is by the constant application of Thy truth that the poison of error and the deadly things of the world can be rendered innocuous. O Lord, be Thou our strength, be Thou our all-sufficient help. We have repeatedly experienced that self-dependence does but deliver us into the power of the enemy, who constantly goeth about seeking whom he may devour. But dependence