Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/302

 290; YORTIETH WERE,

but that which originates with Thee, and neglecting Thee, ail undertakings fail of their desired object.

Lord, teach us from Thy Word of trath the duties which devolve upon us. Let our parce ascend up before Thee, our King and our God. Thou art, indeed, the high and lofty One, inhabiting eternity. Butthere is no station so obscure as to be beneath Thy notice; none of Thy ereatures 80 mean or 80 abject as to be unworthy of Thy care. All who draw near to Thee with a single eye and a pure heart, all who worahip Thee from a sense of their weakness and imperfection, are alike the objects of Thy paternal care, and Thou listenest unto them from Thy high and holy place. Lord, help us this day te perform our several duties with acceptance unto Thee, and with satisfaction to our own minds. And to Thee will we render all the glory, and all the praise, for ever and ever. Amen,

Our Father, ete.

ATHER of eternity, merciful and gracious redeeming Lord, of Thy love we have all partaken, of Thy tenderness there is no limit; and each day does but renew Thy bounty, each night does but add to the benefits which the day bestows.

We pray for the spirit and power of true religion, for that inward holiness without which no man can see the Lord. While words flow from our lips, we would in spirit behold Thee, that everything worldly may be banished from our sight, and Thou alone exalted in our inmost affections. Be present before us. We feel the difficulty of withdrawing our minds from the world, and fixing them, even for the short time we are on our knees, upon Thee. In the Word of Thy truth we are exhorted to set our affections on things above, but O how weak is the affection we feel for the divine beatitudes of Thy kingdom! Its comparative remoteness induces procrastination in the great and important duty of repentance; and though we are taught that the kingdom of heaven cometh not by observation, yet are we continually looking for it at a distance, and we seem so constituted as though eternity was never to have a beginning. Our consciences appear too weak and powerless to keep us to our duty, and again and again has the silent admonition, "Thou art weighed in the balance and found wanting," reminded us that unless our duties are more spiritually performed, vain are our hopes of happiness. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

ERCIFUL God and Saviour, we have of Thy divine goodness rested safely through the night, and our rest has fended to the invigoration of our bodies, and prepared us for entering upon the duties of another day. We kneel in Thy presence to invoke Thy blessing, and to strengthen and fortify us that those duties may be efficiently performed.

We are sensible, O Lord, that Thy wisdom is perfect, that it guides all