Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/307

 their creation and preservation. But Thy power, O Lord, is equally great in the diminutive worlds which everywhere meet our view; and Thy creative energy is not stayed in the worlds which our sight can penetrate,—it goes forth into the most minute particles, even aided by powerful instruments, which the feeble eye of man can never penetrate. Thou art life itself; in Thee we live and move and have our being; and the going forth of Thy life, accommodated to the different creatures Thou hast made, is equally marvellous as is the life that flows into the most perfect of Thy creatures, man, end equally deserving our admiration. What countless winged creatures throng the air; what forms of life inhabit but a drop of water; what myriads find subsistence on a leaf! O Lord, how wonderful are Thy works; in wisdom hast Thou made them all. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

GOD, our help in trouble, our sure resource in affliction, our only hope in the hour of danger, we unite in thanksgiving this evening for the blessings of the day. We thank Thee that we are permitted at all times to make known our wents in Thy presence, and to hold communion with Thee. In Thy divine humanity we have constant access unto Thee. It is Thy humanity which is our medium of approach to Thy infinite love; and in Thy humanity do we with gratitude acknowledge: that there is one God and one Mediator [medium] between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Teach us, O heavenly Father, to approach Thee with humility and godly fear. May we stand in awe and sin not. May our thoughts, while in Thy especial presence, be turned towards Thee exclusively; may everything of a selfish and worldly nature be removed, and may nothing occupy our attention but the momentous concerns of eternity. Every evening does but bring us nearer to eternity, and calls upon us in solemn and earnest language to prepare to meet our God.

Assist us, O heavenly Father, to explore our affections and thoughts, to bring our actions, more especially those of the past day, to the bar of our conscience, that we may take note of our conduct, and see how we have conducted the last period of our lives, and whether it has been in harmony with the Word of Thy truth. To Thee, O Lord, do we confide our spirits. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

NFINITE and adorable Lord, our Saviour, our Redeemer, and unchangeable Friend. Thou hast again poured light in our dwellings, and with bodies strengthened by repose, we gratefully kneel in Thy presence, that we may obtain grace to help us in the performance of the duties of a new day. As are the days of our existence, so is the progress we should make in the divine life; for Thou hast given us talents to improve, and in bestowing them upon us hast commanded us to occupy. In contemplating the works of Thy creative hands, we see nothing arrive at perfection instantaneously; there is a steady and progressive advance-