Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/324

 perfection, assist us to remember that in this, as in everything else, our sufficiency is alone of Thee. It is by Thy power alone that we are enabled to overcome, let that power be ever present with us; may it subdue falsehood, and cast Satan's insinuations and deadly persuasions behind us, so that in all our conflicts with our spiritual adversaries, we may be enabled to say, "Blessed be the Lord our strength, which teacheth our hands (the power of good) to war, and our fingers (the power of truth) to fight:" and be all the glory His. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

GOD, the giver of every perfect gift, we desire to praise Thy holy name for the various products of the earth, which minister to the supply of our daily wants: for the animals, the vegetables, the minerals by which our comfort is secured and our convenience added unto and inecreased. Nor do they merely supply our temporal necessities, but furnish instructive lessons to our minds: they are the images of things heavenly or their opposites: they teach us the necessity of orderly arrangement within ourselves, and of subjecting all our desires, propensities, and passions to the regulating power of Thy truth and goodness.

O Lord, we desire to adore Thee for all Thy blessings, and we pray that we may be sensibly affected by them, so as to manifest at all times a becoming reverence to Thee, who hast so marvellously provided for us.

And, 0 Lord, permit us to retire to rest under the shadow of Thy wings. May serenity and peace permeate our every thought and desire; may we feel Thee near us, and confide in Thy protecting care. May the Word of Thy truth be precious to our souls, and if we are in states of wakefulness, may we meditate upon it. May no plague come near our dwelling. May the pestilence which walketh in darkness smite us not, but may Thy hand sustain us from this time forth and for evermore. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

REAT and merciful Jehovah, creator of the universe of worlds, Redeemer and Saviour of all the myriads that dwell within them, we praise Thee for the return of the day of rest, and we offer our earliest thoughts and consecrate our earliest moments to Thy service. O that this day of rest may prove to us a day of spiritual delight, the joy and rejoicing of our hearts, the glory and the lifting up of our heads.

Mindful art Thou, O Lord, of all the wants of our children, and no good thing wilt Thou withhold from those who put their trust in Thee. Thou wilt not suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; Thy gracious Word assureth us, that the righteous shall eat to the satisfaction of his soul. We dare not term ourselves righteous. Our evils rise up in judgment against us, and we are constrained to say, "It is of the Lord's mercy we are not consumed." O help us, while we acknowledge our evils, to repent of them and to turn unto Thee, that by a constant looking for assistance, we may be preserved from relapsing into sin.