Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/54

 Thou hast fearfully and wonderfully made us, and Thou hast given us power to contemplate our own structure, and to adore Thee, who hast so admirably adapted each part to its fellow with perfect symmetry and precision. Thou hast placed us as probationers here, and yet are we beings of both worlds. The heaven and its blessed inhabitants claim our souls, the earth hast Thou given to the children of men, and this claims the uses of our bodies; and Thou hast with perfect wisdom ordained man to labour, that thereby all his bodily members may be preserved in health and sanity. We cannot contemplate a single member of our bodies, but we are lost in wonder at its fitness as an instrument of the soul. O Lord, help us to glorify Thee in our bodies and in our spirits, which are Thine. To Thee be all the glory. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

FATHER of Eternity! Blest source of light and life! with profound humiliation we desire to prostrate ourselves before Thee. O enable us to worship Thee in spirit and in truth, and with devout thanksgiving to acknowledge that this and every day has borne testimony to Thy love. Hitherto Thou, O Lord, hast helped us; and if we trust in Thee, Thy divine assurance has gone forth, "I will never forsake you, I will be with you even unto the end of the world." Lord, we desire to adore Thee for this gracious assurance.

But, O Father, we are constrained to acknowledge, and we acknowledge with deep contrition, our numberless transgressions. Even when we imagine ourselves to have been most attentive, and to have performed our duties with care and diligence, we have found upon a review of them their utter insutticiency; and while we have too frequently gratified our self-love by assuming that all our temporal duties have been performed from a love of our neighbour and a love of usefulness, the still small voice has reproached us from within "O man, the motive has been base—it has neither originated in the love of God nor in the love of thy neighbour, but in thine own overweening selfishness and egotism. Thou art a Pharisee and art glorifying thyself." Great Lord of all things, we sink in deep abasement before Thee; "O, who can understand his errors? Cleanse Thou us from secret faults." May we strive in the performance of our various duties "not to let our left hand know what our right hand doeth," but in singleness of eye and purity of heart do all to Thy glory. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD Jesus Christ, Thou only art perfect and essential holiness. To Thee, therefore, we humbly address ourselves. Before Thee, we bow in humble gratitude for the mercies we have enjoyed during the past night, and we would humbly unite our voices to praise Thee for all the wonders of Thy redeeming love.

How wonderful are Thy dealings with us, O Lord, how deeply worthy of our highest veneration! How should they excite serious thoughts