Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/60

 ourselves, it is our duty to look within our souls, and see how far we have prepared ourselves, should we be called.

With humility we ask, Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord, who shall stand in His holy place? And Thy Word answers us,—He that hath clean hands and a pure heart, who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully, he shall receive the blessing from the Lord, and righteousness from the God of his salvation. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LMIGHTY God, our Heavenly Father, unto Thee we present our humble petitions, unto Thee do we lift up our souls. Open Thou our lips this morning, and our mouths shall show forth Thy praise. Thou delightest not in sacrifices or burnt offering, but a broken and contrite heart. O Lord, Thou wilt not despise.

O teach us to remember that Thou desirest truth in our inward parts, and that, if we worship Thee, it must be in spirit and in truth. Create within us, we beseech Thee, a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us. O teach us to come into Thy presence with humility, to prepare our minds by self-examination and confession of sin, remembering that Thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and that the ungodly shall not dwell in Thy presence. Having assembled before Thee, O grant unto us fervid spirits, that our worship may not be cold, formal, or lifeless; but that a flame of pure devotion may burn upon the altar of renewed and sanctified hearts.

In meeting together and uniting our petitions as one family, aid us to surrender our entire persons to Thy government. In all we do or say, may we regard Thee as the beginning and the ending of all our thoughts and actions. Remember not the sins of our youth, we beseech Thee; but show us Thy ways. O Lord, teach us Thy paths. Lead us in Thy truth, and teach us, for Thou art the God, the only God we adore. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

TERNAL, omnipotent, and glorified Redeemer! we approach Thy mercy-seat this evening, and desire to magnify Thee for the blessings we have enjoyed during this another day. Thou hast upheld us in our going out and in our coming in. No casualty has injured our bodies, no plague has come near our dwellings. Thou hast preserved our souls from death, our eyes from tears, our feet from falling.

Teach us to approach Thee with becoming reverence, and may our evening sacrifices not go forth out of feigned lips. May sincerity and godly simplicity ever accompany our approaches to Thy mercy-seat.

For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon our iniquity, for it is great. We have all erred from the way of Thy commandments; not one of us hath wrought righteousness, no, not one; and if we should say, We have no sin, the truth would not be in us. But if we confess our sins. Thou art faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all un-