Page:The pastor in his closet.djvu/74

 my love towards Thee, that I may more entirely love Thee and serve Thee all the days of my life. How should I be ready to bestow myself upon Thee, who hast bestowed Thy life for me a sinner! And yet what can I do for Thee, without whom I can do nothing? What can I give unto Thee, whose I am, and whose are all things? How can I repay Thee for Thy love, who hast bought me with a price, for I am not mine own? I can but pray for Thy mercy, and strive to please Thee, and earnestly preach Thy Cross; I can but offer Thee myself, which is Thine already, nothing worth when it is offered, a mite indeed, and yet my all. I would serve Thee, most blessed Jesus, with all my soul.

And shall not I serve Thee by taking up my cross after Thee? While I this day meditate upon Thy Cross, should I not meditate upon my own wearing of the cross, which is my service? Thou hast charged Thy disciples that they should wear their cross. “If any man will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me.”

Herein dost Thou call me to follow Thee in the narrow way of daily self-denial. To please Thee I must learn to unlearn the love of my own will, to sacrifice self, my own tastes, inclinations,