and serve thee for ever and ever, as our God and Father reconciled unto us, through Jesus Christ, by whom we are encouraged thus to pray, "Our Father," &c. PRAYER XV. Almighty and everlasting God, who searchest the heart and triest the reins of the children of men; thou art a Spirit, and those that worship thee acceptably must worship thee in spirit and in truth. We beseech thee to deliver us from all trust in forms and ceremonies, from all trust in any thing but a real heart-purifying faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Never, O Lord, never suffer us to fall into the delusion that there is any thing in ourselves which deserves thy favour, for we are altogether vile and sinful in thy sight. Lord, we feel that we are sinners by nature and by practice; that our hearts are ever ready to cleave to that which is earthly and sensual, if left to themselves but for one moment; we therefore beseech thee to work in them by thy Holy Spirit every right feeling, every christian disposition and desire. Make us seriously in earnest, and truly sincere and upright in all our conduct towards mankind, and in all our thoughts, words, and worship towards thee. Let Christ Jesus be all our hope and all our desire, living and dying; and grant that our faith in and our love to him may be such as to bring forth the fruits of righteousness and true holiness, that we may shew by our whole conduct the effects of thy gospel on on our hearts, and that thy name may be glorified in us and by us day by day, through Jesus Christ, our Lord, by whom we are encouraged thus to pray, "Our Father," &c. PRAYER XVI. Most holy and blessed God, thou God of hope and salvation, we glorify thy holy name, that thou didst ever so love this sinful world as to give thine only Son to die the just for the unjust, that whosoever believeth on him might not perish, but have everlasting life. That thou hast given us so many great and gracious promises, that by patience and comfort of these we might have hope and abundant consolation. Grant that our souls may so rest on these promises, and our faith be so strongly rooted and grounded in the merits and sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ, that come what will in the way of trials, sorrows, dangers, and sufferings in this life, we may find this Saviour near and precious to our souls, and thy word and promise of grace, mercy, and peace, through him, so deeply and firmly fixed in our hearts, that it may be as an anchor to our souls, both sure and steadfast. Hitherto, O Lord, thou hast stood by us, and in great mercy hast saved and delivered us from many dangers and deaths that threatened our bodies; and more than this, thou hast preserved us from making total shipwreck of our souls in hell! Oh, that we may henceforth live unto thee, and be kept by thine Almighty power, through Pardon, O faith, even unto salvation. Lord, all our past unnumbered sins, and work in us a spirit of faith, love, and obedience for the time to come, and thy name shall have all the praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord, by whom we are encouraged thus to pray, "Our Father," &c. PRAYER XVII. O thou Eternal and Almighty God, who dwellest in the heavens, and whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain, how great is thy mercy and condescension to hear and answer the prayers of poor guilty men on earth! Lord, if we had our deserts, we should be spurned from thy presence, and not suffered to open our lips in addressing thy divine Majesty; but, glory be unto thy most holy name, thou art more ready to hear than we are pray, and art disposed to grant beyond all we can ask, or think, or deserve. We come unto thee at this time in the name of thy well beloved Son, Jesus, beseech ing thee to grant us grace to live unto thee and love thee, to believe in thee and to serve thee in simplicity and godly sincerity all the days of our life. May we see and feel more and more how unworthy we are of the least of all thy mercies, and may we come unto Jesus with more faith and more entire devotedness of body, soul, and spirit, every day for the future. Lord, should there be any present who are strangers to heartfelt prayer; any who see not, who feel not the need of thy pardoning and sanctifying grace, oh put a cry into their hearts, and hear, and answer it to thine own glory, and to their instruction, conviction, and entire conversion. And unto all who know the need, and who at times experience the privilege of prayer, enlarge their desires a hundred-fold, and bless them with every spiritual blessing in Christ Jesus, until prayer is changed into praise, and faith is lost in sight, for Jesus Christ's sake, by whom we are encouraged thus to pray, "Our Father," &c. |