great kindness, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin, and always ready to hear the prayers, and fulfil the desires of them that call upon Thee in truth, and serve Thee with an upright heart. But woe is me; my conscience testifies against me that I have not been so careful as I ought to secure myself an interest in these Thy blessed attributes. have not served Thee with that purity and sincerity, with that zeal and fervency that I might have done. I have been too careless and negligent in my performance of the most solemn duties of religion. I have entered Thy sanctuary with an impure and unhallowed heart; and attended upon Thy sacred ordinances without due reverence and devotion. I have been heedless and inattentive in hearing Thy word; cold and heartless in Thy praises; earthly, dull, and distracted in my prayers. And far from bringing forth the fruits of the Gospel of Thy grace in a suitable conversation, I have in many instances dishonoured my holy profession by acting contrary to its known obligations. Even this day my services both in public and in private have been accompanied with so many failings and imperfections, that I have great reason to humble myself before Thee; and with shame and confusion of face to acknowledge, that if Thou shouldest be extreme to mark what is done amiss, my very repentances would but increase the number of my sins, and even my prayers be an abomination. But my hope, O Lord, is in Thy tender mercies which have been ever of old, and in that infinite love which Thou hast shown to mankind in the redemption of the world by our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him I trust as my only Mediator and Advocate: His death I believe to be an all-sufficient sacrifice, and satisfaction for sin His merits alone I depend upon: by His agony and bloody sweat, by His cross and passion, by His resurrection and intercession, and by all the parts of my redemption, I earnestly intreat Thee to Accept the praises, and return a gracious answer to the prayers of Thy church, which have been offered up unto Thee this day. And of Thine infinite goodness grant to me and to all Thy people every where, that whatsoever good instructions we have learned from Thy word, we may carefully remember and diligently follow: and whatever good desires Thou hast put into any of our hearts, I humbly beg that by the assistance of Thy grace we may bring the same to good effect; and may daily increase in the knowledge and love of Thee our God, and of Thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord. O make us every day more and more zealous in all the duties of religion; more frequent and more fervent in our prayers and thanksgivings; more serious in our repentance and humiliations; more fit and desirous to receive the holy sacrament of the Lord's Supper; and more regular and exemplary in our lives and conversations. Raise up a spirit of primitive piety and zeal for the conversion of souls among those who wait at Thine altar. Engage the minds of the great and powerful to countenance and encourage such pious undertakings: and let every Christian, in his place and station, contribute towards the promotion of so excellent a work; that the whole world may be enlightened with the knowledge of Thy truth, and Thy kingdom of grace so universally prevail over all the earth, that Thy kingdom of glory may be hastened: which grant, I beseech Thee, O gracious God, for the sake of Jesus Christ, Thy beloved Son, our Saviour. With these my prayers and supplications, I beseech Thee, O Lord, to accept the sacrifice of my praise and thanksgiving for all the mercies, spiritual and temporal, which Thou hast from time to time bestowed upon me. I bless and praise Thee, O Lord God Almighty, for making me capable of loving and serving Thee; and for bringing me to the knowledge of Thy holy religion, vouchsafing me the means of grace, and the hope of glory. I bless Thee, O Lord, for Thy preservation of me the day past, and through the whole course of my life; and for Thy great patience and long-suffering towards me in sparing me thus long, and vouchsafing me so large a portion of time to repent me of my sins, and to prepare my soul for that glorious inheritance which Thou hast promised to those that love Thee, and keep Thy commandments. But above all, I praise and magnify Thy holy Name for the wonderful work of our redemption by the death and passion of our Saviour Christ, and for all the gifts and graces of Thy Holy Spirit. I bless and praise Thee, O Lord, for the knowledge and sense Thou hast given me of my duty towards Thee; and for the strength and power Thou givest me to perform it; for the resolutions Thou workest in me to persevere in Thy service unto my life's end; and for the happy opportunity Thou hast this day vouchsafed me of worshipping Thee in the public congregation, and of receiving fresh supplies of grace in the use of Thy holy ordinances. Grant, I humbly beseech Thee, that I may walk worthy of these Thine inestimable favours; and live as becomes the redeemed of the Lord in all holy conversation, to Thy glory, the benefit of others, and mine own everlasting salvation, through the merits of Jesus Christ my Saviour. * and Be pleased, O Lord, to take me those most near and dear to me into Thy protection this night: defend us from all the dangers of it; and refresh our bodies with comfortable rest and sleep: let not evil spirits or evil men approach to hurt us : let us lie down with holy thoughts of Thee; and when we awake up, let us still be present with Thee. Make me ever mindful of that time when I shall lie down in the dust. And because I know not the hour I shall be summoned to Thy dread tribunal, grant I may be always on my guard as one that watcheth and waiteth for his Lord; and never live in such a state as I shall be afraid to die in; but may make it my daily care and endeavour to raise my soul more and more into such a holy, heavenly temper, such delight in God, such unspotted purity, and fervent charity as may prepare and fit me for the blessed company of saints and angels in Thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Our Father, Which art in heaven &c. Now unto Him That is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen'. Devotions to be used a little before bed-time. Passages of Scripture forming meditations on the glories of Heaven. GOD did rest the seventh day from all His works'. There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God. For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from His 3. Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours 1. 1 Eph. iii. 20, 21. 2 Heb. iv. 4. Seeing it is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His mighty angels1. But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein, shall be burned up'. Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness 3. I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I saw the holy city. And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. Blessed are they who do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city o. They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat: for the Lamb Which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes 7. And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him: and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads 8. And they shall reign for ever and ever'. For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 1 2 Thess. i. 6, 7. 4 Rev. xxi. 1, 2. 2 2 Pet. iii. 10. 5 Ibid. ver. 21-23. 3 Ibid. ver. 13. |