,transcriber's ,note4 ,apparent typographical errors have been corrected1 as have inconsistencies in the use of hyphens4 ,a ,table of ,contents has been inserted to assist the reader4 ,italics are indicated by underscores4 ,small capitals have been replaced by full capitals4 ,,evening ,,incense4 ,,by ,,the ,,author ,,of ,,morning ,,and ,,night ,,watches1 ,,words ,,of ,,jesus1 etc41 etc4 ,,philadelphia3 ,h4 ,,hooker1 ,,chestnut ,,eighth ,,streets4 #ahef4 ,,king ,,baird1 ,,printers1 #i ,sansom ,street4 ,and thou shalt make an ,,altar to burn ,,incense upon3 ,and thou shalt put it 444 before the ,,mercy-,,seat that is over the testimony1 where ,i will meet with thee4 ,and when ,aaron lighteth the lamps at ,,even1 he shall burn ,,incense upon it4--,exod4 xxx4 #a1 #f1 #h4 ,the star-lit sky's a temple-arch1 ,the calm1 still1 evening air ,is glorious with the spirit-march ,of messengers of prayer4 ,are gentle moon1 or kindling sun1 ,or stars unnumbered1 given ,as shrines to burn earth's incense on-- ,the altar-fires of heaven8 ,nay6 pale away must moon and sun1 ,and star by star decline2 ,o be1 ,thou ever living ,one1 ,thy ',,golden ,,altar'--mine6 ,,evening ,,incense4 ,the writer has endeavored in the following pages to comply with frequent requests made to him to prepare a small volume of ,evening ,prayers1 suitable as a companion to the ,morning ,watches4 ,may ,he with whom is the residue of the ,spirit1 cause ,his ,angel to fly swiftly and touch us in the time of our ,evening ,oblation2 and may all that is amiss in thought and word be lost in the fragrant incense-cloud which ascends from the ,golden ,altar before the ,throne6 ,december1 #ahee4 ,table of ,contents ,evening ,page ,i4 ,,for ,,communion ,,with ,,god4 #g ,,ii4 ,,for ,,pardoning ,,grace4 #aj ,,iii4 ,,for ,,renewing ,,grace4 #ac ,,iv4 ,,for ,,sanctifying ,,grace4 #af ,v4 ,,for ,,restraining ,,grace4 #ai ,,vi4 ,,for ,,restoring ,,grace4 #bb ,,vii4 ,,for ,,quickening ,,grace4 #bf ,,viii4 ,,for ,,imputed ,,righteousness4 #bi ,,ix4 ,,for ,,peace ,,in ,,believing4 #cb ,x4 ,,for ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,adoption4 #ce ,,xi4 ,,for ,,weanedness ,,from ,,the ,,world4 #ch ,,xii4 ,,for ,,gratitude ,,for ,,the ,,past4 #da ,,xiii4 ,,for ,,trust ,,for ,,the ,,future4 #dd ,,xiv4 ,,for ,,knowledge ,,of ,,christ4 #dg ,,xv4 ,,for ,,guidance ,,in ,,perplexity4 #ej ,,xvi4 ,,for ,,victory ,,over ,,sin4 #ec ,,xvii4 ,,for ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,faith4 #ef ,,xviii4 ,,for ,,the ,,daily ,,death4 #fj ,,xix4 ,,for ,,renunciation ,,of ,,self4 #fc ,,xx4 ,,for ,a ,,child-,,like ,,spirit4 #ff ,,xxi4 ,,for ,,heavenward ,,progress4 #fi ,,xxii4 ,,for ,,humility ,,of ,,heart4 #gb ,,xxiii4 ,,for ,,firmness ,,in ,,temptation4 #ge ,,xxiv4 ,,for ,,composure ,,in ,,trial4 #gh ,,xxv4 ,,for ,,activity ,,in ,,duty4 #ha ,,xxvi4 ,,for ,,the ,,spirit',s ,,teaching4 #he ,,xxvii4 ,,for ,,the ,,world',s ,,conversion4 #hh ,,xxviii4 ,,for ,,the ,,church',s ,,revival4 #ia ,,xxix4 ,,for ,,support ,,in ,,death4 #id ,,xxx4 ,,for ,,preparation ,,for ,,judgment4 #ig ,,xxxi4 ,,for ,,meeting ,,in ,,heaven4 #ajj ,,first ,,evening4 ,,for ,,communion ,,with ,,god4 ,abide with us2 for it is towards evening1 and the day is far spent4--,luke xxiv4 #bi4 ,o ,god1 ,i desire to approach ,thy throne of ,grace on the evening of this day1 beseeching ,thee to grant me ,thy benediction and blessing4 ,the shadows of night have once more gathered around me2 may no shadow of sin or unbelief darken my soul1 or interrupt my communion with ,thee4 ,it is not night if ,thou art near4 ,let me enter the inner chamber of ,thy presence1 and experience conscious fellowship with ,thee my ,father in ,heaven4 ,do ,thou graciously forgive all the sins of the past day1 its sins of omission and of commission1 of thought1 and word1 and deed4 ,hide me anew in the clefts of the ,smitten ,rock4 ,i confidently repose my everlasting interests on the finished work and righteousness of a tried ,redeemer4 ,may ,i know more and more of the attractive power of ,his ,cross--the adaptation of ,his character and work to all the wants and weaknesses1 the sorrows and infirmities1 of my tried and suffering and tempted nature4 ,may ,i live more under the sovereign motive of love to ,him1 and experience more the happiness of life spent in ,his service4 ,gracious ,lord6 may a sense of ,thy favor penetrate with its leavening power every duty in which ,i engage1 lessening every cross and sweetening every care4 ,take what ,thou wilt away1 but take not ,thyself2 no earthly good can compensate for the loss of ,thy friendship4 ,existence would be one vast blank without ,thee4 ,give me to realize the blessedness of unfaltering dependence on ,thy covenant mercy1 knowing that all which befalls me is the pledge and dictate of unerring love1 and that nothing can come wrong that comes from ,thy hand4 ,thus while my daily walk is hallowed and brightened by ,thy presence and fellowship1 may ,i be enabled to look calm and undismayed on the unknown and chequered future1 feeling that even over the gloomy portals of the grave1 with ,thee as my ,portion and ,heritage1 ,i can write1 ,to die is gain6 ,meanwhile do ,thou fit me for every duty1 prepare me for every trial4 ,if ,thou givest me the full cup1 give me grace to carry it with a steady hand4 ,if ,thou sendest adversity1 let me regard it as ,thine own gracious discipline1 to wean me from earth and train me for glory4 ,may it be my great ambition1 through the help of ,thy ,blessed ,spirit1 to attain a gradual resemblance to the character and conformity to the will of my adorable ,redeemer4 ,may ,i be clothed with humility4 ,may ,i be daily becoming more meek and gentle1 more contented and thankful1 more submissive and resigned1 watching against anything in my heart or conduct that ,i know would be displeasing to ,thee1 making it my meat and my drink to do ,thy holy will4 ,thou unslumbering ,shepherd of ,israel1 vouchsafe ,thy guardian care to all near and dear to me3 shield them from danger3 give ,thine angels charge over them2 sanctify them body1 soul1 and spirit2 seal them unto the day of eternal redemption4 ,may we all lie down to sleep this night in ,thy fear1 and awake in ,thy favor1 fitted for the duties of a new day4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,second ,,evening4 ,,for ,,pardoning ,,grace4 ,for ,thy name's sake1 ,o ,lord1 pardon mine iniquity2 for it is great4--,ps4 xxv4 #aa4 ,gracious ,god6 do ,thou look down upon me this night in ,thy great mercy4 ,may ,i have now the inner sunshine of ,thy presence6 ,ere ,i retire to rest1 let me pitch my tent near ,thyself1 and enjoy the tokens of ,thy favor and blessing4 ,thy loving-kindness has been new to me every morning1 and ,thy faithfulness every night4 ,i desire to render ,thee the thank-offering of a grateful heart4 ,my life is one wondrous attestation to ,thy patience and forbearance4 ,the kindness of the best earthly friend has been nothing to ,thine4 ,thou mightest long ere now have left me to reap the fruits of my own guilty estrangement1 withdrawing the grace and ,spirit ,i have so long resisted1 executing against me the awful doom of the cumberer4 ,but ,i am still spared1 a living monument of mercy4 ,thy ways are not as man's ways1 nor ,thy thoughts as man's thoughts4 ,lord1 ,i would seek anew this night to close with the alone ,sovereign remedy6 ,jesus6 there is no other prop but ,thee to support a sinking soul and a sinking world4 ,there is nothing between me and everlasting destruction but ,thy glorious work and finished righteousness4 ,i rejoice to think that it is all ,i need--living or dying1 for time or for eternity4 ,o blot out in ,thy precious blood my many1 many sins4 ,nothing in my own hands ,i bring2 ,i cling simply to ,thy cross4 ,mercy and truth have there met together2 righteousness and peace have embraced each other4 ,reposing in what ,thou has done1 and in what ,thou art still willing to do1 ,i can rejoicingly say1 ,return unto thy rest1 ,o my soul4 ,bring me to live more habitually under the constraining influence of redeeming love4 ,purchased at such a price1 may ,i be willing freely to consecrate soul and body to ,thy service4 ,let me feel that the bitterest of all trials is the forfeiture of ,thy favor and love1 and the loftiest joy is the assured possession of ,thy gracious friendship4 ,may my spirit be brought into blessed unison with ,thine4 ,may ,i become more gentle1 and resigned1 and submissive1 and unselfish2 more heavenly-minded2 more ,saviour-like4 ,may ,i be led to regard all1 even ,thy darkest dealings to me here1 as needful parts in ,thy plan of stupendous wisdom4 ,may ,i rest contented in the assurance that what ,i know not now ,i shall know hereafter4 ,unite me to all my dear friends1 and them to me1 in the bonds of ,christian love4 ,amid all the fluctuations of this mortal life1 may we ever have grace given us to cleave unto the ,lord with full purpose of heart4 ,treading the same pilgrim-journey1 may we arrive at last at the same pilgrim-home4 ,i would retire to rest this night with my eye on the opened fountain4 ,o give me that peace of ,thine which the world knoweth not of1 which the world cannot give1 and1 blessed be ,god1 which the world cannot take away6 ,abide with me1 for it is towards evening1 and the day is far spent4 ,give thine angels charge over me during the unconscious hours of sleep1 and1 when all my evenings and mornings shall be finished1 may it be mine to wake up with ,thyself in glory everlasting1 through ,jesus ,christ my only ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,third ,,evening4 ,,for ,,renewing ,,grace4 ,renew a right spirit within me4--,psalm li4 #aj4 ,blessed ,god1 ,i desire anew to end this night with ,thee6 ,do ,thou enkindle my soul as with a live coal from off ,thy holy altar6 ,let all unhallowed and obtrusive thoughts and cares be set aside1 that ,i may enjoy a season of fellowship with the ,father and with ,his ,son ,jesus ,christ4 ,i rejoice to think that ,i have such a ,friend to repair to--such a never-failing refuge in every season of perplexity and trouble2 vicissitude is written on all around me1 but ,thou art the same4 ,though often1 alas6 ,i have changed towards ,thee1 ,thou hast never changed towards me4 ,thou didst love me from the beginning1 and that love remains to this hour1 infinite1 unalterable6 ,lord1 ,i am mourning over my many and grievous backslidings1 my base and unworthy requital of all ,thine unmerited kindness4 ,bring me in poverty of ,spirit1 with deep conscious unworthiness1 to say1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,give me a realizing sense of the evil of sin1 and my own sin in particular4 ,i feel that ,i have no abiding and depressing consciousness of my guilt4 ,how little of genuine1 heartfelt contrition do ,i experience6 ,how often ,i appear to be humble and penitent when ,i am not6 ,how do my very prayers condemn me2 and my confessions of sin need themselves to be confessed6 ,oh renew me in the spirit of my mind4--,may all old things pass away2 may all things be made new4 ,transform me by the indwelling power of ,thy quickening ,spirit4 ,may affections now alienated from ,thee be reclaimed to ,thy service4 ,may ,i seek to be more animated by the sovereign motive of love to ,him1 whose ,i am1 and whom it is alike my duty and my privilege to obey4 ,knowing that this is ,thy will concerning me1 even my sanctification1 may it be my constant ambition to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of the ,lord and ,saviour ,jesus ,christ4 ,i have in myself no might1 no power1 no sufficiency1 to do any of these things4 ,my sufficiency is of ,thee4 ,do ,thou make ,thy grace sufficient for me1 and perfect strength in weakness4 ,keep me from all evil that would be likely to grieve me4 ,wean me from all that is fleeting and perishable here1 and may all ,thy dealings towards me issue in the confirmed habit of a holy life4 ,if ,thou sendest affliction1 let me regard it as ,thine own way of dispensing spiritual blessing1 and bow with lowly submission to ,thy sovereign appointments4 ,bless all my beloved friends4 ,keep them as the apple of ,thine eye4 ,hide them under the shadow of ,thy everlasting wings4 ,sanctify trial to all in sorrow4 ,let the widow and the fatherless put their trust in ,thee4 ,succor the poor and him that hath no helper4 ,support the aged4 ,sustain the dying4 ,may we all bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of ,christ4 ,as the pillar of cloud has been with me by day1 so may the pillar of fire be with me this night4 ,watch over me during the unconscious hours of sleep1 and when ,i awake may ,i be still with ,thee4 ,and all ,i ask is for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,fourth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,sanctifying ,,grace4 ,sanctify them through ,thy truth3 ,thy word is truth4--,john xvii4 #ag4 ,blessed ,lord1 do ,thou bend ,thy pitying eye of love and mercy upon me this evening4 ,draw ,thou near to me as ,i venture once more on praying and on pleading ground4 ,i desire to feel that ,i am one night nearer glory4 ,oh1 enable me to feel1 as night after night is silently stealing over my head1 that my seasons and opportunities of grace are fleeting fast away1 and that soon the night cometh1 wherein ,i can work no more4 ,alas6 ,o ,god1 how little have ,i improved the time that is past6 ,i am a wonder to myself1 that with all my deep ingratitude and utter vileness ,i am yet permitted to approach ,thy footstool3 ,i have sinned against light and love--warning and mercy--grace and privilege4 ,the retrospect of life is a retrospect of guilt4 ,i mourn over my manifold shortcomings--the alienation of my heart from ,thee--the fitfulness of my spiritual frames--the ebbings and flowings in the tide of my love4 ,when tried by the lofty and unerring standard of ,thy law1 how are my best actions and duties marred with defilement6 ,how much self-seeking and self-glorying--how little animated by the predominating motive of love to ,thee1 and singleness of eye to ,thy service6 ,blessed ,jesus6 ,i flee anew to the pavilion of ,thy love4 ,i have no other hope1 no other refuge1 but in ,thy finished work--,thy matchless atonement--,thy spotless righteousness4 ,there is in ,thee an all-sufficiency for every want4 ,finite necessities cannot exhaust ,infinite fullness4 ,let me hear ,thy voice saying1 ,thy sins1 which are many1 are all forgiven thee6 ,o sprinkle me with ,thy blood2 sanctify me1 body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,transform me more and more into ,thine own image4 ,may ,i know more and more the happiness of true holiness--that ,i am really blessed in seeking to walk so as to please ,god4 ,may the power of grace wax stronger and stronger1 and the power of sin wax weaker and weaker4 ,may trials and crosses become light and easy to me when borne in a spirit of meek1 unrepining submission to the ,divine will4 ,may this quiet every doubt and misgiving1 ,your heavenly ,father knoweth that ye have need of all these things4 ,lord1 may every providential dealing prove a heart-searcher1 testing the reality of my love to ,thee1 and my meetness and preparedness for ,thy heavenly kingdom4 ,extend1 ,lord1 ,thy cause and ,gospel everywhere4 ,strengthen ,thy missionary and ministering servants4 ,may they ever hear the sound of their ,master's footsteps behind them4 ,may thy churches walk in the fear of ,god and in the comfort of the ,holy ,ghost4 ,bless all my beloved friends wherever they are2 do ,thou be their ,almighty ,protector and ,guide4 ,let the angel come at this the time of evening incense1 touching all our hearts1 and granting us an answer to our several petitions4 ,let us rise to-morrow refreshed for ,thy service2 and fitted for whatsoever in ,thy good providence we may be called either to do or to suffer4 ,hear me1 gracious ,god1 for the sake of ,him whom ,thou hearest always4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,fifth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,restraining ,,grace4 ,keep back ,thy servant also from presumptuous sins4--,psalm xix4 #ac4 ,blessed ,god1 ,thou hast in ,thy mercy permitted me to see the close of another day4 ,with what unwearying watchfulness has ,thou been compassing my path6--defending me from danger1 guarding me from temptation1 hedging up my way with thorns1 preventing me with the blessings of ,thy goodness6 ,there is no friend in the world ,i have like ,thee2 none so able1 none so willing to be my friend4 ,if ,i have been successful in resisting sin1 it is all ,thy blessed grace which has enabled me4 ,from how many slippery places has ,thou rescued me6 ,when often on the brink of the precipice1 ready to fall1 ,thy interposing hand has saved me from inevitable destruction4 ,when through my own weakness and unwatchfulness ,i must now have been wandering in hopeless alienation from ,thee1 ,thou hast mercifully not suffered the bruised reed to be broken1 nor the smoking flax to be quenched4 ,lord1 my earnest prayer is that ,thy grace may still be made sufficient for me4 ,may no spiritual foe be allowed to invade my peace or endanger my safety4 ,let ,thy love be restored to its rightful ascendancy in my affections4 ,may no rival be allowed to usurp its place4 ,may ,i ever exercise a holy jealousy over this truant1 wandering1 deceitful heart2 seeking day by day to subdue unmortified sin4 ,may all ,thy dispensations issue in my sanctification4 ,let me seek no unruffled path2 may the cross be willingly carried4 ,thou lovest me too well to give me my own way4 ,whatever ,thy will and ,thy dealings may be1 be it mine cheerfully and rejoicingly to acquiesce in them1 knowing them to be the dictate of infinite wisdom and unchanging love4 ,may all my worldly business and engagements be interfused and hallowed with the blessed sense and assurance of ,thy favor6 ,walking all the day in the light of ,thy countenance1 ,i must be safe6 ,god of ,bethel--,god of all the families of the earth1 vouchsafe ,thy richest benediction on all near and dear to me4 ,give thine angels charge over them2 let their names be written among the living in ,jerusalem2 and oh1 may we all seek in our several spheres to glorify ,thee on earth1 either by active duty or by patient endurance2 exemplifying in our daily walk the meek and lowly1 the unselfish and self-denying1 spirit of ,him1 who hath left us an example that we should follow ,his steps4 ,hasten the coming of ,thy ,son's kingdom4 ,arise1 ,o ,god1 and plead ,thine own cause4 ,save ,thy people1 bless ,thine inheritance1 feed them also and lift them up for ever4 ,the curtain of night is again drawn around me4 ,if it be ,thy will1 spare me to see the light and enjoy the comforts of a new day2 may ,i seek anew to enjoy them in ,thee2 may every blessing be doubly sweet to me1 bearing the impress of ,thy love in ,jesus4 ,guide me in life1 through death1 into glory1 for the sake of ,him in whom is all my hope1 and to whom1 with ,thee the ,father1 and ,thee1 ever-blessed ,spirit1 one ,god1 be ascribed all blessing and honor and glory and praise1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,sixth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,restoring ,,grace4 ,restore unto me the joy of ,thy salvation4--,ps4 li4 #ab4 ,blessed ,god1 ,i rejoice to know that the gates of prayer are ever open2--that for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 my adorable ,redeemer1 ,thou art waiting to be gracious1 not willing that any should perish4 ,come in the plenitude of ,thy love this evening1 that ,i may feel it to be good for me to draw near to ,god6 ,scatter my darkness1 ,thou better ,sun1 with the brightness of ,thy rising4 ,give me filial confidence in approaching the mercy-seat1 rejoicing in the mightiest of all ,beings as my ,father and ,friend4 ,blessed ,jesus6 ,i would exercise a simple confidence and trust in ,thy finished work1 ,i would seek to wash anew in the opened fountain of ,thy blood1 to repose anew in the faithful saying which never can cease1 to the sin-stricken1 sin-burdened soul1 to be worthy of all acceptation1 that ,thou didst come into the world to save the chief of sinners4 ,i have to mourn1 ,o ,lord1 my constant proneness to depart from ,thee--the instability of my best purposes of obedience4 ,unsupported by ,thy grace ,i must fall4 ,there is nothing1 ,o ,thou great ,intercessor within the veil1 but ,thine omnipotent pleadings between me and irretrievable ruin4 ,but ,thou hast prayed1 and art even now praying1 for me that my faith fail not4 ,oh if ,i am still prone to start aside1 like a deceitful bow1 do ,thou bring me back again6 ,reclaim my truant heart from its wanderings4 ,i would cast myself with simple dependence on ,thy grace for the future4 ,this is sufficient for all wants and equal to all exigencies4 ,thine everlasting arms are lower than my deepest necessities4 ,adorable ,saviour1 ,i may well cast my every care on ,thee1 for these cares ,thou makest ,thine own4 ,thou hast a heart to feel for those who have often no heart to feel for themselves4 ,oh let me ever seek to hear ,thy directing voice and to hear no other4 ,do ,thou carry on within me ,thine own work in thine own way4 ,thou1 ,great ,shepherd of ,israel1 canst not lead me wrong4 ,i delight to trace ,thy guiding love in the past1 and ,i may well trust ,thee still2 going up through the wilderness may ,i lean on ,thine arm2 when ,i come to die may the gloom of the dark valley be lighted with the rays of ,thy love1 and may ,i hear ,thy voice whispering in gentle accents1 ,fear not1 for ,i am with thee4 ,be gracious to all my beloved friends4 ,train them also1 by ,thy good ,spirit1 for eternity4 ,fit them for every duty4 ,arm them against every temptation4 ,dispose them to fear ,thy glorious name1 and to live from day to day under the powers and influences of a world to come4 ,compassionate the afflicted2 comfort the bereaved2 support the dying4 ,lord1 take the charge of me during the silent watches of another night4 ,may ,i rise on the morrow to renew my work and warfare on earth1 looking forward to the time when the twilight of this world shall melt into everlasting day1 and when nothing shall evermore mar or interrupt the blessedness of endless communion with ,thee3 through ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,seventh ,,evening4 ,,for ,,quickening ,,grace4 ,quicken me after ,thy loving kindness1 so shall ,i keep the testimony of ,thy mouth4--,psalm cxix4 #hh4 ,o ,god1 on this the close of another day1 ,i desire to approach the footstool of ,thy throne4 ,glory be to ,thy holy name that ,i can enjoy freedom of access into ,thy presence1 and with the confidence of a child unburden and unbosom to ,thee all my wants and sins1 my sorrows and infirmities1 my perplexities and cares4 ,lord1 how unworthy ,i am of the least of all ,thy mercies6 ,what righteous cause hast ,thou to cut me down as a cumberer of the ground4 ,how cold my love1 how unfrequent my prayers6 ,how full my heart of pride and vain-glory1 self and sin6 ,how little have ,i habitually realized ,thy nearness and sought ,thy favor as my chief good6 ,there is enough of coldness and formality in my best approaches to ,thy footstool to lead ,thee in ,thy wrath to spurn me forever away1 and to mingle my blood with my sacrifices6 ,i cast myself as a worthless unworthy sinner at the feet of ,jesus4 ,i need daily1 hourly washing at that fountain which ,he has opened for sin and for uncleanness4 ,wash me1 gracious ,lord1 fully1 freely1 and forever4 ,let me know the blessedness of no condemnation4 ,deepen my contrition on account of my sin4 ,i am apt to palliate its enormity1 to invent vain excuses for its commission1 to hide its heinousness from myself1 and to hide it from ,thee4 ,let me see all sin1 and my own sin in particular1 in the light of ,calvary's cross4 ,may ,i hate it with a perfect hatred1 and resolve in ,thy grace that it henceforth have no dominion over me4 ,oh quicken me by the indwelling of ,thy blessed ,spirit4 ,may ,i seek to be progressing in the divine life4 ,may my pathway heavenward be brightened by a lively sense of reconciliation through the blood of the everlasting covenant4 ,let me lean on ,thy heavenly arm1 seeking ,thy glory with singleness of eye4 ,may it be my greatest grief to give ,thee pain1 my greatest joy and happiness to do ,thy will4 ,keep me from all hard thoughts and unrighteous surmises regarding ,thy dealings4 ,may ,i see them all as designed to quicken my steps in the heavenly way1 to bring me nearer ,thyself1 and to impart an increasing meetness for glory4 ,let ,thy kingdom come1 let ,thy blessed ,gospel triumph over the pride and superstition and will-worship of man4 ,put an end to war and discord1 and may all the ends of the earth see ,thy salvation4 ,bless ,thy ministering servants2 may they be valiant for the truth1 and have no fear but the fear of ,god4 ,be the ,guide and ,guardian of all whom ,i love4 ,preserve their bodies from danger and their souls from sin4 ,watch over them and me this night2 be about our bed as ,thou hast been about our path4 ,night after night as ,i retire to rest may ,i think of the deeper darkness of the night of death1 which must1 sooner or later encompass me4 ,reposing in the merits of my gracious ,redeemer1 may ,i be enabled to look beyond death and the grave1 to that morning without clouds1 when ,i shall awake in ,his likeness1 and be ushered into the full vision and fruition of ,thee my ,god2 and all that ,i ask or hope for is for ,his sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,eighth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,imputed ,,righteousness4 ,even the righteousness of ,god which is by faith of ,jesus ,christ unto all and upon all them that believe4--,rom4 iii4 #bb4 ,almighty ,god1 ,father of all mercies1 ,i desire to draw near into ,thy sacred presence on this the evening of another day1 under a deep sense of my own great unworthiness4 ,what am ,i1 guilty1 sinful1 polluted1 that ,i should be permitted to take ,thy name into my lips1 or so much as lift up my eyes to the place where ,thou in glory dwellest6 ,i desire to renounce all dependence on myself4 ,i come with all the great burden of my great guilt to a great ,saviour4 ,i seek to bring the unrighteousness of an unworthy creature to the infinite righteousness and everlasting faithfulness of a tried ,redeemer4 ,where would ,i have been1 ,blessed ,jesus6 this night1 but for ,thee6 ,all ,i am1 and all ,i have1 ,i owe to ,thy free1 sovereign1 unmerited grace4 ,all my temporal mercies are sweetened to me as flowing from ,thy cross1 and bearing on them the image and superscription of ,thy love4 ,and for every spiritual blessing ,i enjoy1 and every spiritual hope ,i entertain1 ,i desire doubly to adore thee1 ,thou ,great ,author and ,finisher of my faith6 ,whom have ,i in heaven but ,thee1 and there is none in all the earth ,i desire besides ,thee4 ,thou alone canst fill up the aching voids of my heart4 ,in vain can ,i look to a transient world1 or to the perishable creature1 for solid peace and permanent enjoyment4 ,all my well-springs are in ,thyself2 with ,thee for my portion ,i am independent of every other4 ,i desire this night to obtain a lively and humbling view of my own spiritual poverty and deep creature destitution1 that ,i may rejoice in the fullness and all-sufficiency of that righteousness which is unto all and upon all them that believe4 ,in that righteousness ,i would seek to live1 and in that righteousness ,i would seek to die4 ,there is nothing else between me and everlasting ruin4 ,but for ,thee1 ,thou great ,covenant-,angel standing in the breach1 the fire of ,god would break forth and mingle my blood with this my evening sacrifice6 ,but ,i will greatly rejoice in the ,lord1 my soul shall be joyful in my ,god1 for ,he hath clothed me with the garments of salvation1 ,he hath covered me with a robe of righteousness4 ,i take ,thee1 ,o adorable ,saviour1 as mine only1 mine wholly2 mine for all wants and all exigencies4 ,i rejoice in the inexhaustible riches treasured up in ,thee--that ,thy fullness is adequate to supply all my present necessities2 and out of that fullness ,i may still continue receiving1 and that for ever and ever6 ,lord1 look in great kindness on all whom ,i love4 ,pity a perishing world4 ,arrest the careless2 reclaim the wandering2 strengthen the feeble4 ,hasten ,thy ,son's coming and kingdom4 ,how long shall the wicked1 how long shall the wicked triumph8 ,save ,thy people2 bless ,thine inheritance2 feed them also1 and lift them up for ever4 ,let the curtain of ,thy protecting providence be drawn around me this night4 ,let me fall asleep at peace with ,thee1 ready1 if need be1 to awake up in glory4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,ninth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,peace ,,in ,,believing4 ,therefore being justified by faith we have peace with ,god through our ,lord ,jesus ,christ4--,rom4 v4 #a4 ,gracious ,god1 ,i would seek to end another day with ,thee2 ,i would desire to look up to ,thee through ,jesus ,christ1 ,thy well-beloved ,son1 and to be made partaker of that peace which passeth all understanding4 ,there is no other refuge for the sin-stricken1 woe-worn spirit4 ,in vain amid other portions and meaner joys can ,i say to my soul peace1 peace4 ,there is no peace6 ,but reposing1 blessed ,saviour1 on ,thy finished work and everlasting righteousness1 ,i have a peace which the world knows not of1 and which enables me to rise superior to all the vicissitudes and changes of this changing life4 ,i desire to remember with a grateful heart that this peace has been purchased for me by the blood of the cross--that it is made as sure as everlasting power and wisdom and faithfulness can make it4 ,o ,thou great ,prince1 who hast power with ,god and dost prevail1 ,i would lift the undivided eye of faith to ,thy bleeding sacrifice6 ,do ,thou dispel every disquieting fear with the thought that ,thou hast done all1 and suffered all1 and procured all for me4 ,being justified by faith1 ,i have peace with ,god through the ,lord ,jesus ,christ4 ,i rejoice in the plenitude of ,thy promises1 that they are all yea and amen to them that believe4 ,man's word may fail1 man's faithfulness may falter1 but the word of the ,lord is tried1 ,thy faithfulness is unto all generations6 ,o ,god1 enable me to rejoice more and more in ,thee as my everlasting portion4 ,may ,i know nothing to compare with the enjoyment of ,thy favor4 ,other props may be removed1 other refuges may prove refuges of lies1 but ,thou art the strength of my heart and my portion for ever4 ,give me grace to be active in ,thy service while it is called to-day4 ,opportunities are fleeting4 ,the night cometh wherein none of us can work4 ,may simple believing be followed by the earnest cultivation of every ,christian virtue1 and by progressive advancement in the heavenly life4 ,may ,i faithfully employ the talents ,thou hast intrusted to me1 and seek never to be weary in well doing4 ,preserve me from every unholy temper and unchristian deed4 ,may ,i be gentle and meek1 patient and forgiving1 kind and benevolent1 living in charity towards all men4 ,on all my beloved friends ,i supplicate ,thy richest blessing4 ,protect them with ,thy favor as with a shield4 ,sanctify them1 body1 soul1 and spirit4 ,seal them unto the day of eternal redemption4 ,bless all poor afflicted ones4 ,let them receive largely out of the wells of ,thine own everlasting consolation4 ,let them see ,thy sovereign hand alone in their trials1 and say with unrepining submission1 ,the ,lord's will be done6 ,lord1 take the charge of me through the silent watches of the night4 ,may ,i fall asleep listening to the gracious benediction1 ,peace be unto you4 ,and when the gates of the morning are opened1 may it be to hear anew ,thy voice saying1 ,my presence will go with you4 ,hear1 accept1 and answer me1 for the ,redeemer's sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,tenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,spirit ,,of ,,adoption4 ,ye have received the ,spirit of adoption1 whereby we cry1 ,abba1 ,father4--,rom4 viii4 #ae4 ,blessed ,lord6 ,i desire to draw near this night with holy boldness to the footstool of ,thy throne1 rejoicing that ,i can look up to ,thee as my ,father in heaven4 ,behold what manner of love is this the ,father hath bestowed on me1 that ,i should be called a child of ,god4 ,thou mightest have righteously left me orphaned1 friendless1 portionless for ever4 ,but in the midst of wrath ,thou hast remembered mercy3 the kindness of no earthly parent1 ,o ,god1 could equal thine4 ,thou hast borne with all my obstinacy1 all my perverseness1 and waywardness1 and ingratitude4 ,i am at this hour the monument of a love as wondrous as it is undeserved4 ,oh teach me to cultivate more and more a spirit of child-like obedience to ,thee2 to cherish a holy fear of offending so kind and forgiving and beneficent a ,father4 ,whilst ,thou art strewing my wilderness path with unmerited blessings1 may ,i be enabled to rise above every earthly gift and mercy to the better inheritance ,i have in ,thee1 the bountiful ,bestower of all6 ,let me feel every created blessing to be doubly sweet1 as emanating from a ,father's hand1 and being a proof and pledge of a ,father's love4 ,let the hour of prayer be doubly hallowed by the thought that ,i am permitted to haunt a ,father's presence1 and pour my wants into a ,father's ear4 ,let the season of sorrow be sweetened by the thought that the rod is in a ,father's hand1 and that the voice1 though apparently rough1 is the tender whispering of parental love4 ,blessed ,jesus6 ,i desire to remember that it is ,thou and ,thou only who hast not left me comfortless4 ,it is ,thou who hast devised and completed a way by which ,thy banished may not be expelled from a ,father's presence4 ,thou hast opened a door of welcome to the chief of sinners4 ,it is ,thy blessed voice and ,thy glorious work which utter the gracious declaration1 ,in my ,father's house there are many mansions4 ,oh let me lean with a more simple and entire dependence on ,thee2 let me live from day to day with an unfaltering trust in ,thy mercy4 ,may every new evening1 as it finds me laying the incense-offering of gratitude and love on ,thine altar1 find me also a stage nearer my ,father's house1 nearer home1 and nearer ,thee4 ,take all my beloved friends under ,thy shadowing wings this night4 ,the darkness can not screen them from ,thee2 the curtains of night can not exclude ,thy kind and watchful eye4 ,guide1 guard1 protect them1 and bring them all at last to ,thy heavenly kingdom4 ,bless ,thy ,church everywhere2 lengthen her cords and strengthen her stakes4 ,be a wall of fire around ,thy ,zion and the glory in the midst thereof4 ,clothe her priests with salvation1 let her saints and people shout aloud for joy4 ,bless those on whom ,thou hast laid ,thine afflicting hand4 ,may they take refuge in the arms that are chastising them1 and be enabled to say in unmurmuring submission1 ,the ,lord's will be done4 ,hear me1 gracious ,father1 for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 my blessed ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,eleventh ,,evening4 ,,for ,,weanedness ,,from ,,the ,,world4 ,they are not of the world1 even as ,i am not of the world4--,john xvii4 #af4 ,o ,god1 ,i desire to come into ,thy gracious presence this night1 beseeching ,thee to bless me4 ,let my prayer come before ,thee as incense4 ,may the incense-offering of gratitude and thanksgiving ascend from a grateful heart4 ,how manifold are the proofs ,i have to recount of kindness on thy part6 how deep the ingratitude ,i have to mourn on my own6 ,my sins have reached unto the clouds2 they are more in number than the sand of the sea4 ,thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity4 ,i cannot evade ,thy righteous scrutiny2 all things are naked and open unto the eyes of ,him with whom ,i have to do6 ,lord1 ,i have to lament the proneness of this evil heart of unbelief ever to depart away from ,thee1 the living ,god4 ,i mourn the debasing influence of earthly things2 the fascinating power of a present evil world4 ,how inclined to conform to its evil maxims and unholy practices6 ,how often am ,i found ranged among those who mind earthly things2 my soul cleaving to the dust1 instead of soaring upwards to ,thyself1 my alone satisfying portion6 ,lord1 it is my earnest prayer that ,thou wouldst wean me from the world4 ,keep me from over-anxiety about the things that are seen--from being over-careful and troubled about earth's many things1 to the exclusion of the one thing needful6 ,break every alluring worldly spell2 disenchant things temporal of their false and delusive charm2 disengage me by all the salutary discipline of ,thy providence from what is fleeting1 uncertain1 transient1 perishable2 and unite me to the things which cannot be shaken1 but which remain forever6 ,may my citizenship be more in heaven2 imbibing more of the pilgrim spirit1 may ,i declare plainly that ,i seek a better country4 ,may the sins of the past day be forgiven2 may the blood of sprinkling wash their guilt away4 ,may ,i be driven nearer and closer to ,him who is the true refuge and portion1 and ,saviour of ,his people4 ,i rejoice to think that ,he has a balm for every wound1 a comfort for every bosom1 a solace for every tear4 ,may it be mine to go up through the wilderness leaning on ,his arm4 ,may ,thy ,holy ,spirit carry on ,his own work of sanctification within me4 ,may ,he enlighten1 quicken1 comfort1 strengthen me2 and mould me in gradual conformity to ,thy divine will4 ,bless all connected with me1 by whatever tie4 ,when earth's separations are at an end1 do ,thou take me and all dear to me to the enjoyment of ,thy presence and love in ,thine own everlasting kingdom4 ,let the pillar of ,thy presence be over us this night4 ,guard me during sleep's unconscious hours4 ,let no unquiet dreams disturb my repose2 may ,i compose myself to rest under the sweet assurance that ,thou the ,lord sustainest me2 and when ,i awake1 may ,i be still with ,thee1 through ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twelfth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,gratitude ,,for ,,the ,,past4 ,bless the ,lord1 ,o my soul1 and forget not all ,his benefits4--,psalm ciii4 #b4 ,o ,god ,almighty1 do ,thou draw near to me at this time in ,thy great mercy1 and accept of this my ,evening ,sacrifice6 ,i bless ,thee for all that gladdens my earthly lot1 for food and raiment1 for friends and home1 for health of body and soundness of mind4 ,lord1 ,i delight to trace the wondrous way by which ,thou hast hitherto led me6 ,thou hast compassed my path and my lying down4 ,thou hast supplied my ever-recurring necessities4 ,my wants have been infinite1 but infinite too has been the gracious supply4 ,with a grateful heart ,i would set up my ,ebenezer1 saying1 ,hitherto hath the ,lord helped me4 ,and remembering ,thy faithfulness in the past1 ,i would confidently trust ,thee for the future4 ,may ,i thankfully employ the manifold gifts of ,thy bounty4 ,impress upon me the feeling that ,i am but a steward1 responsible to ,thee for all ,i possess4 ,let me not selfishly appropriate the varied means of usefulness thou hast put within my power1 but willingly employ these in ,thy service for the good of others4 ,when ,thou comest to demand a reckoning1 may ,i be able to give a faithful account of my stewardship1 paying ,thee ,thine own with usury4 ,lord1 while ,i bless ,thee for the other proofs and tokens of ,thy love1 far above all would ,i bless ,thee for ,jesus4 ,where would ,i have been this night but for ,him8 ,how dreary would have been the past6 ,how dismal and hopeless the future6 ,thanks1 eternal ,thanks be unto ,god for ,his unspeakable gift6 ,let me feel1 more than ,i have done1 the exceeding riches of ,thy grace in ,thy kindness toward me through ,christ ,jesus4 ,let all ,thy dealings only serve to confirm my love to ,him1 and to lead me to cleave to ,him with fuller purpose of heart4 ,may he have my undivided homage4 ,let no earthly gift or blessing supplant the ,giver1 but may every rill of creative bliss be doubly sweet to me as flowing from ,his atoning sacrifice4 ,i rejoice in the midst of trial and perplexity to think of ,thee1 ,thou tried and suffering ,one4 ,i rejoice that amid my sorrows ,i can remember ,thine1 that amid my very tears1 ,i can remember ,jesus wept4 ,thou canst enter into all the peculiarities of ,thy people's case1 for ,thou wert in all points tempted4 ,let me feel1 even amid the changes of life1 that what ,i am apt to call vicissitudes1 are the sovereign decrees and allotments of ,thine infinite wisdom2 and what ,i cannot comprehend now1 be it mine to wait the disclosures of that blessed morning when1 standing at the luminous portals of ,heaven1 ,i shall joyfully acknowledge that the ,lord hath done all things well4 ,bless my beloved friends2 may they be growing in thy fear and favor2 may they all at last1 as sheaves in thy heavenly garner1 be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of ,jesus ,christ4 ,i commend myself1 gracious ,god1 to ,thy care2 let me retire to rest this night in the blessed consciousness of ,thy favor2 and if spared to see the light of a new day1 fit me for whatsoever ,thou hast in store for me4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,thirteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,trust ,,for ,,the ,,future4 ,i will trust1 and be not afraid4--,isaiah xii4 #b4 ,o ,god1 ,thou makest the outgoings of the evening and the morning to rejoice over me4 ,i thank ,thee for ,thy sparing mercy during the past day4 ,while multitudes of my fellow-men have been called away into an eternal world1 ,i am still preserved in the land of the living1 and in the place of hope4 ,it is of ,thy compassions alone that ,i am not consumed4 ,my way ,zionward may well be studded with ,ebenezers1 testifying the ,lord hath helped me4 ,i may well set to my seal that ,god is true4 ,the pillar of ,thy presence has guided me through many a perplexing path4 ,thy love has smiled through many a threatening cloud4 ,thy restraining grace has arrested me in many a slippery way2 when my soul was among lions1 how often has the ,lord sent his angel to rescue me and shut the lions' mouths4 ,i am this night a marvel and miracle of ,thy patience1 and forbearance1 and mercy4 ,lord1 ,i joyfully take all these past kindnesses as tokens for the future4 ,to ,thee ,i would confidingly commit the unknown morrow1 and cleave to ,thy guiding arm with full purpose of heart4 ,the lot is thrown into the lap1 but the whole disposing of it is of the ,lord2 ,o1 be it my joy and privilege1 thus reposing in ,thy covenant faithfulness1 to say1 ,undertake ,thou for me4 ,looking forward to that time when all ,thy inscrutable dealings will be unfolded1 when inner meanings and purposes now undiscerned by the eye of sense will be brought to light1 and all discovered to be full of infinite love4 ,keep me from dishonoring ,thee by the workings of unbelief2 ,i am prone to trust my own wisdom1 ,o give me teachableness of spirit and simplicity of faith1 waiting patiently on ,thee2 leaving all that concerns me and mine to ,thy better direction4 ,blessed ,jesus6 ,i would seek to cleave closer and closer to ,thy cross4 ,i have no trust but in ,thy finished work4 ,other refuges may fail1 but ,i am as secure in ,thee as everlasting love and wisdom and power can make me4 ,o cleanse every guilty stain away in thy most precious blood4 ,let me live day by day at the opened fountain1 and feel that ,i only live while there4 ,thus simply relying on ,thy justifying grace1 may ,i seek to walk in ,thy footsteps and to imbibe ,thy spirit4 ,may ,i follow ,thee1 ,o ,lamb of ,god1 whithersoever ,thou seest meet to lead me4 ,may ,i never feel as if ,i would wish one jot or tittle regarding me altered1 when the reins of empire are in ,thy hands4 ,take my beloved friends under ,thy special care4 ,watch over them1 provide for them1 decide for them4 ,in all their ways may they acknowledge ,thee1 and in all things seek ,thy honor and glory4 ,pity the afflicted4 ,stay ,thy rough wind in the day of ,thy east wind4 ,let them rejoice that every bitter drop in the cup of life is appointed by ,thee4 ,may they submissively drink it1 saying1 ,thy will be done6 ,hear1 ,lord1 the voice of my supplications1 when ,thou hearest1 forgive1 and grant me an answer in peace1 seeing all that ,i ask is in the name and for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,fourteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,knowledge ,,of ,,christ4 ,that ,i may know ,him1 and the power of ,his resurrection1 and the fellowship of ,his sufferings4--,phil4 iii4 #aj4 ,almighty ,god1 do ,thou draw near to me this night in ,thy great mercy4 ,what am ,i1 that infinite unworthiness and nothingness should be permitted to stand in the presence of infinite purity1 majesty1 and glory8 ,lord1 ,i dare not have ventured to bow at thy footstool in my own merits4 ,i am poor and wretched1 and miserable1 and blind1 and naked4 ,enter not in judgment with ,thy servant1 for in ,thy sight no flesh living can be justified4 ,but1 adored be ,thy name1 ,i have an all-sufficient ground of confidence wherewith to approach ,thee4 ,i bless ,thee1 that by the doing and dying of ,jesus1 ,thou hast opened up a way of reconciliation to the chief of sinners4 ,oh1 enable me to know more fully the adaptation of ,his person and work to all the necessities and exigencies of my character and circumstances4 ,let me know him in ,his infinite ,godhead1 as mighty to save2 in ,his spotless humanity1 as mighty to compassionate4 ,let me know ,him in all ,his offices1 as my ,prophet1 my ,priest1 my ,king2 my ,kinsman-,redeemer within the veil1 my ,refuge in trouble1 my ,guide in perplexity1 my ,support in death1 my ,portion through eternity4 ,i rejoice1 blessed ,jesus1 at the hidden springs of life resident in ,thee6 ,thou art suited to all the varied wants and circumstances1 and trials of ,thy people--for every moment of need1 for every diversity of situation4 ,i can mourn no real blank1 if ,i have ,thy presence and blessing4 ,o ,thou1 better than the best of earthly friends1 who1 though enthroned amid the hosannas of angels1 hast still ,thy human sympathy unaltered and unchanged1 draw near to me this night1 and breathe upon me1 and say1 ,peace be unto thee4 ,let me know the melting energy of ,thy love1 and the attractive power of ,thy cross4 ,may ,i keep the unwavering eye of faith steadily directed to ,thy all-glorious sacrifice4 ,be ,thou the habitual object of my contemplation1 the source of holiest joy1 the animating principle of obedience4 ,may all creature love be subordinated to ,thine4 ,may my temper1 my walk1 my conversation1 be regulated in accordance with ,thy blessed will and holy example4 ,may this be the lofty aim and ambition of life1 to act so as to please ,jesus4 ,bless my dear friends1 may they too be led to count all but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus their ,lord1 whom to know is life eternal4 ,pity the careless2 reclaim the backsliding2 comfort the sorrowful2 sustain the dying4 ,may the ,lord arise and have mercy on ,zion2 may ,he show that the time to favor her1 yea1 the set time1 is come6 ,ere ,i lay my head on my nightly pillow1 ,i would lay anew my guilt on the head of the ,divine ,surety2 may ,i fall asleep under the blessed sense of sin forgiven1 and look forward to that blessed day when earth's night-shadows shall have vanished forever1 and when ,i shall be enabled more fully to know the love of ,christ which passeth knowledge4 ,and all ,i ask or hope for is for ,his sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,fifteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,guidance ,,in ,,perplexity4 ,cause me to know the way wherein ,i should walk2 for ,i lift up my soul unto ,thee4--,psalm cxliii4 #h4 ,o ,god1 ,thy favor is life1 ,thy loving-kindness is better than life4 ,thy mercies have been new to me every morning1 and ,thy faithfulness every night4 ,thou hast watched over me from the earliest years of infancy with more than a ,father's care4 ,the kindness of the kindest on earth has been coldness itself when compared with ,thine4 ,i rejoice that ,i can thus trace in a wondrous past the visible footsteps of ,thy love1 and fearlessly trust and repose in ,thee for the future4 ,thou art a rich provider4 ,none so able1 none so willing to guide me in every perplexity1 to extricate me from every difficulty1 and to befriend me amid the fitful changes of life4 ,what a safe anchorage is this amid the world's restless surges of vicissitude1 ,the ,lord reigneth6 ,do ,thou enable me wholly to follow the ,lord my ,god2 to follow ,thee not only in smooth places1 but even when the path is rough and the way thorny4 ,may ,i confide in the wisdom of all ,thine allotments4 ,i rejoice that all the changes ,thou orderest for ,thy covenant people are changes for the better1 and not for the worse4 ,o blessed ,jesus6 ,thou who art the true pillar of cloud by day1 and of fire by night1 do ,thou precede me ever in all my wilderness wanderings4 ,may ,i encamp only where ,thou leadest me4 ,may ,i strike my tent only when ,thou speakest that ,i go forward4 ,let me experience the conscious happiness of knowing no will but ,thine1 and of being solicitous in all things to follow the guiding voice and footsteps of the ,great ,shepherd of the flock4 ,if there be aught in ,thy providence perplexing me now1 ,i would say in child-like simplicity1 ,i am oppressed1 undertake ,thou for me6 ,my heart is overwhelmed1 lead me to the ,rock that is higher than ,i4 ,hide me in the crevices of that smitten ,rock2 let me know the safety and joy of being shielded there1 until earth's calamities be overpast4 ,graciously forgive all the sins of this past day--the sins of thought1 word and deed2 all my selfishness and uncharitableness2 all my pride and vain-glory2 all my censoriousness and inconsideration of the wishes and feelings of others4 ,blessed ,jesus6 let me follow more closely ,thy holy footsteps1 and drink more deeply of ,thy heavenly spirit4 ,bless all in sorrow1 sanctify to them their trials1 may they see and own a need be in them all4 ,prepare the dying for death1 and spare useful lives4 ,take all belonging to me this night under the shield of ,thy protecting providence1 let them ever commit their way onto ,thee1 and do ,thou bring it to pass4 ,hold up their goings in ,thy word1 that their footsteps may not stumble4 ,watch over me during the unconscious hours of sleep2 and when all my days and nights on earth are finished1 may it be mine to enjoy ,thy presence in a cloudless1 nightless ,heaven2 through ,jesus ,christ1 my blessed ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,sixteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,victory ,,over ,,sin4 ,sin shall not have dominion over you4--,rom4 vi4 #ad4 ,o ,god1 ,thou art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity4 ,evil cannot dwell with ,thee1 fools cannot stand in ,thy presence4 ,thou hast solemnly declared1 ,thou canst by no means clear the guilty1 and that though hand join in hand1 the wicked shall not escape unpunished4 ,lord1 ,i rejoice that ,i can draw near to ,thee in the name of ,him by whom the guilty have been cleared2 and through whom it is that a holy and righteous and sin-hating ,god can yet be holy and just1 in the very act of justifying the ungodly4 ,i desire to adore ,thee for all ,thy creative and providential goodness4 ,thou hast loaded me with ,thy benefits4 ,the past is paved with love4 ,i see in the retrospect of life nothing but amazing1 unmerited kindness1 mercy upon mercy6 ,amid manifold changes there has been no change in ,thee1 no altered looks1 no fainting or weariness or estrangement4 ,amid the wanderings of my own fitful spirit ,i can write over every remembrance of the past1 ,but ,thou art the same6 ,i desire with penitence of soul to mourn my own ingratitude and sin1 the desperate wickedness and deceitfulness of my own evil heart1 the power of corruption1 the mastery of self1 the alienation of my affections from ,thee their rightful ,sovereign and ,lord4 ,what an easy prey have ,i often fallen in the hour of temptation--by thought and word and deed dishonoring ,thy name and basely requiting ,thy love6 ,father1 ,i have sinned against heaven and before ,thee1 and am no more worthy to be called ,thy child6 ,give me genuine contrition for the past1 inspire me with new purposes of obedience for the future4 ,without ,thy favor and reconciliation1 in peace ,i cannot live1 in peace ,i dare not die6 ,my cry would be1 ,more grace1 more grace6 ,let me be gaining every day fresh victories over sin2 may my soul be daily nurtured by the influence of heaven-born principles4 ,may ,i know the expulsive power of the new implanted affection of love to ,thee4 ,dethrone the world4 ,subjugate the power of sin4 ,give me greater tenderness of conscience2 may ,i jealously guard every avenue to temptation1 and be ready ever with the reply to the seductions of the tempter1 ,how can ,i do this great wickedness and sin against ,god8 ,let me be willing to forego anything rather than forsake ,thy ways4 ,be it my habitual purpose and desire to cleave unto ,thee the ,lord with full purpose of heart4 ,let me hallow all life's duties and engagements with ,thy favor1 looking forward to that time when my will and ,thine1 blessed ,god6 shall be one1 and when there shall be no more sin to interrupt the interchange of love and devotedness4 ,bless all my dear friends2 may the blessing of ,jacob's ,god1 the ,god of all the families of the earth1 rest upon them4 ,give them all needful temporal blessings4 ,fill their souls with peace and joy in believing4 ,may they and ,i look forward with joyful anticipation to that morning without clouds1 which knows no change nor vicissitude1 when there shall be no more death1 neither sorrow1 nor crying1 because there will be no more sin2 and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,seventeenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,life ,,of ,,faith4 ,the life which ,i live in the flesh ,i live by the faith of the ,son of ,god1 who loved me1 and gave ,himself for me4--,gal4 ii4 #bj4 ,o ,god1 ,i desire to draw near unto ,thy blessed presence on this the evening of another day1 adoring ,thee for all the loving-kindness ,thou art continually making to pass before me4 ,may ,i ever be enabled to look up to ,thee as the ,author and ,bestower of all my mercies4 ,may no created good ever be suffered to dispossess ,thee of my affections4 ,may all that ,i enjoy1 alike temporal and spiritual1 be traced to ,thee1 the ,fountain of all happiness4 ,may prosperity be hallowed by receiving it as a pledge of ,thy favor1 and may trial lose its bitterness by the consciousness that every thorn in my path is permitted by ,thee1 and every bitter drop in the cup appointed by ,thee4 ,may ,i thus seek1 ,o ,god1 from day to day1 to live a life of simple faith and dependence on ,thy grace2 with confiding love may ,i commit my every care and want and perplexity to ,thy better direction1 feeling sweetly assured that ,thou wilt guide me by a right way to the city of habitation4 ,above all would ,i seek a renewed interest in those covenant blessings which ,christ died to purchase and which ,he is exalted to bestow4 ,all my hope is in ,him2 weak1 helpless1 perishing1 ,i flee to ,him1 as the help and hope and portion of all who seek ,him4 ,hide me1 ,o blessed ,jesus1 in ,thy wounded side4 ,i would overcome alone through the blood of the ,lamb4 ,wash me thoroughly in ,thy precious blood4 ,may ,i hear ,thine own voice of pardoning love saying1 ,your sins which are many are all forgiven4 ,after all ,thou hast done for me1 let me harbor no guilty and unworthy suspicions of ,thy faithfulness4 ,let me feel assured that tender love regulates all ,thy allotments4 ,thou art pledged to use the dealing and discipline best suited for ,thy people's case1 and what will best effect ,thine own will concerning them1 even their sanctification4 ,carry on within me ,thine own work in ,thine own way4 ,fortify me against temptation2 let me not surrender myself to the base compliances of a world lying in wickedness4 ,but1 strong in the ,lord and in the power of ,his might1 may ,i know that ,he who is with me is greater far than all that can be against me4 ,oh enkindle afresh my expiring1 languishing love2 let me live more under the influence of things not seen1 having the eye of faith more upwards and homewards1 looking for that blessed hope1 even the glorious appearing of the great ,god my ,saviour4 ,let ,thy kingdom come6 ,arise1 ,o ,god1 and plead ,thine own cause4 ,may all the ends of the earth soon be gladdened with the ,gospel's joyful sound6 ,bless all in sorrow1 all bereaved of near and dear friends2 may they see no hand in their trials but ,thine4 ,thou givest us our blessings2 and when ,thou seest meet ,thou revokest the grant4 ,let us see love in every threatening wave1 all rolling at ,thy bidding4 ,lord1 take the charge of me this night4 ,abide with me1 blessed ,saviour1 for it is toward evening and the day is far spent4 ,oh1 may it be mine to feel that each successive evening as it brings me nearer eternity1 is ripening me for its never-ending joys4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,eighteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,daily ,,death4 ,i die daily4--#a ,cor4 xv4 #ca4 ,o ,god ,almighty1 ,father of all mercies1 ,god of all grace1 ,i beseech ,thee to look down upon me at this time in ,thy great kindness2 let me feel it to be good for me to draw near unto ,god4 ,i desire to come acknowledging my great unworthiness4 ,forgive1 gracious ,lord1 my many1 many sins of thought1 word1 and deed2 wash out all the defilements of the day4 ,if ,i were to be tried by the doings of any single hour1 how would ,i stand condemned6 ,i am a miracle of mercy2 kept1 sustained1 upheld1 moment by moment1 by the power of ,god4 ,blessed ,saviour6 where could ,i have been this night but for ,thee8 ,thou art praying for me1 as for ,thy faltering disciple of old1 that my faith fail not4 ,i do rejoice to think that the same hand that was once outstretched for me on the cross is now lifted up in pleading love before the ,throne1 and that ,he who is for me is greater far than all that can be against me6 ,oh strengthen me with all might by ,thy ,spirit in the inner man4 ,subdue my corruptions1 crucify all remaining sin4 ,let me die to the world2 let me not imbibe its false maxims1 conform to its sinful tastes1 or accord with its evil practices4 ,let self in all its manifold forms be crucified1 and ,god exalted4 ,come1 ,lord6 search me1 try me1 prove me1 and see if there be any wicked way in me4 ,let me maintain a constant and habitual hatred of those sins that do more easily beset me2 may ,i exercise a holy jealousy over my own heart4 ,let no prosperity be strengthening my ties earthward1 and weakening my ties heavenward4 ,if ,thou givest me much of worldly good1 may ,i write upon it all1 the things which are seen are temporal4 ,may it be my exalted ambition to use it for ,thy glory4 ,if ,thou sendest trial1 let it issue in the peaceable fruits of righteousness1 producing a child-like acquiescence in ,thy present dealings4 ,let me never forget my pilgrim attitude4 ,let me be ever looking forward to that joyous time when1 clean escaped from the corruptions that are in the world1 ,i shall stand faultless before the ,throne4 ,meanwhile1 make me more heavenly-minded1 copying the example of ,him who was meek and lowly in heart4 ,let me be gentle and forgiving1 let me not harbor unkind suspicions of others1 but consider myself1 lest ,i also be tempted4 ,o give me the character of ,heaven on this side of death1 that when ,i come to pass through the swellings of ,jordan ,i may be prepared for the joyous welcome awaiting me on the shores of glory1 ,enter thou into the joy of thy ,lord6 ,have mercy on a world lying in wickedness6 ,pity the careless2 arouse the slumbering2 support the weak2 succour the poor and those that have no helper4 ,bless ,thy ,church everywhere4 ,may ,thy ministering servants hide themselves1 that their ,lord may be exalted4 ,take the charge of me and of all near and dear to me this night4 ,keep me1 ,o keep me1 ,king of kings1 beneath ,thine own ,almighty wings4 ,lying down in ,thy fear may ,i awake in ,thy favor1 fitted for all the duties of a new day2 and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,nineteenth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,renunciation ,,of ,,self4 ,not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think anything as of ourselves2 but our sufficiency is of ,god4--#b ,cor4 iii4 #e4 ,o ,god6 do ,thou bend ,thy pitying eye upon me this night1 as ,i venture once more into ,thy sacred presence4 ,what mercy it is that1 with all my great unworthiness1 a throne of grace is still open1 and a ,god of grace is still waiting to be gracious6 ,i come to ,thee in deep creature-destitution1 bringing nothing in my hands1 but simply cleaving1 blessed ,jesus1 to ,thy cross2 looking away from my guilty self and my guilty doings to ,thee1 who hast done all and suffered all for me1 ,i rejoice to think that ,thou hast broken every chain of condemnation--that ,thou hast satisfied the requirements of a broken law2 and having overcome the sharpness of death1 ,thou hast opened the kingdom of heaven to all believers4 ,oh let me not continue in sin because all this wondrous grace abounds4 ,let me not think lightly of the accursed thing which was the cause of all ,thine untold and unutterable anguish4 ,i know1 ,lord1 that ,i am apt at times to plead vain excuses for my sins4 ,i am unwilling to think them1 and to think myself1 so vile as ,i really am1 in ,thy pure and holy eye4 ,my heart is deceitful2 but ,thou art greater than my heart4 ,oh bring me in self-renouncing lowliness to cry out1 ,god be merciful to me a sinner4 ,let me cling to no remnants of my own self-righteousness4 ,let me see that my best actions are marred with defilement and mingled with impure and unworthy motives4 ,enable me to aim more and more at the conquest of self4 ,show me the plague of my own heart4 ,keep me from all that is unamiable and selfish1 from all that is unkind and uncharitable1 and that would exalt myself at the expense of others4 ,keep me holy4 ,keep me lowly4--,lead me through the valley of humiliation4 ,may life become more one grand effort to crucify sin and to please ,god4 ,take1 gracious ,saviour1 my whole heart1 and make it ,thine2 occupy it without a rival4 ,may there be no competing affection4 ,keep me from alienating existence from its great end1 by living to myself4 ,may this be the superscription on all my thoughts1 and duties1 and engagements--,i am not my own1 ,i am bought with a price4 ,may whatever be ,thy time be mine4 ,may ,i not murmur at deferred blessings or disappointed hopes4 ,may my own will be resolved into the will of ,him who knows best what to give and what to withhold4 ,may the ,lord have mercy upon ,zion4 ,may showers of blessing descend on ,thy holy hill4 ,hasten the glories of the latter day1 when ,jesus shall take to ,himself ,his great power and reign6 ,bless all my dear friends2 may those ties which may be so soon severed here be rendered indissoluble by grace4 ,guard their couch and mine this night2 give us refreshing sleep1 lying down in ,thy fear1 and awaking in ,thy favor1 fitted for all the duties of a new day4 ,and all we ask or hope for is for the ,redeemer's sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twentieth ,,evening4 ,,for ,a ,,child-,,like ,,spirit4 ,my soul is even as a weaned child4--,psalm cxxxi4 #b4 ,o ,lord1 ,i rejoice that ,i am permitted with filial confidence to approach ,thy blessed presence4 ,what a privilege it is to have such liberty of access to the ,mercy-seat--to look upwards to ,thee1 the ,infinite ,one1 whom the ,heaven of ,heavens cannot contain1 and call ,thee my ,father and my ,god6 ,earthly love may grow cold or changeable1 or perish2 but ,thou art the same4 ,the mercy of ,god is from everlasting to everlasting4 ,like as a father pitieth his children1 so doth the ,lord pity them that fear ,him4 ,alas6 ,i have to mourn too often an unthankful spirit amid all ,thy manifold mercies4 ,i have been rebellious and wayward1 ungrateful and selfish4 ,thou mightest righteously have surrendered me to my own perverse will2 left me to the fruit of my own ways1 and to be filled with my own devices4 ,it is of the ,lord's mercies that ,i am not consumed6 ,infinite is my want1 but infinite too is my help4 ,i would seek to stand before ,thee1 ,o ,god1 in the nothingness of the creature1 and to know the boundless resources treasured up for me in the great ,redeemer4 ,unite me to ,him by a living faith1 as ,thine own child by adoption2 may it be my great desire to glorify ,thee1 my ,father in ,heaven2 cherishing towards ,thee a spirit of filial love and devotedness1 seeking to do only what will please ,thee1 and having a salutary fear of offending so kind and forbearing a ,parent4 ,oh keep me from any sullen fretfulness1 or unbelieving misgivings1 under the strokes of ,thy chastening hand4 ,let there be no hard construction of ,thy dealings4 ,may ,i see all ,thy chastisements tempered with gracious love--all to be needful discipline4 ,give me an unwavering trust and confidence in ,thy faithfulness4 ,nothing befalls me but by ,thy direction2 nothing is appointed but what is for my good4 ,let ,thy varied dealings conform me to the image of my adorable ,lord4 ,let me be willing to suffer patiently for ,him who so willingly and so patiently suffered for me4 ,let me not so much seek to have my afflictions removed as to have grace given me to glorify ,thee in them1 and in the spirit of a weaned child to say1 ,even so1 ,father6 ,o may my heart become a living temple1 my life a living sacrifice1 breathing the incense of gratitude and love4 ,let me give myself no rest until in this soul of mine ,i find a place for the ,lord1 an habitation for the mighty ,god of ,jacob4 ,do ,thou sanctify trial to all the sons and daughters of sorrow4 ,draw near to those bereaved of beloved relatives4 ,do ,thou ,thyself compensate for every earthly loss4 ,may they know that ,thou art faithful who hast promised1 ,lo1 ,i am with you alway1 even unto the end of the world4 ,have mercy on ,thy whole ,church4 ,heal divisions4 ,bless ,thy preached word4 ,strengthen ,thy ministering servants1 that they may be enabled to proclaim the whole counsel of ,god4 ,take the charge of me1 and of all near and dear to me1 this night4 ,give ,thine angels charge over us4 ,may no unquiet dreams disturb our rest1 and when we awake may we be still with ,thee4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,first ,,evening4 ,,for ,,heavenward ,,progress4 ,the path of the just is as the shining light1 which shines more and more onto the perfect day4--,proverbs iv4 #ah4 ,o ,god1 ,i bless ,thee that ,thou hast spared me during another day1 and permitted the shadows of another evening to gather around me in peace4 ,it is ,thou1 ,lord1 only who makest me to dwell in safety4 ,enable me to live from day to day as the pensioner on ,thy bounty2 to feel my dependence2 to receive every created blessing and gift direct from ,thy hand1 and to seek to have all of them sweetened and hallowed as the pledges of ,thy covenant love in ,jesus4 ,i bless ,thee1 gracious ,god1 for the richer tokens of ,thy redeeming grace in ,him4 ,i bless ,thee that ,his infinite merit has come in the place of my infinite demerit1 that in ,him there is no condemnation2 that in ,his precious blood ,i have a secure shelter from the terrors of ,thy righteous law and the accusations of a guilty conscience4 ,may ,i know more and more the power of ,his resurrection and the fellowship of ,his sufferings4 ,may my every hope of pardon centre in ,his cross4 ,may ,i be living from day to day under the constraining influence of ,his love1 and experience now a sweet foretaste of that everlasting communion which awaits me in ,his presence hereafter4 ,lord1 quicken me in my heavenly way2 let me not loiter or linger on the road4 ,let this be my habitual feeling and watchword1 ,i am journeying4 ,may ,i seek to mark my progressive advancement in the divine life1 my increasing conformity to the image and will of ,thee1 my ,god4 ,keep me humble1 cherishing a constant sense of my dependence on ,thee4 ,oh in every step ,zionward1 may ,i be led to cry1 ,hold ,thou me up1 and ,i shall be safe4 ,let there be no longer any halting between two opinions1 any wavering or indecision4 ,may ,i regard life as a great mission to please ,thee4 ,let my animating wish be to be nearer ,thee now1 ere ,i come to be with ,thee for ever in glory everlasting4 ,walking heavenwards1 may ,i feel ,i am walking homewards4 ,may ,i spend each day as if possibly it were my last1 so that should the midnight cry break upon my ears1 ,prepare to meet ,thy ,god1 it might be to me no unexpected summons1 but as an angel whispering1 ,the ,master is come and calleth for thee4 ,look down in mercy on the dark places of the earth full of the habitations of horrid cruelty4 ,how long shall the wicked1 how long shall the wicked triumph8 ,go forth with ,thy missionary servants in heathen lands2 may they witness much of ,thy power2 may ,thy word still be mighty as ever to the pulling down of ,satan's strongholds4 ,give thy ,churches at home grace to be more faithful in the fulfilment of the great commission of their ,great ,head--,go ye into all the world and preach the ,gospel to every creature6 ,take all my beloved friends this night under ,thy guardian care4 ,shield them from all danger2 and if ,thou art pleased to spare us till to-morrow1 may we rise refreshed and invigorated for the duties of a new day4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,second ,,evening4 ,,for ,,humility ,,of ,,heart4 ,he giveth grace unto the humble4--,james iv4 #f4 ,o ,god1 ,thou art great and greatly to be feared4 ,thy greatness is unsearchable4 ,thou art seated on a throne that is high and lifted up2 myriads of blessed spirits cease not day nor night to celebrate ,thy praise in their ever-triumphant hymn1 ,holy1 holy1 holy1 is the ,lord ,god of hosts4 ,but ,i rejoice to think that though ,heaven is ,thy dwelling-place ,thou deignest to dwell in the humble and contrite heart2 no sacrifice dost ,thou so love as that of the broken spirit2 no incense so prized by ,thee as the incense of a grateful1 believing soul1 which1 oppressed with its own unworthiness and sin1 reposes with unwavering trust in the work and righteousness of the ,great ,surety4 ,lord1 on this ever-living1 ever-loving ,saviour ,i desire wholly to lean4 ,as helpless1 hopeless1 friendless1 portionless1 ,i cast myself on ,him who is ,helper of the helpless and ,friend of the friendless4 ,there is nothing but ,thy sacrifice and intercession1 ,o ,thou ,lamb of ,god1 between me and everlasting destruction4 ,o wash every crimson and scarlet stain away in ,thy precious blood4 ,let me lie low at the foot of ,thy cross4 ,give me a lowly estimate of myself1 and a lofty view of ,thy all-glorious work and finished righteousness4 ,i have no other hope of mercy1 and1 blessed be ,thy name1 ,i need no other4 ,while ,i take ,thee as my ,saviour1 may ,i be enabled to follow ,thee also as my pattern2 conscious of the supreme enthronement of ,thy love in my heart1 may ,i feel superior to all the fluctuations and changes of a changing world4 ,may ,i live as the chartered heir of a better inheritance2 while in the world1 may ,i seek not to be of it4 ,may ,i diffuse around me the noiseless influence of a heavenly life1 subordinating all ,i do to ,thy glory4 ,lord1 enable me to be useful in the sphere in which ,thou hast placed me1 to work while it is called to-day1 remembering that there is no work nor device nor labor in the grave whither ,i am going4 ,bless all in sorrow4 ,sanctify their trials4 ,keep us ever from the guilty atheism of looking to second causes4 ,may we ever rejoice in the elevating assurance that the ,lord ,god ,omnipotent reigneth1 and that ,thou orderest all things wisely and well4 ,may the ,holy ,spirit the ,comforter pour his own balm into every bleeding heart4 ,have mercy on a world lying in wickedness4 ,hasten that glorious period when creation1 now groaning and travailing in sin1 shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption and be translated into the glorious liberty of the children of ,god4 ,let ,thy word everywhere have free course and be glorified4 ,may ,jesus1 faithfully lifted up by the attractive power of his cross1 draw all men unto him4 ,let ,thy best benediction rest on my friends4 ,the ,lord watch between them and me when we are absent one from another4 ,may we experience ,thy guardian care this night2 and if spared to awake in the morning1 may it be to spend a new day in ,thy service1 through ,jesus ,christ1 our blessed ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,third ,,evening4 ,,for ,,firmness ,,in ,,temptation4 ,resist the devil1 and he will flee from you4--,james iv4 #g4 ,o ,god1 ,thou art from everlasting to everlasting4 ,loving me at the beginning1 ,thou hast promised to love me even unto the end4 ,notwithstanding all the fitful changes of my own changing heart towards ,thee1 there has been1 and can be1 no shadow of turning in ,thy covenant faithfulness towards me4 ,i am at this hour the monument of ,thy mercy--a living comment on the words1 ,thy ways are not as man's ways1 nor ,thy thoughts as man's thoughts4 ,if ,i have been enabled in any degree to resist the assaults of temptation1 it is all ,thy doing4 ,i am kept by the power of ,god4 ,unless the ,lord had been my help1 my soul must long ere now have dwelt in silence4 ,by the grace of ,god ,i am what ,i am4 ,lord1 indulged and cherished sin unfits me for the enjoyment of ,thy service and favor4 ,i have to lament my proneness to evil1 the natural bias of my heart to that which is opposed to ,thy pure and holy will4 ,when ,i would do good1 sin is too often present with me4 ,i feel the power of my spiritual adversaries4 ,if left to myself and my own unaided resources1 ,i must often hopelessly resign the conflict4 ,but ,i rejoice to think that there is help and hope and strength at hand4 ,i would look to ,him who is now bending upon me an eye of unchanging love from the throne4 ,all ,thy ascension glories1 blessed ,redeemer1 have not obliterated the tenderness of ,thy humanity4 ,thou art that same ,jesus2 ,thou1 the abiding ,friend1 art still left changeless among the changeable2 and when ,satan often desires to have me1 that he might sift me as wheat1 it is ,thy intercessory prayer that saves me from utter ruin4 ,thou art pleading for me1 that my faith fail not6 ,oh may ,i be found invincible in the hour of temptation1 being made more than conqueror through ,him that loved me4 ,sheltered in ,thee the true ,refuge1 the wicked one will touch me not4 ,let me not trifle with my own soul or with the momentous interests of eternity4 ,let me every day be living under the realizing consciousness that ,thy pure eye is upon me4 ,keep me from all that is at variance with ,thy gracious mind4 ,keep me from unchristian tempers1 from an unholy or inconsistent or uneven walk4 ,by a ,christ-like demeanor may ,i exhibit the sanctifying and transforming influence of the ,gospel on my own soul1 that others may take knowledge of me that ,i have been with ,jesus4 ,god of ,bethel6 do ,thou take under ,thy protecting providence all related to me by endearing ties4 ,however far we may be separated from one another1 let us never be separated from ,thee4 ,let us often rejoice in this our common meeting-place2 that around ,thy mercy-seat in spirit we can assemble1 and lay our evening incense in the one ,golden ,censer of our gracious ,high ,priest6 ,take charge of me this night1 defend me from all danger2 whether ,i wake or sleep1 may ,i live together with ,thee2 and all that ,i ask or hope for is in the name and for the sake of ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,fourth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,composure ,,in ,,trial4 ,even so1 ,father2 for so it seemed good in ,thy sight4--,matt4 xi4 #bf4 ,o ,god1 ,i come into ,thy presence this night1 rejoicing that amid all earth's vicissitudes1 ,i have in ,thee a rock that cannot be shaken4 ,thou doest according to ,thy will in the armies of ,heaven1 and among the inhabitants of the earth6 ,thou doest all things well1 and nothing but what is well4 ,there is no finite wisdom in ,thy dealings4 ,all is the result of combined faithfulness1 power1 and love4 ,let me repose in the righteous ordinations of ,thy will4 ,if ,thou withhold from me earthly blessings1 let me feel that the very denial is precious because it is ,thy sovereign pleasure4 ,covenant love and wisdom cannot lead or teach me wrong2 every burden is imposed by ,thee4 ,the lot may be thrown into the lap1 but the whole disposing thereof is of the ,lord4 ,o ,thou who turnest the shadow of death into the morning1 may every wilderness-storm only drive me nearer ,thyself1 my true shelter4 ,thou takest the sting from every cross1 the bitterness from every cup4 ,let me recognise in all that befalls me the tokens of a ,father's love2 and if sense and sight should at times fail to descry the bright light in the cloud1 may ,i see written over every dark trial ,thine own unanswerable challenge1 ,he that spared not his own ,son1 but gave ,him up to the death for us all1 how shall ,he not with ,him also freely give us all things8 ,lord6 the end of all ,thy sovereign dealings is to subjugate my wayward will1 and to unfold more of the preciousness of ,jesus4 ,blessed ,spirit of all grace6 do ,thou take of the things that are ,christ's and show them unto my soul4 ,let me not stagger at the promises through unbelief4 ,let me see nothing but love in the past1 love in the present1 and love looming through the mists of a cloudy future4 ,thou1 ,o ,god1 art seated by every furnace2 all is meted out1 all is provided for2 all has a need be in it6 ,magnify the power of ,thy grace in me1 by a sweet spirit of patient submission to ,thy righteous ordinations4 ,may ,i seek to have no other prayer than this1 ,father1 glorify ,thy name4 ,impart ,thou that inner sunshine which no outward darkness or trial can obscure4 ,may the peace of ,god1 which passeth understanding1 keep my heart4 ,may ,thy ,holy ,spirit shed abroad ,his blessed influences over the whole ,church4 ,revive ,thy work1 ,o ,god1 in the midst of the years4 ,in wrath remember mercy4 ,may ,thy ministers be more faithful4 ,may ,thy people be more close and consistent in their walk with ,thee4 ,may the young be growing up in ,thy fear and favor2 may the aged find in ,thee the staff of their declining years4 ,may the sick and afflicted pillow their head on ,thy promises4 ,may the dying fall asleep in ,jesus4 ,i commend myself1 my friends1 and all belonging to me1 to ,thy paternal care and keeping2 and when earth's long night-watches of trial and sorrow are ended1 may ,i wake up in the sorrowless morning of glory1 to enjoy uninterrupted fellowship with ,thyself4 ,through ,jesus ,christ1 my only ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,fifth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,activity ,,in ,,duty4 ,not slothful in business2 fervent in spirit2 serving the ,lord4--,romans xii4 #aa4 ,lord1 ,i come to ,thee this night rejoicing in the thought that ,thou faintest not1 neither are weary3 ,thou art ever good1 and doing me good4 ,thine arm is never shortened1 ,thine ear is never heavy4 ,the gates of prayer are ever open4 ,the ,throne of the ,heavenly ,grace is ever accessible1 none of ,thy children need perish with hunger6 ,may the darkness now gathering around me be as the shadow of ,thine infinite presence4 ,i take comfort in the thought that the ,shepherd of ,israel neither slumbers nor sleeps2 that ,he is ever bending over me his watchful1 untiring eye1 compassing my path and my lying down1 and holding up my doings that my footsteps do not stumble4 ,lord1 how sad is the contrast of ,thine unwearied and unwearying watchfulness1 with my negligence and inactivity in ,thy service4 ,how little have ,i sought to promote ,thy glory4 ,how little have ,i felt the solemnity and responsibility of being a steward in ,thy household6 ,let me be more zealous for ,thy honor in the future4 ,let me seek more than ,i have ever yet done1 to ask in the midst of life's duties and engagements1 its perplexities and trials1 in simple faith1 ,lord6 what wouldst thou have me to do8 ,let me feel that duty is a delight when done for ,thee4 ,keep me from further relaxing my diligence4 ,let me not mock ,thee any longer with the wrecks of a worn affection4 ,let there be no half-surrender of the heart and life to ,thee1 but may soul and body be consecrated as living sacrifices1 and may ,i have the growing experience that active obedience in ,thy service is self-rewarding4 ,lord6 ,i have indeed a vast work to do and a brief time to do it in4 ,may opportunities and talents1 while ,i have them1 be cheerfully given to ,thee4 ,may the warning words oft sound in my ear1 ,work while it is called today1 for the night cometh wherein no man can work4 ,oh prepare me for my ,saviour's coming4 ,forbid that ,i should be found among the slothful servants or the faithless stewards who are squandering their ,lord's money1 and are living1 forgetful that a time of reckoning is at hand6 ,may ,i be so waiting and so watching1 and so working1 that the cry may never break too soon or too suddenly on my ears--,behold1 the ,judge standeth before the door6 ,send forth thy gracious ,spirit into a world lying in wickedness4 ,scatter the darkness that is now brooding over the nations4 ,bless all thy ministering servants2 may they be valiant for the truth2 may the ,lord send ,his own angel to stand by them1 and to shut the mouths of every adversary4 ,bless all my friends2 may they too be working out their own salvation with fear and trembling1 and so be found at last prepared for the appearing and kingdom of ,jesus4 ,take me under ,thy protecting care this night2 vouchsafe me a season of refreshing repose2 spare me to awake in ,thy favor2 and may every returning morning find me better prepared for the glorious noon-day of immortality2 through ,jesus ,christ1 my ever-living ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,sixth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,spirit',s ,,teaching4 ,as many as are led by the ,spirit of ,god1 they are the sons of ,god4--,rom4 viii4 #ad4 ,o ,lord1 ,thou art the ,god of my life and the length of my days4 ,there is no real happiness independent of ,thee4 ,thy favor is life4 ,in vain can ,i seek for any satisfying portion in an unsatisfying world4 ,if bereft of ,thee ,i am bereaved indeed4 ,but with ,thy countenance shining upon me1 ,i must be safe1 ,i must be happy4 ,do ,thou pour down upon me the gifts and graces of ,thy ,holy ,spirit4 ,may he garrison my heart4 ,may ,he write on its blood-besprinkled lintels the superscription1 ,holiness to the ,lord4 ,oh may this soul of mine become a living temple1 an habitation of ,god through the ,spirit4 ,let me not trifle with convictions4 ,let me not grieve by my hardness and impenitency that gracious ,agent1 whereby ,i am sealed unto the day of redemption2 but may all my affections be willingly surrendered to ,his service4 ,by ,his omnipotent energy may every high thought and lofty imagination be brought into captivity to the obedience of ,jesus4 ,may ,i be enabled to lean upon ,him in the extremity of my weakness4 ,fill me with all joy and peace in believing that ,i may abound in hope through the power of the ,holy ,ghost2 fitted for ,thy service here1 and for the enjoyment of ,thee forever hereafter4 ,i pray for the outpouring of the same blessed ,spirit on the whole ,church4 ,may ,he descend like rain upon the mown grass1 and as showers that water the earth4 ,come from the four winds1 ,o ,breath1 and breathe upon the slain in the valley6 ,hasten that glorious period when the year of ,thy redeemed shall come1 when the earth shall be full of the tabernacles of the righteous1 in which the voice of joy and melody will continually be heard6 ,oh that there were more in me of the mind of my gracious ,saviour1 on whom the ,spirit was poured without measure4 ,may ,i1 like ,him1 be more meek and gentle1 more amiable and forgiving1 overcoming evil with good4--,transform me into the same image from glory to glory1 by the ,lord the ,spirit4 ,hide all my friends under the shadow of ,thy wings4 ,put ,thy good ,spirit also into their hearts4 ,may ,he guide them into all the truth1 and reveal to them more and more of the preciousness of ,jesus4 ,let all poor afflicted ones rejoice in the presence and consolations of the promised ,comforter2 may ,he pour oil and wine into their wounds2 may ,he strengthen them in the midst of all their tribulations1 and enable them in lowly resignation to say1 ,the ,lord's will be done4 ,teach us all to repose in that will as the best2 and to make it day by day our aim and ambition to attain a greater conformity to it4 ,lord1 take the charge of me through the watches of the night4 ,under the blessed sense of ,thy presence and favor ,i would compose myself to rest1 and when ,i awake1 may ,i be still with ,thee4 ,and all ,i ask is for ,jesus' sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,seventh ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,world',s ,,conversion4 ,the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the ,lord1 as the waters cover the sea4--,isaiah xi4 #i4 ,o ,god1 ,i desire to draw near into ,thy blessed presence1 beseeching ,thee to lift upon me the light of ,thy countenance and grant me a ,father's blessing4 ,i am utterly unworthy of ,thy mercies4 ,and it is only in ,jesus1 the ,son of ,thy love1 that ,i dare venture to cast myself at ,thy footstool4 ,i rejoice to think that in ,him there is an open door of welcome2 that ,he has by ,his doing and dying satisfied the demands of ,thy righteous law1 and magnified all ,thy glorious attributes4 ,i would bury all my sins in the ocean-depths of ,his redeeming love4 ,oh let me now know the blessedness of living1 and at last the blessedness of dying1 at peace with ,thee1 in the sure and certain hope of a resurrection to eternal life4 ,darkness is still covering the lands1 and gross darkness the people4 ,lord1 do ,thou have mercy on a world lying in wickedness4 ,i rejoice to think of all ,thy glorious promises concerning the latter day4 ,that this creation of ours1 now groaning and travailing in bondage under sin1 is yet to be delivered from the yoke of corruption1 and to be translated into the glorious liberty of the sons of ,god4 ,glorify ,thy great name in the salvation of sinners6 ,hasten the period of predicted glory1 when all the ends of the earth shall see the salvation of ,god2 when from the rising of the sun to the going down of the same1 the ,lord's name is to be praised4 ,may ,thine own omnipotent ,spirit brood over the darkness1 as ,he did over chaos of old1 and say1 ,let there be light1 and there will be light4 ,may gladsome voices soon be heard proclaiming1 ,arise1 shine1 for thy light is come1 and the glory of the ,lord is risen upon thee4 ,oh may ,i know personally something of that compassionate yearning over ruined souls and a ruined world that my ,saviour had4 ,let me be prodigal in devising means for the extension of ,his kingdom and the good of my fellow-men4 ,i would pray the ,lord of the harvest that ,he would send forth laborers to the harvest4 ,stand by ,thy missionary servants4 ,may they have many souls for their hire4 ,may mountains of difficulty be levelled before them2 may crooked things be made straight and rough places plain1 and may the glory of the ,lord be revealed4 ,let them exercise simple faith in the power of ,thy word and the efficacy of ,thy grace4 ,may they feel that these are mighty as they ever were to the pulling down of strongholds4 ,arouse ,thy churches to greater zeal4 ,may ,jesus1 faithfully lifted up by ,his servants1 by the attractive power of ,his cross draw all men unto ,him4 ,may they be the honored instruments of preparing many gems for ,immanuel's crown1 who will be found unto praise and honor and glory at ,his second appearing4 ,lord1 guard me through the silent watches of the night2 be the defence and protection of my friends and relatives2 may they too dwell under the shadow of ,thy wings and experience the sleep of ,thy beloved2 and when the night of earth's ignorance shall vanish away1 may we all wake up in glory everlasting1 through ,jesus ,christ1 our only ,lord and ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,eighth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,the ,,church',s ,,revival4 ,revive ,thy work in the midst of the years4--,hab4 iii4 #b4 ,o ,god1 ,thou hast permitted me in ,thy great mercy to see another evening4 ,how many of my fellow-men have this day slept the sleep of death1 and are now beyond the reach of grace and privilege6 ,i am still spared1 all unworthy though ,i be1 a monument of ,thy forbearance and love4 ,i desire to make acknowledgment of my many and grievous offences4 ,they are more in number than the sand of the sea2--sins against light1 and mercy1 and warning2 sins committed against the kindest of ,benefactors1 the most indulgent of ,parents4 ,i would seek anew to take refuge in the offered shelter of the ,gospel1 and to rejoice anew in the faithful saying that ,jesus ,christ came into the world to save the chief of sinners4 ,oh may ,i be enabled confidingly to repose in ,his matchless sacrifice1 and with lively appropriating faith to say1 ,he loved me and gave ,himself for me6 ,lord1 carry on ,thine own work within me4 ,quicken my languid and languishing affections by the omnipotent agency of ,thy ,holy ,spirit4 ,let me not live at a guilty distance from ,thy favor2 but may ,i covet a close and habitual walk with ,thee1 and feel the sustaining power of ,thy grace in my heart4 ,revive ,thy work in ,thine own ,church universal1 ,thou great ,high ,priest1 who walketh in the midst of the golden candlesticks4 ,do ,thou feed every lamp with the oil of ,thy grace4 ,let them burn with a clearer1 holier1 more steady and consistent flame4 ,as lights set in the world1 may they diffuse ,thy glory2 and feel the honor of being instrumental in shedding abroad a ,saviour's love4 ,oh may the ,lord arise and have mercy upon ,zion4 ,may the time to favor her1 yea1 the set time1 soon come4 ,as there is but one ,shepherd1 so may there soon be but one sheep-fold4 ,let ,thy churches no longer continue apart from one another in unholy estrangement1 but live in the unity of the ,spirit and in the bond of peace2 holding fast that which they have1 that no man take their crown4 ,spirit of all grace1 come in all the plenitude of ,thy love and mercy4 ,breathe upon every portion of ,thy visible ,church1 and say1 ,receive ye the ,holy ,ghost6 ,awake1 ,o north wind6 come1 thou south6 blow upon our garden1 that the spices thereof may flow out4 ,may ,thy gracious influences descend like rain upon the mown grass1 and as showers that water the earth4 ,bless all ,thy faithful ministers4 ,may peace be upon them and upon the whole ,israel of ,god4 ,direct their hearts and the hearts of all ,thy faithful people into ,thy love1 and into the patient waiting for ,christ4 ,comfort all in sorrow4 ,may they see a need be written on all their trials4 ,may they look beyond the long night-watch of earth to the glories of that eternal morning when clouds and darkness shall for ever flee away4 ,take charge of me while ,i sleep1 and as evening after evening comes round may ,i feel that a day has been spent for ,thee4 ,hear me1 gracious ,lord1 for the ,redeemer's sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,twenty-,,ninth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,support ,,in ,,death4 ,yea1 though ,i walk through the valley of the shadow of death1 ,i will fear no evil3 for ,thou art with me2 ,thy rod and ,thy staff they comfort me4--,ps4 xxiii4 #d4 ,o ,god1 ,i come to ,thee this night through ,jesus ,christ1 the ,son of ,thy love1 beseeching ,thee to have mercy upon me1 and to impart unto me that ,peace of ,thine which passeth all understanding4 ,blessed be ,thy great and glorious name for those hopes full of immortality which have been opened up to me in the ,gospel4 ,i rejoice in ,christ as the great ,abolisher of death4 ,i rejoice that the rainbow of covenant faithfulness spans the entrance to the dark valley2 that all that is terrible in the last enemy is in ,him taken away1 and that ,i can regard these closing hours of existence as the introduction and doorway into everlasting bliss4 ,give me grace1 ,o ,god1 to be living in constant preparation for death4 ,let me not unprofitably squander my present golden moments4 ,let me live while ,i live--let me live a dying life4 ,let me feel that life is a trust given me by ,thee4 ,o ,thou ,great ,proprietor of my being1 may this all important talent of time be more consecrated to ,thy glory4 ,let it not be mine1 when the hour of death arrives1 to bewail1 when it is too late1 lost and forfeited opportunities4 ,let me not leave till then1 what best can be done and what only may be done now4 ,may it be my earnest endeavor while it is called today to secure a saving interest in the everlasting covenant1 and then ,i need not fear how soon the silver cord may be loosed and the golden bowl broken4 ,through ,jesus the darkness has been taken from death1 and to ,his own true people its shadows will melt and merge into the brightness of eternal day4 ,thou art ever giving me impressive remembrances that at such an hour as ,i think not1 the summons may come1 ,prepare to meet ,thy ,god4 ,the race is not to the swift nor the battle to the strong4 ,verily every moment there may be but a step between me and death4 ,let me be so living a life of habitual faith in the ,son of ,god that this step may be changed into a step between me and glory4 ,lord1 prepare all who may now be laid on dying couches for their great change4 ,may their eyes be directed to ,jesus4 ,pillowing their heads on his exceeding great and precious promises1 may they fall asleep in the glorious hope of a joyful resurrection4 ,bless all in sorrow2 those who have recently been bereaved of near and dear friends1 who may have been called recently to the brink of the tomb1 consigning their loved ones to the narrow house appointed for all living4 ,may they be enabled to fix their sorrowing gaze on the brighter prospects beyond death and the grave1 and anticipate that glorious hour when1 reunited to death-divided friends1 they will be able to exult together in the song1 ,o death1 where is thy sting8 ,o grave1 where is thy victory8 ,take the charge of me this night4 ,watch over me during the unconscious hours of sleep1 and when ,i too come to the long night and slumber of death1 may it be the gentle rest of ,thy beloved1 a falling asleep in the arms of everlasting love1 looking forward to the joyful waking time of immortality1 through ,jesus ,christ my only ,saviour4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,thirtieth ,,evening4 ,,for ,,preparation ,,for ,,judgment4 ,prepare to meet thy ,god4--,amos iv4 #ab4 ,o ,god1 ,thou art daily loading me with ,thy benefits4 ,thou art making the outgoings of the evening and morning to rejoice over me1 giving me unnumbered causes for gratitude and thankfulness4 ,no earthly friend could have loved and cared for me like ,thee4 ,oh may the life ,thou art thus preserving by ,thine unceasing bounty be unreservedly dedicated to ,thy praise4 ,lord1 keep me mindful that ,i am soon to be done with this world1 that ,i am fast borne along the stream of time to an endless futurity4 ,it is appointed unto all once to die1 and after death the judgment4 ,may ,i be living in a constant state of preparedness for that solemn hour when small and great shall stand before ,god1 and the books shall be opened4 ,educate me for eternity4 ,let me not be frittering away these fleeting but precious moments4 ,impress on me the solemn conviction that as men live so do men die1 that as death leaves me so will judgment find me4 ,oh let death leave me falling asleep in ,jesus1 united to ,him by a living faith1 that so judgment may find me seated at ,his right hand1 listening to the joyous welcome1 ,come1 ye blessed of my ,father1 inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world4 ,blessed ,jesus1 all my hope of a glorious resurrection centres in ,thee4 ,i look to ,thee as the strong tower which cannot be shaken4 ,i flee anew to the holy sanctuary of ,thy covenant love4 ,sheltered there1 amid a dissolving earth1 and burning worlds1 ,i shall be able joyfully to utter the challenge1 ,who shall separate me from the love of ,christ8 ,meanwhile may ,i seek to occupy till my ,lord comes4 ,keep me from all negligence and unwatchfulness4 ,trim my flickering lamp4 ,let me live with ,thy ,judgment-throne in view4 ,whether waking or sleeping1 may ,i bear about with me the thought that ,i must soon give an account of myself to ,god4 ,may ,i feel that all the talents and means ,thou hast given me are trusts to be laid out for ,thee4 ,when thou comest to demand a reckoning1 may ,i not be among the number of those who have hid their talent in the earth1 and have the cheerless retrospect of a misspent time4 ,lord6 bless my friends1 reward my benefactors1 forgive my enemies4 ,sanctify sorrow to all the sons and daughters of trial4 ,may the torch of ,thy love light up their gloomy prospects4 ,may every providential voice sound loud in their ears1 ,arise and depart ye1 for this is not your rest6 ,gracious ,god1 watch over me during the night1 and grant that at last1 when all earth's evenings and mornings shall have passed away1 ,i may1 on the great day-break of glory1 wake up in ,thy likeness1 through ,him in whom is all my hope1 and to whom1 with ,thee1 ,o ,father1 and ,thee1 ever blessed ,spirit1 one ,god1 be everlasting praise1 honor1 and glory1 world without end4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,thirty-,,first ,,evening4 ,,for ,,meeting ,,in ,,heaven4 ,meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light4--,col4 i4 #ab4 ,o ,god1 ,i come into ,thy gracious presence on this the close of another day1 beseeching ,thee to accept of my evening sacrifice4 ,may this my unworthy prayer come up before ,thee perfumed with the fragrant incense of the ,saviour's adorable merits4 ,it is my comfort to know1 ,o ,thou blessed ,intercessor within the veil1 that ,thou art even now appearing in the presence of ,god for me6 ,the names of ,thy covenant people are engraven on ,thy breastplate1 and1 all unworthy in themselves1 they are accepted in the ,beloved4 ,my special prayer to ,thee this night is1 that by ,thy grace ,i may be made meet for ,thy blood-bought inheritance in ,glory4 ,transform me by the indwelling power of the ,holy ,ghost2 may ,i be dying daily unto sin1 and living daily unto righteousness4 ,make me more heavenly-minded4 ,give me more of a pilgrim attitude and a pilgrim spirit4 ,may ,i ever feel that my true home is above1 that ,i am here but a wayfarer and sojourner1 as all my fathers were4 ,may ,i attain1 as ,i advance nearer heaven1 the blessed habit of a holy life1 bearing about with me the lofty impress of one who is born from above and for above1 declaring plainly that ,i seek a better country4 ,let me not arraign the appointments of ,infinite wisdom1 but patiently await the disclosures of the great day4 ,keep me from a hasty spirit under dark dispensations4 ,i am no judge as to what fancied mercies are best withholden4 ,let me look to every trial as an appointed messenger from the ,throne whispering in my ears1 ,be ye also ready6 ,may ,i delight often to anticipate that happy time when ,i shall suffer no more1 and sin no more2 when ,thou shalt no longer teach me by mysterious dispensations and a crossed will2 when all shall be a sea of glass without one disturbing ripple1 and ,i shall trace with joyous heart the long line of unbroken love and unchanging faithfulness6 ,anew ,i would wash in the atoning fountain4 ,anew ,i would take refuge in the faithful saying4 ,o blot out all the sins of the bygone day4 ,let them not rise up in the ,judgment to condemn me4 ,let me close my eyes this night listening to the ,saviour's own voice--,your sins which are many are all forgiven you4 ,may the ,lord arise and have mercy upon ,zion4 ,may the streams of ,thy grace make glad the city of ,god4 ,build up her broken walls2 restore her ruined towers2 may her watchmen be men of faith and men of prayer2 making mention of the ,lord1 and keeping not silence1 till ,he establish1 and till he make ,jerusalem again a praise in the earth4 ,lord1 bless my friends4 ,let us exult in those ties which survive the uncertain ones of earth1 and look forward to the hour when we shall come to stand at last faultless before ,thy ,throne4 ,oh1 prepare us all for the breaking of that eternal day--that morning without clouds1 when in ,thy light we shall see light--when the love of ,christ shall be enthroned supremely in every heart1 when the glory of ,christ will form the animating motive and principle of life that shall never end3 and all ,i ask is for ,his sake4 ,amen4 ,,let ,,my ,,prayer ,,be ,,set ,,forth ,,before ,,thee ,,as ,,incense3 ,,and ,,the ,,lifting ,,up ,,of ,,my ,,hands ,,as ,,the ,,evening ,,sacrifice4 ,,the ,,end4 ,,books ,,recently ,,published ,,by ,h4 ,,hooker4 ,a ,,plain ,,commentary ,,on ,,the ,,four ,,holy ,,gospels1 intended chiefly for devotional reading4 ,complete from the ,london edition4 ,in two volumes1 #hvo4 ,price #d1 in muslin1 gilt2 in half calf1 #e #ej1 two volumes in one2 in two volumes1 half calf1 #f4 ,this is esteemed the best ,commentary on the ,holy ,gospels ever published for general use4 ,it is a mine of devotional thought and inspiration2 beautiful and simple in style1 and bringing to bear on the elucidation of the sacred text the choicest learning1 both ancient and modern4 ,it should find a welcome in every ,christian family4 ,,sermons ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,,alexander ,h4 ,,vinton1 ,d4 ,d4 ,in one volume4 #abmo41 #a4 ,,sermons ,,by ,,the ,,rev4 ,a4 ,,cleveland ,,coxe4 ,in one volume1 #abmo41 #a4 ,,sermons ,,by ,,the ,,right ,,rev4 ,,george ,,burgess1 ,d4 ,d4 ,in one volume1 #abmo41 #a4 ,,search ,,of ,,truth2 a ,manual of ,instruction concerning the ,way of ,salvation4 ,by ,rev4 ,james ,craik4 #abmo41 #ge cents4 ,,the ,,boy ,,trained ,,to ,,be ,a ,,clergyman4 ,by ,rev4 ,john ,n4 ,norton4 #ahmo41 #cg cents4 ,,dr4 ,,wordsworth ,,on ,,the ,,inspiration ,,and ,,canon ,,of ,,holy ,,scripture4 #ahmo41 #a #ej4 ,,dr4 ,,wordsworth ,,on ,,the ,,apocalypse4 #hvo41 #b4 ,,the ,,episcopate2 ,,its ,,history1 ,,duties1 c41 c4 ,by ,hugh ,davey ,evans1 ,,ll4,d4 #abmo41 #fb cents4 ,two very desirable editions of ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,common ,,prayer4 ,just completed4 ,,the ,,book ,,of ,,the ,,homilies ,,of ,,the ,,church4 ,in one volume1 #hvo41 #b #be4 ,,twenty-,,eight ,,lectures ,,on ,,the ,,morning ,,prayer3 by ,rev4 ,robert ,a4 ,hallam1 ,d4 ,d41 ,rector of ,st4 ,james' ,church1 ,new ,london1 ,conn4 ,the ,rev4 ,dr4 ,hallam's ,lectures on the ,morning ,prayer are a valuable addition to the working material for ordinary parish instruction4 ,he goes carefully1 judiciously1 moderately1 through all the parts of the ,morning ,prayer1 including the ,litany1 and draws out with great richness and fulness the admirable order1 the wonderful connection of spirit and beauty1 the deep inner life1 of that inestimable ,office4 ,there is also a sufficient infusion of liturgical learning to make the volume very instructive to the great bulk of all our congregations4 ,with all its wise moderation of statement1 there is a warm glow in the language of ,dr4 ,hallam's book1 a fervor in the feeling1 and even an eloquence of expression in many places1 which cannot but produce in all its readers a more full and harmonious appreciation of our incomparable ,liturgy4 ,it will make the worship of our congregations a wonderfully more reasonable1 holy and living sacrifice unto ,god1 inspiring it with a deeper and truer life wherever its healthful influence extends4--,church ,journal4 ,a work of great merit1 remarkable in its adaptations to defend and commend the ,church4 ,let it be read for information about the ,church and the improvement of devotional spirit in her members4--,banner of the ,cross4 ,the book of ,dr4 ,hallam is the best book we have seen to put into the hands of persons desiring to understand the ,church4 ,the mode of treating the subject gives it full right to a place among works on practical religion4 ,the leading object of the ,lectures is to show that this was the design and intent of the ,service1 and that none who enter into its spirit can fail of being improved by its use4 ,there is also something in the manner in which our author treats his subject--so much of his own agreeable peculiarities of thought and style characterizing it1 as to throw an air of freshness over the subject itself1 rendering the perusal as pleasant as it is profitable4 ,in doctrine and usage1 ,dr4 ,h4 follows the golden mean1 the via media which has ever marked the course of the ,church4--,the ,calendar4