Devotions for Monday Morning. HYMN 28. 8, 8, 6.—Anticipation. 1 ONCE more my eyes behold the day, And to my God my soul would pay Its tributary lays: O may the life preserved by Thee, 2 Beneath the shadow of thy wings, No dire alarms, or racking pains, 3 How many since I laid me down Have launched into a world unknown, To meet a dreadful doom; While some on watʼry billows toss'd, 4 But, I am spared to see thy face, 5 Let me enjoy thy presence here Where sin and sorrow never come, I wake in sweet surprise. "Teach me thy way, O Lord; 'I will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name." Ps. 86, 11. O Almighty Father, maker of Heaven and earth! From the inmost recesses of my soul, would I thank Thee for permitting me to lay me down, under the shadow of thy wings, to enjoy the repose of the past night, and to arise this morning in health and strength, to enjoy the cheerful salutations of the light of this morning. I have now enjoyed another sabbath, which is past and gone; and ́am brought by thy good providence, to the commencement of another day of the week; O Lord be pleased to blot out, with the past night, for Jesus' sake, all my sins and transgressions, and cast them far behind Thee, into the Ocean of oblivion. Enable me by thy grace, to commence the labours and duties of this day with cheerfulness, and grant, that as I spent the Sabbath in worshipping Thee as a Spirit, in spirit and in truth; so may I spend this and all the other days of the ensuing week, in an interrupted attention to the duties of my calling. Bless and es tablish, O Father, the work of my hands, and may I never be forgetful of Thee, but in all the labours of the day, accomplish thy holy will, live blameless in thy sight, in all situations and circumstances of life, be fervent in prayer, patient under tribulation, hope in thy mercy, and when my great change shall come, may I fall sweetly asleep in Jesus. Assist me this day and all the days of my life, with power from on high, to watch against and withstand all the fiery temptations of the world, the flesh and the devil, and enable me to subdue all the combined enemies of my soul, and thus keep myself pure from the pollutions of an ungodly world. And, O God! as thou didst on this day of the week create the firmament, the place of heavenly light, whence all thy creatures enjoy this inestimable blessing according to their different species, O be pleased to grant unto my soul the light of thy word, that I may continually walk before thee, in all uprightness, in the way of grace and peace, that I may not stumble. Grant, in much mercy, that the clearness of this light, which dissipates the moral mists and darkness of the understanding, overcomes the stubbornness of the will, purifies the unholy desires of the heart, and proves a guide to the feet, may never become darkness in me, because my deeds are evil; but preserve and increase unto me, O thou Father of lights! this blessed Light of life and salvation, which shows me so clearly, that by nature and practice I am nothing but impurity; that my life is filled with vanity, that infirmities await me in death, and that in the cold grave to which I am hastening, my body shall become food for corruption, earth and worms; that of myself I have nothing, and without Christ's strengthening me, I am not able to think a good thought, speak a good word, or do a good deed; that I am moreover surrounded with many enemies; exposed to storms, to all manner of crosses, tribulations and adversities, so long as I remain the tempestuous billows of time; that for the few seasons of joy and pleasure which I enjoy, I have to endure much dishonour and anxiety; and for short seasons of refreshing, I am subject to long and tedious suffer. ings of pain and anguish. Grant therefore, O Lord, that this knowledge of my situation, as a probationer on this thy footstool, may ever tend to increase my zeal and diligence, in working out my soul's salvation, with fear and trembling, whilst I continually look unto thee, to work in me, to will and to do, according to thine own good pleasure. And, as we call this Monday* preserve me O Lord from being as changeable in the work of godliness, as the moon is in light; but grant that I may continually, not decline, but grow in holiness; thus increasing in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, as constantly as I increase in days and years, until the light of my faith, be as the full moon and all my walk and conversation shall be pleasing in thy sight, O Lord my Strength and my Redeemer. And as Thou, O God, didst on this day of the week, create the clouds, that they might pour out rain upon the earth, even so be pleased to pour out a fruitful shower of thy grace, upon my heart, to remove its hardness and barrenness, that thy word may take deep root, spring forth in a joy. ful hope, and expand in cordial love, and finally bring forth the saving fruits of all good works. Thou didst also, on this day, divide the waters of the firmament from the waters of the earth. Be pleased, in like manner, O God! by thy grace, to divide and scatter the floods of tribulation, that they may not overflow my soul. Thou didst finally, on this day, create * The days of the week are called after the Sun, Moon, and Planets. |