In Christ Jesus let us, who sometimes were afar off, be made nigh by the blood of Christa: for he is our peace, who hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; and that he might reconcile us to God by his cross, hath slain the enmity thereby, so making peace. Through him therefore let us, who had made ourselves strangers and foreigners, become fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God b. Fury is not in thee; who would set the briars and thorns against thee in battle? thou wouldst burn them together; but thou hast encouraged us to take hold on thy strength, that we may make peace, and hast promised that we shall make peace c. O let us therefore acquaint ourselves with thee, and be at peace, that thereby good may come unto us d. Heal us, and we shall be healed; save us, and we shall be saved; for thou art our praise e. Be not angry with us for ever, but revive us again, that thy people may rejoice in thee. Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation g. (2.) That we may be taken into covenant with God, and admitted into a relation to him. Be thou to us as a God, and take us to be to thee a people h, and make us a willing people in the day of thy poweri. Though we are no more worthy to be called thy children k; for how shouldst thou put us, that have been rebellious, among the children, and give us the pleasant land? but thou hast said, That we shall call thee our Father, and not turn away from theel. Shall we not therefore from this time cry unto thee, Our Father, thou art the guide of our youth m. a Eph. ii. 13. d Job xxii. 21. h Heb. viii. 10. / Jer. iii, 19. b Eph. ii. 14, 16, 19, c Isa. xxvii. 4, 5. e Jer. xvii. 14. ¿Psal. cx. 3. F g Psal. lxxxv. 5, 6, 7. Luke xv. 19. Lord, we take hold of thy covenanta, to thee we join ourselves in a perpetual covenantb; O that thou wouldst cause us to pass under the rod c, and bring us into the bond of the covenant, that we may become thine d. Make with us an everlasting covenant, even the sure mercies of David e. (3.) That we may have the favour of God, and an interest in his special love. We intreat thy favour, O God, with our whole hearts g; be merciful to us according to thy word, for in thy favour is life h, yea, thy loving-kindness is better than life itself i. Lord, make thy face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us; Lord, lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, and give us peace k. Remember us, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people; O visit us with thy salvation, that we may see the good of thy chosen, and may rejoice in the gladness of thy nation, and may glory with thine inheritance l. (4.) That we may have the blessing of God. O God, be merciful to us, and bless us, and cause thy face to shine on us; yea, let God, even our God, give us his blessing m. The Lord that made heaven and earth bless us out of Zionn; bless us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly things, by Christ Jesus o. O that thou wouldest bless us indeed p! Command the blessing upon us, even life for evermore q: for thou blessest, O Lord, and it shall be blessed r. a Isa. lvi. 4. d Ezek. xvi. 8. h Psal. xxx. 5. / Psal. cvi. 4, 5. . Eph. i. 3. r 1 Chron. xvii. 27. b Jer. 1. 5. e Isa. lv. 3. m Psal. lxvii. 1.6. c Ezek. xx. 37. Psal. cxix. 58. Numb. vi. 25, 26. n Psal. cxxxiv. 3. qPsal. cxxxiii. 3. Let us receive the blessing from the Lord, even the righteousness from the God of our salvation a. Hast thou but one blessing! Yea, thou has many blessings: bless us, even us also, O, our Fatherb; yea, let the blessing of Abraham come upon us, which comes upon the Gentiles through faith c. And the blessing of Jacob, for we would not let thee go, except thou bless us d. us. (5.) That we may have the presence of God with If thy presence go not up with us, carry us not up hence e: never leave us, nor forsake us g. O cast us not away from thy presence, nor ever take thy Holy Spirit away from ush: but let us always dwell with the upright in thy presence i. 3. We must pray for the comfortable sense of our reconciliation to God, and our acceptance with him. (1.) That we may have some evidence of the pardon of our sins, and of our adoption. O make us to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which sin hath broken may rejoice k. Say unto each of us, son, daughter, be of good cheer, thy sins are forgiven theel. Let the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge our conscience from dead works, to serve the living Godm. Let thy Spirit witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God, and if children, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christn. a Psal. xxiv. 5. h Psal. li. 11. b Gen. xxvii. 38. i Psal. cxl. 13. c Gal. iii. 14. Heb. xiii. 5. k Psal. li. 8. n Rom. viii. 16, 17. Say unto our souls, that thou art our salvation a. (2.) That we may have a well grounded peace of conscience; a holy security and serenity of mind arising from a sense of our justification before God, and a good work wrought in us. The Lord of peace himself give us peace, all peace, always by all means b; that peace which Jesus Christ hath left with us, which he gives to us, such a peace as the world can neither give nor take away; such a peace as that our hearts may not be troubled nor afraid c. Let the work of righteousness in our souls be peace, and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever d. Speak peace unto thy people, and to thy saints, and let not them turn again to folly e. O create the fruit of the lips, peace, peace, to them that are afar off, and to them that are nigh, and restore comfort to thy mourners g. Where the sons of peace are, let out, and rest upon them h. thy peace find them Cause us to hear thy loving kindness i, and to taste that thou art gracious, for in thee do we trustk. Let the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, keep our hearts and minds, through Christ Jesus 1 : and let that peace rule in our hearts, unto which we are called m. Now the God of hope fill us with all joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghostn. (3.) We must pray for the grace of God, and all the a Psal. xxxv. 3. b 2 Thess. iii. 16. c John xiv. 1. kind and powerful influences and operations of that grace. We come to the throne of grace that we may obtain not only mercy to pardon, but grace to help in every time of need; grace for seasonable help a. From the fulness that is in Jesus Christb, (in whom it pleased the Father, that all fulness should dwell c,) let every one of us receive, and grace for grace. (1.) We must pray for grace to fortify us against every evil thought, word and work. Having been earnest for the removing of the guilt of sin, that we may not die for it, as a crime, we must be no less earnest for the breaking of the power of sin, that we may not die by it as a disease but that it may be mortified in us. O let no iniquity have dominion over us, because we are not under the law, but under grace d. Let the flesh be crucified in us, with its affections and lusts; that walking in the Spirit we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh e. Let our old man be crucified with Christ, that the body of sin may be destroyed, that henceforth we may not serve sin; and let not sin reign in our mortal bodies (in our immortal souls) that we should obey it in the lusts thereof. But being made free from sin, let us become the servants of righteousness g. Let the law of the spirit of life, which is in Christ Jesus, make us free from the law of sin and death h. Give us grace to put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts, that we may put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness i. a Heb. iv. 16. d Rom. vi. 14. h Rom, viii, 2. b John i. 16. c Col. i. 19. g Rom. vi. 6, 12, 18. |