S.E. Pierce, 1820 O Lord, it is declared in Your Word, that man is like a thing of nothing, his time passes away like a shadow. We have to set our seal to this truth. For the night is past with us, and the morning come, and it is wholly owing to Your will we remain in existence in this world. We are in a measure made sensible of this, as we are admitted to live one day after another. We are more and more made sensible we have no existence in ourselves—it is wholly in You we have life, being, and existence. O that You would make us more sensible of it. O that You would deeply affect our minds therewith. Lord, grant us such a view thereof, as may lead us to entreat You so to teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. We again draw near unto You, O Lord our God, beseeching You to grant us audience with Your Divine majesty. We appear before You in the name and Person, righteousness and sacrifice, intercession and advocacy of Your Anointed, the holy and immaculate Lamb. O Lord, we have nothing in ourselves—but sin. We are all impurity, we can come before You no otherwise than we are. To us belong shame and confusion of face. We are in every, in the uttermost sense of the expression, lost, undone, sinful, guilty, and vile. It is that alone which sustains us, which it is declared in Your Word concerning You, "That You are a God ready to pardon, gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kindness." It is the knowledge and belief of this which encourages us to come before You. At Your throne of grace, as the monuments of Your sacred mercy, we desire to extol and praise Your most holy name, that it has pleased You to spare us the night past. We praise You for admitting us to continue in this world to the present moment. O give us a real sense of the blessing and benefit of Your preserving care and providence. It has pleased You to exercise the same toward us to the present moment. We would lift up our hearts unto You, O Lord, in praise and thanksgiving for the same. Lord God, we find ourselves just as sinful and helpless in our selves as ever. Blessed be Your name, You are the Lord our God, and Your compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great, O Lord, is your faithfulness! We would pray for such a sense of it on each of our minds, as might draw forth all our spiritual faculties to bless and magnify Your holy name. You are a covenant-keeping and covenant-performing God. You are always mindful of Your covenant. O look on us, before You, as those who are savingly interested in Your covenant. O look upon us as fit objects and subjects for Your majesty to exercise the tender mercies of Your covenant on. We most certainly are, in ourselves, in our cases and circumstances, just exactly such as need the grace, mercy, and compassion, life, and salvation which is contained in the declaration of grace, in the promises of pardon, made known by it. We therefore cry out before You, O Lord, our God. We entreat You to behold us in Christ Jesus. O view us in Him. Lord, shine forth on us. Give us a sense of Your covenant mercy. Grant us an enjoyment of Your covenant salvation. Bless us in Christ Jesus—warm our hearts—raise up our minds—fill us with the gifts, graces, and consolations of the Holy Spirit. O let our souls be under the mighty, all-constraining, all-conquering influence of Your everlasting love this day. We beg You to keep us this day from sinning against You. Lord, we are in ourselves, and when left to ourselves—as unstable as water. O support us. O defend us. O be near unto us this day, and uphold us with the right hand of Your righteousness. Blessed God and Father, do most graciously sympathize with us. Let us have an evidence of it, by Your taking each of our cases under Your own particular notice and regard. O that we may be under the influence of the Holy Spirit this day. Lord Jesus Christ, be with our spirits. Lord Jesus, guide us with Your eye. O keep us near Yourself. Allow no iniquity to have dominion over us; save us from ourselves! Save us, O Lord, from our constitutional sins, tempers, and corruptions. O let them be kept under control, and subdued by the omnipotent power of Your grace. Let us experience the power of Your life and death in our mortal flesh—to the intent that we may live no longer to the lust of the flesh—but to the will of God. We beseech You, O Holy Spirit, to bring our minds and hearts under the mighty power of all-conquering grace. O Lord, let not sin, nor Satan, prevail against us. We beg You to bless us in our bodies and souls, and grant that every blessing we shall enjoy this day, may savor of Heaven, and be received as so many pledges of Your good-will and regard unto us. We ask You to sanctify all our blessings, and us to the use of them, to Your praise and glory. We request that You would keep us entirely dependent on You for the continuance of them. We leave ourselves with You, Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, to whom be glory forever. Amen. |
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