Wesley Corpus

O my God, I desire to fear them more than death; let me not serve these cruel tyrants, but do thou reign in my breast; let me be ever thy servant, and love thee with all my heart. Deliver me, O God, from too intense an application to even necessary business. I know how this dissipates my thoughts from the one end of all my business, and impairs ta' lively perception I would ever retain of thee standing at my right hand. I know the narrowness of my heart, and that an eager attention to earthly things leaves it no room for the things of heaven. O teach me to go through all my employ ments with so truly disengaged a heart, that I may still see thee in all things, and see thee therein as continually looking upon me, and searching my reins; and that I may never impair that liberty of spirit which is necessary for the love of thee. Deliver me, O God, from a slothful mind, from all luke warmness, and all dejection of spirit. I know these cannot but deaden my love to thee; mercifully free my heart from them, and give me a lively, zealous, active, and cheerful spirit; that I may vigorously perform whatever thou com mandest, thankfully suffer whatever thou choosest for me, and be ever ardent to obey in all things thy holy love. Deliver me, O God, from all idolatrous love of any creature. I know infinite numbers have been lost to thee, by loving those creatures for their own sake, which thou permittest, nay, even commandest, to love subordinately to thee. Preserve me, I beseech thee, from all such blind affection; be thou a guard to all my desires, that they fix on no creature any farther than the love of it tends to build me up in the love of thee. Thou requirest me to love thee with all my heart: Undertake for me, I beseech thee, and be thou my security, that I may never open my heart to anything, but out of love to thee. Above all, deliver me, O my God, from all idolatrous self love. I know, O God, (blessed be thy infinite mercy for giving me this knowledge,) that this is the root of all evil. I know thou madest me, not to do my own will, but thine.