Wesley Corpus

And teach us, O God, to use this world without abusing it; and to receive the things needful for the body, without losing our part in thy love, which is better than life itself. What ever we have of this world, O may we have the same with thy leave and love; sanctified to us by the word of God and by prayer; and by the right improvement thereof to thy glory. And whatever we want of worldly things, leave us not destitute of the “things that accompany salvation;” but adorn our souls with all such graces of thy Holy Spirit, that we may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things. And now that thou hast renewed our lives and thy mercies to us this morning, help us to renew our desires and resolu tions, and endeavours to live in obedience to thy holy will. O restrain us from the sins into which we are most prone to fall, and quicken us to the duties we are most averse to perform; and grant that we may think and speak, and will and do, the things becoming the children of our heavenly Father; and so find the strong consolation of thy gracious acceptance in Jesus Christ our Saviour, who, when we pray, hath taught us to say, “Our Father,” &c. O LoRD, thou wast before all, thou art above all, and thy years shall not fail. Thou art the searcher of our hearts; thou knowest the dulness and hardness, the vanity and -deceitfulness, of them: We were born sinners, and so have we lived. We have added sin to sin; we have abused thy great and manifold mercies, tempted thy patience, and despised thy goodness; and justly mightest thou have cast us into outer darkness, where is wailing and gnashing of teeth. But of thy loving-kindnesses there is no number. Thou still callest us to return to thee; and “whosoever cometh to thee, thou wilt in nowise cast out.” O meet us with thy heavenly grace, that we may be able to come to thee. Be thou graciously pleased to stretch forth thy hand, and loose the chains wherewith our souls are entangled. O free us from every weight of sin, from every yoke of bondage.