Wesley Corpus

Lord, thou best knowest all their wants; O suit thy blessings to their several necessities. Let these my prayers, O Lord, find access to the throne of grace, through the Son of thy love, Jesus Christ the righteous; to whom, with thee, O Father, in the unity of the Spirit, be all love and obedience now and for ever! Particular Questions relating to Mortification. 1. HAve I done anything merely because it was pleasing? 2. Have I not only not done what passion solicited me to, but done just the contrary? 3. Have I received the inconveniences I could not avoid as means of mortification chosen for me by God? 4. Have I contrived pretences to avoid self-denial? In particular, 5. Have I thought any occasion of denying myself too small to be embraced ? 6. Have I submitted my will to the will of every one that opposed it, except where the glory of God was concerned? 7. Have I set apart some time for endeavouring after a lively sense of the sufferings of Christ and my own sins? for deprecating God’s judgment, and thinking how to amend? O ALMIGHTY Lord of heaven and earth, I desire with fear and shame to cast myself down before thee, humbly confessing my manifold sins and unsufferable wickedness. I confess, O great God, that I have sinned grievously against thee by thought, word, and deed, particularly this day. Thy words and thy laws, O God, are holy, and thy judgments are terrible ! But I have broken all thy righteous laws, and incurred thy severest judgments; and where shall I appear when thou art angry? But, O Lord my Judge, thou art also my Redeemer! I have sinned, but thou, O blessed Jesus, art my Advocate! “Enter not into judgment with me,” lest I die; but spare me, gracious Lord, “spare thy servant, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood.” O reserve not evil in store for me against the day of vengeance, but let thy mercy be magnified upon me. Deliver me from the power of sin, and preserve me from the punishment of it. Thou whose mercy is without measure, whose goodness is unspeakable, despise not thy returning servant, who earnestly begs for pardon and reconciliation.