Wesley Collected Works Vol 11
| Author | John Wesley |
|---|---|
| Type | treatise |
| Year | None |
| Passage ID | jw-wesley-collected-works-vol-11-301 |
| Words | 390 |
Continue thy fatherly care over us this night. O preserve
and defend, and bless and keep us, that no evil may befalus,
“nor any plague come nigh our dwelling.” Give us comfort
able sleep to strengthen us for thy service; and whenever
thou callest us to the sleep of death, let us cheerfully resign
our spirits into thy hands, through the riches of thy grace,
and the worthiness of thy Son, in whose merits and mediation
alone we put our trust. And for all that he hath done and
suffered for us, to thy name, O blessed God of our salvation,
be the praise, and honour, and glory, given by us and all thy
people, now and for evermore. “Our Father,” &c. WE present ourselves before thee, O Lord our God, to
pay our tribute of prayer and thanksgiving; desiring thee
mercifully to accept us and our services at the hands of
Jesus Christ. In his great name we come to beg thy pardon
and peace, the increase of thy grace, and the tokens of thy
love; for we are not worthy of the least of thy mercies:
But worthy is the Lamb that was slain to take away the sin
of the world; for whose sake thou wilt give us all things;
for he hath fulfilled those holy laws which we had broken,
and perfectly satisfied for our offences; and in him thou art
a God gracious and merciful to those who deserve nothing
but punishment. Omerciful Father, regard not what we have done against thee;
but what our blessed Saviour hath done for us. Regard not
what we have made ourselves, but what He is made unto us of
thce our God. O that Christ may be to every one of our souls,
“wisdom and righteousness, sanctification and redemption;”
that his precious blood may cleanse us from all our sins; and
that thy Holy Spirit may renew and sanctify our souls. May He crucify our flesh with its affections and lusts, and
mortify all our members which are upon earth. O let not
“sin reign in our mortal bodies, that we should obey it in
the lusts thereof;” but, “being made free from sin, let us
be the servants of righteousness.” Let us approve our
hearts to thee, and let all our ways be pleasing in thy sight.