O God. Eighteenth Day. CONFESSION. LORD, we have an evil heart of unbelief in us, which inclines us to depart from the living Foolishness was bound up in our hearts when we were children; for though vain man would be wise, he is born like the wild ass's colt. Thou hast nourished and brought us up as children, but we have rebelled against Thee. We have been often reproved, and yet have hardened our neck, and have gone on frowardly in the way of our heart. O that knowing every man the plague of his own heart, we may look unto Him whom we have pierced, and may mourn, and be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for a first-born. PETITION. O Lord, Thou hast appointed that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in Christ's name unto all nations. Therefore we desire to count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord, that we may win Christ, and be found in Him, not having any righteousness of our own, but that which is through the faith of Christ. Be Thou to us a God, and take us to be to Thee a people, and make us a willing people in the day of Thy power. Though we are no more worthy to be called Thy children, Thou hast said that we shall call Thee our Father, and not turn away from Thee. Shall we not therefore from this time cry unto Thee, Our Father, Thou art the guide of our youth? Enable us, we pray Thee, to hold fast the form of sound words, which we have heard in faith and love, which is in Christ Jesus, and to continue in the things which we have learnt and been assured of. THANKSGIVING. We bless Thee, that Thou hast not given us over to a reprobate mind, that our consciences are not seared, that Thou hast not said concerning us, They are joined to idols, let them alone; but that Thy Spirit is still striving with us. And hath God by His grace translated us out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of His dear Son? Hath He called us into the fellowship of Jesus Christ, and made us nigh by His blood, who by nature were afar off? Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory. Thou hast loved us with an everlasting love, and therefore with loving-kindness Thou hast drawn us, drawn us with the cords of a man, and the bands of love. When Thou broughtest us into the wilderness, yet there Thou spakest comfortably to us, and gavest us our vineyards from thence, and the valley of Achor for a door of hope. INTERCESSION. O Lord, appoint salvation to us for walls and bulwarks, and in order to that let the gates be opened, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in. Make our officers peace, and our exactors righteousness; let violence never be heard in our land, wasting or destruction in our borders, but let our walls be called salvation, and our gates praise; O never let our land be termed forsaken and desolate, but let the Lord delight in us, and let our land be married to Him. Never make our heavens as brass, and our earth as iron, nor take away Thy corn in the season thereof, and Thy wine in the season thereof, but let our land yield her increase, and the trees their fruit, that we may eat bread to the full, and dwell in our land safely. And now, Lord, what wait we for? our hope is in Thee; deliver us from all our transgressions, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen. |