Saturday, December 24, 2011

Love Shed Abroad

The following is from the "Valley of Vision" book of Puritan prayers, p. 252-253

Gracious God,
My heart praises thee for the wonder of thy love in Jesus;
He is heaven's darling, but is for me
     the incarnate, despised, rejected, crucified sin-bearer;
In him thy grace has almost out-graced itself,
In him thy love to rebels has reached its height;
O to love thee with a love like this!
My heart is stone, melt it with thy love,
My heart is locked, let thy love be the master key to open it;
O Father, I adore thee for thy great love in the gift of Jesus,
O Jesus, I bless thee for resigning thy life for me,
O Holy Spirit, I thank thee for revealing to me this mystery;
Great God, let thy Son see in my the travail of his soul!
Bring me away from my false trusts to rest in him, and him only.
Let me not be so callous to his merit as not to love him,
    so indifferent to his blood as not to desire cleansing.
Lord Jesus, Master, Redeemer, Saviour,
    come and take entire possession of me;
    this is thy right by purchase.
In the arms of love enfold and subdue my wilful spirit.
Take, sanctify, use my every faculty.
I am not ashamed of my hope,
    nor has my confidence led me into confusion.
I trusted in thee regarding my innumerable sins,
   and thou has cast them behind thy back.
I trusted in thee when evils encompassed me,
   and thou broughtest me out into a wealthy place.
I trusted in thee in an hour of distress,
   and thou didst not fail me, though faith trembled.
O God of the eternal choice,
O God of the restored possession purchased on the tree,
O God of the effectual call,
Father, Son, Holy Spirit,
   I adore thy glory, honor, majesty, power, dominion forever.

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