Thursday; Series 1
Morning
O GOD, our God, early will we seek Thee. Thy mercies are new unto us every morning, and call upon us for new expressions of gratitude to Thee, the Giver of all good. For the rest of the night, for the light of another day, and for the comforts which now surround us, we praise Thee, O Lord our God. Help us to feel more deeply that we owe our life and our all to Thy fatherly love and care.
We return unto Thee this morning, as children to a parent. O give us the spirit of adoption whereby we may say, Abba Father; and loving Thee, who hast first loved us, may we have grace to dedicate ourselves this day anew to Thy blessed service, in body and in soul.
O holy Saviour, who hast redeemed and delivered us from all our sins, do Thou also renew us by the Holy Ghost after Thine own image: that so we may testify, by our whole life, our gratitude to God for His great love and mercy to us; that every one of us may be assured in ourselves of our faith, by the fruits thereof; and that, by our godly conversation, others may be gained unto Christ.
Grant us grace, O Lord, to flee from all temptation that may this day assail us, and to overcome the power of sin in our hearts. May we rightly know Thee, the only true God; trust in Thee only; with humility and patience submit to Thee; expect all good things from Thee alone; love, fear, and glorify Thee with our whole hearts: so that we may be willing to renounce and forsake all creatures rather than commit the least thing against Thy holy will.
Give us, gracious God, what is needful for us, and grace not to abuse our favors. Give us, we beseech Thee, contented minds, and help us to regard with compassion the wants and sorrows of others.
O God, our Saviour, who art the hope of all the ends of the earth, remember, we beseech Thee, the children of affliction and sorrow. Heal the sick; provide for the poor, and befriend the forsaken; be a helper to the helpless, a hope to the hopeless, and the Saviour of all.
We now resign ourselves, most merciful Father, into Thy hands for all coming time. Let Thy mercy be upon us according as we hope in Thee. Guide us by Thy counsel while we live, and afterwards receive us to Thy heavenly glory, through infinite riches of grace in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Evening
MOST merciful God, our heavenly Father, regard us from heaven, the habitation of Thy holiness, and accept the confession of our sins, with our evening sacrifice of thanksgiving and praise.
We acknowledge all our unworthiness, and the frailty and perverseness of our corrupt nature, through which we daily transgress Thy just and holy laws. Do Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, and pardon us, for the sake of Jesus Christ, who is our advocate with Thee, and the propitiation for all our sins. May our souls be washed from the defilements of this day in His most precious blood, that we may go to our rest, comforted by Thy grace, and sanctified by Thy Holy Spirit.
Kind and gracious Father, we give Thee our unfeigned thanks, for all Thy mercies bestowed upon us from time to time: for our being, for our reason, and for all our other faculties of soul and body; for health, friends, food, and raiment; and for all other comforts and conveniences of life. Above all, we adore Thy tender mercy and compassion to us, and to all mankind, in sending Thine only Son into the world to redeem us from sin and eternal death, and to make us heirs with Himself of everlasting glory.
We bless Thee for Thy patience with us, notwithstanding our many and great provocations; for all the directions, assistance, and comforts of Thy Holy Spirit; for Thy continual care and watchful providence over us, through the whole course of our lives; and particularly for the mercies and benefits of the past day. We beseech Thee to continue these blessings to us, and to enable us to show forth our gratitude for them, by sincere obedience to Thy holy laws, and entire devotion to Thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
O Lord, take away from us all ignorance, hardness of heart, and undue carefulness for the things of this life. Help us as a household to fear Thee, sincerely to seek Thy glory, and to put our whole trust in Thy mercy.
Make us mindful that as we have now come to the end of another day, so the end of life is at hand; and as we know not the day nor the hour of our Master’s coming, grant us grace always so to live, that we may never be afraid to die; but that living or dying we may be Thine.
Wearied with the labors and cares of the day, we come to Thee for quiet and repose, and new supplies of strength for drooping nature. Defend us from the terrors of the night, from the pestilence that walketh in darkness, and from all manner of evil. Visit us with the favor which Thou bearest unto Thy chosen ones, and cause us to rest safely in the arms of Thy love. When Thou hast refreshed us by sleep, such as Thou givest Thine own beloved children, raise us up again in health and peace. Thus may all our days and nights be spent with Thee, and in Thy blessed service, till we awake in Thy likeness, and reign with Thee in everlasting joy; through Jesus Christ our Lord.
A Liturgy, or Order of Christian Worship Prepared and Published by the German Reformed Church in the United States of America (Philadelphia: Lindsay & Blakiston, 1857) pp. 302-305. Copyright Public Domain.