ON THE TEN COMMANDMENTS, BY THE LATE HENRY THORNTON, ESQ. ON THE FIRST COMMANDMENT. O LORD ALMIGHTY, Three Persons and ONE GOD, Blessed for ever, teach us devoutly to adore Thine awful Majesty. Enlighten our understandings, and sanctify our affections, and strengthen our faith, that we may see Thee, and love Thee, and trust Thee, according to Thy word and will. Thou hast made Thyself known unto us at sundry times and in divers manners, by the Law, the Prophets, and the Gospel, as our Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier. Grant us grace, we beseech Thee, to live in the perpetual sense of Thy Presence, and of our continued obligations to Thee, and of our entire dependence upon Thee. Enable us to retain Thee ever in our knowledge; and give us not over to a reprobate mind: but so reveal Thyself to us, by Thy Blessed Spirit, that, in all our thoughts, and words, and actions, we may glorify Thee our God, and be thankful. : Thankful we ought to be :-O make us thankful for all Thy gifts in Providence and in Grace; since all are Thine and, above all other blessings, grant us, O GOD, a grateful heart, ever looking up to Thee in faith and love, and desiring to employ to Thy glory all the talents of the stewardship which Thou hast committed to us. Long have other lords had dominion over us; and we have served the world, and the flesh, and the Devil. Day by day, we have offended against Thee; and have indulged evil inclinations, and have followed the ways, and earned the wages, of sin. Grant, that the time past of our lives may suffice for these things; and that, henceforth and for ever, we may flee from them; and may cast down all the idols of our hearts, and may never again bow down to them; but may take up our cross, and follow Thee. And in order that the knowledge of Thy will may always be diffused in the world, bless, we pray Thee, the Holy Catholic Church, which Thou hast appointed to be a witness and keeper of Thy Holy Word; and, especially, bless that pure and reformed branch established in these realms:-and, that there may never be wanted a fit supply of persons qualified to promote Thy glory in every station of society among us, bless, we beseech Thee, the Universities and all other seminaries of religious learning. Bless, also, all those who are labouring, whether as Bishops or as Missionaries, to extend Thy kingdom in distant or in foreign lands. And grant, that, in Thy good time, and through the single merits of our LORD and SAVIOUR, all who now name His name on earth, and all who shall hereafter believe on Him, may be united in Thy Blessed Presence for ever. O LORD, hasten that time, and prepare us for it. Enable us now and ever to feel the solemn obligation of prayer. Worms of the earth, we approach the LORD JEHOVAH :-creatures, we approach our Creator: -sinners, we approach our Judge: yet are permitted, and encouraged, to remember, that this Judge, for our sakes, took our nature upon Him; and in our flesh died for us and while on earth, taught and commanded His people always, in His own words, to pray, and to say, Our FATHER, &c. The Grace of our LORD, &c. ON THE SECOND COMMANDMENT. O LORD GOD ALMIGHTY, who hast described Thyself as a jealous God not willing to give Thine honour to another, teach us to worship Thee with a pure and holy service. Enable us always to remember that Thou art a Spirit, and that Thou requirest them, who worship Thee, to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. Enable us always to remember that Thou art love and that Thou requirest the affections of the creatures whom Thou hast made. Grant to us, O LORD, we beseech Thee, such a measure of Thy grace, that we may never mock Thee by the mere forms of worship, while our hearts are far from Thee but may we live in prayer, and bear about with us continually an awful sense of Thy presence; and whether we eat, or drink, or whatever we do, may we do all to Thy glory. Enlighten us that we may see the evil of our past ways; and strengthen us that we may cast away every idol of this world. May we hate the service of sin; and for ever renounce every evil inclination, which, contrary to Thy command and to our Christian profession, we may hitherto have retained and cherished. And teach us to thank Thee with our whole hearts for the knowledge of Thy will, and the precepts and promises of Thy Gospel. May we ever rememberwhen we behold the state of the world around us, and consider our own happier privileges-that of him to whom much is given, shall much be required. Thou hast placed us in the midst of light and knowledge; and hast given to us continual opportunities of serving Thee, according to Thy holy word. If then the light which is in us be darkness, how great is that darkness! Grant, O BLESSED SPIRIT, that our hearts may oe renewed by Thy Grace, so that we may feel our blessings and our duties; and may show forth our gratitude to Thee for our own portion-by diffusing to others also, through our example and our influence, the light and the privileges which Thou hast entrusted to us. Teach us ever to know, that while, in ourselves, we can do nothing, we can do all things through CHRIST that strengtheneth us. Enable us, then, O LORD JESUS, to extend in the world, by our life and conversation, and by all the means committed to us, the knowledge of Thy truth. Bless the labours of those, who, more especially in heathen lands, are endeavouring to enlarge Thy kingdom. Bring home to Thy flock all Jews, Turks, infidels, and heretics; and take from them all ignorance, hardness of heart, and contempt of Thy word; and grant that they and we may become one fold, under Thyself the One Shepherd. These blessings for ourselves, and for all whom we are bound to remember in our prayers, we humbly ask, O FATHER ALMIGHTY, in the name of our only Mediator, the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Our FATHER, &c. The Grace of our LORD, &c. ON THE THIRD COMMANDMENT. O LORD ALMIGHTY, help us to approach Thee with the deepest reverence; and in prayer, and in praise, and in thanksgiving, to feel the solemn obligation of calling upon Thy name. Grant, that we may not mock Thee by taking it in vain by a cold and formal lip-service; but enable us by Thy Grace to pray with the spirit and to pray with the understanding; that so our sacrifice may be accepted, and our supplications may be hallowed before Thee. And while we dread, lest we should unworthily, and carelessly, and hypocritically draw near to Thee in prayer, teach us also with watchfulness and anxiety to avoid every approach to levity and profaneness in our daily course of life; and habitually to cultivate truth and purity and sobermindedness in our conversation. Enable us to keep our hearts diligently; and thus to keep our tongues from lying and slandering; from irreverent talking, from foolish jesting, and from blasphemy. And if, in Thy good Providence, the temptations of some of these sins should not assault us so much or so frequently, as they assault other men our fellows, may we labour, more and more, to show forth, in meekness and in charity throughout our whole conduct, the seriousness and holiness which become our Christian profession. Thou requirest us to honour Thee in our hearts and lives; and Thou hast graciously promised, that them, who honour Thee, Thou wilt honour. Enlighten us by Thy Grace, we beseech Thee; and teach us hourly to recollect, that—alike in our thoughts, and in our conduct; in our conversation and in our actions ;—we are responsible to Thee: and that not only for the outward deeds of the body, but for the idle words of the lips, Thou wilt call us all to account in the Day of Judgment. Help us, O LORD, in time to repent; and in time to flee from Thy wrath-to Thy mercy for who can abide Thy coming, or stand before Thy appearing? We desire now to confess with meek contrition our past trangressions; we acknowledge with deep humility our present weakness; our only hope and our only strength are in Thee. : |