TENTH WEEK.—LORD’S DAY. — Morning

O LORD, our heavenly Father, we bless Thee that our lives have been spared through the darkness of night, and that we are permitted to behold the light of another Sabbath-day. We desire, O Lord, to begin this day with Thee, and to enjoy thy presence and blessing throughout its sacred hours. We come, therefore, to ask that Thou wouldst give us thy Holy Spirit, that He may govern our thoughts, our words, and our actions this day; so that in all things we may please Thee our God. Bless thy holy Word which we have read. May its lessons be impressed upon our hearts by thy Holy Spirit. We admire and adore Thee for thine infinite goodness to the children of men. Even in the midst of thy judgments, thy mercy, thy condescension, and thy love appear most brightly. O Thou who didst give unto thy servant Joseph thy own Spirit, and didst raise him out of his prison to be a prince in Egypt and a blessing to the nations in time of famine, we humbly beseech Thee to be our God; and grant that in all our trials and afflictions we may be upheld by Thee, and be fitted by them for usefulness in thy Church and in the world.

This morning, O Lord, we ask thy special blessing to fit us for the privileges and duties of this sacred day. Draw our minds from all things that are merely earthly, and fix them on those things that are heavenly and divine. Reveal to us the fulness of thy love in Christ Jesus, and assure our hearts of an interest in his salvation. Prepare our minds for the solemn exercises of Divine worship. May we go to thy house in a humble, teachable, and fervent spirit, desiring only to meet Thee our God. In praise and in prayer help us to worship Thee in spirit and in truth. May we hold communion with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ, and listen to thy Word with deep attention, and with a desire to learn some lesson which may be profitable to our souls.

Be with all thy servants who to-day shall proclaim thy truth. May they preach with the power of the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven, so that sinners may be pricked in their hearts, and cry, “What must we do to be saved?” and thy people be built up in their most holy faith. Fill all Sabbath-school teachers, O Lord, with a sense of the value of their scholars’ souls, and with a deep desire for their salvation. Help them to impart that truth by which the children shall be made wise unto salvation. Upon all our friends we beseech Thee to pour out thy Spirit, and grant that we and they may meet at last with all the redeemed in glory everlasting. Have mercy upon us, and accept our prayers and praises, for Jesus Christ’s sake. Amen.