A Christian’s Prayer

BLESSED GOD, 

Ten thousand snares are mine without and within,
  defend thou me;

When sloth and indolence seize me,
  give me views of heaven;

When sinners entice me,
  give me disrelish of their ways;

When sensual pleasures tempt me,
  purify and refine me;

When I desire worldly possessions,
  help me to be rich toward thee;

When the vanities of the world ensnare me,
  let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin.

May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
  never be too busy to attend to my soul,
  never be so engrossed with time
    that I neglect the things of eternity;
  thus may I not only live, but grow towards thee.

Form my mind to right notions of religion,
  that I may not judge of grace by wrong
    conceptions,
  nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts
    of my natural being.

May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,
  after unreserved resignation to thy will,
  after extensive benevolence to my fellow creatures,
  after patience and fortitude of soul,
  after a heavenly disposition
  after a concern that I may please thee in public
    and private.

Draw on my soul the lineaments of Christ,
  in every trace and feature of which thou wilt
  take delight, for I am
    thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
    thy letter written with the Holy Spirit’s pen,
    thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

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