Wednesday, July 15, 2009

Continual Repentance

Since I have nothing original to share with you today, but wanting to keep my new promise to myself to blog every day, I bring you a prayer from "The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions. I often begin my morning prayer time with one of these because they often speak my heart more eloquently than I am able.
"O God of grace,
Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitue,
and hast imputed His righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom's robe,
decking me with jewels of holiness.
But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many aggrivations of sin;
my receiving of the Spirit is tincturned with selfishness.
I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness;
I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiveing change of raiment,
for Thou dost always justify the ungodly;
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, "Father, forgive me,"
and Thou art always bringing me the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it,
and every evening return it,
go out to the day's work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lost sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace."
And all the people said, "AMEN!"

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