The Gates of Prayer; A Book of Private Devotions by the Author of 'Morning and Night Watches'. (Paperback)

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated.1874 Excerpt: ... 1st Evening. "This gate of the Lord into which the righteous shall enter "--"For God so loved tbe world, tiiat lie gave his only.begotten Son, that whosoever believetu in him, should not perish, but have everlasting life."--JoHN.iii. 16. Almighty God, I desire to artmftf aPProach Thy gracious presence on this the evening of another day. I bless Thee that 1 can come to the Gate of prayer and know it to be a Gate of love. If the vast creation be Thy temple, this is its "Beautiful gate," for God is love. All other powers.of Thy universe are vassal to love. It is Thy nature, Thy 'name, Thy glory. No earthly friend could have loved me and cared for me like Thee. Man's love is finite, Thine is infinite. Man's love is changing, Thine is unchanging. Man's love must sooner or later die;--change it may--perish at some time it must;--but Thine is alike from everlasting to everlasting. Thou hast given me the mightiest proof of Thy benignity and condescension in the gift of Thy dear Son. His advent might have been for the world's condemnation--but " God sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved." It might have been to pronounce the woe of eternal death;--" but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." Lord, if such has been Thy love to me, how poor and cold and inadequate has been my return to Thee I have before me, this night, the memories of neglected duty, slighted warnings, broken vows, forgotten mercies, resisted grace. I feel how sin darkens the understanding--perverts and alienates the will--deadens the heart--depraves the affections. I acknowledge my deep creature destitution; my sins of nature, my sins of practice; my shortcomings known to my fellow creatures, my sadder failures in...