“O unfading Beauty of the most high God” by Anselm of Canterbury

“O how good and sweet Thou art, Lord Jesus, to the soul that seeks Thee, Jesus, Redeemer of the captives; Saviour of the lost; Hope of the exiles; Strength of those that labour; Repose of the anxious spirit; dear Solace and sweet Refreshment of the tearful soul that runs toiling after Thee; Crown of them that conquer; sole Reward and only Joy of the citizens above; full Fountain overflowing with all graces; glorious Offspring of great God; Thyself great God.

Great God, let all things that are in heaven above and in earth beneath bless Thee, for Thou art great and great is Thy Name.

O unfading Beauty of the most high God, and purest Brightness of Eternal Light; O Life enlivening all life, O Light enlightening all light, and sustaining in eternal splendour the thousand thousand thousands of lights that blaze before the Throne of Thy Divine Majesty, on from the distant dawn of their first early shining.

O Thou welling Fountain, hidden from mortal sight in the eternal and exhaustless outgushing of Thy fresh limpid floods, Whose springs have no beginning, Whose deeps are deep and infinitely deep, Whose height attains no limit, Whose breadth broadens onwards marginless for ever, Whose purity is unruffled through eternity!

The Bosom of unfathomable God pours thee forth from the unsearchable abyss of His own profound, Life begetting Life, Light begetting Light, God begetting God, eternal God begetting eternal God, infinite God, God infinite and in all things coequal with Himself. And, Of Thy fulness we have all received (John 1:16).

Thee too, all-plentiful Spring of every good, priceless Light of sevenfold grace, Thee, O most merciful Spirit, I implore to vouchsafe to illuminate me by Thy visitation, whereinsoever, by reason of my frailty, I have too feebly grasped the truth of Thy majesty and grandeur, and whatsoever of all that I have understood of Thy Divine precepts I have by carnal wantonness disesteemed; so may I correct what is amiss, and, helped by Thee, whom, voyaging over this life’s sea of perils, I have invoked to my assistance, may I be guided without shipwreck to the harbour of eternal peace.

Thee, too, I entreat, all-pitiful Father, that, as Thou didst first make me and then remake by the Passion of Thy only-begotten Son, so Thou wouldst give me to think and love whatsoever tends to Thy glory. I am frail and unequal to my undertaking, but do Thou grant me by diligent confession to attain the grace of redemption and salvation.

And whatever work I undertake henceforth, make it tend altogether, by Thy grace, through Thy grace, and in Thy grace, to Thine only praise.

Keep me henceforth from sin, teach me to be more constant and courageous in good works; and so long as I live in this body, let me show myself some way Thy servant. And so grant me, after my soul’s exit from the flesh, to obtain pardon of all my sins and reap life everlasting.

Through Him who with Thee liveth and reigneth for ever and ever. Amen.”

–Anselm of Canterbury, Saint Anselm’s Book of Meditations and Prayers (London: Burns and Oates, 1872), 130–132.

A Prayer of Lament Over Our Sin

God’s Word says “the heart of the wise is in the house of mourning.” (Ecclesiastes 7:4) Let’s mourn together now over our sins, sins that brought grief to the Man of Sorrows. Would you pray with me?

Our gracious God and Heavenly Father,

You are the Sovereign Lord.
You made the heavens and the earth.
Your steadfast love endures forever.
Your steadfast love is better than life.

But we have failed to love You as You deserve.
Because of our sin, we ought to lament before You,
like a young woman dressed in sackcloth,
mourning the death of her husband.
But we don’t.
We so rarely, if ever, weep over our sin.

O Lord, our hearts are often cold to Your love.
Our minds are often numb to Your Word.
Our wills are often stubborn to Your ways.

O Lord, rend our hard hearts, we pray!
Help us to mourn our many sins.
Our words, and thoughts, and actions,
bear witness against us.
Our guilt has mounted up to the heavens.
And, Holy Father, the blood of Your Beloved Son,
the blood of Your anointed One,
should have been upon our heads.

It grieves us, Lord Jesus,
that because of us, Your sacred head was wounded.

It grieves us, Lord Jesus,
that because of us, Your sacred head was crowned with thorns.

It grieves us, Lord Jesus,
that because of our transgressions, You were pierced.

It grieves us, Lord Jesus,
that it was our sins that caused You grief,
that it was our sins that caused You sorrow,
that it was our sins that caused You pain.

And yet, wonder of wonders, You love us still!
O Lord, how could we ever doubt Your love for us?
You loved us when we were dead in our trespasses and sins.
You loved us with a love that is stronger than death.

O Father of mercy, You sought us in our rebellion,
You drew near to us in the gospel of Your Son,
You showered us with grace.
You covered us with compassion.
You robed us with righteousness.
You rescued us from the domain of darkness.
You transferred us into the kingdom
of Your Beloved Son,
In whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.

We deserved to be cast out,
where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth.
We deserved to be cast out into outer darkness.

But through Your Beloved Son and by Your blessed Spirit,
You have turned our mourning into dancing.
You have raised the poor from the dust.
You have lifted up the needy from the ash heap.
You have welcomed us with the open arms of grace.
You have brought us into Your banqueting house,
and the banner over us is love.

We had orphaned ourselves because of our rebellion,
But You have adopted us to Yourself.
You have seated us at table with the King of kings,
Not as a guest, but as a child at home,
so that in the coming ages
You might show the immeasurable riches
of Your grace in kindness towards us
in Christ Jesus our Lord.

O Lord, You have promised:
“Blessed are those who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.”
O, hasten that day of comfort;
When sorrow and sighing will flee away,
When You will wipe every tear from our eyes,
When we will finally see You face to face,
When our hearts will rejoice,
And no one will take our joy from us.

Until that Day, O LORD, bless us and keep us,
Make Your face to shine upon us and be gracious to us;
Lift up Your countenance upon us and give us peace.
Through Jesus Christ our Lord,
who lives and reigns with You,
together with the Holy Spirit,
One God, forever blessed and forever praised. Amen.

“There is one political maxim which comforts me” by John Newton

“There is one political maxim which comforts me: “The Lord reigns.’ (Psalm 97:1)

His hand guides the storm.

And He knows them that are His, how to protect, support, and deliver them.

He will take care of His own cause.

Yes, He will extend His kingdom, even by these formidable methods.

Men have one thing in view.

He has another, and His counsel shall stand. (Psalm 2:1-6)”

–John Newton, The Works of John NewtonVolume 2 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1988), 2: 87.

“This is the life of everything” by John Newton

“Be punctual in waiting upon God in secret.

This is the life of everything, the only way, and the sure way, of maintaining and renewing your strength.”

–John Newton, The Works of John NewtonVolume 2 (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1988), 2: 60.

“He is our king and He is our priest” by Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430)

“The Son of God who made us was made one of us, and He rules us as our king because as our creator He made us.

He through whom we are ruled is none other than He through whom we were made, and we are called Christians because He is the Christ.

The title ‘Christ’ is derived from chrism, which is used in anointing. Kings and priests used to be anointed, and Christ was anointed as both king and priest.

As king He fought for us, and as priest He offered Himself for us.

When he fought for us He was to all appearances overcome, but in truth He was the victor. He was crucified, and from the cross to which He was fastened He slew the devil, and thus He proved Himself our king.

But in what sense is he a priest? Because he offered himself for us.

Give your priest something He can offer. But what could human beings have found that would serve as a clean victim?

What shall your victim be? What clean sacrifice can a sinner offer? Wicked, impious pretender, whatever you bring is tainted, yet something clean is needed to be offered for you.

Look for something fit within yourself: you will find nothing.

Look among your possessions for an acceptable offering: but God takes no pleasure in rams or he-goats or bulls. They all belong to Him anyway, even if you do not offer them.

Go on, then, offer him a clean sacrifice. But you are a sinner, a wicked person, and your conscience is defiled.

If you were purified first you would, perhaps, be in a position to make a clean offering, but, if you are to be purified, something must be offered on your behalf.

What are you going to offer for yourself, to effect your cleansing? Only if you have first been cleansed will you be able to offer anything clean.

Let a clean priest offer Himself, then, and cleanse you. That is what Christ did.

He found nothing clean in human beings that He could offer on behalf of human beings, so He offered Himself as a clean victim.

How auspicious a victim, how genuine; and how spotless a sacrifice!

What He offered was not something we had given Him; rather did He offer what He took from us, but He offered it in a clean condition.

He took flesh from us, and that was what He offered, but whence did He take it?

From the womb of His virgin mother, so that He might offer it clean for us who were unclean.

He is our king and He is our priest.

Let us rejoice in Him.”

–Saint Augustine, Expositions of the Psalms 121–150, ed. Boniface Ramsey, trans. Maria Boulding, vol. 20, The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2000), 20: 584–585. Augustine is riffing on Psalm 149:2.

“Praying earnestly” by William Plumer

“Anything is good for us that puts us to praying earnestly (Psalm 30:8).”

–William Plumer, Studies in the Book of Psalms: A Critical and Expository Commentary With Doctrinal and Practical Remarks (Carlisle, PA: Banner of Truth, 1867/2016), 383. Plumer is commenting on Psalm 30:8.

“I am sure Aslan knows best” by C.S. Lewis

“TO LAURENCE KRIEG (P):

The Kilns
Headington Quarry
Oxford
April 21st 57

Dear Laurence,

Well, I can’t say I have had a happy Easter, for I have lately got married and my wife is very, very ill.

I am sure Aslan knows best and whether He leaves her with me or takes her to His own country, He will do what is right.

But of course it makes me very sad. I am sure you and your mother will pray for us.

All good wishes to you both.

Yours,

C.S. Lewis”

–C.S. Lewis, The Collected Letters of C. S. Lewis: Narnia, Cambridge and Joy 1950–1963, ed. Walter Hooper, vol. 3 (New York: HarperCollins; HarperSanFrancisco, 2004–2007), 3: 847–848.

“Dash your old self against the rock of Christ” by Augustine of Hippo (A.D. 354-430)

“He who once came humbly will come in sublime majesty; He who came to submit to judgment will come to judge.

Let us acknowledge our humble Lord, so that we need not be terrified by His majesty; let us embrace Him in His humility, so that we may long for Him in His sublimity; for He will come in merciful grace to those who long for Him.

Those who hold fast in faith to Him, and keep His commandments, are the ones who long for Him. But be sure of this: come He will, even if we do not want Him.

How are we to desire His coming? By living God-fearing lives and doing good.

Memories of the past must not trap us in pleasure, nor must present affairs hold us fast.

Let us not be deterred from hearing by anything in the past, nor become so absorbed in things present that we are prevented from meditating on what is to come; but let us forget the past and stretch forward to what lies ahead.

What we struggle with now, what we groan over now, what we sigh for now, what we speak about now, all that of which we now have some dim intuition but cannot grasp— that we shall grasp, and fully enjoy, at the resurrection of the just.

Our youth will be renewed like the eagle’s, provided we dash our old self against the rock of Christ.

When you pray, O Christian, Your kingdom come, what do you mean? Your kingdom come? Awaken your heart, open your eyes, listen: Your kingdom come! Christ is shouting to you, ‘I’m coming!‘ Doesn’t that fill you with awe?”

–Augustine of Hippo, Expositions of the Psalms 51–72, trans. Maria Boulding, ed. John E. Rotelle, vol. 17, The Works of Saint Augustine: A Translation for the 21st Century (Hyde Park, NY: New City Press, 2001), 17: 321-323. Augustine is commenting on Psalm 67.

“Prayer the church’s banquet” by George Herbert

Prayer (I)

Prayer the church’s banquet, angel’s age,
God’s breath in man returning to his birth,
The soul in paraphrase, heart in pilgrimage,
The Christian plummet sounding heav’n and earth
Engine against th’ Almighty, sinner’s tow’r,
Reversed thunder, Christ-side-piercing spear,
The six-days world transposing in an hour,
A kind of tune, which all things hear and fear;
Softness, and peace, and joy, and love, and bliss,
Exalted manna, gladness of the best,
Heaven in ordinary, man well drest,
The milky way, the bird of Paradise,
Church-bells beyond the stars heard, the soul’s blood,
The land of spices; something understood.

–George Herbert, from ‘Prayer (I)” in Herbert: Poems (Everyman Library) (New York: Knopf, 2004), 37.

“For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ” by Robert Murray M’Cheyne

“I trust that your own studies get on well, dear friend.

Learn much of your own heart; and when you have learned all you can, remember you have seen but a few yards into a pit that is unfathomable.

“The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?” (Jer. 17:9).

Learn much of the Lord Jesus. For every look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.

He is altogether lovely. Such infinite majesty, and yet such meekness and grace, and all for sinners, even the chief!

Live much in the smiles of God. Bask in His beams.

Feel His all-seeing eye settled on you in love, and repose in His almighty arms.

Cry after divine knowledge, and lift up your voice for understanding. Seek her as silver, and search for her as for hid treasure, according to the word in Prov. 2:4.

See that verse 10 (Prov. 2:10) be fulfilled in you.

Let wisdom enter into your hearts, and knowledge be pleasant to thy soul; so you will be delivered from the snares mentioned in the following verses.

Let your soul be filled with a heart-ravishing sense of the sweetness and excellency of Christ and all that is in Him.

Let the Holy Spirit fill every chamber of your heart; and so there will be no room for folly, or the world, or Satan, or the flesh.

I must now commend you all to God and the word of His grace. My dear people are just assembled for worship.

Alas! I cannot preach to them tonight. I can only carry them and you on my heart to the throne of grace. Write me soon.

Ever yours,

Robert Murray M’Cheyne”

–Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Memoir and Remains of the Rev. Robert Murray M’Cheyne, Ed. Andrew A. Bonar (Edinburgh: Banner of Truth, 1844/1966), 293.