205. Day of Common Prayer. I.
Lord, let thy words chasten and humble us,
and bring us to our knees before thy throne of grace. Amen.
Isaiah 55, 6-7. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near. Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts: and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him: and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.
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Let these words ring in our hearts today, that we may keep them, follow them, and never more forget them: “Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon him while he is near.” It is the voice of his love calling to us; hear it, and it will draw your heart to him. When he says to us that we are to seek him, his word gives us power to do it; by virtue of this word we are then able to seek him, and to find him. He goes to meet you, and he gives you grace to come to meet him. Do not neglect it, and do not let the devil hold you bound with his fetters, from which the word of God sets you free. Call on the Lord while he is near. He it is who inspires you to pray. Today, as you hear this, there is a prayer to God in your soul; do not suppress it, but call upon him; he expects you, and has inclined his ear to you! You have many things about which to speak with him. You went astray in your youth, and walked without God. You went farther and farther, farther and farther, away from him. But he did not lose sight of you, nor did he forget you. He called to you many a time and oft, but you would not hear. Now he again calls out to you: Thou wicked man, forsake thy way, and return unto me! You are wicked as long as your heart flees from God. The depraved and vicious are not the only ones who are wicked; the term here includes all who love the world. Your way leads to eternal perdition; repent, therefore, and return unto the Lord! Do this for Jesus’ sake; for his sake who died for you and reconciled you with God! Do not postpone it, but turn to the Lord now; go to him, and ask him to have mercy on you! Do it at once; for now he is near! Surely, you feel that you should do it. See how near he is; for this is his voice calling you to come. He will have mercy, and will abundantly pardon; you receive forgiveness for all your wickedness; he takes away your guilt; he teaches you to lay it where he has laid it; namely, on the Lamb; that you may be free and happy. The only thing required is that you return to him. If you do not turn to him, you are lost; your wickedness will carry you down to hell, whether you laugh and mock or no. Your conscience tells you that you are a miserable wretch and a fool, with your hardness and impenitent heart, as long as you remain a slave of Satan; and you understand that you are treasuring up unto yourself wrath against the day of wrath and the revelation of the righteous judgment of God. You have no excuse for continuing in your unrighteousness; for you may begin to seek the Lord; he draws you.
Lord, turn thou us, and we shall be turned! Draw us to thee, and do not let us go. We deplore and confess our wickedness; do thou have mercy on us, and pardon us, and lead us in the paths of righteousness for Jesus’ sake. Amen.
A broken heart, my God, my king!
Is all the sacrifice I bring:
But thou, O Lord, wilt ne’er despise
A broken heart for sacrifice.
Then will I teach the world thy ways;
Sinners shall learn thy sov’reign grace;
I’ll lead them to my Savior’s blood,
And they shall praise a pardoning God.
206. Day of Common Prayer. II.
Lord, let thy word turn our hearts
to obedience toward thee. Amen.
Matthew 3, 8-10. Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance: And think not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham. And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit, is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
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Do not neglect to do sincere penance this very day; and let your life be evidence that you have turned to the Lord. Let none imagine that he is a Christian, merely because he belongs to a so-called Christian people, or because he uses the word of God and the sacraments, and leads a decent life. Neither must any comfort himself with the reflection that he did repent once upon a time, and that he no longer follows the multitude, but is one of the little flock. The Pharisees were very careful and exact in the observance of their worship and ordinances; but of true piety there was none whatever in their hearts. Do you bring forth fruits meet for repentance? Do you live in sincere humility, living faith, and true sanctification? Is Jesus your life, and do you walk honestly before your God? Do you practice self-denial and charity? We will not ask if you are perfect in these things; but we do ask in all earnestness if you live every day in genuine repentance, if you are a new creature in Christ, and if you press on toward perfection. Even the true Christians are deplorably weak; but they daily confess their sin with penitent heart, and pray for mercy. Many unregenerate persons, on the other hand, foolishly try to solace themselves with the infirmities of the Christians; and commit sin, in order that grace may the more abound. There is an immeasurable distance, however, between the upright man of the world and the weak Christian. The hearts of the unregenerate are strangers to God. They do not seek Jesus with heart-felt longing; for they neither know their sin nor feel their wretchedness. They love and seek their own, and mind the earthly things. The Christians, on the other hand, turn continually to God, seek him with sincere hearts, and strive all the time to live as he would have them live. They feel and regret their sin, and their only hope is the grace of God in Christ. Do not imagine that this is a matter of little importance. If you are a barren tree, the ax is laid to the root, and you shall be hewn down, and cast into the fire. The withered branches of the vine can neither bear fruit, nor have any value as building material; they are good for nothing but to serve as fuel. Repent, then; turn over a new leaf, and become a new man! O, that we might be able to impress on ourselves with all the emphasis which the gravity of the subject demands, how absolutely necessary this is! Do not postpone this; hear and follow the Lord’s call now, today!
Ye believers, humble yourselves and do penance, one and all, for your own sins and for the sins of the church; and let it be seen in your lives that you have today had an audience with the Lord. Live hereafter, with greater care than heretofore, irreproachable and pure lives as God’s blameless children in the midst of the wicked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world. Let us all make this day a day of repentance! Let us all together prostrate ourselves before the throne of grace with sincere confession of our sins and earnest appeals for mercy! Give us to this end the power of thy Spirit, merciful God. Grant that we may bring forth fruits meet for repentance, to the glory of thy name and to the salvation of our souls. Amen.
Hasten, sinners, to be wise,
Stay not for the morrow’s sun;
Wisdom if thou still despise,
Harder is it to be won.
Hasten mercy to implore,
Stay not for the morrow’s sun,
Lest thy season should be o’er
Ere this evening’s stage be run.