"Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe."—Rom. iii. 22.

Almighty God, Father of all mercies, I desire to draw near into Thy sacred presence on this the evening of another day, under a deep sense of my own great unworthiness. What am I, guilty, sinful, polluted, that I should be permitted to take Thy name into my lips, or so much as lift up my eyes to the place where Thou in glory dwellest!

I desire to renounce all dependence on myself. I come with all the great burden of my great guilt to a great Saviour. I seek to bring the unrighteousness of an unworthy creature to the infinite righteousness and everlasting faithfulness of a tried Redeemer. Where would I have been, Blessed Jesus! this night, but for Thee! All I am, and all I have, I owe to Thy free, sovereign, unmerited grace. All my temporal mercies are sweetened to me as flowing from Thy cross, and bearing on them the image {30} and superscription of Thy love. And for every spiritual blessing I enjoy, and every spiritual hope I entertain, I desire doubly to adore thee, Thou Great Author and Finisher of my faith! Whom have I in heaven but Thee, and there is none in all the earth I desire besides Thee. Thou alone canst fill up the aching voids of my heart. In vain can I look to a transient world, or to the perishable creature, for solid peace and permanent enjoyment. All my well-springs are in Thyself; with Thee for my portion I am independent of every other.

I desire this night to obtain a lively and humbling view of my own spiritual poverty and deep creature des............