A Christian's Prayer

Blessed God,
Ten thousand snares are mine without and within, defend thou me;
When sloth and indolence seize me, give me views of heaven;
When sinners entice me, give me disrelish of their ways;
When sensual pleasures tempt me, purify and refine me;
When I desire worldly possessions, help me to be rich toward thee;
When the vanities of the world ensnare me, let me not plunge into new guilt and ruin;
May I remember the dignity of my spiritual release,
never be too busy to attend to my soul,
never be so engrossed with time that I neglect the things of eternity;
thus may I not only live but grow towards towards thee.
Form my mind to right notions of religion, that I may not judge of grace by wrong conceptions, nor measure my spiritual advances by the efforts of my natural being.
May I seek after an increase of divine love to thee,
after unreserved resignation to thy will,
after extreme benevolence to my fellow creatures,
after patience and fortitude of soul,
after a heavenly disposition,
after a concern that I may please thee in public and private.
Draw on my soul the linements of Christ, in every trace and feature of which thou wilt take delight, for I am -
thy workmanship, created in Christ Jesus,
thy letter written with the Holy Spirit's pen,
thy tilled soil ready for the sowing, then harvest.

From The Valley of Vision, p.109