Love Shed Abroad

The Valley of Vision is a collection of Puritan prayers and devotions that are an absolute treasure. I read the following prayer last night:

GRACIOUS GOD,
My heart praises thee for the wonder of thy love in Jesus;
He is heaven’s darling, but is for me the incarnate, despised, rejected,
crucified sin-bearer;
In him thy grace has almost out-graced itself,
In him thy love to rebels has reached its height;
O to love thee with a love like this!
My heart is stone, melt it with thy love,
My heart is locked, let thy love be the master key to open it;
O Father, I adore thee for they great love in the gift of Jesus,
O Jesus, I bless thee for resigning thy life for me,
O Holy Spirit, I thank thee for revealing to me this mystery;
Great God, let thy Son see in me the travail of his should!
Bring me away from my false trusts to rest in him, and him only.
Let me not be so callous to his merit as not to love him,
so indifferent to his blood as not to desire cleansing.
Lord Jesus, Master, Redeemer, Saviour,
come and take entire possession of me;
this is they right by purchase.
In the arms of love enfold and subdue my willful spirit.
Take, sanctify, use my ever faculty.
I am not ashamed of my hope,
nor has my confidence led me into confusion.
I trusted in thee regarding my innumerable sins,
and thou has cast them behind thy back.
I trusted in thee when evils encompassed me,
and thou broughtest me out into a wealthy place.
I trusted in thee in an hour of distress,
and thou didst not fail me, though faith trembled.
O God of the eternal choice,
O God of the restored possession purchased on the tree,
O God of the effectual call,
Father, Son, Holy Spirit,
I adore thy glory, honour, majesty, power, dominion for ever.

(The Valley of Vision, pg. 136)