All Praises to our Redeeming Lord {Lyrics: Charles Wesley, 1747. Composer: Carl G. Claser}
All praise to our redeeming Lord,
Who joins us by His grace,
And bids us, each to each restored,
Together seek His face,
Together seek His face.
He bids us build each other up;
And, gathered into one,
To our high calling's glorious hope,
We hand in hand go on,
We hand in hand go on.
The gift which He on one bestows,
We all delight to prove;
The grace through every vessel flows,
In purest streams of love,
In purest streams of love.
We all partake the joy of one;
The common peace we feel;
A peace to worldly minds unknown,
A joy unspeakable,
A joy unspeakable.
And if our fellowship below
In Christ yet be so sweet,
What height of rapture shall we know,
When round His throne we meet,
When round His throne we meet!
Your Eyes will See the King in His Beauty,
And the Highlands of Heaven Far Away. (Is.33:17)
Mat 22:1 And Jesus answered and spake unto them again by parables, and said,
Mat 22:2 The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son.
Mat 22:3 And sent forth his servants to call them that were bidden to the wedding: and they would not come.
Mat 22:4 Again, he sent forth other servants, saying, Tell them which are bidden, Behold, I have prepared my dinner: my oxen and my fatlings are killed, and all things are ready: come unto the marriage.
Mat 22:5 But they made light of it, and went their ways, one to his farm, another to his merchandise:
Mat 22:6 And the remnant took his servants, and entreated them spitefully, and slew them.
Mat 22:7 But when the king heard thereof, he was wroth: and he sent forth his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned up their city.
Mat 22:8 Then saith he to his servants, The wedding is ready, but they which were bidden were not worthy.
Mat 22:9 Go ye therefore into the highways, and as many as ye shall find, bid to the marriage.
Mat 22:10 So those servants went out into the highways, and gathered together all as many as they found, both bad and good: and the wedding was furnished with guests.
Mat 22:11 And when the king came in to see the guests, he saw there a man which had not on a wedding garment:
Mat 22:12 And he saith unto him, Friend, how camest thou in hither not having a wedding garment? And he was speechless.
Mat 22:13 Then said the king to the servants, Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Mat 22:14 For many are called, but few are chosen.
CONTINUAL REPENTANCE
from
“The Valley of Vision, a Collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions”
O God of Grace
Thou hast imputed my sin to my substitute,
and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom’s robe,
decking me with jewels of holiness.
But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my confessions of wrong are so many
aggravations of sin;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with
selfishness.
I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness;
I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by Grace am always receiving change of
raiment,
for thou dost always justify the ungodly;
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home as a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth
the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the day’s work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding sinfulness of sin,
the exceeding Righteousness of Salvation,
the exceeding Glory of Christ,
the exceeding Beauty of Holiness,
the exceeding Wonder of Grace. Amen.