Part 1

Transcriber's Note.

Apparent typographical errors have been corrected, as have inconsistencies in the use of hyphens.

A Table of Contents has been inserted to assist the reader.

Italics are indicated by _underscores_. Small capitals have been replaced by full capitals.

EVENING INCENSE.

BY THE AUTHOR OF

"MORNING AND NIGHT WATCHES," "WORDS OF JESUS," etc., etc.

PHILADELPHIA: H. HOOKER, CHESTNUT & EIGHTH STREETS. 1856.

KING & BAIRD, PRINTERS, 9 Sansom Street.

"And thou shalt make an ALTAR to burn INCENSE upon:

"And thou shalt put it ... before the MERCY-SEAT that is over the testimony, where I will meet with thee.

"And when Aaron lighteth the lamps at EVEN, he shall burn INCENSE upon it."--Exod. xxx. 1, 6, 8.

"The star-lit sky's a temple-arch, The calm, still, evening air Is glorious with the spirit-march Of messengers of prayer.

"Are gentle moon, or kindling sun, Or stars unnumbered, given As shrines to burn earth's incense on-- The altar-fires of heaven?

"Nay! pale away must moon and sun, And star by star decline; O be, Thou ever living One, Thy 'GOLDEN ALTAR'--mine!"

EVENING INCENSE.

The writer has endeavored in the following pages to comply with frequent requests made to him to prepare a small volume of _Evening_ Prayers, suitable as a companion to the "_Morning_ Watches."

May He with whom is "the residue of the Spirit," "cause His Angel to fly swiftly" and touch us in the time of our Evening Oblation; and may all that is amiss in thought and word be lost in the fragrant incense-cloud which ascends from the Golden Altar before the Throne!

_December, 1855._

Table of Contents

Evening Page

I. FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD. 7 II. FOR PARDONING GRACE. 10 III. FOR RENEWING GRACE. 13 IV. FOR SANCTIFYING GRACE. 16 V. FOR RESTRAINING GRACE. 19 VI. FOR RESTORING GRACE. 22 VII. FOR QUICKENING GRACE. 26 VIII. FOR IMPUTED RIGHTEOUSNESS. 29 IX. FOR PEACE IN BELIEVING. 32 X. FOR THE SPIRIT OF ADOPTION. 35 XI. FOR WEANEDNESS FROM THE WORLD. 38 XII. FOR GRATITUDE FOR THE PAST. 41 XIII. FOR TRUST FOR THE FUTURE. 44 XIV. FOR KNOWLEDGE OF CHRIST. 47 XV. FOR GUIDANCE IN PERPLEXITY. 50 XVI. FOR VICTORY OVER SIN. 53 XVII. FOR THE LIFE OF FAITH. 56 XVIII. FOR THE DAILY DEATH. 60 XIX. FOR RENUNCIATION OF SELF. 63 XX. FOR A CHILD-LIKE SPIRIT. 66 XXI. FOR HEAVENWARD PROGRESS. 69 XXII. FOR HUMILITY OF HEART. 72 XXIII. FOR FIRMNESS IN TEMPTATION. 75 XXIV. FOR COMPOSURE IN TRIAL. 78 XXV. FOR ACTIVITY IN DUTY. 81 XXVI. FOR THE SPIRIT'S TEACHING. 85 XXVII. FOR THE WORLD'S CONVERSION. 88 XXVIII. FOR THE CHURCH'S REVIVAL. 91 XXIX. FOR SUPPORT IN DEATH. 94 XXX. FOR PREPARATION FOR JUDGMENT. 97 XXXI. FOR MEETING IN HEAVEN. 100

FIRST EVENING.

FOR COMMUNION WITH GOD.

"Abide with us; for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent."--Luke xxiv. 29.

O God, I desire to approach Thy throne of Grace on the evening of this day, beseeching Thee to grant me Thy benediction and blessing. The shadows of night have once more gathered around me; may no shadow of sin or unbelief darken my soul, or interrupt my communion with Thee. "It is not night if Thou art near." Let me enter the inner chamber of Thy presence, and experience conscious fellowship with Thee my Father in Heaven.

Do Thou graciously forgive all the sins of the past day, its sins of omission and of commission, of thought, and word, and deed. Hide me anew in the clefts of the Smitten Rock. I confidently repose my everlasting interests on the finished work and righteousness of a tried Redeemer. May I know more and more of the attractive power of His Cross--the adaptation of His character and work to all the wants and weaknesses, the sorrows and infirmities, of my tried and suffering and tempted nature. May I live more under the sovereign motive of love to Him, and experience more the happiness of life spent in His service.

Gracious Lord! may a sense of Thy favor penetrate with its leavening power every duty in which I engage, lessening every cross and sweetening every care. Take what Thou wilt away, but take not Thyself; no earthly good can compensate for the loss of Thy friendship. Existence would be one vast blank without Thee. Give me to realize the blessedness of unfaltering dependence on Thy covenant mercy, knowing that all which befalls me is the pledge and dictate of unerring love, and that nothing can come wrong that comes from Thy hand.

Thus while my daily walk is hallowed and brightened by Thy presence and fellowship, may I be enabled to look calm and undismayed on the unknown and chequered future, feeling that even over the gloomy portals of the grave, with Thee as my Portion and Heritage, I can write, "To die is gain!" Meanwhile do Thou fit me for every duty, prepare me for every trial. If Thou givest me the "full cup," give me grace to carry it with a steady hand. If Thou sendest adversity, let me regard it as Thine own gracious discipline, to wean me from earth and train me for glory.

May it be my great ambition, through the help of Thy Blessed Spirit, to attain a gradual resemblance to the character and conformity to the will of my adorable Redeemer. May I be clothed with humility. May I be daily becoming more meek and gentle, more contented and thankful, more submissive and resigned, watching against anything in my heart or conduct that I know would be displeasing to Thee, making it my meat and my drink to do Thy holy will.

Thou unslumbering Shepherd of Israel, vouchsafe Thy guardian care to all near and dear to me: shield them from danger: give Thine angels charge over them; sanctify them body, soul, and spirit; seal them unto the day of eternal redemption.

May we all lie down to sleep this night in Thy fear, and awake in Thy favor, fitted for the duties of a new day. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

SECOND EVENING.

FOR PARDONING GRACE.

"For Thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great."--Ps. xxv. 11.

Gracious God! do Thou look down upon me this night in Thy great mercy. May I have now the inner sunshine of Thy presence! Ere I retire to rest, let me pitch my tent near Thyself, and enjoy the tokens of Thy favor and blessing. Thy loving-kindness has been new to me every morning, and Thy faithfulness every night.

I desire to render Thee the thank-offering of a grateful heart. My life is one wondrous attestation to Thy patience and forbearance. The kindness of the best earthly friend has been nothing to Thine. Thou mightest long ere now have left me to reap the fruits of my own guilty estrangement, withdrawing the grace and Spirit I have so long resisted, executing against me the awful doom of the cumberer. But I am still spared, a living monument of mercy. Thy ways are not as man's ways, nor Thy thoughts as man's thoughts.

Lord, I would seek anew this night to close with the alone Sovereign remedy! Jesus! there is no other prop but Thee to support a sinking soul and a sinking world. There is nothing between me and everlasting destruction but Thy glorious work and finished righteousness. I rejoice to think that it is all I need--living or dying, for time or for eternity. O blot out in Thy precious blood my many, many sins. Nothing in my own hands I bring; I cling simply to Thy cross. Mercy and truth have there met together; righteousness and peace have embraced each other. Reposing in what Thou has done, and in what Thou art still willing to do, I can rejoicingly say, "Return unto thy rest, O my soul."

Bring me to live more habitually under the constraining influence of redeeming love. Purchased at such a price, may I be willing freely to consecrate soul and body to Thy service. Let me feel that the bitterest of all trials is the forfeiture of Thy favor and love, and the loftiest joy is the assured possession of Thy gracious friendship. May my spirit be brought into blessed unison with Thine. May I become more gentle, and resigned, and submissive, and unselfish; more heavenly-minded; more Saviour-like. May I be led to regard _all_, even Thy darkest dealings to me here, as needful parts in Thy plan of stupendous wisdom. May I rest contented in the assurance that what I know not now I shall know hereafter.

Unite me to all my dear friends, and them to me, in the bonds of Christian love. Amid all the fluctuations of this mortal life, may we ever have grace given us to cleave unto the Lord with full purpose of heart. Treading the same pilgrim-journey, may we arrive at last at the same pilgrim-home.

I would retire to rest this night with my eye on the opened fountain. O give me that peace of Thine which the world knoweth not of, which the world cannot give, and, blessed be God, which the world cannot take away! Abide with me, for it is towards evening, and the day is far spent. Give thine angels charge over me during the unconscious hours of sleep, and, when all my evenings and mornings shall be finished, may it be mine to wake up with Thyself in glory everlasting, through Jesus Christ my only Lord and Saviour. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

THIRD EVENING.

FOR RENEWING GRACE.

"Renew a right spirit within me."--Psalm li. 10.

Blessed God, I desire anew to end this night with Thee! Do Thou enkindle my soul as with a live coal from off Thy holy altar! Let all unhallowed and obtrusive thoughts and cares be set aside, that I may enjoy a season of fellowship with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.

I rejoice to think that I have such a Friend to repair to--such a never-failing refuge in every season of perplexity and trouble; vicissitude is written on all around me, but "Thou art the same." Though often, alas! I have changed towards Thee, Thou hast never changed towards me. Thou didst love me from the beginning, and that love remains to this hour, infinite, unalterable!

Lord, I am mourning over my many and grievous backslidings, my base and unworthy requital of all Thine unmerited kindness. Bring me in poverty of Spirit, with deep conscious unworthiness, to say, "God be merciful to me a sinner." Give me a realizing sense of the evil of sin, and my own sin in particular. I feel that I have no abiding and depressing consciousness of my guilt. How little of genuine, heartfelt contrition do I experience! How often I _appear_ to be humble and penitent when I am _not_! How do my very prayers condemn me; and my confessions of sin need themselves to be confessed!

Oh renew me in the spirit of my mind.--May all old things pass away; may all things be made new. Transform me by the indwelling power of Thy quickening Spirit. May affections now alienated from Thee be reclaimed to Thy service. May I seek to be more animated by the sovereign motive of love to Him, whose I am, and whom it is alike my duty and my privilege to obey. Knowing that this is Thy will concerning me, even my sanctification, may it be my constant ambition to be growing in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

I have in myself no might, no power, no sufficiency, to do any of these things. My sufficiency is of Thee. Do Thou make Thy grace sufficient for me, and perfect strength in weakness. Keep me from all evil that would be likely to grieve me. Wean me from all that is fleeting and perishable here, and may all Thy dealings towards me issue in the confirmed habit of a holy life. If Thou sendest affliction, let me regard it as Thine own way of dispensing spiritual blessing, and bow with lowly submission to Thy sovereign appointments.

Bless all my beloved friends. Keep them as the apple of Thine eye. Hide them under the shadow of Thy everlasting wings. Sanctify trial to all in sorrow. Let the widow and the fatherless put their trust in Thee. Succor the poor and him that hath no helper. Support the aged. Sustain the dying. May we all bear one another's burdens and so fulfil the law of Christ.

As the pillar of cloud has been with me by day, so may the pillar of fire be with me this night. Watch over me during the unconscious hours of sleep, and when I awake may I be still with Thee. And all I ask is for the sake of Jesus Christ, my only Saviour. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

FOURTH EVENING.

FOR SANCTIFYING GRACE.

"Sanctify them through Thy truth: Thy word is truth."--John xvii. 17.

Blessed Lord, do Thou bend Thy pitying eye of love and mercy upon me this evening. Draw Thou near to me as I venture once more on praying and on pleading ground. I desire to feel that I am one night nearer glory. Oh, enable me to feel, as night after night is silently stealing over my head, that my seasons and opportunities of grace are fleeting fast away, and that soon the night cometh, wherein I can work no more.

Alas! O God, how little have I improved the time that is past! I am a wonder to myself, that with all my deep ingratitude and utter vileness I am yet permitted to approach Thy footstool: I have sinned against light and love--warning and mercy--grace and privilege. The retrospect of life is a retrospect of guilt. I mourn over my manifold shortcomings--the alienation of my heart from Thee--the fitfulness of my spiritual frames--the ebbings and flowings in the tide of my love. When tried by the lofty and unerring standard of Thy law, how are my best actions and duties marred with defilement! How much self-seeking and self-glorying--how little animated by the predominating motive of love to Thee, and singleness of eye to Thy service!

Blessed Jesus! I flee anew to the pavilion of Thy love. I have no other hope, no other refuge, but in Thy finished work--Thy matchless atonement--Thy spotless righteousness. There is in Thee an all-sufficiency for every want. Finite necessities cannot exhaust Infinite fullness. Let me hear Thy voice saying, "Thy sins, which are many, are all forgiven thee!" O sprinkle me with Thy blood; sanctify me, body, soul, and spirit. Transform me more and more into Thine own image. May I know more and more the happiness of true holiness--that I am really blessed in seeking to walk so as to please God. May the power of grace wax stronger and stronger, and the power of sin wax weaker and weaker. May trials and crosses become light and easy to me when borne in a spirit of meek, unrepining submission to the Divine will. May this quiet every doubt and misgiving, "Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." Lord, may every providential dealing prove a heart-searcher, testing the reality of my love to Thee, and my meetness and preparedness for Thy heavenly kingdom.

Extend, Lord, Thy cause and Gospel everywhere. Strengthen Thy missionary and ministering servants. May they ever hear the sound of their Master's footsteps behind them. May thy churches walk in the fear of God and in the comfort of the Holy Ghost.

Bless all my beloved friends wherever they are; do Thou be their Almighty Protector and Guide. Let the angel come at this the time of evening incense, touching all our hearts, and granting us an answer to our several petitions. Let us rise to-morrow refreshed for Thy service; and fitted for whatsoever in Thy good providence we may be called either to do or to suffer. Hear me, gracious God, for the sake of Him whom Thou hearest always. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

FIFTH EVENING.

FOR RESTRAINING GRACE.

"Keep back Thy servant also from presumptuous sins."--Psalm xix. 13.

Blessed God, Thou hast in Thy mercy permitted me to see the close of another day. With what unwearying watchfulness has Thou been compassing my path!--defending me from danger, guarding me from temptation, hedging up my way with thorns, "preventing me with the blessings of Thy goodness!" There is no friend in the world I have like Thee; none so able, none so willing to be my friend. If I have been successful in resisting sin, it is all Thy blessed grace which has enabled me. From how many slippery places has Thou rescued me! When often on the brink of the precipice, ready to fall, Thy interposing hand has saved me from inevitable destruction. When through my own weakness and unwatchfulness I must now have been wandering in hopeless alienation from Thee, Thou hast mercifully not suffered the bruised reed to be broken, nor the smoking flax to be quenched.

Lord, my earnest prayer is that Thy grace may still be made sufficient for me. May no spiritual foe be allowed to invade my peace or endanger my safety. Let Thy love be restored to its rightful ascendancy in my affections. May no rival be allowed to usurp its place. May I ever exercise a holy jealousy over this truant, wandering, deceitful heart; seeking day by day to subdue unmortified sin.

May all Thy dispensations issue in my sanctification. Let me seek no unruffled path; may the cross be willingly carried. Thou lovest me too well to give me my own way. Whatever Thy will and Thy dealings may be, be it mine cheerfully and rejoicingly to acquiesce in them, knowing them to be the dictate of infinite wisdom and unchanging love. May all my worldly business and engagements be interfused and hallowed with the blessed sense and assurance of Thy favor! Walking all the day in the light of Thy countenance, I must be safe!

God of Bethel--God of all the families of the earth, vouchsafe Thy richest benediction on all near and dear to me. Give thine angels charge over them; let their names be written among the living in Jerusalem; and oh, may we all seek in our several spheres to glorify Thee on earth, either by active duty or by patient endurance; exemplifying in our daily walk the meek and lowly, the unselfish and self-denying, spirit of Him, who hath left us an example that we should follow His steps.

Hasten the coming of Thy Son's kingdom. Arise, O God, and plead Thine own cause. "Save Thy people, bless Thine inheritance, feed them also and lift them up for ever."

The curtain of night is again drawn around me. If it be Thy will, spare me to see the light and enjoy the comforts of a new day; may I seek anew to enjoy them in Thee; may every blessing be doubly sweet to me, bearing the impress of Thy love in Jesus. Guide me _in_ life, _through_ death, _into_ glory, for the sake of Him in whom is all my hope, and to whom, with Thee the Father, and Thee, ever-blessed Spirit, one God, be ascribed all blessing and honor and glory and praise, world without end. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

SIXTH EVENING.

FOR RESTORING GRACE.

"Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation."--Ps. li. 12.

Blessed God, I rejoice to know that the gates of prayer are ever open;--that for the sake of Jesus Christ, my adorable Redeemer, Thou art waiting to be gracious, not willing that any should perish.

Come in the plenitude of Thy love this evening, that I may feel it to be good for me to draw near to God! Scatter my darkness, Thou better Sun, with the brightness of Thy rising. Give me filial confidence in approaching the mercy-seat, rejoicing in the mightiest of all Beings as my Father and Friend.

Blessed Jesus! I would exercise a simple confidence and trust in Thy finished work, I would seek to wash anew in the opened fountain of Thy blood, to repose anew in the faithful saying which never can cease, to the sin-stricken, sin-burdened soul, to be worthy of all acceptation, that Thou didst come into the world to save the chief of sinners.

I have to mourn, O Lord, my constant proneness to depart from Thee--the instability of my best purposes of obedience. Unsupported by Thy grace I must fall. There is nothing, O Thou great Intercessor within the veil, but Thine omnipotent pleadings between me and irretrievable ruin. But Thou hast prayed, and art even now praying, for me that my faith fail not. Oh if I am still prone to start aside, like a deceitful bow, do Thou bring me back again! Reclaim my truant heart from its wanderings. I would cast myself with simple dependence on Thy grace for the future. This is sufficient for all wants and equal to all exigencies. Thine everlasting arms are lower than my deepest necessities. Adorable Saviour, I may well cast my every care on Thee, for these cares Thou makest Thine own. Thou hast a heart to feel for those who have often no heart to feel for themselves. Oh let me ever seek to hear Thy directing voice and to hear no other.

Do Thou carry on within me Thine own work in thine own way. Thou, Great Shepherd of Israel, canst not lead me wrong. I delight to trace Thy guiding love in the past, and I may well trust Thee still; going up through the wilderness may I lean on Thine arm; when I come to die may the gloom of the dark valley be lighted with the rays of Thy love, and may I hear Thy voice whispering in gentle accents, "Fear not, for I am with thee." Be gracious to all my beloved friends. Train them also, by Thy good Spirit, for eternity. Fit them for every duty. Arm them against every temptation. Dispose them to fear Thy glorious name, and to live from day to day under the powers and influences of a world to come. Compassionate the afflicted; comfort the bereaved; support the dying.

Lord, take the charge of me during the silent watches of another night. May I rise on the morrow to renew my work and warfare on earth, looking forward to the time when the twilight of this world shall melt into everlasting day, and when nothing shall evermore mar or interrupt the blessedness of endless communion with Thee: through Jesus Christ, my only Lord and Saviour. Amen.

"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."

SEVENTH EVENING.

FOR QUICKENING GRACE.

"Quicken me after Thy loving kindness, so shall I keep the testimony of Thy mouth."--Psalm cxix. 88.

O God, on this the close of another day, I desire to approach the footstool of Thy throne. Glory be to Thy holy name that I can enjoy freedom of access into Thy presence, and with the confidence of a child unburden and unbosom to Thee all my wants and sins, my sorrows and infirmities, my perplexities and cares.

Lord, how unworthy I am of the least of all Thy mercies! What righteous cause hast Thou to cut me down as a cumberer of the ground. How cold my love, how unfrequent my prayers! How full my heart of pride and vain-glory, self and sin! How little have I habitually realized Thy nearness and sought Thy favor as my chief good! There is enough of coldness and formality in my best approaches to Thy footstool to lead Thee in Thy wrath to spurn me forever away, and to mingle my blood with my sacrifices!