<h2>TWENTY-SEVENTH EVENING.<br/> <span class="small">FOR THE WORLD'S CONVERSION.</span></h2>
<p class="center small">"The earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord,
as the waters cover the sea."—Isaiah xi. 9.</p>
<p><span class="smcap">O God,</span> I desire to draw near into Thy blessed
presence, beseeching Thee to lift upon me the
light of Thy countenance and grant me a Father's
blessing. I am utterly unworthy of Thy
mercies. And it is only in Jesus, the Son of
Thy love, that I dare venture to cast myself at
Thy footstool.</p>
<p>I rejoice to think that in Him there is an
open door of welcome; that He has by His
doing and dying satisfied the demands of Thy
righteous law, and magnified all Thy glorious
attributes. I would bury all my sins in the
ocean-depths of His redeeming love. Oh let
me now know the blessedness of <i>living</i>, and at
last the blessedness of <i>dying</i>, at peace with
Thee, in the sure and certain hope of a resurrection
to eternal life.</p>
<p>Darkness is still covering the lands, and gross
darkness the people. Lord, do Thou have mercy
on a world lying in wickedness. I rejoice to
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think of all Thy glorious promises concerning
the latter day. That this creation of ours, now
groaning and travailing in bondage under sin, is
yet to be delivered from the yoke of corruption,
and to be translated into the glorious liberty of
the sons of God. Glorify Thy great name in
the salvation of sinners! Hasten the period of
predicted glory, when all the ends of the earth
shall see the salvation of God; when from the
rising of the sun to the going down of the same,
the Lord's name is to be praised. May Thine
own omnipotent Spirit brood over the darkness,
as He did over chaos of old, and say, "Let
there be light, and there will be light." May
gladsome voices soon be heard proclaiming,
"Arise, shine, for thy light is come, and the
glory of the Lord is risen upon thee."</p>
<p>Oh may I know personally something of that
compassionate yearning over ruined souls and a
ruined world that my Saviour had. Let me be
prodigal in devising means for the extension of
His kingdom and the good of my fellow-men.
I would pray the Lord of the harvest that He
would send forth laborers to the harvest. Stand
by Thy missionary servants. May they have
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many souls for their hire. May mountains of
difficulty be levelled before them; may crooked
things be made straight and rough places plain,
and may the glory of the Lord be revealed.
Let them exercise simple faith in the power of
Thy word and the efficacy of Thy grace. May
they feel that these are mighty as they ever
were to the pulling down of strongholds.</p>
<p>Arouse Thy churches to greater zeal. May
Jesus, faithfully lifted up by His servants, by
the attractive power of His cross draw all men
unto Him. May they be the honored instruments
of preparing many gems for Immanuel's
crown, who will be found unto praise and honor
and glory at His second appearing.</p>
<p>Lord, guard me through the silent watches of
the night; be the defence and protection of my
friends and relatives; may they too dwell under
the shadow of Thy wings and experience the
sleep of Thy beloved; and when the night of
earth's ignorance shall vanish away, may we all
wake up in glory everlasting, through Jesus
Christ, our only Lord and Saviour. Amen.</p>
<p class="gap-above center small">"LET MY PRAYER BE SET FORTH BEFORE THEE AS<br/>
INCENSE: AND THE LIFTING UP OF MY HANDS<br/>
AS THE EVENING SACRIFICE."</p>
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