The Valley of Vision
Lately I have been studying and comparing doctrinal differences (i.e. Lutheranism, Anabaptism, and Calvinism and, as an extension, Puritanism) and, perhaps due to curiosity, I picked up a book on my shelf called “The Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions.” Though, not being Calvinist, it is sometimes difficult for me to grasp a few of the deeper concepts, I have always been fascinated with the Puritans. I wondered what gems of wonder I might discover and was pleased to find this:
O Lord God, thou art my protecting arm,
Fortress, refuge, shield, buckler.
Fight for me and my foes must flee;
Uphold me and I cannot fall;
Strengthen me and I stand unmoved, unmovable;
Equip me and I shall receive no wound;
Stand by me and Satan will depart;
Anoint my lips with a song of salvation
and I shall shout thy victory;
Give me abhorrence of all evil,
as a vile monster that defies thy law,
casts off thy yoke,
defiles my nature,
spreads misery.
Teach me to look to Jesus on His cross
and so to know sin’s loathsomeness in thy sight.
There is no pardon but through thy Son’s death,
There is no pardon but through thy Son’s death,
no cleansing but in His precious blood,
no atonement but his to expiate evil.
Show me the shame, the agony, the bruises of incarnate God,
that I may read boundless guilt in the boundless price;
May I discern the deadly viper in its real malignity,
tear it with holy indignation from my breast,
resolutely turn from its every snare,
refuse to hold polluting dalliance with it.
Blessed Lord Jesus, at thy cross
may I be taught the awful miseries from which I am saved,
ponder what the word “lost” implies,
see the fires of eternal destruction;
Then may I cling more closely to thy broken self,
adhere to thee with firmer faith,
be devoted to thee with total being,
detest sin as strongly as thy love to me is strong.
And may holiness be the atmosphere in which I live.
The Puritans certainly had a way with words!
(c) 2012 Joyously Saved
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