LOVE TO JESUS

Lord Jesus,

f I love thee my soul shall seek thee,
but can I seek thee unless my love to thee
is kept alive to this end?
Do I love thee because thou art good,
and canst alone do me good?
It is fitting thou shouldest not regard me,
for I am vile and selfish;
yet I seek thee,
and when I find thee there is no wrath
to devour me,
but only sweet love.
Thou dost stand as a rock between the scorching sun
and my soul,
and I live under the cool lee-side as one elect.
When my mind acts without thee
it spins nothing but deceit and delusion;
When my affections act without thee
nothing is seen but dead works.
O how I need thee to abide in me,
for I have no natural eyes to see thee,
but I live by faith in one whose face to me
is brighter than a thousand suns!
When I see that all sin is in me,
all shame belongs to me;
let me know that all good is in thee,
all glory is thine.
Keep me from the error of thinking thou dost
appear gloriously
when some strange light fills my heart,
as if that were the glorious activity of grace,
but let me see that the truest revelation of thyself
is when thou dost eclipse all my personal glory
and all the honour, pleasure and good
of this world.
The Son breaks out in glory
when he shows himself as one who outshines
all creation,
makes men poor in spirit,
and helps them to find their good in him.
Grant that I may distrust myself, to see
my all in thee.

—from The Valley of Vision, Arthur Bennett, editor (Banner of Truth Trust, 2002).

salme 51 (Geneva Bible)
To him that excelleth. A Psalme of Dauid, when the Prophet Nathan came vnto him, after he had gone in to Bath-sheba.

1 Haue mercie vpon me, O God, according to thy louing kindnes: according to the multitude of thy compassions put away mine iniquities.
2 Wash me throughly from mine iniquitie, and clense me from my sinne.
3 For I know mine iniquities, and my sinne is euer before me.
4 Against thee, against thee onely haue I sinned, and done euill in thy sight, that thou mayest be iust when thou speakest, and pure when thou iudgest.
5 Beholde, I was borne in iniquitie, and in sinne hath my mother conceiued me.
6 Beholde, thou louest trueth in the inwarde affections: therefore hast thou taught mee wisedome in the secret of mine heart.
7 Purge me with hyssope, & I shalbe cleane: wash me, and I shalbe whiter then snowe.
8 Make me to heare ioye and gladnes, that the bones, which thou hast broken, may reioyce.
9 Hide thy face from my sinnes, and put away all mine iniquities.
10 Create in mee a cleane heart, O God, and renue a right spirit within me.
11 Cast mee not away from thy presence, and take not thine holy Spirit from me.
12 Restore to me the ioy of thy saluation, and stablish me with thy free Spirit.
13 Then shall I teache thy wayes vnto the wicked, and sinners shalbe conuerted vnto thee.
14 Deliuer me from blood, O God, which art the God of my saluation, and my tongue shall sing ioyfully of thy righteousnes.
15 Open thou my lippes, O Lorde, and my mouth shall shewe foorth thy praise.
16 For thou desirest no sacrifice, though I would giue it: thou delitest not in burnt offering.
17 The sacrifices of God are a contrite spirit: a contrite and a broken heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.
18 Bee fauourable vnto Zion for thy good pleasure: builde the walles of Ierusalem.
19 Then shalt thou accept ye sacrifices of righteousnes, euen the burnt offering and oblation: then shall they offer calues vpon thine altar.

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