The sword of Divine justice buried in His sinless heart!

(Henry Law, "Family Prayers")

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Holy Father,
We blush to lift up our eyes unto You, O God of all grace and love. Shame and confusion of face humble us to the very dust. Wherever You have been boundless in mercy-we have been abundant in sin! We cannot measure our ingratitude. We cannot estimate our vileness. Each day has added to our guilt. Each scene has witnessed our wicked hearts, our straying feet and our offending tongues. What is there in heaven or in earth, above, around, without, or within-which condemns us not? The sun condemns us, which has seen our misdeeds; the darkness, too, which hides nothing from Your all-penetrating eye!
The cruel accuser justly accuses us.
Your righteous law,
Your holy Word,
our sin-soiled consciences,
our public and our private hours
-write dark things against us! We make no denial. We frame no excuse. We confess, Father, that we have sinned against heaven and before You-and are not worthy to be called Your sons! But still we live!

We live to fly as contrite penitents to Your extended arms!
We know that You will not cast us off-for Jesus brings us near.
You will not condemn us-for Your dear Son died in our place.
You will not mark the mountains upon mountains of our sins-for the Savior has removed them all.
His precious blood has washed out every crimson stain!
Christ's spotless robe of righteousness, covers all our deformities! We put it on by the hand of faith-and we rejoice that we are lovely in His precious loveliness, and beauteous in His matchless beauty.

Open widely the eyes of our faith, that we may see all our justly merited curse, expended on the faultless head of our precious sin-atoning Savior, and the sword of Divine justice buried in His sinless heart!

We come to You . . .
  clinging to His cross,
  sheltered by His side,
  hidden in His wounds,
  cleansed in His blood,
  covered by His spotless robe,
  beautified in His salvation!