Early Sabbath Morning

"O Lord,

I commune with thee every day,

but week days are worldly days,

and secular concerns reduce heavenly impressions.

I bless thee therefore for the day sacred to my soul

when I can wait upon thee and be refreshed;

I thank thee for the institutions of church

by use of which I draw near to thee and thou to me;
I rejoice in another Lord's Day

when I call off my mind from the cares of the world

and attend upon thee without distraction;

Let my rest be devout,

my conversation edifying,

my reading pious,

my hearing profitable,

that my soul may be quickened and elevated.

I am going to the house of prayer,

pour upon me the spirit of grace and supplication;

I am going to the house of praise,

awaken in my every grateful and cheerful emotion;

I am going to the house of instruction,

give testimony to the Word preached,

and glorify it in the hearts of all who hear;

may it:

enlighten the ignorant,

awaken the careless,

reclaim the wandering,

establish the weak,

comfort the feeble-minded,

make ready a people for their Lord.

Be a sanctuary to all who cannot come,

And do thou bestow upon me:

forgiveness towards my enemies,

peaceableness towards my neighbors,

openness towards my fellow-believers."

From: Book of Puritan Prayers