Lord of all being,
There is one thing that deserves my greatest care,
that calls forth my fervent desires,
That is, that I may live for the great end for which I am made -
to glorify you who have given me being,
and to do all the good I can for my fellow men;
Truly, life is not worth having
if it is not lived for this noble purpose.
Yet, Lord, how little is this the thought of mankind!
Most men seem to live for themselves,
without much or any regard for your glory,
or for the good of others;
They earnestly desire and eagerly pursue
the riches, honors, and pleasures of this life,
as if they supposed that wealth, greatness and merriment,
could make their immortal souls happy;
But, alas, what false deceptive dreams are these!
And how miserable before long will those be that sleep in them,
for all our happiness consists in loving thee,
and being holy as thou art holy.
O may I never fall into the passions and emptiness,
the sensuality and folly of the present world!
It is a place of inexpressible sorrow, a vast empty nothingness;
Time is a moment, a vapor,
and all its enjoyments are empty bubbles,
fleeting gusts of wind,
from which nothing satisfactory can be gotten;
Give me grace always to keep in covenant with you,
and to reject as delusion personal fame here or hereafter,
together with all sinful pleasures or profits.
Help me to know continually
that there can be no true happiness,
no fulfilling of your purpose for me,
apart from a life lived in and for the Son of your love.
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