"Union With Christ"

“O Father,

Thou hast made man for the glory of thyself,
    and when not an instrument of that glory, he is a thing of nought;

No sin is greater than the sin of unbelief,
    for if union with Christ is the greatest good, unbelief is the greatest sin,
    as being cross to thy command;

I see that whatever my sin is,
    yet no sin is like disunion from Christ by unbelief.

Lord, keep me from committing the greatest sin in departing from him,
    for I can never in this life perfectly obey and cleave to Christ.

When thou takest away my outward blessing, it is for sin,
    in not acknowledging that all that I have is of thee,
    in not serving thee through what I have,
    in making myself secure and hardened.

Lawful blessing are the secret idols, and do most hurt;
    the greatest injury is in the having,
    the greatest good in the taking away.

In love divest me of the blessings that I may glorify thee the more;
    remove the fuel of my sin,
    and may I prize the gain of a little holiness as
        overbalancing all my losses.

The more I love thee with a truly gracious love
    the more I desire to love thee,
    and the more miserable I am at my want of love;

The more I hunger and thirst after thee,
    the more I faint and fail in finding thee,
The more my heart is broken for sin,
    the more I pray it may be far more broken."

– The Valley of Vision, p. 36f.