Sunday.....Christianity.....Puritan Mind

I have mentioned many times a book of Puritan prayers, edited by Arthur Bennett and published by the Banner Of Truth Trust called Valley Of Vision, and I've given examples of those prayers in this blog. It's really an obscure book as far as Christian reading today is concerned but has had an impact in the lives of those who have read it. On Thanksgiving, a number of years ago, our local newspaper did a front page story on one family's observation of the day. In the photo, the family was seated around the dinner table and laying there was Valley Of Vision. I choose the prayer for today's blog entry for a reason. Would the prayers we daily offer to God evidence a satisfaction with ourselves; and upon reading this prayer below, would some recoil at the failure of the person offering it to live victoriously? The book does not ascribe a name to the authors of individual prayers, only names of those whose prayers are included in the book. So this prayer may have been written by Charles Spurgeon, Isaac Watts, John Bunyan, Augustus Toplady or one of the other eight contributors.
 O God of grace
Thou has imputed my sin to my substitute.
and hast imputed his righteousness to my soul,
clothing me with a bridegroom's robe, decking me with jewels of holiness.
But in my Christian walk I am still in rags;
my best prayers are stained with sin;
my penitential tears are so much impurity;
my receiving the Spirit is tinctured with selfishness.
I need to repent of my repentance;
I need my tears to be washed;
I have no robe to bring to cover my sins,
no loom to weave my own righteousness;
I am always standing clothed in filthy garments,
and by grace am always receiving change of raiment,
for thou dost always justify the ungodly;
I am always going into the far country,
and always returning home a prodigal,
always saying, Father, forgive me,
and thou art always bringing forth the best robe.
Every morning let me wear it,
every evening return in it,
go out to the days work in it,
be married in it,
be wound in death in it,
stand before the great white throne in it,
enter heaven in it shining as the sun.
Grant me never to lose sight of
the exceeding righteousness of salvation,
the exceeding glory of Christ,
the exceeding beauty of holiness,
the exceeding wonder of grace.