And the People, as confirming and adopting the prayer, conclude it by saying,

We beseech Thee to Hear us, Good LORD!

Still, under a confession of our transgressions and a feeling of our having thereby offended The GOD of all Mercies, we thus pray unto The ALMIGHTY to Heed and Regard us with His Wonted Favour and Compassion, and to Extend the Peculiar Influence of The HOLY SPIRIT over the True Church of CHRIST, called the holy Catholic or Universal Church, Established by CHRIST upon Earth, or Built upon the Foundation of His Gospel, in the hearts of true Believers, to Preserve it from all encroachments through ignorance, pride, malice, or any other principle or practice opposed to its peace -to Guide and Regulate it so as that All, who profess and call themselves Christians, may be Led into the way of Truth, holding the faith in the Unity of The SPIRIT, in the bond of peace, and in Righteousness of life ;-to Induce the Souls of All, who name the Name of CHRIST, to seek earnestly after the knowledge of the Terms of Salvation; and having, through The DIVINE Blessing, obtained it, to abide steadfastly by Those Conditions of The Gospel Covenant, zealously pursuing the Way, however narrow, That Leadeth unto Life Eternal, and Which, through the Mercy of our Heavenly FATHER, and the Reconciling Merits of The SON of His Love, and the Illuminations of The HOLY SPIRIT, they cannot fail of finding, if with an honest heart and persevering aim they strive to do so. Various as are the systems of worship amongst such of the Nations of Mankind as profess the Christian Religion, and even among Individuals of the same Nation, it is reasonable to think and right to hope, that more than one may be in the Way, if not the wholly right or most perfect, yet sufficiently so, in the essentials both of faith and practice, as to have a warrantable expectation of Acceptance, through the Mediatorial Offices of CHRIST and the Compassionate Tenderness of GOD toward Human infirmities, and His Readiness to Forgive where the heart does not wilfully or daringly

offend, and where repentance and contrition, in the spirit of a vital faith in CHRIST, are found. And the line of division between the sufficiency and insufficiency of faith, working by love, may be drawn by an earnest and humble consultation of the Word of GOD, as Revealed in The Scriptures, and by prayer; or by a neglect of Both. The essentials of this faith, which, as described by St. Paul, is the substance of Things hoped for, the evidence of Things not seen, should seem to be, admission of The Being of A GOD Almighty, Everlasting, Perfect, Pure, Omniscient and Omnipresent; that in This ONE and Indivisible GODHEAD are Included A TRINITY, FATHER, SON and HOLY GHOST-CREATOR, REDEEMER and SANCTIFIER of Mankind;-that Man, His Favoured Creature, formed in His Image as an intellectual Being, and with an Immortal Spirit, will necessarily exist in all Eternity-that GOD Made Man upright and consequently happy from his then communion with Holiness; and though Man, yielding to temptation, shrunk from That Communion, yet still The DIVINE Clemency hath not Deserted him; and not only Invited him to return, but Found out a Way to Reconcile Justice with Mercy, by the Free-Will Offering of The SON of GOD and His Mediatorial Atonement, that All who believe Therein might not perish, but have Everlasting Life—that life in this World is but a state of probation and passage to an Eternal Existence, where, by That Judgment, Which cannot err, and the Justice of Which will be obvious to every understanding, the Decree to endless misery or happiness Awaits every Human Soul; that Man's only reasonable hope for so great and inestimable a Prize as Everlasting Life in the fulness of the Purest and Exhaustless and ever Increasing Felicity of Heaven, within the visible presence of the Glories, and in a perpetually advancing knowledge and admiration of the Wondrous and Gracious Attributes of The GODHEAD, is not in the imagined merits of his own conduct and conversation in life, however seemingly near to perfection they may approach, since the Blessings he receives here might amply compensate them; (for from GOD's Free Gift Man has

received every faculty and property he possesses, and equally the will as the power to do good in his generation, and therefore, from a sense of gratitude as of justice, should dedicate all to GOD's Glory and service :) but it is to the Mysterious Love and Mediating Merits of The SON of GOD, that Man owes that hope, rendered efficacious by Man's faith in Them, and by a deep sense of his own need of Them, through a conscious unworthiness of DIVINE Favour. With such a faith and a corresponding practice, the Heart or Soul, which is the Temple of The HOLY GHOST, and the Church of CHRIST, not made with hands, cannot fail of being in the right Way, and through the Merciful Guidance and Governance of GOD continuing Therein, until its season of probation terminates by death, and its entrance through that gate into Life Eternal.- -The Service then, from the just view entertained by its Framers of the intimate and necessary connection between the right ordering of the Church and that of the State, after having prayed for The DIVINE Guidance of the former, supplicates Its Providential Superintendance and Direction of the latter.The Minister therefore is appointed to say,

That it may Please Thee to Keep and Strengthen in the true worshipping of Thee, in righteousness and holiness of life, Thy Servant VICTORIA, our most gracious QUEEN and Governor;

And the People add,

We beseech Thee to Hear us, Good LORD!

As every Member of Society has more or less of influence within that sphere wherein he moves, and as the acts and example of the Head of a Nation must be of paramount effect, so is it proportionately important, that a Sovereign should be Gifted with a right understanding and with that Wisdom which is from Above; and the sure way of effecting so desirable an object, is by the being Brought under the Continual Guidance of Heavenly Grace, having the Principles of vital Faith and Godliness Infused into the Soul, Which cannot fail of influencing to a safe and beneficial exercise of power, and the

becoming discharge of the functions of such exalted and controuling an Office. In the true spirit of loyalty and patriotism, as well as in observance of Apostolic exhortation, we are led to address Him, in Whose Hand are the hearts of Kings and Princes and Governors, so to Engraft the Excellency of the Gospel Principles on our liege Sovereign's mind and disposition, and to Imbue the heart with the Grace of The HOLY SPIRIT, that by faith in the Word and by obedience to the Ordinances of GOD, that Sovereign may lead the Ministers and Members of the Government to the exercise of the truest principles of Municipal and International Law, that the Crown may be adorned with the brightest jewel, that of zeal for the service and delight in the Glory of The KING of Kings and LORD of Lords. But if, unfortunately for himself and his Subjects, there should be a Ruler of this Land indifferent to the Great Truths of Religion, and regardless of the awful responsibility of his exalted situation, though the words to keep and strengthen him would not apply; yet would there be the more reason for his Subjects to pray with earnestness according to the spirit of this sentence, that he might be led to the true worship of GOD in righteousness and holiness of life; and as the effectual fervent prayer of even one righteous Man availeth much, so is it but reasonable to hope, that the pious effusions of a large portion of the Nation may so far prevail, as, if not to turn the heart of such a King, yet to avert The DIVINE Anger from his People. To Sovereigns themselves, this and other parts of the service, containing intercessions by their Subjects for GOD's Grace and Favour towards them, should powerfully teach the lesson of wisdom, by begetting in them a fear of The LORD, and a devotion to His Service, through Whose Help Alone can the weight of Government be satisfactorily borne, and in the confidence of Whose Love the glories of an earthly crown may present some faint type of That Heavenly One, Which Awaits the Monarch, who, like David, has the Law of his GOD within his heart, and rules in righteousness and in subjection to The DIVINE Will.The Minister then continues

That it may Please Thee to Rule HER heart in Thy faith, fear and love; and that SHE may evermore have affiance in Thee, and ever seek Thy Honour and Glory;

And the People again say,

We beseech Thee to Hear us, Good LORD!

Having before sought of GOD to Keep and Strengthen the Sovereign in the true worship, and in righteousness and holiness of life, thus duly regulating the outward conduct, we here supplicate The ALMIGHTY, Who Alone Knoweth what is in Man, to Enlighten the Inner Nature, and to Influence both the motives and the movements of the Soul, by the impulse of a true and lively faith in GOD's Holy Word, by reverence of His Power, and an unfeigned thankfulness for the Dispensations of His Love and Mercy; so that the People's Head may, under all circumstances, rest on GOD, through the efficacy of Faith in The SON of GOD, as The Intercessor, looking to Him as The Unerring Counsellor, as The Source of Power, and The Only Effectual Succour under trial and temptation; that in all things and upon all occasions may be gratefully acknowledged the Goodness and Gracious Providence of GOD, and His Honour and Worship and Service on Earth may be zealously and steadfastly promoted. And this the People entreat in terms of earnest supplication from the Bounty of That GOD, by Whom Kings reign and Princes decree justice.Extending the view from this Nation, as only One amongst many upon Earth, and taking into consideration the unhappy tendency to war, under the influence of ambition, or jealousy or false honour, and the clashing interests of States; the course of prayer then takes a direction which supplicates DIVINE Protection from that baneful calamity, or under its visitation; the Priest saying,

That it may Please Thee to be HER Defender and Keeper, Giving HER the Victory over all HER Enemies;

And the People confirm the Prayer by adding,

We beseech Thee to Hear us, Good LORD!

As the Battle is The LORD's, and before Him Kings with