are not cast off. O spare us to repent of all our sins, to turn to thee with full purpose of heart, and to confide in thy justice and mercy. Truly thankful would we be that we live under the law of faith and not of works; that the curse which this law denounces, that faith removes; and that the efficacy of repentance is confirmed in the gospel, and the unlimited extent of thy mercy taught to encourage sinful and imperfect creatures to turn to thee and live. Grant us in every stage of our existence, in every varying scene of our lives, in health and in sickness, in life and at the approach of death, the comforts and consolations of divine truth. Be our present help in time and trouble. Be Thou, the Eternal God, our refuge, and underneath us place thine everlasting arms. As our outward man decays, may our inward man be renewed day by day. As this world recedes, may we cling with stronger faith to that better world where, in the more full display of thy glory, in the more perfect enjoyment of thy presence, in the absence of all earthly ill, man will be happy, and Thou, O God, wilt be all in all. Amen.

7. PRAYER FOR IMPROVEMENT FROM CONTEMPLATING OUR

ADVANTAGES.

O GOD, most merciful and righteous! may our approach to thee be made in all sincerity and humility of soul. May we feel how great and good Thou art, and be convinced how feeble and imperfect we are. May we know how great is thy condescension in regarding us, how great our privilege in being permitted to draw nigh to thee. From all that is of this world, except as it can be subservient to the purposes of piety, may we withdraw our thoughts. On that high relation which the creature holds to the Creator, may we devoutly reflect ; and on those means of grace which are adapted to fit us for glory and happiness, may our pious meditations dwell. Since light is come into the world, may we walk in that light. May our understanding approve thy teaching, and our affections embrace that revelation of thyself, which Thou hast made through Jesus Christ. May the sublimity and simplicity and purity of divine truth make it the object of our ardent admiration, of our eager love, of our daily regard and obedience. May we imbibe its sacred principles, and make them our guide through the whole course of our mortal life. From the example as well as from the precepts of the great Founder of our faith, may we derive instruction, and in each action, as well as in each maxim,

may we see something to admire, something to adopt, something to follow. In the search of truth and duty, suffer us not to be blinded by prejudices, misled by evil passions and propensities, warped by pride, nor deterred by fear, but may we open our eyes to see the wonders of thy holy law. Let thy works teach us much of thee, and the contemplation of them exalt our admiration of their Maker; and may thy revealed will purify all our conceptions, deliver us from all superstition, and lead us into the glorious light and liberty to which Thou hast called us. And O! give us grace by our lives to honour our professions. May we walk consistently with our advantages, worthy of our high vocation. May we resist temptations to sin, and overcome all evil as most inimical to our welfare and our peace. May we feel deep penitence for every past transgression, and form sincere purposes for all that remains to us of this uncertain life. Let our actions testify favourably of our faith, and while we shun the Pharisaic ostentation of good, may it be our supreme object to be good and to do good in the sphere in which we are placed. Let the comforts of religion be ours. May that peace which passeth all understanding dwell in our hearts. May we enjoy a conscience void of offence. May our thoughts of thee be sweet and cheering, and our communion with thee be devout and grateful. May we rise above those fears which others feel who know and love thee not. May the love we

arms.

cherish cast out all fear, and teach us to trust in thee when all things are dark and depressing. To our latest day grant us thy support. Let strong faith lead us to contemplate the evils of the world as designed for good, and in the midst of danger may we feel secure, protected in thine everlasting Let all our mercies excite gratitude to thee: the enjoyment of health when we are surrounded by those who suffer, the continuance of life with all its various powers, while we see in many cases how rapidly it is cut off. And may we live habitually prepared for that great change, which will come at a time when we think not. Then may we die in hope, that hope which cannot disappoint, because it is founded on thy promise which can never fail. To thee be now and ever ascribed all glory and honour. Amen.

8. PRAYER FOR POWER TO FOLLOW THE EXAMPLE OF

CHRIST.

O GOD! thou art infinitely glorious in holiness, wisdom, and power. Our feeble minds labour in vain to find thee, and are overwhelmed in the effort to find thee out unto perfection. Thy ways are not as our ways, but as much above, as the heavens are above the earth. Though we cannot doubt that thy providence is wise and good, it is often mysterious, and in its sublime and awful course surpasses our ability to comprehend its design which must be in mercy and truth. The display of no attribute can be inconsistent with any perfection essentially belonging to thy nature, so that thy power and goodness, thy justice and mercy, thy wisdom and benevolence, must always agree; yet who of mortals, in the events of human society and human life, can always trace their harmony, and see clearly how, in each event, they are united? Thou dost create evil and good. Thou dost ordain the sun to shine, the genial air to circulate, the earth to yield fruit for man and beast, and Thou dost send the dreadful storm, the raging pestilence and the famine that are sometimes abroad in the earth. But though thy providence is at times as mysterious and unsearchable as thy nature, yet all that we fully know of thee is obviously wise and