mercy and forbearance and loving-kindness to thy sinful creatures forcibly and deeply impress our minds. May thy great love, in the establishment of true religion by Jesus Christ, inflame our gratitude; and may the clear display of thy divine perfections in the purity and benevolence of his life, his exertions, and his sufferings, be the example which we will devoutly try copy in the government and regulation of ourselves. Under heavy trials in patience may we possess our souls. And may our obedience to all the moral duties of life be uniform and exemplary, prompted and encouraged by the highest motives as they are set before us in the volume of sacred truth, as they may be traced in the happy effects of obedience in establishing true independence of mind, and giving peace which passeth all understanding, such as the world, with all its power, can neither give nor take away. For all the changes which may or must come in this uncertain life, may we be prepared, that in prosperity we may bless thee; and in adversity and trouble we may be resigned to thy will. Christian faith be established in our hearts, and let it confirm our hopes of immortality. And when we die, may we die the death of the righteous, and may our latter end be like his. Thus in life and in death, may we be thine: and do Thou be our God and our guide and our portion for ever. Amen.

Let

10. PRAYER TO CONFIRM OUR RESOLUTION TO PERSEVERE IN THE PATH OF DUTY.

RIGHTEOUS and merciful God! Regard our humble supplication at thy footstool, and bless us in our endeavour to glorify thee, and, in the exercise of devotion, to improve ourselves. May just conceptions of thine attributes encourage us in these holy duties; and afford us the grateful pleasure which devout contemplation can give. May our thoughts frequently turn to thee, from whom is all our strength, on whom is all our dependence, in whom are fixed all our dearest hopes. May every representation of thyself, wherever it is made, attract our devout attention, and lead our thoughts to thee. In thee we live and move and have our being, and do Thou live in our hearts by faith, by love, by constantly encouraging hope and confidence and joy. In every thing which Thou hast formed, may we trace thy power and wisdom and goodness; in every thing which Thou hast revealed, may we seek that knowledge essential to our salvation and happiness. May thy condescension to notice beings so frail and imperfect as we are, excite our gratitude, and lead us to live always to thee. May thy torbearance and mercy lead us to sincere repentance, and to full purpose of heart that, for the remainder of life, whatever others do, we will serve thee the Lord our God. How much should our love be

kindled towards thee when we contemplate what that service is which Thou requirest at our hands! Thou art not a hard master, nor is thy yoke oppressive. What Thou dost demand is what an attention to our own welfare would always prompt. For every sacrifice Thou dost require, an ample compensation is always sure. If we improve ourselves in cultivating our talents, in increasing our knowledge, in governing our affections, in securing peace of mind and a quiet conscience, we are fulfilling our duty to thee. If we labour to do good to others, to reclaim the impenitent, to assist the needy, to comfort the afflicted, we are engaged in that labour which tendeth to life. If we are industrious in our calling; patient under our troubles; persevering in our efforts to conquer the difficulties we must encounter, this is the work which Thou hast given us to do. And if, with devout gratitude and lively faith, we are laying hold of the hope set before us in the gospel, receiving Jesus as thy well-beloved Son, the anointed of the Lord, the Messiah of the new covenant, the way, the truth, and the life, we are then at the same time availing ourselves of our greatest privilege, and obeying and believing thy sacred command when Thou didst proclaim, "This is my beloved Son, hear ye him." When thus we contemplate the service to which we are called, the duties required of us, must we not joyfully devote ourselves to thee? No other service can be so grateful as thine, and none can look for

ward to a reward so great. Let not the temptations of this deceitful world triumph over our better feelings, convictions, and hopes. Let not pleasure seduce us from the path of duty, nor interest, nor ambition cause us to sacrifice our integrity. Suffer not our affections to fix on objects unworthy of them; nor our thoughts and purposes to be all devoted to the things that are merely of this life, that are external, that will perish with the using, and that can add nothing to real happiness or to personal worth. May holy converse with the sacred principles of divine truth, with the solemn obligations of the Christian life, with the glorious promises of Him who cannot deceive, render our lives lives of faith upon the Son of God, lives of pure and holy obedience to thy holy will, lives cheered by hopes full of immortality. Then how complete will our victory over the world become! Then how will thy strength be perfected in our weakness! Then how well shall we, through thy grace and mercy, be prepared to derive good from every thing, and, in all circumstances, to bless thee and confide in thy protection! In sickness and in death be Thou our support and our hope. May all distressing fear be banished from us by the assuring influence of Christian faith and love; and when we die, may we sleep in Jesus, through whom we ascribe all glory to thee for ever. Amen.

11. GENERAL PRAYER.

EVER blessed God! May pure and exalted

notions of thee fill us with reverence and love in our approach to thee in this devout exercise of prayer and praise. When we know that there is no being like to thee, to none may we ever give that devout homage and confidence which are due to thee alone. Infinitely glorious in thy nature and thine attributes, the only self-existent, eternal, and unchangeable, may we acknowledge thee the Lord our God. Possessing infinite wisdom, power, and goodness; knowing all things from the beginning to the end; ruling and ordaining all things by the word of thy power, may we rejoice in thee, and in devout contemplation have thee in all our thoughts. How great our privilege to know thee! How much cause have we to love thee in sincerity and truth! How important our duty to serve thee with our whole lives! May the stated seasons of devotion keep every sacred impression so constantly present in our thoughts, that we may, through each day, walk with God, in holy communion, in faithful obedience, in willing submission, in the powerful and cheering influence of Christian faith and love. Would we thus pursue the path in which we ought daily to go, how thankful must we be for that divine revelation which clearly points it out, which suffers not our feet in ignorance to wander from the way which leadeth to life! O suffer us not in the