Commendatory Prayer before death.

lives. Give Thine angels charge over him, to stand about him, to guard and receive his soul at its departure from the body.

Lord, our brother is about to be brought face to face with death and judgment. He will soon lie stiff and cold upon his bed. The body which has been so much cared for, will soon be a senseless clod, a mass of corruption and decay, to be 'put out of sight as soon as possible. But we thank God, that our dear brother has fed upon the Saviour; that he has become a child of God by faith in Christ Jesus. We thank God that our brother's love for an adorable Redeemer drew him by cords of love to His Holy Table.

O Lord, strengthen our brother's love for Jesus. May Christ be life, and all to him, in this his time of need. May he have no more doubt of his acceptance with God, than we who stand, or kneel around, have of our own existence. We know, Lord, that the sins of those who love the Saviour have all been cast into the depths of the sea. Grant to our brother, then, to know, and to experience the blessedness of knowing, that his house is built upon the Rock of Ages, that his name is written in the Lamb's Book of Life. O God, grant unto our dear brother to look unto his Saviour, and not to the difficulties and fancied obstacles in his path: grant unto him to look to the blood shed for his sins, the Redeemer's love pledged never to forsake him ; grant unto him to feel assured that casting himself entirely upon Jesus, he must be safe; that, though he may stumble, he shall not perish, for the Lord "will preserve him unto the Heavenly Kingdom."

O God, may not we, who are left behind, be permitted to rejoice with our brother, and to say; "O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? Thanks be to God, who giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!"-"The blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth from all sin!"-O, what words of comfort to pour into a dying

* Here the Intercessor may pause, or cease praying for a time.

Commendatory Prayer before death.

Christian's ear, to calm his misgivings and his fears."There is now no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus!" Thanks be to God that death can possess no terror for the believer in Jesus; for he knows that he shall stand before the Judgment Throne, and before assembled worlds, with a robe around him, a pure, white, spotless robe, washed in the Redeemer's blood.

*

O, may this precious truth be imprinted on the heart of our dying brother, that "There is no condemnation to them who are in Christ Jesus." Their Master, their Friend, their Brother, on the first Easter morn, burst the fetters of the tomb! How glorious! Death vanquished! Hell overcome ! God grant that our dear brother may realize the truth, that there is, now, no sting in death, no victory in the grave. Jesus came thence, laden with the spoils of victory!

God grant that this blood-bought sinner may take the Saviour's sufferings, His death, His glorious resurrection and ascension, as his only hope of peace in life, of comfort in death, and of happiness throughout all eternity.

Soon this body of his will have done its work: its trials and its sorrows here will soon be over; and when He who is our life shall appear, may our brother's soul then also appear with Him in glory. AMEN.

5. A COMMENDATORY PRAYER FOR A SICK PERSON AT THE POINT OF DEPARTURE.

("From the Order for the Visitation of the Sick.")

O Almighty God, with whom do live the spirits of just men made perfect, after they are delivered from their

Here, again, the Intercessor may cease praying for a time, or altogether, as the nature of the circumstances may lead him to determine.

Commendatory Prayer before death.

earthly prisons; we humbly commend the soul of this Thy servant, our dear brother, into Thy hands, as into the hands of a faithful Creator, and most merciful Saviour; most humbly beseeching Thee, that it may be precious in Thy sight. Wash it, we pray Thee, in the blood of that immaculate Lamb, that was slain to take away the sins of the world; that, whatsoever defilements it may have contracted in the midst of this miserable and naughty world, through the lusts of the flesh, or the wiles of Satan, being purged and done away, it may be presented pure and without spot before Thee. And teach us who survive, in this and other like daily spectacles of mortality, to see how frail and uncertain our own condition is; and so to number our days, that we may seriously apply our hearts to that holy and heavenly wisdom, whilst we live here, which may in the end bring us to life everlasting, through the merits of Jesus Christ, Thine only Son, our Lord. AMEN.

"HEAR US, GOOD LORD!"

"God of Mercy! deign to hear us,
As our humble notes we raise;
Thou hast promised to be near us,
When we meet to sing Thy praise.

Send Thy Spirit to direct us,

In the straight and narrow way:
We are sinners!-Lord protect us!
Lest our wandering feet should stray.

Snares and dangers will beset us,

Ere we reach our journey's end:
But, though all the world forget us,
Jesus still will be our Friend.

Earthly friendships may deceive us;
Short, at best, their day must be :
Thou hast said Thou wilt not leave us,
If we put our trust in Thee."

PRAYERS TO BE USED ON BEHALF OF A CHRISTIAN FAMILY,

1.-Prayers that may be used in the Family circle; or at a Pastoral visit.

Lord Jesus! Thou Lamb of God! Thou Saviour of all who love and trust Thee! come among us, and be with us, and bless us while we kneel before the throne of grace. Give us, we beseech Thee, penitent hearts, that we may pray humbly; and put into our minds earnest desires, that we may be able to approach our Heavenly Father in child-like confidence, and in the full assurance of faith. And Oh, Thou advocate with the Father! Jesus, our Ransom! our Friend! our Brother!-present our humble petitions before Thy Father, and our Father; Thy

Prayers to be used on behalf of a Christian Family.

God and our God! O, Thou who comest into the world to save sinners and to save us, be with us while we pray; for hast Thou not promised that where two or three are gathered together in Thy name, Thou wilt be in the midst of them? O Holy Jesus; accept us, and hear and answer our prayers, unworthy though we be. Give us believing and loving hearts. Make us to know the blessedness of those whose unrighteousness is forgiven,-whose sin is covered. Enable us to lift up our hearts unto Thee, and to find Thee more and more precious to our souls. Help us to pray, and bless us, and all who are dear to us, for Thine own dear sake. AMEN.

Almighty and everlasting God, the Lord of life and of death, the Creator and Preserver of all mankind, who reignest alone in the Heavens above, and in the earth beneath, we come to Thee in the name of Him whom Thou hearest always, even Thy Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord. We owe it to the kind forbearance of a gracious and merciful God that we are not lying uuder condemnation, and that we can plead the blood of Him who died for us, that we might live for ever. We cannot praise Thee enough, Lord, for Thy undeserved goodness to us. Great God! with

Thee there is mercy. We confess, gracious Father, that we are unworthy even to appear before Thee. We have sinned often and grievously in Thy sight. Pardon, gracious and merciful Father, the many great and grievous sins which we have, from time to time, committed against Thy Divine Majesty, provoking most justly Thy wrath and indignation against us. Father! we have sinned against Heaven, and in Thy sight, and are no more worthy to be called Thy children. But we would arise and come to Thee, earnestly imploring pardon and forgiveness. We come casting ourselves on Thy Fatherly compassion. Thou willest not the death of a sinner. Have mercy upon us, then, O God, according to Thy loving kindness: according to the multitude of Thy tender mercies, blot out our transgressions.

O God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! look not upon us, but look upon the face of Thine anointed. We come to Thee without a claim of our own, without one single recommendation! But, Lord, we kneel at Thy