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they are bleeding to death of their spiritual | fore men. May we be manifestly the epistles wounds, but no one proclaims among them of Christ. Instead of confounding our neighthe balm of Gilead and the physician there! bours and friends to determine whether we O send out thy light and thy truth. Let thy are settlers, or strangers and pilgrims on the way be known on earth, thy saving health earth, may we declare plainly that we seek a among all nations. country. May we put on as the elect of God, holy and beloved, Lowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffering, forbearing one another, and forgiving one another. May we be followers of God as dear children: may we be perfect as our Father who is in heaven is perfect.

We now commit ourselves with all our connexions into thy hands. Guard us through the defenceless hours of sleep from every evil to which we are exposed. If, as life is always uncertain, it should please Thee to call us hence this night, may we awake in glory and be for ever with the Lord; or if Thou shouldst continue us in being, may we rise in health and comfort, to pay Thee the homage of a grateful heart in a course of cheerful obedience.

In thy favour is life-Do Thou bless us and we shall be blessed-safe from every evil, and assured of every good.

And prepare us at length for the rest that remains for thy people; in which we shall join the general assembly and church of the first-born, in ascribing blessing and honour, and glory and power to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and to the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

MONDAY MORNING.

O THOU who hast characterized thyself as the hearer of prayer, unto Thee shall all flesh come: and that we may come with acceptance and success, we come in the name of the great intercessor, Jesus Christ the righteous-And Thou eternal Spirit of grace and supplication, do Thou make intercession for us, by making intercession in us according to the will of God.

All they that are far from Thee shall perish; but it is good for us to draw near to Thee. We have found the duty our delight. Devotion has opened a resource, when all other comforts have failed; and in every perplexity, every alarm, every distress, a glorious high throne from the beginning has been the place of our sanctuary. We praise thy name that ordinances have not been unprofitable observances to our souls, but channels through which the God of all grace has replenished us, and means by which we have enjoyed fellowship with the Father and his Son Jesus Christ.

At present it is a day of small things with us. We have only light enough to see our darkness; sensibility enough to feel the hardness of our hearts; spirituality enough to mourn our want of heavenly mindedness. But we might have had more; we ought to have had more. We have never been straitened in Thee: Thou hast always placed before us an infinite fulness, accompanied with the command and the promise, Open thy mouth wide; I will fill it.

We confess and bewail not only our deficiencies, but our backslidings also. It is not with us as it was in months past: O recall us to thyself; enable us to feel our first love, and to do our first works. Yea may we forget the things that are behind, and reach forth unto those that are before. May we not only have life, but may we have it more abundantly; and not only be fruitful, but bear much fruit.

May our improvements correspond with our privileges; and our practice with our knowledge. May our wills always bow to the decisions of our judgments; may we choose what we approve; and never condemn ourselves in the things that we allow.

May we never want the threatenings of thy law, and the terrors of hell, to keep us from every evil way. May thy goodness lead us to repentance, and thy love constrain us to all holy obedience.

Let all our churches continue steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine, and in fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayer; and may the Lord add daily to their number such as shall be saved.

Let the dead hear the voice of the Son of God and live. Let those who are asking the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, find a teacher that will say to them, This is the way, walk ye in it, when they turn to the Bless the services in which we were en-right-hand and when they turn to the left. gaged on the past day. Let a savour of divine things be left on our spirits and be diffused in our conversation. And as the face of Moses when he descended from communion with Thee, shone so that the Israelites could not steadfastly behold him for the glory of his countenance, so may it be with us. Let those around us take knowledge of us that we have been with Jesus; and may our profiting appear unto all men. May our light shine be

Let the rich be poor in spirit; and the poor be made rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which thou hast promised to them that love Thee. Let the ignorant be enlightened; and let those that are wise become fools that they may be wise.

We bless Thee for all thy former lovingkindnesses to this family, and pray that they may be continued to us and sanctified by us. May the outgoings of the morning and even

ing of another day be made to rejoice. May | and backslidings; our incorrigibleness under we continually live under the shadow of thy rebukes; our want of profiting under ordiwing and the influence of thy grace. And let nances; the non-improvement of our talents; the words of our mouth and the meditations and our neglect of opportunities of usefulness. of our hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Whatever view we take of ourselves comLord, our strength and our redeemer. pels us to exclaim-Behold I am vile. Yet while we are humble may we be grateful; and never be backward to acknowledge what Thou hast done for our souls. If we are not like some of thy people, we bless thee that we are not like the rest of the world; if we are not what we ought to be, we are not what we once were. Thou hast made us to differ, and we have nothing which we did not receive from Thee.

And unto Him that is able to do for us exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us-unto Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen.

MONDAY EVENING.

WHO in the heavens can be compared unto the Lord? Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the Lord? Thy wisdom no difficulty can perplex; thy power no exertion can weaken; thy bounty no communications can exhaust or diminish. Thy goodness waits to be gracious and is exalted to have mercy.

Thou hearest prayer; and to assure our hearts before Thee, Thou hast not only commanded us to seek Thee, but thou hast furnished us with the petitions we are to offer. Thou, even Thou, hast told us to take with us words and turn to the Lord: and sayTake away all iniquity, receive us graciously, so will we render the calves of our lips.

We feel the truth of our character, as drawn in the scriptures; and we acknowledge our desert and our helplessness too. Thy mercy is our only refuge and resource. O be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause thy face to shine upon us that we may be saved. O visit us with that salvation which is present as well as future; which changes not only our state, but our nature; and which not only admits us into thy family, but makes

us new creatures.

And if our religion be imperfect, may it appear to be real and vital by its activity and its tending to growth. May it awaken in us an unconquerable desire to go from strength to strength, and to be renewed day by day.

May our religion always attend us and dignify us in the ordinary scenes of life. May we remember, that greatness consists not in doing great things, but in doing little things with a great mind.

As the events of providence occur, may they always find in us those dispositions which will keep them from injuring us, and which will convert them all into advantages.

In a vale of tears, may we look for a succession of trials; and may we also look for the accomplishment of the promise-I will be with thee in trouble.

May the joy of the Lord be our strength; may it keep us from lusting after the vanities of the world; bear up the heart and mind in the loss of every creature-comfort; and enliven us in the valley of the shadow of death. And before we reach heaven, may we bear the image of the heavenly, possess the earnests of our inheritance, and enjoy the firstfruits of the glorious harvest.

And to God the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory, for ever and ever. Amen.

TUESDAY MORNING.

O GOD, Thou art the creator, the upholder, and the proprietor of all things. Thy dominion is everlasting and universal. Thou dost according to thine own will in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: none can stay thy hand, or say unto Thee, What dost Thou?

As Thou didst in the original creation command the light to shine out of darkness, so do Thou shine in our hearts. Give us the light of the knowledge of thy glory in the face of Jesus Christ; and may we so know Thee as to love Thee supremely, serve Thee as our only Lord, and cleave to thee as our portion for ever. Subdue the rebellion of our wills, that we may submit to thy commands, and acquiesce in thy dispensations without murmurings and disputings. Unite our hearts to fear thy name; and may we be in the fear of the Lord all the day long. Make us Israelites indeed in whom there is no guile. Enable us to maintain a conscience void of offence to- We cannot escape from thy presence or wards God and towards man. May we be the control; nor do we desire it. It is our same when no eye sees us, as we are in the privilege that we are under the agency, not public walks of life. May we enter the closet only of omnipotence, but righteousness, wisas well as the temple, and attend to our prin- dom, patience, mercy, and grace. Thou art ciples and motives as well as our actions and love. Thou hast loved us with more than pursuits. parental affection. Thou hast commended We mourn over our numberless failures! thy love towards us, in that while we were

sinners Christ died for us. He that spared not his own Son but delivered Him up for us all-how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? Here may all our fears be banished from our minds; here may we be filled with everlasting consolation and good hope through grace.

Thou hast not only allowed, but commanded us to believe on the name of thy dear Son. O let us not refuse to be comforted; let us not reject the counsel of God against ourselves; but remembering that we are as welcome as we are guilty, may we drink of the fountain of the water of life freely.

But while we know that we may come to the Redeemer and ought to come-may we never think ourselves interested in the blessings of his salvation unless we have come. May there be a real and living union between our souls and Him, that quickened together with Christ, we may be raised up, and made to sit with him in the heavenly places. May we live a life of faith in thy promises, mingled with no jealousy of thy truth nor suspicion of thy power. May we live a life of hope; expecting that Thou wilt be our sun and our shield; that thou wilt give grace and glory; and withhold no good thing from us while we walk uprightly. And may we live a life of love; for he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him. O shed abroad thy love in our hearts, the animating and delightful principle of all obedience. May we love our neighbour as ourselves; and consider every one as our neighbour, who falls within the reach of our knowledge and assistance.

We feel that the work to which we are called is far above our strength. We have tried our purposes and resolutions, and have found them vain. The least temptation has been too powerful for us, when we have gone forth in our own strength. O teach us how to be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. And at every movement in our journey and our warfare, say to our heart, Fear not, for I am with thee; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee; yea I will help thee; yea I will uphold thee with the right hand of my right

eousness.

TUESDAY EVENING

MAY we approach Thee with all the encouragement derivable from a conviction that Thou art the blessed God; happy in thyself, and the source of happiness to thy creatures. The eyes of all wait upon Thee, and Thou givest them their meat in due season; Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. Thou art our maker and benefactor. Thou hast not only produced us, but sustained; not only supported us, but indulged: yea, Thou hast given us all things richly to enjoy. Thou hast provided for the welfare of our souls as well as our bodies; Thou hast answered the awful question, How shall I come before the Lord and bow before the High God? Thou hast told us what we must do to be saved. May we follow the light of life which Thou hast given us, till it brings us to Him who appears in every attribute, and in every attitude of power and pity to meet all our wants and miseries. And as we draw near, may we hear his gracious voice saying, Him that cometh unto me I will in no wise cast out. May we commit our eternal all into his hands, and being reconciled by his death, may we be saved by his life. May we live by Him, live to Him, live like Him. While we behold Him as rich for our sakes becoming poor, and dying that we may live, may his unexampled love constrain us into all holy obedience and zeal, and render our duty our delight.

May we never wait for the company of others, or feel their approbation necessary to induce us to follow Him who is all our salvation, and ought to be all our desire. May we go forth to Him without the camp, bearing his reproach. And if our faith is deemed folly, our hope delusion, our meekness meanness, our zeal madness; may we rejoice that we are counted worthy to suffer shame for his Name, and binding it as a garland around our brow say, If this be to be vile, I will yet be more vile. Thus blessed Redeemer wast Thou treated in the days of thy flesh; thus was thy Name cast out as evil, thy actions misrepresented, and thy spirit blasphemed. O let the servants be willing to be as the master, and the disciples as the Lord,

And may we never depart from Thee by We hope in thy word; but it is because it making flesh our arm, or the creature our assures us that Thou waitest to be gracious, portion. With regard to the world, may our and dost not break the bruised reed nor quench soul be even as a weaned child; but may we the smoking flax. How poor and pitiable, draw near to Thee as our exceeding joy, and how maimed and dying a thing, has our recontemplate with approbation, the period ligion been under every advantage to promote when we shall behold thy face in righteous- it. Lord, hide pride from us; enable us to ness, awake up after thy likeness and be satisfied with thy favour.

All which we implore through the mediation of Him who ever liveth to make intercession for us, and to whom, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be endless praises. Amen.

walk humbly with our God, and ask and receive that our joy may be full. Hast Thou not promised to supply all our need from thy riches in glory by Christ Jesus? Thou knowest all our warfare, all our work, all our trials; and Thou knowest the degree and extent of our weakness; and yet Thou hast said, My

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While we rejoice in our privileges, we would remember the way in which they have become ours. We have nothing to glory in before Thee. We ourselves also were once foolish and disobedient; and we would ever look to the rock whence we were hewn, and to the hole of the pit whence we were digged. Thou hast made us to differ; and we have nothing but what we have received.

grace is sufficient for Thee. Lord, we be- | Thou regardest the man that is poor and of lieve; help thou our unbelief. a contrite spirit, and that trembleth at thy word. Thou fillest the hungry with good things, while the rich are sent empty away. O bring us, however humbling and painful the process may be, O bring us into that state which attracts thine eye, and prepares for the proofs of thy love! Show us our danger, that we may flee for refuge to the hope set before us. Make us sensible of our disease, and of the eternal death to which it is so rapidly tending, that we may value the physician and cry-Heal me and I shall be healed, save me and I shall be saved, for thou art my praise. Our deliverance must come entirely from

And this encourages us with regard to others. What Thou hast done for us, Thou art able to do for them. And Thou art willing. Thou hast therefore commanded us to pray for all men. O let none of those perish whom we love as our own souls. Keep them as the apple of the eye; hide them under the shadow of thy wing.

Let grace and peace be multiplied to all who have obtained like precious faith with us. And if Thou art pleased to try that faith, may the trial be found unto praise and glory and honour at the appearing of Jesus Christ. But we would not forget even the ignorant and profligate. Teach transgressors thy ways, and let sinners be converted unto Thee.

Dethrone the God of this world. Destroy the works of the devil. And may our globe, which has so long groaned beneath the curse, be as the smell of a field which the Lord hath blessed. Send out thy light and thy truth, thy servants and thy labourers, and for them may the wilderness and the solitary place be made glad, and the desert rejoice and blossom as the rose.

Amen-Blessing and glory and power and might be unto our God for ever and ever.Amen.

WEDNESDAY MORNING.

thyself. And Thou hast not forgotten to be gracious. We bless Thee for the purpose of salvation; for the engagements of the everlasting covenant; and for the gift of thy dear Son, the proof and the pledge that Thou wilt also freely give us all things. We thank Thee for the word of truth, which proclaims peace by the blood of the cross; and beseeches us in Christ's stead to be reconciled unto God. O let the message prevail. Let it slay the enmity of our hearts, and lead us to throw down every weapon of rebellion, and mourn over them. With weeping and supplication may we return to Thee from whom we have so deeply revolted. And while with shame and self-abhorrence we confess that other lords beside Thee have had dominion over us, henceforth may we resolve that by Thee only will we make mention of thy Name. With zeal may we engage in that service which is perfect freedom; and with entireness devote ourselves to that work which is honourable and glorious. May we employ every faculty and use every blessing, as those who know that they are not their own, but bought with a price, and are bound to glorify God in their body and in their spirit, which are God's.

O THOU with whom we have to do! suffer us not to live without Thee in the world.— Work in us to will and to do of thy good Thou art our Creator, our Preserver, our Go-pleasure. Uphold us by thy free spirit; and vernor-and we believe that Thou wilt be let the joy of the Lord be our strength. our Judge. It is well for us that we can May we be watchful over our ways; may view thee under another character-the Sa- we be jealous over our tempers; and may we viour of sinners; and that before we are call-keep our hearts with all diligence, knowing ed to appear before thy awful tribunal, we that out of them are the issues of life. Divest are invited and commanded to come boldly to us of pride, and clothe us with humbleness of the throne of grace, there to obtain mercy and mind. Eradicate every root of bitterness, find grace to help in time of need. and let the peace of God rule in our hearts.

When we droop, revive us; when we loiter, quicken us; restore us when we go astray; and lead us in the paths of righteousness for thy Name's sake.

Yea though we walk through the valley of the shadow of death may we fear no evil, knowing that Thou art with us, and that thy rod and staff will comfort us.

May we readily and thankfully avail ourselves of every opportunity to draw nigh to God, in the temple, in the retirement of the closet, and at the domestic altar; and let not our devotion be bodily exercise only. Quicken our souls to call upon thy name-Detach us from the influence of flesh and senseImpress us with the power of faith; and produce in us that spirituality of mind which The Lord bless us and keep us. The Lord will render our services acceptable to Thee, make his face to shine upon us and be graciand delightful and profitable to ourselves. ous unto us. The Lord lift up his countenThough Thou art Most High for evermore,ance upon us and give us peace. Amen.

WEDNESDAY EVENING.

and souls of our fellow-creatures, and especially how we may do good to them that are of the household of faith.

We are continually meeting with wants and miseries which we are utterly unable to remove or release; but we rejoice that in our contracted agency, prayer opens a resource to our benevolence. We can pray; and prayer has power with God and can prevail.

Let the leisure and affluence of the rich in this world afford them means and opportunities of beneficence; may they be ready to communicate; and be rich in good works.

Let the afflictions of the afflicted render sin hateful, wean them from a vain world, endear to them the word of grace, the throne of grace, and the Spirit of grace; and work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.

O God, Thou art greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence of all that are about Thee. Those glorious beings that never fell, veil their faces and sink into nothing before the Eternal All, and exclaim, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts, the whole earth is full of his glory. With what emotions should we enter thy presence, whose foundation is in the dust; and who have contemned thy goodness, defied thy power, trampled upon thy laws, and rendered ourselves worthy of eternal death. Our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is gone up into the very heavens. Enter not into judgment with thy servants: our consciences assure us, that if Thou Lord | shouldest mark iniquity, we could not stand. But there is mercy with Thee, and with Thee there is plenteous redemption: and therefore while a sense of our vileness depresses us, we encourage ourselves in thy word. We know that our recovery can never spring from any cause in us. We have destroyed ourselves, but we cannot save. Yet Thou hast redeemed us, O Lord God of our condition is not helpless. Help is laid Truth; therefore into thine hands we comon One that is mighty, and infinitely quali-mit ourselves and our interests, beseeching fied for his work; and who has shown us in Thee to do for us exceeding abundantly above his resurrection from the dead and ascension all we are able to ask or think, through our into heaven, the all-sufficiency and accept- only Lord and Saviour. Amen. ance of his sacrifice on the cross, and proved that by the one offering of himself he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified.

Informed of this compassionate scheme, may we gratefully fall in with the design; may we unfeignedly believe the record that Thou hast given us of thy Son, embrace Him as our only hope, rejoice in Him as our highest glory; and henceforth may the life that we live in the flesh be by the faith of Him who loved us and gave himself for us.

And while we live by Him, may we live to Him, and may we live like Him. May we never consider ourselves Christians but as we resemble Christ. May our conformity to his principles, temper, and conduct, be hourly growing, and become more apparent not only to ourselves but to others. And may we continue in his word, that we may be his disciples indeed; rooted and built up in Him, and stablished in the truth as we have been taught, and abounding therein with thanksgiving.

May no degree of watching or length of waiting cool our love and zeal. Whatever discouragements we meet with, may we never grow weary in well doing. Yea may we not only persevere, while many draw back, but fear God above many who go forward; and hear the Saviour-Judge saying, I know thy works, and the last to be more than the first. May we not only be blessed but prove blessings. May we often look closely at our talents, relations, and circumstances in life, to see how we can be serviceable to the bodies

Let our ignorance of futurity keep us in a state of constant dependence upon thy providential care; and lead us earnestly to seek large supplies of the spirit of Jesus Christ to fit us for all events.

THURSDAY MORNING.

O GOD, help us to approach Thee under a very lively conviction of thy abundant mercy, and the exceeding riches of thy grace. We ought to admire thy wisdom, to stand in awe of thy power, and to abase ourselves before thy spotless purity. But it is the discovery of thy goodness alone that can banish our fear, and allure us with humble confidence into thy presence, there to divulge our sorrows and confess our sins.

And O how encouraging is it under a review of our past guilt, and a consciousness of present unworthiness, to know that we have to do with a Being who waits to be gracious, and is exalted to have mercy. We therefore bless Thee, that an attribute so essential to our happiness and hope is not founded on conjecture, or obscurely revealed. Thou hast not left thyself without witness in the seasons of the year, and the bounties of nature and providence. But Thou hast given us thy word, which Thou hast magnified above all thy Name. There we see Thee not sparing thine own Son, but delivering Him up for us all; there we behold the provisions of thy house; there we hear the proclamations of thy servants-Come, for all things are now ready.

Lord make us willing to be saved, and to

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