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and rest beneath his presence. Let our morning thoughts and desires be engaged with him. And as we remember that the night of death cometh, may our thoughts of the long sleep of the grave be sanctified by the blessed hope of a resurrection, on the morning of the final day.

Now to God himself and our Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, who is of power to stablish our hearts unblameable in holiness, at his coming with all his saints, be glory, world without end. Amen.

THURSDAY MORNING.

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We praise thee O Lord, for it is good to sing praises unto our God; for it is pleasant and praise is comely. All thy works praise thee. Nature in her varied dress proclaims thy glory. Summer and winter, seed time and harvest, cold and heat convey thy praise and magnify thy name. birds of the air, the fish of the sea, and the cattle upon a thousand hills, according to their capacity, are engaged in praising thee. We rejoice that thou hast called us to offer vocal and intelligent thanksgivings at thy throne. Thou hast made us rational and immortal creatures capable of devotion and gratitude and called us to praise thee with joyful lips. Thou art the source of all good; thou art the fountain of living waters, and all our springs are in thee. Thou art our arm every morning; and our salvation also in the time of trouble. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. May these

our sacrifices of thanksgiving, presented on the altar of atonement, find acceptance at thy hand, through him who mingles the incense of his merits with the worship of thy church.

Thou ordainest our lot so that our days are full of favour and of the blessing of the Lord. We thank thee that we were not born in a heathen land; that we were not taught, from our childhood, to believe a lie; but that we have heard of the salvation procured by the death of Jesus, and that he who was in thy bosom, the only begotten of the Father, hath declared thee. We bless thee for the atonement, for the word of life, for the influences of thy Spirit, and for the hope of eternal glory. If thou hast made with us a covenant ordered in all things and sure, if thou hast put us among thy children, and caused us to inherit the precious treasures of thy mercy, we would esteem ours a lot of happiness, and spend our days in showing forth thy praise. What manner of love hast thou bestowed upon us, that should be called the children of God!

We bless thee that the light again visits us, that our ranks are yet unbroken, that our table is once more spread, and that the convenience and comforts of our home are still continued. For the possession of health and strength, for the use of our faculties of body and powers of mind, we cheerfully adore thee, as the God in whose hand is our breath, and with whom are all our ways. Thy goodness endureth continually. Let it follow us to the end of our pilgrimage, that its enjoyment may be renewed in the heavenly world.

And now that we are about to commence the business of the day, we beseech thee to be with us in all our duties and trials. May we lean on the wisdom and power of God. Proportion our strength to the obligations which devolve upon us, and may we in all things endeavour to promote thy glory. While diligent in business, may we be fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Preserve our going out and our coming in. Let us not walk in darkness, nor judge ourselves cast out from thy presence. In thy name may we rejoice all the day long, and in thy righteousness may we be exalted.

So teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom. May we remember that the time is short, that our years decline as a shadow, and will soon come to an end. May our minds dwell with solemn feeling on the fact of our mortality. As another page of our history unfolds itself to our view may we cherish the conviction of our feebleness and exposure to death. May we not mourn that the time of our departure is at hand, but find in the fact a motive to renewed diligence and cheerful activity in thy service. Let each day be spent with some reference to eternity. Number us with the faithful and happy servants whom our Lord when he cometh shall find watching.

United praises and petitions ascend to thee from this household. May we all be one on earth, and all be blessedly united to each other in heaven. Let there be no alien amongst us. May we all love the Lord Jesus Christ. Make our children thine. May our servants serve thee,

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and find thy yoke to be easy and thy burthen light. Our friends and kindred we commend to thy grace. Let none of them come short of eternal life. The Lord grant unto them that they may obtain mercy of the Lord, and may we meet, in perfect bands, on the shores of endless bliss.

Graciously regard thy church. We adore thee for its virtues, and influence in our fallen world. We bless thee for pastors and teachers of thy flock, who are not hid in a corner, but who feed thy people, as in Bashan and Gilead in the days of old. Render them increasingly useful in the recovery of the wandering and in the comforting of thy people. Bless thy servant, our minister. Prosper the work of his hand. May seals be added to his ministry, and souls be given to him for his hire.

As thy remembrancers we plead with thee, our Father in heaven, and wait an answer to our prayers for the Lord's sake. And to Father, Son, and Holy Spirit be endless praise. Amen.

THURSDAY EVENING.

O God, our refuge and strength, a present help in trouble, we repair to thy throne, and would abide beneath the shadow of thy wings, till the calamities of earth and time be overpast. In the world we are exposed to tribulation and sorrow; we tread a rough and thorny path; we

fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ, and move on, in sadness and darkness, to the grave. We rejoice that we are not left comfortless, for thou hast opened to us many fountains of precious enjoyment in our state of trial and danger, and presented to our view the heavenly world, where sin and sorrow are unfelt. Give us grace to appropriate to ourselves the comfort which the gospel imparts, and to go on our way rejoicing. May we have light in darkness, experience joy in grief, and take down our harps from the willows to utter the Lord's song, even in a strange land.

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We acknowledge the equity and wisdom of those arrangements under which we are called to suffer for Christ, as well as to believe in his name. It is enough that the servants should be as their master; and we would not be exempt from trial, in the scene of his degredation and woe. dost not afflict willingly, nor grieve the children of men. It is not for thy pleasure, but for our profit, that we are chastened. A living man should not complain, a man for the punishment of his sins. We would be still, and know that thou art God; and hear the rod, and him who hath appointed it. Be to us a sanctuary in the time of trouble, and enable us to confide in thee amidst all the perplexities and afflictions of life.

Help us, O Lord, to cultivate proper sentiments, and to cherish suitable emotions, when called to suffer in our persons or circumstances. In the day of adversity may we consider the end of the Lord, and remember that he is pitiful and kind. Wean our hearts from the present world.

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