THURSDAY EVENING.

For Grace to live in a State of continual Preparation for Death.

O THOU who art ever worthy to be praised for thy goodness, and thy wonderful works to the children of men, we come before thee, to thank thee for what we have received, and to ask for the continuation of thy mercies; for we are always poor and needy, and blessed be thy name, thou art rich unto all who call upon thee.

We thank thee for our preservation by day. We thank thee for the season of rest, and the means of enjoying this blessing. Enable us, O Lord, to use all our bodily comforts with a considerate and devout mind, Let us not lie down on our beds like the brutes that perish, but with serious reflections and prayer; remembering that the time is coming, when we must lie down in the grave,

And, seeing that our life is but a vapour, and we know not but that this night our souls may be required of us, O give us all a scrious concern to be in a state of preparation for our last hour. We are often more attentive to things of inferior moment, than we are to this great duty. We secure our habitations, but we forget our souls! O forgive that folly which leads us to take thought only for that which is least worthy of our concern: and do thou make us wise unto salvation.

Grant to us repentance unto life; that we may not only be afraid of the consequences of sin, but ashamed of its defilement, and weary of its burthen.

And inasmuch as the sincerest and deepest repentance maketh no satisfaction for our offences, what cause have we to bless thy holy name, for having provided an atoning sacrifice for us; and for discovering to our guilty minds, that Lamb of GOD which taketh away the sin of the world. On that great sacrifice, which our blessed Lord made of

himself on the cross, would we ground all our hopes of forgiveness.

Look, O Lord, upon the face of thine anointed; blot out all our misdeeds for the sake of Jesus Christ thy Son, whose blood cleanseth from all sin. Thou hast said, whosoever believeth in him shall be saved: Lord, we believe, help our unbelief. Help us with truly penitent hearts to commit our guilty souls into his hands, and there, in peace, may we leave what we entrust to him.

May we close this day in charity, as well as in repentance and faith. We pray thee to forgive all those who may have done, or intended, evil to us. Not knowing whether we shall ever return to any further dealings with mankind, enable us now to lie down in peace with all the world.

{

O that thus we all may conclude this day; we may then lie down without fear: Whatever be the events of the night to others, it will be well with us. Should even the shadow of death surround us, we shall have no cause

:

for alarm for Thou wilt be with us; our light in darkness, our life in death.

We now commend ourselves to thee, O Lord, blessing thee for the privilege of being permitted to pray to thee. We humbly entreat thee to bless all whom we ought to remember in our prayers. We commend to thee our dear relations at a distance from us. We commend also this neighbourhood to thy

care.

To thee, Father of Mercies, we particularly commend the children of affliction. O stand by the beds of those who are chastened with pain, and of those who are wetting their couches with their tears, and of those whose hearts are meditating terror. Above all we pray thee, to look down in mercy upon departing souls; and take away the bitterness of death, by saying to the trembling heart, I am thy salvation,

Lord, accept and bless us, in and through thy dear Son, Jesus Christ, who taught us thus to pray, Our Father, &c.

FRIDAY MORNING.

For the Ministers of GOD's holy Word.

HOLY and gracious Lord, though we are unworthy of the least of all thy mercies, still we find thee rich in goodness toward us. Thy mercies are new every morning. We are restored to the light of another day, who might now have been numbered among the dead.

Nor are we the only partakers of thy goodness; the earth is full of thy mercy, O Lord: Instead of visiting it with the rod of judgment, thou causest thy rain to descend, and thy sun to arise, on the evil and the good, on the just, and the unjust.

But if thy patience and mercy are so manifest in these temporal blessings, O how much clearer do they appear in the means of salvation, which thou hast afforded us. Like