T HI E
THE
ALTAR AT HOME:
PRAYERS
FOR
THE FAMILY AND THE CLOSET.
BY
CLERGYMEN IN AND NEAR BOSTON.
EIGHTH EDITION.
BOSTON:
AMERICAN UNITARIAN ASSOCIATION,
21 BROMFIELD STREET1857.




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1855, by
HENRY A. MILES,
In the Clerk's Office of the District Court for the District of Massachusetts.
Stereotyped by
HOBART  &  ROBBINS,
BOSTON.




PREFACE.
WHATEVER diversity of opinion may exist as to the
preference between written and unwritten prayers in the
public worship of the Church, ancient and extensive usage
has assigned a great value to prepared forms of devotion
for the Family and the Closet.  Even those who can
readily express their thanksgivings and requests in their
own words oftentimes gratefully resort to this help.
Amid the cares, fatigues and varying moods, of daily
life, the well-chosen and hallowed words of a Manuil of
Prayer assist in composing their spirit, and suggest many
topics of devout reflection, which might not otherwise
have been presented to their minds.
But there are others who still more deeply feel the need
of a like assistance. They may distrust their ability to
express what they feel, and imagine that the use of a form
will seem more appropriate to their condition, and believe
that its introduction may bring with it the blessing of
domestic and private worship where it might not else be
enjoyed. How tenderly and kindly did One, who knew
what is in man, respond to the request, " Lord, teach us
to pray, as John.also taught his disciples"!  Into how
many households has a repetition of the form of prayer




IV                   PREFACE.
which Jesus gave, and the use of other forms expressed
for a like purpose, brought a sense of shelter and protection, of pardon and peace!
It is in no disparagement to good manuals of devotion
now in use that another is offered to the public. The
following work will perhaps be found to reflect more accurately the religious spirit of the present day. Prepared
at a time when controversy is suspended, when there is
less tendency to extremes through a mere reaction against
error, when the aspect of the Gospel which has most
deeply interested the heart is that which regards it as a
divine spiritual force for the conversion and regeneration
of man, this book will be found, it is believed, to recognize more fully the truths which are the springs of the
spiritual life, and to breathe more fervently some of the
deepest longings of the soul. As a reflection of the spirit
now inspiring many hearts, it derives special interest from
the manner in which it was made.
The Association, desiring to undertake such works as
shall best promote the spiritual growth of our churches,
sent a circular to several clergymen, soliciting forms of
prayer for use in domestic and private worship.  The
following morning and evening prayers were written by
twenty-five ministers, whose services are among those
most highly esteemed in this community.  This work,
therefore, is not the composition of an individual, nor is it
the exhortation only of one person to a devout life. Let
it be received as the earnest desire of many, the reader's
own minister, it may be, uniting his voice with others, that
our families may be families that call on the name of the
Lord.  In the remembrance of the mercies that crown our




PREFACE.                        V
daily lot, in the great needs that press on all human souls,
their voices are with us, leading us to the Giver of all
good, and to the Rock that is higher than we.
The manuscripts of these prayers were sent to the editor
without designation of any one subject as the.leading
thought of each. It became his duty to adapt to each an
appropriate passage of Scripture, and to arrange them all
so as to secure a variety and natural order of subjects.
This was done in order to present a wide choice of topics,
some one of which may be suited to the worshipper's frame
of mind at the time.  In this way may be avoided a feeling' of insincerity arising from using a prayer merely
because it is marked for the day, while it may have no
adaptation to our present feelings. From the necessity
of the case, however, the fitness of the prayer to the
scripture, or of the scripture to the prayer, could not be
very close, as the editor did not feel at liberty freely to
interpolate the manuscripts. Perhaps sufficient adaptation
may be found to make the subject indicated the true keynote of the devotional exercise.
The wide range of topics in the morning and eyening
prayers prevented the necessity of enlarging the book
under the head of Occasional Prayers, as the subjects of
the former adapt each one of them for occasions.  For
the use of the Closet a few selections are made, chiefly
from  Jeremy Taylor, whose rich diction is well known to
all readers of devotional works. The ancient Collects of
the church are added, with appropriate titles, to be used
when very short forms are desired; and for this purpose
may be read after suitable passages of Scripture prefixed
to the prayers.  For alternate reading in the family, a
1*




VI                  PREFACE.
few Litanies are added, which are taken from the ServiceBook of the Church of the Disciples.
It will be observed that this book is lettered as the
first of The Devotional Library.  Other books in this
library will follow, as fast as the Book-Fund of the Association justifies the prosecution of the plan, and other
libraries are projected, such as The Biblical Library, The
Theological Library, The Christian Youth's Library.
To thousands of families, scattered far and wide, but
one in the faith and hopes of our Lord Jesus Christ, this
little volume is now offered. May it find a place on our
tables, and near our hearts. May it be a mother's gift
to her son leaving parental watchfulness to encounter the
temptations of the world; may it go with the traveller,
reminding him that, if he dwells in the uttermost parts
of the earth, God is there, and His hand shall guide him.
In our hours of gladness may it furnish a voice to show
forth our praise; in our times of sorrow may it invite
us to Him who is our only sure refuge and helper.  In
the circle of endeared domestic ties may it set up an altar
of worship; and in the chamber of sorrow, and on the bed
of sickness and death, may it direct to that peace which
the world cannot take away!
H. A. M.




C ONT ENT S.
3tltn    g   triiptr.
GOD OUR KEEPER,.................  13
THE SURE REFUGE,.................. 15
THANKS AND SUPPLICATION,.............18
GRATEFUL CONFIDENCE, ~...............   21
PRAISE AND TRUST,.......                            23
CHEERFUL HOMAGE,..........           26
BELIEVING AND LOVING,............. 29
REJOICING PRAISE,-................. 32
JOY AND PEACE,.................  35
WATCHFULNESS,...................87
HEAVENLY. ASPIRATIONS,......'.. 40
LOVE OF GOD IN CHRIST................43
DWELLING IN GOD AND CHRIST,..........4..
THE PLEDGE OF ALL MERCIES..............49
COMING THROUGH CHRIST,...............51
GOD IN CHRIST....................  54
JOY AND VICTORY IN CHRIST,............. 57
FOLLOWING IN THE REGENERATION,........        60
REMEMBRANCE OF MERCIES,.............  62
FAITH IN THE REDEEMER,...............   64
FOR A CHRISTIAN LIFE,................. 66
SOCIAL DUTIES....................68
JOY IN GOD'S COMPASSION............  72
FOR PROVIDENTIAL DIRECTION, ~~~~...          75
AGAINST DISTRUST,............... 77
RELYING ON GOD,................... 80
FAITH AND FORTITUDE,.................82
LOVE FOR GOD AND MAN,.............. ~84
DUTIES TO OUR FELLOW-MEN,..........    87
USE OF DAILY BLESSINGS,........       89
FAITHFULNESS IN DUTY,........92
PRESERVATION FROM SIN,...........   95
FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH,...............97




VIII                CON-TEN TS.
AGAINST WORLDLINESS,............... 100
FOR DILIGENCE,.................                      03
FOR SELF-CONTROL,...............                    105
MUTUAL AFFECTION,.............                      108
SUBMISSION AND PEACE,.............       109
DOMESTIC RELATIONS,..............
TRIUMPH OF THE GOSPEL...........114
DAILY VIRTUES................117
SUNDAY MORNING,...........120
SUNDAY MORNING,...............                      124
SUNDAY MORNING...............127
THE SURE DEFENCE,...............                   133
LOOKING UP,..................                       135
GOD OUR PORTION,...............               138
SEEKING A CLEAN HEART,............                  140
ENCOURAGEMENTS TO PRAY............                  143
GRATEFUL CONFIDENCE............. 146
THE GIVER AND PRESERVER,........... 14
CONTINUAL PRAISE,....                   ~        151
TRUST AND COURAGE..                                 153
SAFETY IN GOD,..                                    155
THE SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY,.....~~~....157
THE DELIVERER FROM PERIL..                          160
THE LORD OUR SHEPHERD..~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~162
ISRAEL'S SHEPHERD..                                 164
PARDON AND PROTECTION.......          166
THE DIVINE SHELTER.........          169
EVENING SACRIFICE................... 171
ALL FROM GOD....................173
SEARCHING OUR WAYS..                      175
PRAISE AND TRUST.................. 178
DAILY GRATITUDE,.................. 181
CHEERFUL THANKS,.................. 183
WONDERS AND BOUNTIES............... 186
SELF-EXAMINATION.................. 190
THE SEARCHER. OF HEARTS...............192
CONFESSION OF SIN.................. 195
SEEKING PARDON................... 197
BORN OF THE SPIRIT................. 200
FOR THE COMFORTER..................203
SPIRITUAL, WORSHIP.................. 205
HELP IN TROUBLE,.                                   207




CONTENTS.                       IX
THE TRUE REST,...................210
THE BREAD OF LIFE,................                213
MENTAL REST, ~................           215
FOR THE TRUE RICHES,...............                217
FOR RENEWED DILIGENCE,............... 220
LOWLY SERVICE,.............. 222
CHEERFULNESS IN OUR LOT,..............225
DOMESTIC UNITY,..............      228
LOOKING TO THE END,..........                      229
PASSING ON,...................232'
No NIGHT THERE.....................               234
HELP FOR THE NEEDY,.................237
SATURDAY EVENING,..................  239
SUNDAY EVENING................... 242
SUNDAY EVENING,................244
OCCASIONAL PRAYERS FOR A FAMILY.
NEW YEAR,..................                        251
A DAY OF FASTING,.255
A DAY OF THANKSGIVING,...........     259
CHRISTMAS,......................264
CLOSE OF THE YEAR,  2~~............  269
IN A TIME OF TRIAL,................ 272
FOR A FRIEND DANGEROUSLY ILL,...........275
RECOVERY FROM SICKNESS...............277
A PRAYER FROM PARENTS ON THE BIRTH OF A CHILD,.. 279
DEATH OF A CHILD..................282
DEATH OF A FRIEND,.................285
OCCASIONAL PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
SELF-CONSECRATION TO GOD,...............290
FOR THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT,.......... 292
FOR NEWNESS OF LIFE,................295
PRAYER WHEN OPPRESSED BY DIFFICULTIES IN THEOLOGY,.298
PRAYER FOR PATIENCE UNDER TRIALS AND FEARS,....  300
THE PRAYER TO BE SAID IN THE BEGINNING OF A SICKNESS, 302
PRAYER AFTER A NIGHT OF PAIN,..............  03
PRAYER AFTER THE DEATH OF A DEAR CHRISTIAN RELATIVE, 305
A PRAYER BEFORE A JOURNEY,............. 307
FOR TEMPERANCE,................ 307
FOR A CONTENTED SPIRIT, AND THE GRACE OF MODERATION
AND PATIENCE,..................308




X                  CONTENTS.'OOR THE GRACE OF OBEDIENCE: TO BE SAID BY ALL PERSONS UNDER COMMAND,...............            309
A PRAYER TO BE SAID BY PARENTS FOR THEIR CHILDREN, 310
A PRAYER TO BE SAID ON THE FEAST OF CHRISTMAS,... 311
A PRAYER OF PREPARATION FOR THE HOLY SACRAMENT,.. 312
PRAYER BEFORE THE SACRAMENT OF THE LORD'S SUPPER,. 313
PRAYER TO BE USED BY A SUNDAY-SCHOOL TEACHER BEFORE
ENGAGING IN RELIGIOUS INSTRUCTION,........ 315
COLLECTS.
OUR LEADER AND DEFENDER,.............. 317
GUIDANCE FROM GOD.................  317
THE DIVINE KEEPING,.................318
CONTINUAL HELP,.................... 18
FOR DIRECTION AND PRESERVATION,.......... 318
THE  CROSS,......................319
THE EXAMPLE,.................   319
CONFESSION,....................320
FOR PARDON,..................                     320
GOD WORKING WITHIN,...............321
FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT,................321
KEEPING THE HEART,................  322
FREEDOM FROM ERROR,................ 322
IN TEMPTATION,..................    323
AMID PERILS,..................323
SUBMISSION IN TRIAL,.................324
SOCIAL DUTIES,.................  324
HOLY EXAMPLES,................... 325
THY KINGDOM COME,................ 325
NUMBERING OUR DAYS................ 326
BEFORE READING THE BIBLE,..............           326
AFTER READING THE BIBLE,............... 327
BEFORE PUBLIC WORSHIP,...............             327
AFTER PUBLIC WORSHIP,................ 328
CHRISTMAS,.................... 328
NEW YEAR...............             329
LITANIES.
FIRST LITANY,................... 330
SECOND LITANY..................333
THIRD LITANY,.................. 3..36
FOURTH LITANY,..................  339
FIFTH LITANY,................                  341
SIXTH LITANY,....................344
SEVENTH LITANY...................346
EIGHTH LITANY,..................348




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MORNING PRAYERS.
I.
I will lift up my eyes to the hills, from whence cometh my
help.
My help cometh from  the Lord, who made heaven and
earth.
He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth
thee will not slumber.
Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor
sleep
The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy
right hand.
The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.
The Lord will preserve thee from all evil: he will preserve
thy soul.
The Lord will preserve thy going out and thy coming in
from this time forth and even forever.
0, THOU, who compassest our path and our lying
down, and art acquainted with all our ways, with the
light of another morning we would lift our hearts to
thee, in grateful acknowledgment of that goodness
2




14           GOD  OUR  KEEPER.
which is Israel's keeper, and which never slumbers
nor sleeps. We know that we are not worthy even
to take thy name upon our lips.  But thy tender
mercies are over all thy works; and to the hills
from whence cometh our help we would lift up our
eyes.
Wilt thou accept our thanks, our heavenly Father,
for thy protecting care of us the past night, and for
the countless mercies of which this new day reminds
us; and make us more grateful, more sensible of
our dependence upon thee for the light and support
of our lives. May no vain self-confidence cause us
to imagine that we do not need the counsels thou hast
given to direct us, or,that we can safely encounter
life's trials and temptations without that strength from
above which thou hast graciously promised to all who
seek it.
Thou art our keeper, and thou alone canst preserve
our going out and our coming in. May we never
doubt thy readiness to hear, to forgive, and to guide
us. May no dark cloud hide thy fatherly goodness
from our hearts, and no present happiness lead away
our thoughts from  thee, from whom  cometh every
good and perfect gift.  May our faith in thee be
strengthened by every new trial.  May every day
give practical evidence of our desire to please thee.
May no power of evil prevail over our good purposes.
May the path of duty be made plain to us.  And in
the thought of thy approval may we find satisfactory




THE SURE REFUGE.                    15
compensation for any present pain or loss.  May the
memory of thee and of thy word cheer and animate
us, save us from  impatience and presumption, from
unkind words and wrong thoughts, and from  every
deed we should have occasion to regret as a disobedience of thy holy laws.
Enable us, we pray thee, to discharge faithfully
the duties of our different spheres and positions,
social, domestic and individual, remembering that
each must give account of himself to thee.  May
those whom  we love be sharers with us in every
needed aid and blessing of thy providence and grace.
May thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as
it is in heaven, and unto thee ascend from all hearts
and lives everlasting praise, in the faith and love
of Jesus Christ thy Son. Amen.
II.
In God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my
strength, and my refuge, is in God.
Trust in him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart
before him: God is a refuge for us.
Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high
degree are a lie: to be laid in the balance, they are altogether
lighter than vanity.
Trust not in oppression, and become not vain in robbery:
if riches increase, set not your heart upon them.




16          THE  SURE  REFUGE.
God hath spoken once; twice have I heard this; that
power belongeth to God.
Also to thee, O Lord, belongeth mercy: for thou renderest
to every man according to his work.
OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, reverently and gratefully we acknowledge thy goodness and care during
another night.  In the defenceless hours of sleep
thou hast preserved us.  And now that thou hast
waked us to the light of this new day refreshed and
strengthened, we would pour out our hearts before
thee, and acknowledge thee to be our salvation, our
glory, the rock of our strength and our refuge. We
thank thee for all the good gifts of thy love so
constantly bestowed upon us.  They are new every
morning, and fresh every evening. May they inspire
us with an abiding gratitude, that shall be shown by
the homage of the heart and life to truth and goodness.
Help us to receive this new day as a fresh gift of
thy love, opening new opportunities for thy service,
and for the discipline of our souls. Prepare our
hearts for a proper use of each hour as it comes.
Fill our souls with the spirit of thy Son, that we
may find our meat and drink in doing thy will.  In
all the social and domestic relations of life may the
gentle and loving temper of our Master rule in our
hearts.  May the sweet ties of family and kindred
be sanctified by the spirit and faith of the Gospel.
May we love one another with pure hearts fervently;




THE  SURE REFUGE.                  17
forbearing one another, forgiving one another, assisting one another in overcoming all evil, and in exercising always a Christian spirit.
In our intercourse with the world may we show
that we have been with Jesus, and learned of him.
May we be upright in our dealings; scrupulously
honest in all our transactions; truthful in our words;
generous and charitable in our deeds.
Inspire us with a cheerful trust in thy providence.
Quicken our benevolent affections. Give us a spirit
to sympathize with the troubled; to help the needy;
to restore the wanderer; to strengthen the weak; to
encourage the desponding; and to do good as we
have opportunity towards all men.  0, may we keep
our hearts open to the teaching of thy Spirit, that
we may steadily oppose all that is sinful and wrong,
and labor on in faith and prayer for the right, the
pure, and the good.  Neyer may we trust in oppression, or build our hope upon the uncertain riches of
the world.  May we feel that life is given us for a
high and sacred purpose, and be enabled through
thy grace so to use it that each day, as it brings us
nearer to the spirit world, will bring us nearer to
thee in the spirit and temper of our minds.
Thus may the discipline of this day work together
with all good influences for the regeneration of our
souls, and fit us for that time when thou shalt render
to every man according to his work.  We ask, it,
through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
2*                B




18  THANKS AND SUPPLICATION.
III.
I will love thee, 0 Lord, my strength.
The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer,
my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and
the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.
Hearken to the voice of my cry, my King, and my God!
for to thee will I pray.
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, 0 Lord; in the
morning will I direct my prayer to thee, and will look up.
For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness;
neither shall evil dwell with thee.
The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all
workers of iniquity.
OUR FATHER who art in heaven.   The Father of
light, the Giver of every good and  perfect gift,
on whom we are dependent for life and health, and
for all the means of prolonging and enjoying them.
We thank thee for thy kind and protecting care of
us during the silent and defenceless hours of the last
night; that we have laid ourselves down and have
slept; that we have been preserved from every danger, and from every alarm, and been brought to see
the light, to partake of the blessings, and to perform
the duties, of another day. It is because thou, Lord,
hast sustained us. It is because thy compassions fail
not.  They are new every morning; they are fresh
every evening, and every moment of our lives; and




THANKS AND  SUPPLICATION.   19
great is thy faithfulness.  In the morning we would
direct our prayer to thee.  We will love thee, 0
Lord, our rock, our deliverer, our strength, in whom
we will trust.
We thank thee for the bounty of a common providence, which supplies our daily returning wants;
for the privilege of consulting the oracles of truth,
that we may there learn thy will and our duty, the
things which thou requirest of us, and the blessedness thou hast reserved for the pure in heart, the
faithful and obedient, in the family above. We thank
thee that we are once more permitted to gather round
the family altar, and to unite in offering thee our
morning sacrifice of prayer and praise.
Behold us in tender compassion.  Pity our frailties, and forgive all our sins. With the light of the
morning wilt thou lift upon us the light of thy countenance.  With the beams of the natural sun may
the Sun of righteousness arise upon our souls, with
healing in his wings. Wilt thou, who didst command
the light to shine out of darkness, shine in our hearts,
and give us the light of the knowledge of the glory
of God in the face of Jesus Christ.  May we place
ourselves at his feet, and learn of him who was meek
and lowly in heart.  May the same mind be in us
which was also in him.  And may his spirit, taking
full possession of our hearts, mould us to a nearer
resemblance of his moral perfections, a closer imitation of his pure and perfect example, until Christ




20    THANKS  AND  SUPPLICATION.
be formed in us, and we are changed into the same
image from glory to glory.
Be with us through the day on which we have
entered. Aid us in the discharge of its duties. Keep
us from all evil. Help us to remember that thou art
not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness, and that
evil shall not dwell with thee. Continue to us the
blessings of thy parental providence; and bring us
to the close of this day laden with renewed experience of thy never-failing kindness and mercy.
May our absent relatives and friends, wherever
they may be, share with us in the bounty and protection of thy omnipresent love, and become heirs
together with us of the grace of life.
We look to thee for -a blessing upon the inhabitants
of this town, and all our towns. May every family
be a nursery of virtue and piety, and every house and
every heart be consecrated to religion and to God.
May all know thee the only true God, and Jesus
Christ whom thou hast sent, and whom to know
aright is life eternal.
Smile, we beseech thee, upon all the efforts that
are made, and the means employed, and the instruments that are raised up, to correct the errors, to
purge away the corruptions and wrongs of mankind,
and to spread the pure light of Christian knowledge,
Christian truth, Christian  liberty, and  Christian
peace, throughout the world; that thy kingdom may
come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.




GRATEFUL  CONFIDENCE.                    21
And unto thee, the infinite Father, through Jesus
Christ, thy beloved Son and our Saviour, would we
ascribe all the glory. Amen.
IV.
0 come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful
noise to the God of our salvation.
Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and
make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.
For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all
gods.
In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength
of the hills is his also.
The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the
dry land.
0 come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before
the Lord our Maker.
For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture,
and the sheep of his hand.
0  GoD, whose light again shines upon us, we
desire to unite with thy whole family in heaven and
on earth to offer up to thee, the eternal Fountain of
light, our morning adoration, and pay our tribute
of gratitude and praise to thee, our Preserver. We
would come into thy presence with thanksgiving, and
bow before thee, the LIord our Maker, grateful for the
new-born light of this day. 0 shine into our hearts




22       GRATEFUL. CONFIDENCE.
with the light of truth, and disperse the shades of error,
and prejudice, and sin. Inspire us with the hopes and
comforts of true religion, and implant within us thy
likeness, the image of our Creator, in righteousness
and true holiness. Give us clear and consoling views
of thy providence which so mercifully regards us, the
people of thy pasture, and sheep of thy hand. Warm
our hearts with love to thee; with the love of goodness, of purity, and of all thy moral perfections; that
by these our faith and trust in thee may be increased
and strengthened; and that we may rejoice that all
the different dispensations of our lives are in thy
hand, the hand of our heavenly Father.
Encourage  us in the faithful discharge of our
duties.  Guide us by thy counsel; support us in our
journey by thy strength; hold us up by thy promises.
Animate us with the patience and perseverance of our'
blessed Lord and Master, who, for the joy that was
set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame,
and is set down at the right hand of the throne of
God. In his name we offer our prayers, and in his
words conclude them.  Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy
will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  Give us
this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us;
and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from
evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and
the glory, for ever and ever. Amen.




PRAISE  AND  TRUST.                  23
V.
I will praise thee with my whole heart: before the gods
will I sing praise to thee.
I will worship toward thy holy temple, and praise thy name
for thy loving-kindness and for thy truth: for thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name.
In the day when I cried thou didst answer me, and
strengthen me with strength in my soul.
All the kings of the earth shall praise thee, 0 Lord, when
they hear the words of thy mouth.
Verily, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord: for great
is the glory of the Lord.
Though the Lord is high, yet hath he respect to the lowly:
but the proud he knoweth afar off.
Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me;
thou wilt stretch forth thy hand against the wrath of my
enemies, and thy right hand will save me.
The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy,
0 Lord, endureth forever; forsake not the works of thine own
hands.
PRAISE be unto thee, 0  God our Father, that we
are again around our family altar.  Who but thee
was our protector during the night; and what but
thy love has opened our eyes on the morning of
another day?  Thou hast enrobed thyself in glory
and majesty amid this wondrous universe. We rejoice
that thou hast made us capable of seeing thee in
every event and scene of life; of recognizing thee
in every change; of hearing thy voice in thy provi



24          PRAISE AND  TRUST
dence, and in our own consciences; and of feeling thy
loving-kindness towards us in the minutest blessings
of our daily lot.  More than all we rejoice that we
may see a still brighter manifestation of thyself in thy
dearly-beloved Son, whom in the fulness of time thou
didst send to seek and to save the lost, and through
whom we may look to thee for forgiveness of our sins,
and life everlasting.
Before we go forth this day in the fresh strength
of mind and body which thou hast infused into us
by sleep, we would consecrate ourselves anew, by the
prayer of faith, for life's daily duties, enjoyments,
and trials.  Help us to fulfil our course this day acceptably to thee.  May we rightly understand and
faithfully discharge the responsibility which belongs
to our several domestic relations; work within us by
thy Holy Spirit,' both to will and to do of thine own
good pleasure. May we be affectionate one to another.
May we bear each other's burdens, and so fulfil the law
of Christ.  May we govern our tempers, restrain our
angry passions, be sober-minded and temperate, humble and self-denying.  May we speak the truth and
live in peace. May our hearts ever be turned towards
thee, that they may be ever open to receive thy
gracious aid.
Lord and Giver of life, of our purest joys, of our
richest comforts, of our immortal hopes, to thee we
owe ourselves, and all that we possess.  And while
thou art the all-bountiful source of all the good in




PRAISE AND TRUST.                 25
which we rejoice before thee, thou hast turned aside the
evil which for our sins we have so justly deserved.
Give us that true repentance which needeth not to be
repented of, that we may amend our lives according to
thy holy Word.
Help us this day to receive its enjoyments with
gratitude and use them with moderation.  May we
not labor only for the meat that perisheth, but rather
for that which endureth unto everlasting life. May
we set our affection on things above, and not on
things on the earth.  May we seek first and chiefly
the kingdom of God and his righteousness, striving to
lay up for ourselves treasures in heaven, which shall
endure forever.  May we meet the trials which thou
shalt appoint unto us in a Christ-like temper; and improve them as the discipline of a Father's hand, believing that though we walk in the midst of trouble, thou
wilt stretch forth thy hand to receive us. 0, that we
may always remember that we are immortal; and that
this remembrance may give seriousness and importance
to our present life in the flesh, quicken us to high purposes and aims, inspire within us a true love of thyself and of our fellow-men, prompt an abiding reverence for thy holy law, and keep ever before us the
condition of acceptance with thee declared by thy
Son,- Not every one that saith unto me, Lord,
Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he
that doeth the will of my Father who is in heaven.
Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us; that
3




26          CHEERFUL HOMAGE.
our souls may be clothed with the graces of purity and
charity, and that we may adorn the doctrine of God
our Saviour in all things.
Hear us in these our prayers; which we offer in
the name of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
VI.
Give to the Lord, 0 ye kindreds of the people, give to the
Lord glory and strength.
Give to the Lord the glory due to his name; bring an offering, and come unto his courts.
0 worship the Lord in the beauty of holiness:'fear before
him, all the earth.' Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world
also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he will
judge the people righteously.
Let the heavens rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the
sea roar, and the fulness thereof.
Let the field be joyful, and all that is in it: then shall all
the trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord:
For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth: he will
judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his
truth.
0 GOD our Father, surrounded by the miracles of
creation and providence, we would speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and talk of thy wonderful
works.  Thou hast spread out the firmament like a




CHEERFUL HOMAGE.                   27
tent to dwell in. Thou hast garnished the heavens
by thy Spirit. Thou hast hung the earth upon nothing.  Thy way is in the sea, and thy path in the
great waters, and thy footsteps are unknown.  Lo,
these are but parts of thy works.  How little do
we know of thee! 0, the depth of the riches both
of the wisdom  and knowledge of God!  How unsearchable are thy judgments, and thy ways past
finding out!
On this bright and beautiful morning, we seem to
stand amidst a new creation. The same voice, which
in the beginning said, Let there be light, has again
spoken, and the earth, lately wrapped in darkness, is
filled with morning light.  Thy Spirit, which first
breathed into human clay the breath of life, and man
became a living soul, has recalled our minds from the
unconsciousness of sleep, to activity and intelligence.
Our bodies, lately exhausted with toil, and our minds,
confused with care, are strong and clear, as if received
fresh from thy creating hand. Help us to look upon
all our faculties, all our blessings, as new gifts from
thee.  Help us to send out our admiring thoughts
over thy works, as the morning light spreads over the
earth.  Aid us, 0 Father, to lift up our hearts in
gratitude and praise, as the morning vapors rise from
hill and stream; and as the sun fills their fleecy skirts
with light, so let our thoughts and affections be illuminated by thy love.
Holy Father, more than for this material creation




28          CHEEIRFUL HOMAGE.
and all our temporal mercies, do we thank thee for
the spiritual creation by Jesus Christ, by which the
reign of righteousness and love has been commenced
on the earth. To him we owe all the civil, social and
religious blessings, that distinguish us from heathen
lands.  But for him, we should be nurtured, not in
Christian homes, but amid the corruptions of paganism; we should be bowing down, not in Christian
temples, but in the house of idols; we should be living, not under institutions of learning and liberty, but
in the prison-house of ignorance and oppression. 0,
God! to thy dear Son we owe the blessings of this
present life, and the brightness of our immortal hopes.
Let our hearts go out in gratitude and love to him
who loved us and gave himself for us, and by whose
stripes we are healed.
And now, 0 thou Guardian of our lives, as we
again go out unto the duties, trials and temptations,
of the day, let thy kind providence be over each one
of us.  Suffer us not to fall into any temptations
greater than we can bear; but, however sudden or
unexpected their assaults, wilt thou, by thy Spirit,
deliver us from their power. If in the discharge of
duty, or in refusing to go with the multitude to do
evil, we are reviled, help us to revile not again, but so
to conduct as to feel the blessedness of those who suffer reproach falsely for Christ's sake. Give us that
spirit of Christian sympathy which rejoices with those
that rejoice, and weeps with those that weep   Help




BELIEVING  AND  LOVING.                 29
us, as we have opportunity, to visit the widow and
the fatherless, and nim that hath no helper, and to
keep ourselves unspotted from the world. And when
we shall again gather around the altar of our evening
sacrifice, 0, may we all come with the delightful
assurance that the world has left no stain upon our
garments, and that for another day of our probation
our names are registered in the Lamb's book of life.
In these thanksgivings and supplications we include all our dear absent friends, beseeching thee to
bless them  according to their several circumstances.
Be in all the abodes of suffering this day, to soothe
the bed of pain, to cheer the loneliness of age, to
lighten the burden of sorrow.  Hear and answer us,
in the name of thy Son our Saviour, through whom
unto thee be the kingdom, the power and the glory
Amen.
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,
My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue,
but in deed, and in truth.
And hereby we know that we are of the truth, and shall
assure our hearts before him.
For if our heart condemn us, God is greater than our heart,
and knoweth all things.
Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward God.
3x




30    BELIEVING AND LOVING.
And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep
his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in
his sight.
And this is his commandment, That we should believe on
the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another, as he
gave us commandment.
And he that keepeth his commandments dwelleth in him,
and he in him: and hereby we know that he abideth in us,
by the Spirit which he hath given us.
ALMIGHTY  and most merciful God, our heavenly
Father, we bow ourselves before thee in all lowliness
and reverence of spirit.  Thou art God, the Lord of
heaven and earth; there is none like unto thee.  The
angels bow, and archangels veil their faces, before the
light of thy glory. The patriarchs and prophets, the
apostles and martyrs, the saints of all ages, and our
own beloved who have departed in  Christ, stand
around thy throne, day without night, singing their
song, Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, be
unto him that sitteth upon the throne and unto the
Lamb for ever and ever. 0 Lord, we would bring our
morning offering of praise and prayer unto thee, humbly imploring a portion of that adoring spirit which
shall make us one with them; and though we be yet
on earth, shall make us meet to be partakers with
them in their blessed service.
Father in heaven, we acknowledge our dependence
upon thee.  Help us to feel that dependence.  There
is not a breath we draw, but it is thy gift; not a mo



BELIEVING  AND LOVING.               31
tion we make, but strength cometh from thee. Thine
arm  is always beneath and around us; it supports
and enfolds us everywhere. Thy bounty supplies our
daily returning wants. Thy care is our confidence,
thy mercy our refuge, thy love is the light of our
countenance and the peace of our hearts.  Not an
hour, not a moment, that thine hand is lifted from off
our heads.
0, what shall we render unto the Lord for all his
goodness?  We can give thee nothing, for all things
belong to thee; and thou seekest no outward sacrifice,
else would we give it.  But thou dost ask for our
hearts.  0, may we answer thy call, so tender and
paternal, My son, give me thine heart,- Lord, our
hearts do we give unto thee.  Come and dwell in
them.  Come and reign in them; seal them as thine
own, and from this time forth may we keep them, by
the help of the Holy Spirit, consecrated to thy honor
and glory.  May we feel they are not our own, but
thine,- thine by a double claim, because they are thy
workmanship, and because we by this solemn act of
dedication have given them to thee. Help us, that
we may not this day by any forgetfulness, any pressure of earthly care, any force of temptation, by any
wrong thought, or feeling, or desire, by any unrighteous word or deed, defile that which is now holy unto
the Lord.
God of all the families on the earth, we commend
to thee this family now waiting before thee. Look




32          REJOICING  PRAISE.
down upon us and bless us.  Fill us first with love
towards thee and thy dear Son, and then towards one
another,- loving not in word and tongue, but in deed
and in truth.  May we be led by the Spirit of God,
that we may be the children of God; and may the
fruits of the Spirit —love, joy, peace, long-suffering,
gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance —
abound in all our hearts; so may God, who is greater
than our hearts, give us confidence and peace. May
we be that happy family whose God is the Lord, and
upon which thou commandest thy blessing, even life
forevermore.  Wilt thou take us into thy keeping
this day; and if sorrow and suffering, sickness and
bereavement, shall fall upon us before its close, may
we with calm  and steady faith look up and say,
Father, thy will be done; even so, for so it seemeth
good in thy sight.
And now unto thee, the King eternal, immortal and
invisible, the only true and wise God, would we render
praise through Jesus Christ, for ever and ever. Amen.
VIII.
0 God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my soul
thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and
thirsty land, where no water is;




REJOICING  PRAISE.                   33
To see thy-power and thy glory, so as I have seen thee in
the sanctuary.
Because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall
praise thee.
Thus will I bless thee while I live: I will lift up my hands
in thy name.
My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness; and
my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips:
When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee
in the night watches.
Because thou hast been my help, therefore in the shadow of
thy wings will I rejoice.
My soul followeth hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me.
DIVINE FATHER, who hast again awakened us out
of comfortable sleep, the gift of thy mercy, and art
granting us the blessing of beholding each others' faces
with joy and hope, we unitedly thank thee for thy
watchful care of us during the perils of the night,
and for all that makes the light of another day welcome to our hearts.  With the light of the morning
we beg thee to lift upon us the dearer light of thy
love, and to refresh our souls by thy grace as thou
hast nourished the plants in the earth by the tender
dew.  0, God, the sweet air we breathe, the cheerful emotions which the day  renews, all beautiful'
objects, and this glorious sun, whose effulgence displays thy  greatness and thy goodness, prompt us
to gratitude, and call us to give praise unto thee.
We thank thee for restoring us to one another in
c




34          REJOICING  PRAISE.
the health which gives a relish to every pleasure, and
prepares us to undertake with alacrity every duty of
life. We thank thee for the happiness we derive from
mutual affection, and the ties which bind us together
in one family.  We thank thee for giving us a pleasant home; for a sheltering roof; for daily food; for
means of instruction; for opportunities of usefulness,
for the blessings of society; for safety, liberty and
peace.  Our mouths shall praise thee with joyful
lips.
Most holy and merciful God, we desire to call into
fresh remembrance the obligations we are under to
live soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world, while we trust in thy mercy through Jesus
Christ for that life which is eternal.  What manner
of persons ought we to be in all holy conversation and
godliness, upon whom thou hast bestowed such inestimable benefits; for whom Christ died, and who have
the promise and hope of a blessed immortality.
Help us this day to glorify thee, 0 God, with our
bodies and our spirits, which are thine. Into whatever company we may be thrown, let our words,
feelings and actions, be blameless, and as far as
possible conducive to others' welfare, while they are
in strict accordance with our duty.  By diligence
in our calling, by a vigilant redemption of time,
by being continually mindful of our responsibleness
for the use we make of all our powers, means and
opportunities, may we enable ourselves to give some




JOY  AND  PEACE.                   35
profitable account of the day when we look back upon
it at its close.
0, Thou who art the ever-present witness and the
unerring judge of human conduct, may our chief care
be to do what is right in thine eyes, and to escape the
condemnation of unfaithfulness to thee. To this end
we pray for more courage; for resolution and constancy in resisting what is wrong, and cleaving to that
which is good; for a heart too pure to desire anything which God has forbidden.  Keep and defend,
counsel and guide us, 0 God, and unto thee be all
praise forever. Amen.
IX.
Rejoice in the Lord always: and again I say, Rejoice.
Let your moderation be known to all men. The Lord is at
hand.
Be anxious for nothing; but in everything by prayer and
supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made
known to God.
And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, will
keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.
Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever
things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever
things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever
things are of good report; if there is any virtue, and if there
is any praise, think on these things.




36            JOY AND  PEACE.
Those things, which ye have both learned, and received,
and heard, and seen in me, do: and the God of peace will be
with you.
0, GCOD of the morning, at thy voice creation
awakes.  Thou kindlest the beams of the rising sun;
and causest him  to come forth from his chamber in
the east, and spreadest the gladness and the glory
which we behold.  Arise, 0 Lord, and let there be
reverence and gladness in our hearts.  We would
rejoice in thee always.  While we have slept, thou
hast guarded our rest, setting thy watch around our
lowly habitations, and keeping our souls in their mysterious release from the control of the body; and now
when we awake thou art still with us, sending new
tokens of thy love, calling us to new duties, and new
acknowledgments of thy gracious providence.
Father of the families of the earth, what are we
that thou shouldst be mindful of and shouldst visit
us,-we the weak, and thou the mighty, — we the
ignorant, and thou the all-wise, —we the sinful, and
thou the all-perfect? Yet thou art pleased to be near
while we bow at this domestic altar, and would breathe
into thine ear our gratitude for mercies so free,'yet so
undeserved.  Thou hast even invited us to make our
requests known unto thee. It is thou who hast provided for us our home, its shelter, its sanctities and
endearments.  Bless us, and all who dwell under our
roof.  Let thy dwelling-place be in our souls.  Give
us trust and peace. As there is one Lord, one faith,




WATCHFULNESS.                   37
one baptism, may there be only one heart among us,
and may the tie which binds us be hallowed by the
more sacred tie which should bind all hearts to thee.
We pray for the children whom thou hast' giyen
us; that thy most gracious influence may descend
upon them; that they may grow up as tender and
beautiful plants by our side, full of truth, and gentleness and sweet humility.  We pray not that thou
wouldst take them out of the world, but spare them
and keep them from the evil that is in it; feed their
minds with pure and holy thoughts; make them a
blessing and ornament in their day, and sharers of
thine everlasting favor.  So may we be an united,
prospered and happy family, on this earth.  May we
go forth this day in thy strength, and cheerfully do
and bear what thou appointest; and at last may we
find a home in the heavens from which we shall go
out no more forever.  And may the peace of God,
which passeth understanding, keep our minds and
hearts through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
X.
aatr~fuhtsxs
Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my word shall not
pass away.
But of that day, and that hour, knoweth no man, no, not
the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.
4




38             WATCHFULNESS.
Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the
time is.
For the Son of man is as a man taking a far journey, who
left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every
man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.
Watch ye, therefore; for ye know not when the Master of
the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:
Lest, coming suddenly, he find you sleeping.
And what I say unto you, I say unto all, Watch.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, we arise from.the deathlike insensibility of sleep, to consecrate anew
to thee the faculties which thou hast preserved and
restored.  Thou hast dispersed the shades of night;
we pray thee that every shadow of error and unbelief may pass from our minds.  We behold the light
of a new morning; it is sweet and pleasant to our
eyes. Let the light of thy truth shine in upon us,
and let there be within us no darkness at all.  We
feel in our souls and bodies the refreshing influence
of our nightly rest.  We breathe anew the fresh air
of the morning; we are warmed by the beams of the
returning sun; may our bosoms glow with a renewed
sense of thy love, and our hearts be enkindled with
adoring gratitude and affection.
All-merciful Father, we know not what the day
may bring forth, but thou seest the beginning and
the end.  Prepare us, we beseech thee, for the unknown events of thy providence.  Watchful at our
posts of duty, may we have thee before us all the day




WATCHFULNESS.                   39
long; and whatever thou dost ordain let us receive
as from  thee, fountain of wisdom  and goodness.
Prosper us in our lawful pursuits. If success attends
our labors, not unto us, but unto thy name, be the
praise; if disappointment and calamity overtake us,
let us not be cast down nor discomfited, but cheerfully
acquiesce, trusting that thou art doing better for us
than we can ask or think. Prepare us for life's great
changes, and hold us as in the hollow of thy hand.
Save us in the hour of sudden temptation; and in the
hour of our self-forgetfulness, which, watch as we may,
will at times overtake us, do not thou, 0 God, forsake
us. Let no press of business, no fear of loss, no hope
of gain, induce us to swerve from thee, our highest
good.  Under all circumstances of trial let us maintain our integrity, and keep thou our souls in innocency and peace.
We pray for the household into which thou hast
gathered us, and the kindred and friends whom thou
hast raised up around us; for thy favor to the community in which we live, and thy blessing upon all good
enterprises undertaken for the spread of truth and
righteousness, and the final welfare of man. With
shoes on our feet, and the pilgrim's staff in our hand,
with loving words on our lips, and tender sympathies
in our hearts, as strangers and sojourners here, knowing not when the Son of man cometh, may we this
day press forward towards our final rest and reward,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




40      HEAVENLY  ASPIRATIONS.
XI.
Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of
heaven.
Blessed are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted
Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness
for they shall be filled.
Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy
Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peace-makers: for they shall be called the
children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for righteousness'
sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
O THOu, whose form the eye seeth not, whose voice
the ear heareth not, whom outward sense discerneth
not, so near, so inward, art thou to us. The heart
pure from sin evermore seeth thee; the soul alive in
love and obedience heareth thy voice in its depths;
the mind exercised to discern between good and evil
perceives thee, with whom evil cannot dwell, Supreme
Good, Parent and Centre of All Good.  Open our
hearts to behold the unseen presence.  Open our ears
to hear thine everlasting word. Open our whole souls
to take in the breath of thy love. Creator of all,
with the return of day come new tokens of thy power
and providence.  Amidst the darkness and the deep
silence, thy Spirit hath encircled and filled nature and




HEAVENLY  ASPIRATIONS.                 41
man; thine the sleep which hath relieved our cares,
and soothed our hearts, and repaired us with fresh
strength.  Thine is the morning which we welcome
now; thine the sun calling us forth to work, and to
rejoice in its light; thine are the hours rising over us
with their invitations to action, and society, and rest.
Thine, O God, this great nature which embosoms us
in its changing beauty forever. May we love thee;
may we live in thee.
Father, reveal the deeper mystery of thy presence
in our souls.  Those secret aspirations, those silent
visions, those living attractions which draw us toward
thee, and which seek communion with all pure and
holy beings, we confess thee, only thee, their source
and their end, ourselves thy children, asking to dwell
in thy bosom whence we came.  Father, reveal thy
love within us; we have nothing else to seek.
We bow before thee now, confessing our weakness,
our ignorance, our sin.  Amidst the world shining
with thy beauty, silent and benignant voices sounding
to us through heaven and earth, we have yet forgotten thee many times, and disobeyed thy sweet and
holy laws.  Among thy children we have lived so
long, and so often we have failed to do for them the
services which we owe from  thee.  May the remembrance of our errors check all pride, and keep us in
sincere lowliness. May the sense of our need forever
urge us to thee; that in thy power we may have
strength, that from thy wisdom we may receive knowl4*




42      HEAVENLY  ASPIRATIONS.
edge, that by thy Spirit we may be consecrated to
holiness of heart and deed. Quicken us with thy
life; imbue us with thy love; discover to us the heavenly vision, and help us to obey its teaching. Our
Maker, draw us into harmony with thine infinite order.
Our Father, unite us to thyself and thy great family
in heaven and on earth.
Everywhere may thy children see thee; in thee
may they know and love each other. May false gods
and false worships perish; live thou, supreme and
only true God, who art love, in the worship and service of men on earth, and of all souls throughout the
universe.  So may violence cease, and peace prevail;
so may discord pass into communion of hearts; so
may slavery and oppression give place to justice and
freedom; so may thy sinning and suffering children
all rise into service of each other, into one living
church, into thy peace soothing every sorrow, and
hallowing every joy.  So may all hearts enjoy the
blessings pronounced by thy dear Son.
Father, accept this our morning prayer.  In its
spirit enable us to spend the new day, consecrating
each hour and every deed and word to thy service.
In its spirit enable us to spend the whole day of life;
that when its evening shall come, another morning,
fairer and brighter than has now risen upon us, may
gladden our everlasting course.  And to thee, greater
and nearer to us than any thought of ours, may we
render glory, worship, service, both now and forever,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




LOVE  O   GOD  IN  CHRIST.              43
XII.
jbott of (Off~   IA  (ttC sf.
Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! therefore
the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not.
Beloved, now are we the sons of God; and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him: for we shall see him as he is.
And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself,
even as he is pure.
Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law; for
sin is the transgression of the law.
And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins;
and in him is no sin.
Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth
hath not seen him, nor known him.
Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth
righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.
OUR  HEAVENLY  FATHER, whose eye of love
resteth upon us during our defencelesss hours, and
unto whom we are ever present, may thy Spirit witness unto our spirits, as we strive to give thanks and
pray.  This new day is thy gracious gift; for thou art
the fountain of all life, the Creator, the Sustainer,
the Sacred Providence.   Thine is the sweet and
pleasant light; the glow  of the heavens and the
beauty of the earth are thine; and from  thee are
all the wisdom  of our minds, and all the love of
our hearts.




44      LOVE OF GOD  IN  CHRIST.
We would pour out our souls in gratitude to thee,
the Father of the ever-blessed Redeemer, for the Sun
of righteousness which ever shineth down upon us.
Through thine infinite mercy these latter days on the
earth are days of the Lord, and thou art still offering
to reveal thy Son in all willing souls. Thanks be
unto the heavenly Father for him who doth go before
us in the way, and who doth send to us from  thee
the Holy Ghost, the Enlightener and Comforter.  0
God, the strength of the weak, the guide of those
who are ready to wander, the teacher of the foolish,
and the everlasting friend, may we indeed begin this
day in the faith and fear and love of thee. Teach us
our entire dependence, that as obedient children we
may follow our gracious Father.  In past days we
have tried to live from ourselves, and have failed.
Merciful one, forgive our wickedness and compassionate our folly, and may we be fully reconciled unto
him who hath loved us in Christ from the foundation
of the world, sending him who knew no sin to be
manifested to take away our sins.  Enlighten our
consciences, and touch our hearts, that we may know
what is thine holy will concerning us this day, and
may seek with all our strength to accomplish thy great
purpose.
In all the relations of life may we be true to our
heavenly Master and Redeemer. May the Lord be
the light of our household; let it be the home of all
pure affections, and in the time of their youth may




DWELLING  IN  GOD  AND  CHRIST.   45
the young open their hearts unto thee and thy Christ,
and enter upon that path of the just which is bright
and blessed.  In humility and in patience may we
do the work and bear the burdens of life.  Shield
us in the hour of temptation, and enable us to send
up from our hearts a faithful prayer unto him who is
mighty to succor.
0, God, sustain us out of thy bounty. Bless us
in our basket and store. Fill us with a spirit of contentment. In prosperity and in adversity accomplish
thy will in us. Enlarge our sympathies, and multiply our charities, and be gracious unto our kindred,
and friends, and brethren.  Earnestly do we intercede for the ignorant, the poor, and the oppressed;
for those who are without thee in the world, and for
all who are in any manner tried. In thine own good
time may he who was lifted up from the earth draw
all men unto him, and thine through the Redeemer
shall be the praise evermore. Amen.
XIII.
Xtlodnii    8 6h         a0    tiist.
Beloved, if God so loved us, we ought also to love one
another.
No man hath seen God at any time. If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.
Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit.




46     DWELLING  IN  GOD  AND  CHRIST.
And we have seen, and do testify, that the Father sent the
Son to be the Saviour of the world.
Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God
dwelleth in him, and he in God.
And we have known and believed the love that God hath to
us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in
God, and God in him.
Herein is our love made perfect, that we may have boldness
in the day of judgment: because as he is, so are we in this
world.
There is no fear in love; but perfect love casteth out fear,
because fear hath torment. He that feareth is not made
perfect in love.
We love him, because he first loved us.
If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar:
for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how
can he love God whom he hath not seen?
And this commandment have we from him, That he who
loveth God love his brother also.
ETERNAL and ever-blessed God, who reignest in
the heaven of heavens, and whose dominion is over
all the earth, hear us graciously when we pray to
thee, and grant answers of peace to our supplications.
Thanks to thee, 0  Lord, that thou hast sustained us
through another night.  As the morning light renews the conscious enjoyment of our blessings, we
would praise thee by whom  they were all bestowed.
Thanks therefore unto thee, 0 Father, for life and
all that makes life happy; for the light that shines
upon us, the air we breathe, the food that sustains
us, the home that shelters us, and the love that




DWELLING IN  GOD AND  CHRIST.   47
unites us. Thanks to thee for thy holy law, whether
in nature or in Scripture; for the teachings of reason,
the testimony of conscience, the commandments given
of old to thy chosen people, and the grace and truth
that came by Jesus Christ.
We bless thy name, that when mankind had forsaken thy ways, thou didst yet so love the world
as to raise up a Saviour, to guide and warn, to
strengthen and to redeem.  We thank thee for the
abundant testimony that the Father sent the Son to
be the Saviour of the world. Praise to thee, 0 God,
for his holy precepts and his divine example, that,
being made perfect through suffering, he has become
the captain of our salvation, and having endured
temptation, is able to succor them that are tempted.
Praise to thee for all the influences of his holy life,
his patient death, his glorious resurrection.  Grant
that these influences may be felt by us in the fulness
of their power; that we may be warned and encouraged by his words, excited by his example, softened
by the thought of his dying love, made triumphant
over the grave by his rising from the dead, so that
perfect love.may cast out all fear.  Grant us, 0 God,
that true and living faith, which shall take hold of
the promises of thy grace through him, and shall
make us, as his disciples, more than conquerors over
all evil.  If any injure us, may we exhibit his forgiving spirit; if any are in sorrow, may we like him
be prompt to relieve; and if called to reprove the




48   DWELLING  IN  GOD AND  CHRIST.
erring, may we unite his hatred of sin with his compassion for the offender. May we never desert the
truth, though like him we should suffer for it. May
we, as our Saviour taught, love thee supremely, and
our neighbor as ourselves. If called to heavy affliction, may we bear it with the meekness of Jesus, saying with him, Not our will, but thine, be done. Thus
may we know that we dwell in him because he hath
given us of his Spirit, and our life be hid with Christ
in God.
Thus, 0  Lord, we would serve thee; but thus
we have not served thee. We have wandered from
thy ways, and walked in forbidden paths.  0 God,
have mercy upon us, and forgive our many offences.
May we feel them still more deeply, and repent of
them still more earnestly.  May the remembrance
of them warn us against further sin. Be thou near
to us in every time of temptation, to strengthen
and to save. Be near us in the hour of death, to
sustain our failing hearts; and after death, mercifully
receive us to thyself.
0  God, keep us, we pray thee, this day from
outward evil; or, if it must come, make it to produce
inward good.  Keep us now and ever from  sin.
Bless all with whom we are connected, and all for
whom we should pray, and help us to show our love
for thee by loving our brother also. May the kingdom of Christ our Saviour come in our hearts, among
those dear to us, and throughout the world. Pre



THE  PLEDGE  OF  ALL  MERCIES.   49
pare us, 0 Lord, for thy kingdom on high; and thine
be glory forever, through the same blessed Saviour.
Amen.
XIV.
l lt 0 tpg1   /i atll  ~tE iUSl
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?
Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect? It is
God that justifieth;
Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea,
rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of
God, who also maketh intercession for us.
Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall
tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors.
through him that loved us.
For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels,
nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things
to come,
Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able
to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus
our Lord.
ALMIGHTY  GOD, command thy blessing to rest
upon us, the members of this family, now that we are
assembled for domestic worship. Grant that each
one of us may be sensible of the nearness of thy
presence, and that we may alike partake of the in5                     D




50   THE  PLEDGE  OF ALL MERCIES.
fluences of thy good Spirit. In the name of thy dear
Son, who hath taught us how to pray, we would
come to thee, " believing that thou art, and art the
rewarder of them  that diligently seek thee."  In no
formal service would we address thee; may our worship be of the understanding and the heart. As the
preserver of our lives, the giver of our many blessings, the guardian of our souls, who has pledged to
us all other mercies in that thou hast spared not
thine own Son for our sakes, may we seek to render
thee, at, all times, an acceptable offering; and wilt
thou fulfil in us thy gracious promises to thy saints;
help us to enkindle anew the spirit of devotion, and
to cherish the heavenly disposition of our Divine
Master.
Parent of Good, unite our hearts to fear thy name.
May we adopt the resolution of thy pious servant of
old, " As for me and my house, we will serve the
Lord."  May faith, piety and love, pervade all our
souls, that as we seek to please thee we may study
to promote the happiness of each other. Suffer no
one of our number to stray from the true fold, and
bring disgrace and sorrow on this family. Let us all
take heed to our ways, and at home and abroad be on
our watch, "lest when we think we stand, we fall."
0, Father, grant grace unto thy servants who are
at the'head of this family.  Help us to " bring up
our children in the nurture and admonition of the
Lord."  May we so  faithfully perform  this our




COMING  THRQUGH  CHRIST.              51
duty, that those committed to our care may "rise up
and call us blessed," and be " our crown of rejoicing
in the day of the Lord."  Early may they love and
obey thee, and form such characters as shall fit them
for all their duties here, and prepare them for the society of heaven. For that heaven, 0 God, may we all,
through thy grace in Jesus Christ, be found at last
meet, and may nothing separate us from its everlasting hopes and peace.
Great Benefactor, we now thank thee that thou hast
brought us in safety to the beginning of another day.
While many have been cut off, some in the morning
of life, and others in active manhood, we are still
among the living.  May we remember that to some
of us the night of death may soon come. May every
future day, as it will find us one step nearer the
grave, so also find us a day's journey nearer heaven.
And in the name of the Mediator, who died for us,
but who arose from the dead, and is now at thy right
hand, and is our ever-living Saviour, we render to
thee honor and glory everlasting. Amen.
XV.
QfmngX   t^mrogb (Qrmst.
Wherefore, laying aside all malice, and all guile, and
hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil-speakings,
As new-born babes, desire the pure milk of the word, that
ye may grow thereby:




52      COMING  THROUGH  CHRIST.
If indeed ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious.
To whom coming as to a living stone, disallowed indeed by
men, but chosen by God, and precious,
Ye also, as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to
God by Jesus Christ.
Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I
lay in Sion a chief corner-stone, elect, precious: and he that
believeth on him shall not be confounded.
To you therefore who believe he is precious.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, we thy children would come close to thee.  With the light of
this morning, lift upon us the light of thy countenance.
0 gracious Father, we thank thee for thy daily
goodness; day unto day uttereth speech, and night
untonight showeth knowledge, —speech of thy glorious providence, knowledge of thy tender care.  By
sleep and rest thou hast refreshed our faculties of body
and soul; and now  thou art opening upon us the
wonderful gift — a new day, with its precious hours,
opportunities, hopes, and joys, and  sorrows.  We
know not what the day may bring to us; but this we
rejoice to know, that if we walk in a religious spirit
the day's experience will give us salutary discipline,
its joys or its sorrows will deepen our faith, heighten
our aspiration, and mature our principles into permanent character.
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, by thy
Spirit lead us to the feet of the great teacher, thy




COMING THROUGH  CHRIST.                53
messenger and manifestation.  Aid us to sound the
depths of his. truth and love; may his words become
spirit and life to us; may the beauty of his holiness
be as a heavenly light round about us; and when, as
our Mediator, he stands far up on the heights of divine excellence, close to the Father, and takes the
things of God and shows them unto men, 0, may we
see and understand, and come to him as the chosen of
God and precious. Impress us, we beseech thee, with
the feeling that " we can do all things through Christ
who strengtheneth us," and that he that believeth in
him shall not be confounded. This day maywe be
consistent Christians, laying aside every sin, and
desiring the word of thy truth that we may grow
thereby. Obedient to the authority of Jesus, and in
the spirit of confident faith resting in thee, may we be
wise, patient, courageous and faithful, and offer to thee
a spiritual sacrifice, acceptable through Jesus Christ.
Father Almighty, look in mercy upon the world.
May Christ, its true light, scatter the darkness; may
ignorance, error and sin, give place to knowledge,
truth, and holiness.
We pray for all who are severely tried or strongly
tempted; for the aged and the young; for the rich
and the poor; for the oppressor that he may repent
of his wrong-doing, and for the oppressed that he may
be comforted in his sufferings; 0, give gracious help'to the weary and heavy-laden, and may sinners be
converted to righteousness.
5 




54             GOD  IN  CHRIST.
Hear us, 0 our Heavenly Father; this day may we
keep near thee, and may the sense of thy observing
presence sanctify us. Hear and bless us as disciples
of Jesus, and to thee be glory and thanksgiving forever.  Amen.
XVI.
65    "ina li   rist.
That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that
cometh into the world.
He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and
the world knew him not.
He came to his own, and his own received him not.
But as many as received him, to them he gave power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name:
Who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh,
nor of the will of man, but of God.
And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, and
we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only-begotten of the
Father, full of grace and truth.
0  GOD our Father, blessed be thou.  From  our
inmost hearts we would bless thee now; with our
whole hearts quickened to holy worship, may we
bless thee forever. All things praise thee; the heavens above us, the earth beneath; the pure air and
the gathered clouds; the sun in its brightness, the
serene moon, the everlasting stars. Thine are their




GOD IN  CHRIST.                 55
numberless forms and perpetual courses; unto thee
they raise by night and by day the silent hymn.
Our Father, we thank thee that above these manifold orders of existence thou hast made man in thine
image, so that he may not only see thy glory through
the great nature which surrounds him, but feel thy
presence in the love and beauty within his soul. Thou
didst of old reveal thyself to him when in innocence
he walked in the garden planted by thee with seeds
of all which was fair, and fruitful, and full of life.
The entrance even of sin severed thee not from thy
children: thou art near them still.  In all their wanderings, in their diversities of tongue and of thought,
thou hast been with them  through the ages.  Thou
hast breathed into their souls the love of wisdom;
thou hast shed over their minds the light of truth;
thou hast touched their lips with holy fire; thou hast
strengthened them to great deeds. The wise thou hast
made to shine as the brightness of the firmament;
their prophetic words thou hast set in the skies as
stars for ever and ever.  Open thou the eyes of all
thy children to see.
Above them all, our hearts remember him in whom
thy fulness dwelleth overflowing evermore, the true
light to lighten all that come into the world. Blessed
be thou for the power transcending nature, for the
wisdom  embracing all truth, for the love flowing
from thee, for the whole everlasting image of thy being and perfection, embodied in thy Son, our Lord




56             GOD IN  CHRIST.
and Saviour Jesus Christ, made flesh and dwelling
among us, in the glory of the only-begotten of the
Father. For his life, full of grace and truth, unfolding
the divine beauty, consecrating childhood and youth
and manhood, surmounting temptation, triumphant in
death, penetrating into the immortal heart of mankind,
and opening the great day of the regeneration, we
thank thee, Father, with the words which we can
speak: we would thank thee with the love deeper than
words, and tears of joy now and forever.
Unto this name, which thou hast exalted above every
name on earth and in heaven, may thy children bow
with glad obedience and service. As in him thou hast
revealed thy saving power, and thy ministries of
solace and hope and heavenly peace, so, through his
life renewed in all, we pray thee, quicken every man
to consecrate himself in holy service to the well-being
and the blessedness of others.  Out of each heart
may living streams flow forth into the whole garden
of the Lord, bearing refreshment to the weary, and
strength to the weak, solace to the sorrowful, and life
to the dead. Through. virtue of the Christ in man,
the hope of glory, may sin be subdued, and despair
rooted out; may selfishness, pride and envy, wrath
and revenge, all evil lusts and all their influences, in
society, in families, in secret deeds, pass away, supplanted by love, by lowliness and joy in others' good,
by gentleness and blessing, by purity of heart, and
whatever is good and true, free and peaceful, in all




JOY  AND  VICTORY  IN  CHRIST.    57
the experiences and relations of human life.  So may
all that believe on his name have power to become
the sons of God.'Father, in this spirit of thy beloved Son may we
spend the day to which thy love hath brought us. In
this spirit, so pure, so gentle, so sweet, may we spend
every day whose morning shall shine upon us.  In
this spirit which hath outlived death, and opened the
sepulchre, and risen to the heavens, may we come
forth in that greater morning which shall reveal another sun, and which, in the power of Jesus, shall
lead us to his Father and our Father, to his God and
our God.  Blessed be thou now and forever.  Amen.
XVII.
act anid fdxgtrg ilA G1Ti'St.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us
again unto a lively hope, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ
from the dead,
To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,
Who are kept by the power of God through faith in salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time:
That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than
that of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might
be found unto praise, and honor, and glory, at the appearing
of Jesus Christ:




58     JOY  AND  VICTORY  IN  CHRIST.
Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye
see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable.
and full of glory:
Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your
souls.
Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and
hope to the end, for the grace that is to be brought unto you
at the revelation of Jesus Christ.
MOST Holy and Merciful God, we thank thee for
the safe repose of the last night, and that we see
the morning light in so much health and comfort.
With the light of the morning wilt thou cause the Sun
of Righteousness to warm our hearts, and scatter the
darkness from our minds by the beams of heavenly
truth. We desire to receive a new day as a new gift of
thy goodness. The lives which thou hast spared we
would consecrate to thee. 0, may our hearts glow with
a purer purpose of obedience, and be lifted up above all
sordid and selfish allurements by the love of goodness
and of God.  Teach us, Father, how to attain to that
holiness which alone can render us fit objects of thy
favor.  Let thy Holy Spirit help and encourage us
in all our struggles against sin, in all our efforts to do
our whole duty.
O God, we feel that nothing on earth can be so
necessary and important to us as the care and improvement of our immortal souls.  Our bodies must
soon die. The pleasures and interests of this present
world will soon come to an end.  But the virtues of
the soul can never perish, but shall live forever. The




JOY AND VICTORY  IN  CHRIST.  59
joys of the heavenly world grow more delightful the
more we partake of them; and of these nothing but
our own sinfulness has power to deprive us.
Aspiring to heaven while we dwell on earth, may
we ever seek first the prize of our high calling as
Christians, and watch, pray and labor, so as to escape
from  the doom of corrupt and impenitent souls, and
become meet for- that inheritance which is incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away.
Father of Jesus, we can never be thankful enough
for thy great goodness in giving thy dear Son to be
our Saviour.  Blessed be thy name for the precious
promises which thou hast made in his Gospel.  To
him we owe salvation from sin, strength to overcome
our trials; to him the hope of pardon, the happiness
of a Christian life, and the peace of a Christian
death.  In what gloom and misery would our souls
be sunk but for the mercy of God in Christ Jesus our
Lord! For what were it worth while to live if the
glorious hope of immortality, brought to light in the
Gospel, were taken away, and Jesus to be no longer
a Redeemer to lost and guilty men?
In the world if we have tribulation, yet he has
taught us how to overcome the world, how to win
peace even from the sharpest suffering. 0 God, permit us not to forsake Jesus for any other leader, to
let go the Gospel for any other doctrine. May we
cleave to him with joy unspeakable, till we receive the
end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls.




60  FOLLOWING  IN THE REGENERATION.
Father, grant us thy wisdom and grace, and to thee
be all praise and glory forever. Amen.
XVIII.
If ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons
judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your
sojourning here in fear:
Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation
received by tradition from your fathers;
But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot;
Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the
world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
Who by him do believe in God that raised him up from
the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might
be in God.
Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth
through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren; see
that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:
Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever.
For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the
flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof
falleth away':
But the word of the Lord endureth forever. And this is
the word which by the Gospel is preached unto you.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, we approach
thee in the name of the glorified Redeemer. in whom




FOLLOWING IN THE REGENERATION. 61
thou dost manifest thyself to us in all the mild majesty
of thy paternal character. May all our passions be
hushed within us, all vain thoughts expelled and
driven from us, that we may approach thee with solemnity and stillness of soul, and open our whole mind
towards thee, the great and excellent Glory.
We bless thee that thou hast opened our eyes to
see the light of another morning; that in those hours
when we could take no thought of ourselves we slept
securely in the arms of thy providence, and under the
guardianship of thy blessed angels, and have now been
gently awaked to the duties of another day.  We
would enter upon those duties with firm resolves and
purposes. We would walk this day in the path of
thy commandments, keeping Christ ever before us, as
the Way, the Truth and the Life, who has redeemed
us with his own precious blood. We would here resolve not to offend against thee in word, in thought,
in feeling, or in action, but to manifest to all around
us the spirit and temper of the Redeemer. 0, help
us to keep this resolve; for unless thou help us we
shall fall. Help us to drive away the tempter when
he comes, so that when the hours of the day are ended
we may hear thy benediction, "Well done,"'and have
the blessed peace that comes from the sfiile of thy
countenance. Let a light from thy throne fall upon
our pathway, and make all our duties plain before
us. And when that light comes, give us strength to
follow it with a fidelity which danger or death cannot
6




62    REMEMBRANCE  OF MERCIES.
shake or disturb, so that our souls may be purified by
our obedience to the truth.
We remember, 0 our God, how short and fleeting
are the days of our probation; for our flesh is as grass,
and the glory thereof as the flower of grass. We pray
that we may be laying up those treasures that no moth
can corrupt and no thieves plunder nor steal, but which
live and abide forever.  Every day may our understandings be more replenished with thy truth, and our
hearts more completely imbued with thy love. Every
day may we do something to conquer the evil that is
in us, that we may drive out all selfish desires and
appetites, and bring down into our souls the angel
band of pure affection.  We would follow Christ in
the regeneration, so that we may rejoice to meet him
in the kingdom  of thy glory.  And to him that is
able to keep us from falling, and present us faultless
before the presence of his glory, with exceeding joy, to
the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty,
dominion and power, both now and forever. Amen.
XIX.
I will extol thee, my God, 0 King; and I will bless thy
name for ever and ever.
Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for
ever and ever.




REMEMBRANCE OF MERCIES.  68
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise thy works to another, and shall
declare thy mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy
wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts: and
I will declare thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great good
ness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger,
and of great mercy.
The Lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all
his works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints
shall bless thee.
THov infinite and eternal Being, Giver of all good,
present Helper in all trouble, we call on thy holy
nasme with gladness this morning, and implore thy
presence and blessing.  We gratefully acknowledge
thy goodness to us in the familiar bounties that return
to us with the light of day.  For the pleasant sunshine, for our daily bread, for our opportunities of
usefulness, for our home affections, and our religious
hopes, we give thee heart-felt thanks, and beseech
thee to make us faithful to thy gifts and stewards of
thy trust.
Father of our spirits, abide with us this passing
day, and grant that we may give its fleeting hours to
precious uses that shall not be fleeting. In heavenly
wisdom may we redeem the time, and learn even now
to live the life eternal.




64    FAITH IN THE REDEEMER.
Searcher of hearts, reveal to us our sins, and give
us grace to put them away, by the power of thy Holy
Spirit. Look with thy favor upon all the members
of our household, and may each one of us be an earnest doer of thy will in our appointed post of duty.
Visit with thy blessing all our kindred and friends.
Graciously lift up all who are cast down; strengthen
the weak; heal the sick; comfort the afflicted; reclaim the erring; confirm the wavering; edify yet
more the faithful. Grant, 0 Lord of life, that we all
may meet at last around thy throne in heaven, and
that the love of thee, our God, may be the life of all
souls. Hear us, through thine infinite grace in Jesus
Christ our Saviour. Amen.
XX.
$rl tl  hi   tat' lbaRumtr
Jesus cried, and said, He that believeth on me, believeth not
on me, but on him that sent me:
And he that seeth me, seeth him that sent me:
I am come a light into the world, that whoever believeth on
me should not abide in darkness.
And if any man shall hear my words, and not believe, 1
judge him not: for I came not to judge the world, but to save
the world.
He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath one
that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same
shall judge him in the last day.
For I have not spoken from myself; but the Father who,




FAITH IN THE REDEEMER.   65
sent me, he gave me a commandment, what I should say, and
what I should speak.
And I know that his commandment is life everlasting:
whatever I speak therefore, even as the Father said to me,
so I speak.
0 GOD, thou art our life and our health. We bless
thee for the renewal of our powers which the night's
repose and the morning's freshness bring to us.
Creator of our spirits, thou art also the Renewer, and
day by day we bless thee for thy renovating grace.
Day by day we need more of thy bounties than we
can number, and yet above all others there is one
thing that is needful. Give us wisdom and fervor to
ask for it as we ought, even for a double portion of
thy Spirit; more of thy light in our understandings;
more of thy love in our hearts; more of thy strength
in our wills.  Unite  our frail being to thy infinite
love through the life of faith and obedience.  Graciously open within our hearts the gate of heaven,
and may we in all that we suffer, or do, or enjoy, live
assubjects of the divine kingdom.
Thanks be to thee, 0 God, that in Jesus our Redeemer we may behold with joy unspeakable the
glory of the only-begotten of the Father, and rejoice
in thy grace and truth by him brought near. Lord,
we believe; help thou our unbelief. We would look
to him, and lean on him, who came as a light into the
world, that we should not abide in darkness. Byr
fidelity amid the trials and temptations of the world,
6w E




66        FOR  A  CHRISTIAN  LIFE.
as well as by the study of thy word, and prayer at thy
mercy-seat, may we strive to go forward in the right
path, and enter into life eternal.
Father in heaven, graciously aid us by thy Spirit.
Keep our eyes from tears, our feet from falling, and
our souls from  death.  Comfort thy people everywhere with thy love, and renew them by thy grace.
Give new power to thy church and word, and let all
the people praise thy holy name through Jesus Christ
our Lord.  Amen.
XXI.
AI0    a  61tistinXi      Sift.
Let brotherly love continue.
Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some
have entertained angels unawares.
Remember them that are in bonds, as bound with them;
and them which suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in
the body.
Let your conversation be without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he hath said, I will
never leave thee, nor forsake thee.
So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I
will not fear what man shall do unto me.
Remember them which have the rule over you, who have
spoken unto you the word of God; whose faith follow, considering the end of their conversation;
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to-day, and forever.




FOR  A  CHRISTIAN  LIFE.               67
For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to
come.
By him, therefore, let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God
continually, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to
his name.
0 GOD, our Sovereign and Father, it is our joy
with every morning's waking to renew the sense of
thy presence and the consciousness of thy care. The
thought of thee precedes all other thoughts, the love
of thee all other affections.
We bless thee, 0 Lord, that in the wants and capacities of our nature, and by the Gospel of thy Son,
thou hast called us to honor, and glory, and immortality. We rejoice in our solemn responsibilities, and
accept our duties as the highest proof of thy favor.
Suffer not heart and flesh to fail in the glorious service
we owe thee.  The spirit, 0 God, is willing, but the
flesh is weak. We implore thy divine grace to defend
us this day from the dominion of our appetites, the
illusions of the world, and the deceitfulness of our own
hearts. We have proved the power of temptation, and
are afraid of ourselves. Our strength is weakness,
our pride is dust.  But thou, 0 Lord, art almighty,
and canst make us willing in the day of thy power,
and give us the victory in the hour of our conflict.
Clothe us, this day, with all social and domestic
graces. Help us to discharge our debt to the world, in
the serviceableness of our lives, the benevolence of
our sentiments, the gentleness of our manners; and




68              SOCIAL DUTIES.
especially uphold us in the exercise of forbearance,
tenderness and fidelity, towards those of our own
household.
Daily we desire to supplicate thy mercy and protection in behalf of the poor and neglected, the injured and lost. Suffer not our eyes to become used
to the sight of injustice, or our ears dull to the cry
of misery.  May no day pass without thy blessing
on some effort we have made for the redemption of our
suffering race.
Almighty Judge, as every day brings us nearer to
thy bar, may it bring us closer to the requirements
of thy Gospel.  Rebuke whatever levity, indifference
or wilfulness, thou seest in our hearts.  May the
youngest of us take at once the path to heaven, and
the oldest fail not diligently to keep it.
Gracious God, our prayer is before thee.  Despise
not our offering now, and turn us not away when we
seek thine acceptance in the last day. And thine be
the kingdom, the power and the glory, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
XXII.
i2tdal   top+
Put on, therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved,
bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness,
long-suffering;




SOCIAL DUTIES.                   69
Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any
man hath a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you,
so also do ye.
And above all these things put on charity, which is the,
bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also
ye are called in one body; and be ye thankful.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom,
teaching and admonishing one another in psalms, and hymns,
and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the
Lord.
And whatever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of
the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him.
O LORD, our God, thou art good and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy to all them that call upon
thee. All thy works and providences speak to us of
thee. Our whole lives, from the cradle to this hour,
bear witness to thy paternal care and love for us. Our
own hearts prompt us to call upon thee.  Thy holy
Son by his precept and example has enjoined us to
draw  nigh unto thee in prayer.  Through the new
and living way consecrated by him  we would now
approach thee as true worshippers, seeking to worship
thee in spirit and in truth.
Guardian and preserver of our lives through the
silent night, when there was no eye to watch over us,
and no arm to protect us, thou hast preserved us from
the pestilence that walketh in darkness, from the assaults of violence, from the flames that. might have
consumed us and our dwellings.  By thy  mighty




70             SOCIAL  DUTIES.
power thou hast again raised us from the temporary
death of sleep, and opened our eyes upon the world,
fresh and beautiful as on the first morn of creation.
Now, also, do the morning stars sing together, and the
sons of God shout for joy.  Now, as then, thy wisdom, power and glory, are displayed, showing that
thou art the same yesterday, to-day and forever.
But in the Gospel, far more clearly and tenderly
than in nature, are revealed thy paternal character
and providences. We thank thee for the work which
Christ has wrought in the world. Especially do we
thank thee for that richest fruit of his mission on
earth, Christian homes. We bless thee for the spirit
which has hallowed the union of husband and wife,
parent and child, brother and sister, and made it like
the union of Christ and the church. We pray that the
spirit of thy holy Son may dwell richly in our hearts
this day, and make ours a home of peace, of contentment, of mutual love.  Help us to watch over our
tempers, that no hasty or unkind word may escape
our lips. Give us, we beseech thee, so much of the
spirit of our Master, that Ye may feel it to be more
blessed to give than to receive mutual aid and sympathy.  Sanctify tous our domestic comforts, duties
and affections, that our home may be a school of
Christ, to prepare us for our everlasting home in
heaven.
0 thou Guardian of our lives, as we go forth this
day, to the duties, temptations and perils of life, we




FOR HOLY LIVING.                 71
cast ourselves on thy almighty protection, Dangers
may await us which no human wisdom can foresee,
changes which no skill of ours can avert. We find
comfort in the thought of thy guardian providence
over us; we rest in the assurance of thy fatherly protection and love. We may again meet temptations
which have so often overcome us.  Not in our own
strength would we again venture into the scenes of
the world.  Do thou go with us, upholding us, and
providing under every temptation a way of escape.
We are again to be brought into relations with our
fellow-beings by which we may influence their future
course.  Give us grace to watch for ways to do them
good, to turn their feet to thy testimonies, that they
may glorify thy name. We are again to be intrusted,
in thy service, with opportunities that may not return.
We may this day receive impressions that will give a
bias to our whole future lives.  Give us grace so to
improve these opportunities, and direct these impressions, that the coming evening may find us advanced
a day's journey heavenward.
Father of Mercies, we supplicate thy blessing on all
classes and conditions of our fellow-beings. Remember
in great mercy the poor and destitute, the sick and
sorrowful, the tempted and tried, the aged and infirm.
Give them all grace to hear and accept the gracious
invitation of the Saviour, Come unto me, all ye that
labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.
Finally, we commit ourselves and all that are dear




72     JOY  IN  GOD'S COMPASSION.
to us into thy  merciful hands, beseeching thee to
guard, guide, sustain, and sanctify us, this day and all
our days; and unto thee shall  be all the praise,
through Jesus Christ our Lord.' Amen.
XXIIi.
1^  in Qa' Q1%unfiau.
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul: and all that is within me,
bless his holy name
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and forget not all his benefits:
Who forgiveth all thy iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases;
Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; who crowneth
thee with loving-kindness and tender mercies;
Who satisfieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy
youth is renewed like the eagle's.
The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in mercy.
He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger
forever.
He hath not dealt with us according to our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities.
For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his
mercy toward them that fear him.
As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed
our transgressions from us.
Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth
them that fear him.
OUR FATHER, who art in heaven.  Hallowed be




JOY IN  GOD'S COMPASSION.    73
thy name.  With the light of another day our hearts
would ascend in prayer and in praise unto thee, who
in the beginning saidst "Let there be light," and
who still in thine eternal providence and thy boundless mercy makest the sun to shine on the evil and
the good, on the thankful and the unthankful. The
heavens declare thy glory.  The earth is full of
thy goodness.  Summer and winter, seed-time and
harvest, night and day, speak unto us, each in its turn,
of thee, their Maker and Lord. Daily thou crownest
us with thy loving-kindness and  tender mercies.
Bless the Lord, 0 my soul, and all that is within me
bless his holy name!
As a Christian family do we now  bow  down
together before thee, believing what thou hast taught
us in Jesus Christ thy Son, believing in thy providential care, believing in thy paternal compassion,
believing in the higher life to come, when this corruptible shall put on incorruption and this mortal
immortality, and when they that have served or forsaken thee on earth shall pass to their account. As
a Christian family, 0 God, may we begin and may we
spend this new day on which we are now entering;
being in all things true to our discipleship, and proving by our words and acts, at home and abroad, in the
manifold relations of life, that we have a living and
not a dead and barren faith in thee and in thy Son. 0,
help us to finish the work which thou hast given us
to do for ourselves. for each other, and for all whom
7




74      JOY IN  GOD'S COMPASSION.
we can serve; remembering the uncertainty of life and
the certainty of death.
Father, we.commend our bodies and our souls unto
thee, confiding in the assurance that thou art gracious
and abundant in mercy.  Watch over us in every
danger, and give us the needed strength for every
duty. Make us conquerors over the evil passions that
would betray our virtue and our peace, and over the
sins of thought, of temper, and of life, which do most
easily beset us; and if through the weakness of our
nature we at any time fall, deal not with us according
to our sins, nor reward us according to our iniquity.
Let this and all our days upon earth be spent in
thy fear; and may we live in daily and happy preparation for the last. May the thought of that future
life cheer us onward in our earthly pilgrimage, giving
purity to our motives and elevation to our aims, and
enabling us to bear with serene peace and trust all
the allotments of thy hbly hand. And having dwelt
together in pleasantness and peace during the brief
term of our sojourning in these mortal bodies, having
been faithful helpers to one another in all the chances
and changes of the world, may we at length, in thine
infinite grace, be permitted to meet again in a still
happier union in thy presence, and in the presence of
thy Son, with whom is fulness of joy, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.




FOR  PROVIDENTIAL  DIRECTION.   75
XXIV.
In ffr'"aHhufial pirtdUif.
Teach me, 0 Lord, the way of thy statutes; and I shall
keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law; verily,
I shall observe it with my whole heart.
Make me to go in the path of thy commandments; for in
that do I delight.
Incline my heart to thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.
Turn away my eyes from beholding vanity; and revive
thou me in thy way.
Establish thy word to thy servant, who is devoted to thy fear.
Turn away my reproach which I fear: for thy judgments
are good.
Behold, 1 have longed after thy precepts: revive me in thy
righteousness.
" WE praise thee, 0 God, we acknowledge thee to
be the Lord! All the earth doth worship thee, the
Father everlasting."  "Heaven and earth are full of
the majesty of thy glory." The heart of man cannot
conceive, much less the tongue of man utter, the
greatness of thy power, the depth of thy wisdom, nor
the unsearchable riches of thy love.  But we give
thee thanks that thou hast revealed unto us thy being,
that thou hast manifested to us thy power and wisdom, and given such innumerable proofs of thy lovingkindness to us and to all men.  We thank thee for the
beauty in which thou hast clothed the earth, and the
glory with which thou hast filled the heavens.  We




76   FOR PROVIDENTIAL DIRECTION.
thank thee that all things minister to our needs, and
are adapted to our uses; we thank thee for all the
tender ties of friendship and of kindred; for all the
privileges of our social state; for the opportunities
we have of gaining a knowledge of thy truth; and
for the invitation thou hast given us, through thy Son
our Saviour, to become fellow-laborers with him and
with thee.
O lead us, by all the all-powerful influences of thy
Spirit, to accept this invitation, and enter upon the inheritance of our birthright in thy kingdom. Turn away
our eyes from vanity, and incline our hearts to thy testimonies. Let us this day be lifted above all low and
selfish purposes, and be filled with that divine charity,
that holy wisdom, that unconquerable strength, which
thou givest to thy saints. Help us to hold fast our integrity; to keep the way of thy statutes, even to the
end; and by our communion with thee, and with thy
Son, to be made triumphant over all temptation. We
would behold thy presence in every work of thy hand.
We would find the leadings of thy providence in each
event of life. We would give ourselves wholly to thy
service, and pray thee to work within us both to will
and to do of thy own good pleasure. Make us to go in
the path of thy commandment, and may that be our
delight.
And as we ask thy blessing upon ourselves, so would
we ask it upon all men, and especially upon those
whom we each now in silence name to thee.  Thou




AGAINST  DISTRUST.                   77
readest our hearts and our silent wishes; grant, 0
Father, our prayers, if it be best for those for whom
we pray.
[Here let there be a few moments' silence.]
Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name.  Restrain thy children from  transgression,
restore those that wander, lead those that sin unto
repentance, give light to those that are in darkness,
strengthen them that are weak, and let thy truth and
righteousness triumph in all the earth. We believe
thine Anointed to be the hope of all nations; may
the word of his truth and power fill the hearts of his
disciples with the spirit of love, and of wisdom, and of
might, that they may so live and labor as to bring all
men unto thee through him., And thine be the glory
evermore.  Amen.
XXV.
ociphst  litmust+
I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye
shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body,
what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and
the body than raiment?
Behold the fowls' of the air; for they sow not, neither do
they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father
feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?
Which of you, by taking thought, can add one cubit unto his
stature?
q~




78          AGAINST DISTRUST.
And why take ye thought for raiment?  Consider the
lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do
they spin:
And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon, in all his
glory, was not arrayed like one of these.
Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which
to-day is, and to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not
much more clothe you, 0 ye of little faith?
0 THOU, whose unslumbering providence has kept
us another night, and given us refreshing rest, we
bless thee for this new day.  May our hearts be open
to the glad tidings of thy love which it is proclaiming.
May we receive it as thy gift, with gratitude for what
it speaks to us of thy continued and exhaustless
mercy, and with a due sense also of responsibility, in
view of the sacred trust thou art again committing
to us.  We know not what this day may bring forth.
Strengthen and prepare us for all that awaits us.
Keep us from  distrustful thoughts.  Give us cheerful
and unfailing confidence in that fatherly and allembracing oversight, without which not a sparrow
falleth to the ground.  Thou who hast given life,
shall we doubt that thou wilt give it meat? Thou
who hast given the body, shall we doubt that thou
wilt furnish it with raiment?  Thou from whom we
have received the greater gift, may we not trust thee
for the less?
Father in heaven, may no temptation assail us,
which the remembrance of thy word, and the communications of thy Spirit, shall not enable us to resist.




AGAINST DISTRUST.                  79
May our trials, whether small or great, be borne with
Christian meekness, and work out for us some spiritual good. May all our duties be performed in the
spirit of him whose meat it was to do thy will; and
in memory of his word, that he who is faithful in that
which is least, is faithful also in much.  May it
quicken our good purposes, and encourage us in every
right endeavor, to remember that thou lookest upon
the heart; and may the thought that thou seest us
check every wrong motive and evil impulse.  Give us
calmness and self-control under every disappointment
and provocation. Enable us to meet with gentleness
and forbearance any opposition to our wishes, and to
strive with patience against our own infirmities and
faults, not doubting that success shall ultimately
attend our efforts, if we faint not.
Almighty God, may we seek not our own only,
but each the other's welfare and enjoyment.  May
we be ready to deny ourselves every indulgence that
would be a disobedience of thy laws. Give us right
feelings towards one another, and towards all men.
May we come to the close of this day able to look
back upon time well spent, opportunities faithfully
improved, and progress made in the paths of Christian
faith and virtue.  And when we shall have fulfilled
thy purposes concerning us on earth, may we be received, of thy infinite mercy, to reunion with one
another, and to the happiness of the pure and good, in
the everlasting mansions revealed to us through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.




80            RELYING  ON  GOD.
XXVI.
Show us thy mercy, 0 Lord, and grant us thy salvation.
I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for he will speak
peace to his people, and to his saints: but let them not turn
again to folly.
Surely his salvation is nigh them that fear him; that glory
may dwell in our land.
Mercy and truth have met together; righteousness and
peace have kissed each other.
Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall
look down from heaven.
Verily, the Lord will give that which is good; and our land
shall yield her increase.
Righteousness shall go before him; and shall set us in the
way of his steps.
ALMIGHTY GOD, the Source of life, the Giver of
all good, help us to draw near to thee, and to hold
communion with thee.  Waked from the insensibility
of sleep, with renewed powers we are about to renew
our daily course of duty. But we know, 0 God, that
without thee we can do nothing; that all our sufficiency
is of thee, in whom we live and move and have our
being.  Before we go forth to our work, we would
hear what God the Lord will speak; and pray that he
would speak peace to our hearts, that our strength
may be renewed, and that, replenished by thy grace,
we may run and not be weary, and walk and not
faint.




RELYING  ON  GOD.                 81
We bless thee for thy protection through the
watches of the night.  We bless thee that for us the
outgoings of the morning rejoice.  Truly the light is
sweet; and we bless thee and praise thy goodness
unto us, that, while to others the sun is set to rise no
more, thou hast preserved our lives, and art multiplying our days on the earth.  Thy mercies, 0 God,
are new unto us every morning.  We welcome the
new day, with its fresh duties and responsibilities;
and we await its disclosures in trust and hope. May
we, meet all changes relying on thee, and keep consciences void of offence toward God and men.
Sustaining to one another the nearest and holiest
relations, may our hearts be united in love, and may
we be helpers of each others' joy.  May this be a
household of faith, a Christian home; and may the
blessing of' Heaven be upon all who dwell within these
walls, and upon the absent to whom  we are nearly.
allied.  Vouchsafe thy protection and favor to all
whom  we love; and grant that, however widely we
may be separated from  one another on, earth, our.
mutual love may remain unchanged, and that in
heaven we may meet face to face, to part. no more.
Guide us, 0 Father, by thy counsel: support us
by thy care, and from thy inexhaustible stores may
all our wants be supplied.  May. we be contented
with that portion of goods that falleth to our share:
and when what thou givest is taken away, may our
hope and our trust be still in thee.  Conduct us,.  -l




82        FAITH  AND  FORTITUDE.
good shepherd, in such a way as thou choosest, and
set us in the way of thy steps; and whether it lead to
the green pastures, beside the still waters, or to the
valley of the shadow of death, be with us in every
change, and may thy presence strengthen and gladden our hearts.  Show  us thy mercy, 0  God, and
finally grant us thy salvation.
Give thy blessing, Holy Father, to our land and to
the world.  Send forth thy light and thy truth.  May
truth spring out of the earth, and righteousness look
down from  heaven, and thy salvation be nigh unto
all. To thee, the only living and true God, we render thanks, through Jesus Christ our Lord.  Amen.
XXVII.
How excellent is thy loving-kindness, 0 God! therefore the
children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy
wings.
For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we
see light.
0 continue thy loving-kindness to them that know thee,
and thy righteousness to the upright in heart.
I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.
I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have
set themselves against me on all sides.




FAITH  AND  FORTITUDE.               83
0 THou, who hast set the solitary in families, and
joined us to each other by the strong bonds of domestic affection and interest, we rejoice to recognize the
higher and more sacred ties which bind us to thee
and thy service.  We regard it as our most precious
privilege to come to thee in devout trust and worship,
to pour forth our souls to thee, to implore that blessing without which none can be blest. For with thee
is the fountain of life, and under the shadow of thy
wings the children of men put their trust.
To thy keeping we commit our souls, as to the allfaithful and loving Creator.  This day, and all our
days, may thy presence go with us, chastening our
joys, comforting us in our sorrows, shielding us in
hours of peril, protecting from the power of temptation, sanctifying all labors and all events, and imparting a peace which the world cannot give, and
cannot take away.
Holy Father, this day may the presence of Jesus,
thy chosen messenger and well-beloved Son, go with
us, and his parting promise be fulfilled to each of us"Lo! I am with you alway, even to the end of the
world."  Attended and inspired by his spirit, may
we meet firmly all the conflicts and trials of earth,
and be not afraid if ten thousands set themselves against
us.  Into that spirit of faith and fortitude may we
be baptized more and more, and go on our way rejoicing, fearing no evil, and feeling no want.
Command thy blessing, 0 God, to rest upon us of




84    LOVE FOR GOD AND MAN.
this household, as we now bow down before thee, and
commit our way to thy hand.  And when life's short
day is passed, bring us together, a family in heaven,
with no wanderer lost, to sit in heavenly places in
Jesus Christ.  Through him  to thee do we ascribe
the glory and the praise forever.  Amen.
XXVIII.
g/BR  fir   6fl^   ant  an,
And one of the scribes came, and having heard them rea
soning together, and perceiving that he had answered them
well, asked him, Which is the first commandment of all?
And Jesus answered him, The first of all the command
ments is, Hear, 0 Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord.
And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,
and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all
thy strength: this is the first commandment.
And the second is like, namely this, Thou shalt love thy
neighbor as thyself: there is no other commandment greater
than these. -
And the scribe said to him, Well, Master, thou hast said
the truth: for there is one God; and there is no other but he
And to love him with all the heart, and with all the under
standing, and with all the soul, and with all the strength, and
to love his neighbor as himself, is more than all whole burnt
offerings and sacrifices.
And when Jesus saw that he answered discreetly, he said to
him, Thou art not far from the kingdom of God.
O  GOD, Almighty  and All-holy, thy children,
preserved by thy goodness through the night, look




LOVE FOR  GOD AND MAN.                85
up to thee with grateful hearts, presenting their
morning tribute of prayer and praise. Grant us, O
Lord, right thoughts and feelings, that we may worship thee acceptably.  May we deeply realize that
thou art, and that thou art the rewarder of them that
diligently seek thee; that thou art not far from every
one of us, seeing that thou hast given unto all life,
and breath, and all things; that thou art a spirit,
unseen by mortal eye, but always near us, observing
all that we do, hearing every word that we utter, and
familiar with our very thoughts; and that we should
love thee with all our heart, and soul, and mind, and
strength.
We bless thee, 0 God, for all the knowledge of thy
will imparted by thy voice in nature and in our own
hearts; for thy communications to men in ancient
times by patriarchs and prophets, and especially for
the divine instruction given to us in the fulness of
time by our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.  We
bless thee that through him we have access unto the
Father; and we pray that, guided and strengthened
by our gracious Redeemer, we may more and more
steadfastly contemplate thee, the high and holy One,
who inhabitest eternity.
We thank thee that thou permittest us to call thee
Father.  May we ever be thy faithful and loving
children.  May we be drawn to thy service, and retained therein, alike by reverent fear and grateful
love.  Knowing that thou discernest all our ways,
8




86      LOVE  FOR  GOD  AND  MAN.
may we fear to sin against one so great; and receiving alike from nature and from the Gospel assurances
of thy goodness, may we with constant care shun to
offend against one so kind and bountiful.  May we
walk with thee, 0  Lord, this day.  If temptation
comes, may we meet and conquer it, not in our own
strength, but in thine. If sorrow falls to our lot,
may we meekly submit, and try to learn thy purpose
in, the affliction.  If crowned by happiness, may we
blend thankfulness to thee with humility at the
thought of our own deficiencies and sins.
0 Lord, forgive, we pray thee, our offences. Grant
us true repentance of them, and may sin no more
have dominion over us.  Deliver us from any, danger
which may now threaten us; but, above all, keep us,
0 Father, from the danger of sin, bless us day by
day, and at length take us to thyself.
We beseech thee for each other, and for all who
are dear to us, imploring for our friends the same
blessings we have besought for ourselves, and that we
may keep thy commandment in loving our neighbor
as ourselves.  May. we always be united in love
here; and at the last be admitted to that holier
world, where thy presence shall be more clearly displayed, and  where thine accepted  servants shall
rejoice before thee forever with exceeding joy. May
thy blessing be with all mankind; and unto thee,
in the holy name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, do
we ascribe all praise. Amen




DUTIES TO  OUR  FELLOW-MEN.                  87
XXIX.
dud~eg t5 0ir  gR lI  n -Mt 
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is
evil, cleave to that which is good.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in
honor preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that
weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high
things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in
your own conceits.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest
in the sight of all men.
If it be possible, as much as lieth in you live peaceably with
all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give
place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will
repay, saith the Lord.
Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
give him drink; for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire
on his head.
Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.
ALMIGHTY GOD, by whose paternal care we have
been kept through the darkness of another night, we
bless thee for the light of this day, and for all the
mercies it reveals. From thy hands we receive afresh




88     DUTIES TO  OUR FELLOW-MEN.
the lives which thou first bestowed. We enter again
into possession and enjoyment of the world which
thou didst build and furnish for our habitation. We
behold anew the faces of the friends whom thou hast
made dear.  We feel within us the motions of that
understanding which thine inspiration hath given
us.  Creator and preserver of our lives, Giver of
every good and perfect gift, we adore thy nature and
thy providence.
Consecrate now, 0 Lord, to thine own service, the
powers thou hast created, the possessions thou hast
conferred.  We dare not go forth to our labors and
enjoyments without thy direction and blessing. Shine
in so vividly upon our hearts, that nothing we behold
this day may cloud thy presence.  Draw us so near
to thyself that the world may find no room to come
between us and thee.  Fortify us by thy Spirit
against the temptations that await us, and spare us
trials greater than we can bear.
Animate us this day, 0 Lord, with the spirit and
example of-thy Son, for whom we ever bless his
Father and ours.  May his words and works, his life
and death, his commandments and promises, dwell in
our thoughts, possess our affections, and shape our
behavior.
And while we invoke his spirit, we confess our own
unworthiness.  0 Lord, suffer not our sins to hinder
our prayers; take not thy Holy Spirit from us, who
so often have grieved it. Withhold not that Saviour




USE  OF DAILY BLESSINGS.               89
we have so many times denied.  Leave us not to
ourselves.  Be kinder to us than we are to each
other, or to our own souls.
Command thy special blessing, gracious Parent,
upon this family.  Help us to dwell together in
unity and mutual helpfulness.  As parents, may we
imitate the universal Father; as children, the Son
of God.  Teach us in the government of our household to unite the goodness and the severity of God,
and incline the hearts of our children to submit to
authority and welcome instruction.
Enlarge our hearts, thou universal Parent, towards our races  We pray for all men, but especially
for those less happy than ourselves; for the poor and
oppressed, the sick and solitary. Inspire us with
reverence for humanity as made in thy likeness,
and hallowed in thy Son. Hasten our feet at its cry,
open our hand to its want, and sweeten our lips for
its consolation.
Grant, 0 God, that these the words of our mouths
may this day be established in the works of our lives;
and'thine be the glory and the praise, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.  Amen.
XXX.
The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament
showeth his handiwork.
8*




90       USE  OF  DAILY  BLESSINGS.
Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night show
eth knowledge.
There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not
heard.
Their line hath gone out through all the earth, and their
words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun,
Which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and
rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race.
His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit to the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from his heat.
The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the
testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple.
The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the
commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes.
The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether.
Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from
secret faults.
Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let
them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright,
and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.
Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my
heart, be acceptable in thy sight, 0 Lord, my strength, and
my redeemer.
GOD over all, forever blessed, we would worship
thee in reverence, and gratitude, and joy. As the sun
in the heavens doth rise and shine down upon our
dwellings, so may the light of thy truth and thy love
rise and shine upon our souls.  Thou dost bring the
dawn out of darkness; grant unto us also that true
knowledge of thee which shall enlighten us in all our




USE  OF DAILY  BLESSINGS.               91
ways.  Thou dost beset us behind and before, numbering the very hairs of our heads, giving unto us discerning minds, and offering unto us that Spirit which
maketh us truly free. Praise unto thee, thou everlasting Helper, for thine infinite compassions. May they
entreat us every day to consecrate ourselves unto
thee, and may they remind us that our life is a
solemn trust.
Known unto thee, Father, are all thy works from
the foundation of the world, —the duties, the perplexities and the joys, which are appointed for each
day of thy children's lot.  Prepare us, 0 thou, who
knowest our mortal frame, for all that shall befall us,
that in our prosperity we may not be high-minded;
that in our adversity we may be drawn very closely
unto him who pitieth us every day, and doth encompass our weakness with his almighty power.  Earnestly do we seek of thee the forgiveness of those sins
that have darkened our past lives. Enable us, in the
humblest reliance upon the only Mediator, to build
again that which is fallen down, and to walk in ways
more excellent.  Keep us from  presumptuous sins,
and cleanse us from secret faults. Establish us in
that"law of the Lord which converts the soul, and in
those statutes of the Lord which rejoice the heart.
Let there be health and peace in this dwelling. Save
us from foolish anxieties.  May we believe that the
Lord will provide.  Striving each one of us to bear
his own burden, may we do good to our brethren as




92       FAITHFULNESS  IN  DUTY.
we shall have opportunity, and freely give as we have
freely received.
We commend the young to him who, whilst he was
yet with us in bodily presence, took little children
into his loving arms.  May they feel that the gracious Lord still loveth them, and is ready to send to
their hearts the Holy Spirit of consolation and peace.
0 God, be very near to our kindred and friends. We
would ever remember them  in'our morning prayer.
0 thou, unto whom  all souls are present, hear.the
prayers of the afflicted; watch over those who travel
by land or by water, and may the sweet influences
of the Gospel gladden and redeem many hearts. We
ask it through him who is evermore the way. Amen
XXXI.
J&iful           in  lutl
Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly,
comfort the feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient
toward all men.
See that none render evil for evil to any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves and to all men.
Rejoice evermore.
Pray without ceasing.
In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in
Christ Jesus concerning you.
Quench not the Spirit.




FAITHFULNESS  IN  DUTY.                 93
Despise not prophesyings.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
Abstain from all appearance of evil.
And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray
God your whole spirit and soul and body may be preserved
blameless, to the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.
0 THOU, in whom we live, and move, and have
our being.  Unto thee, the giver of every good gift
to the body and the soul, we lift up our hearts in
gratitude and in love.  Every day would we bless
thee, and we would praise thy name for ever and ever.
We would fervently thank thee for life, for health, for
the pleasures of the senses; for the various enjoyments
of our nature; for the manifold privileges of our lot;
for the holy and tender ties which bind us to each
other; above all, for the means of spiritual progress
offered unto us by thy providence and thy grace;
for the heavenly mission of thy Son; for the sanctifying, cheering and comforting truths of his word; for
the quickening example of his life; and for all the
blessed influences which are ever flowing out from
him upon the hearts and lives of his disciples.
And now, 0  God, God and Father of our Lord
Jesus Christ, as we'enter on the duties of another day,
may we go to them in the spirit of our Master; in a
devout, pure, faithful spirit; abhorring that which is
evil, cleaving to that which is good; in love to thee,
in love to each other, in love to our neighbors, in love
to our fellow-men.  And wherever we are, whatever




94       FAITHFULNESS IN  DUTY.
we do, whatever we suffer, may we remember that
thou, God, seest us.  In all our temptations, and in
all our trials, may the thought of thy presence be as
a light to our feet and a lamp to our path. Be with
us in our daily labors, and crown them with thy blessing. May they be hallowed by fidelity, and truth, and
kindness; and may we look through them to thee, and
above them to the prize to which, in the midst of all,
thou art ever calling us from on high, through Christ
Jesus. 
O thou who knowest the secrets of all hearts, forgive us, in thine infinite mercy, the sins of the past.
Strengthen our good purposes for the future. Lead
us not into temptation, but deliver us from  evil.
Prepare us for the changes that are before us, hidden
from our sight, but known unto thee. Prepare us for
prosperity and for adversity, for health and for sickness, for life and for death.
0 thou who art our God and the God of all the
families of the earth, bless this our home, and make it
a Christian and a happy home, consecrated to thee.
Bring our souls more and more into harmony with all
truth and goodness.  Unite them to thyself in the
bonds of a filial piety, and to each other in a true
affection, and to all men in a large and tender-hearted
charity and good will; that so we may be indeed the
children of our heavenly Father, and the disciples of
him whose love was the image of thine. And through
him to thee be all glory and praise forever. Amen.




PRESERVATION FROM SIN.   95
XXXII.
rtsertatin  fram  imh
Hear, 0 my son, and receive my sayings; and the years of
thy life shall be many.
I have taught thee in the way of wisdom; I have led thee
in right paths.
When thou goest, thy steps shall not be straitened; and
when thou runnest, thou shalt not stumble.
Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her;
for she is thy life.
Enter not into the path of the wicked, and go not in the
way of evil men.
Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it, and pass away.
For they sleep not, except they have done mischief; and
their sleep is taken away, unless they cause some to fall.
For they eat the bread of wickedness, and drink the wine
of violence.
But the path of the just is as the shining light, that shineth
more and more to the perfect day.
O, HOLY FATHER, who art the author and the
giver of every good gift, we bless thee for the renewed light of this day, and for all the hopes and
opportunities which it sets before us.  We give thee
thanks that thou hast watched over us during the
past night, and kept all harm from us; and we would
show our thankfulness for the gift of life thus renewed, by dedicating that life unto thy service; We
therefore pray thee, help us each one to keep ourselves this day without sin.  Thou needest nothing at




96      PRESERVATION  FROM  SIN.
our hands; show us, therefore, how we may serve
thee, by showing us how we may serve the best interests of thy children. Banish from ourhearts, 0 God.
every selfish and unworthy thought. Give us a perfect mastery over every appetite and passion. Keep
us from the path of the wicked, and from the way of
evil men. Rule thou in our hearts, and fill us with
holy thoughts and noble desires.  Let us find in all
the duties of the day the guidance of thy grace, and
have the hope of thine acceptance.  Help us to keep
thy commandments, and fulfil for us the promise of
our Lord, that thou and he will dwell in the hearts
of them that obey thee, and make their path to shine
more and more to the perfect day.  Thus lift us by
thine indwelling presence.above the power of temptation, and let it become the joy of our lives to be coworkers with Christ and with God.
And, as we ask these blessings for ourselves, so
would we pray in behalf of those whom we love, in
behalf of our neighbors and friends, and in behalf of
all men. Let the word'of Christ become the salvation
of all nations. Give this day wisdom to every counsel of the good, courage and strength to every Christian heart, and success to every Christian effort. But
let thy good providence baffle every wicked design,
and bring evil counsels to naught. Thus hasten the
coming of the kingdom of our Lord, in whose name
we offer our prayer, beseeching thee to forgive and to
accept us, and to deal with us not according to our




FOR CHRISTIAN GROWTH.    97
feeble words or cold desires, but according to our needs,
and according to thine infinite mercy. Amen.
XXXIII.
Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord,
According as his divine power hath given unto us all things
that pertain unto life and godliness, through the knowledge
of him that hath called us to glory and virtue:
Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious
promises; that by these ye might be partakers of the divine
nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world
through lust.
And, besides this, giving all diligence, add to your faith.
virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
And to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness;
And to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly
kindness, charity.
For if these things be in you, and abound, they make you
that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge,of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Wherefore the rather, brethren, give diligence to make your
calling and election sure; for if ye do these things ye shall
never fall:
For so an entrance shall be ministered unto you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour
Jesus Christ.
O, MAKER of the world, we bless thee that the
light is sweet, and that it is a pleasant thing for the
9                    G




98      FOR  CHRISTIAN  GROWTH.
eyes to behold the sun, and that our eyes again behold
it. 0, Preserver of men, we bless thee that by night
and day thy providential care is the same. We have
laid us down and slept, because thou hast sustained
us.  We have awaked, and are still with thee.  Thou
compassest our path and our bed.  We have reposed
under the shadow of thy protection, and we have risen
up with the strength that thou hast renewed.  We
thank thee that once more we see the forms of the
world, and hear the voice of the morning. Our early
offering would be praise to thee, who alone causest us
to dwell in safety.  Unto thee will we direct our
prayer, and will look up. We would employ in an
act of worship the powers which thou hast given back
to us refreshed; that we may set forward with new
resolves, and with thy continued help.
Make us truly grateful to thee for all the blessings
that stand revealed to us in the returning light. We
thank thee that we are still among the living, the
living to praise thee with conscious faculties and active
service, as we beseech thee to grant us grace to do
this day. For every power, privilege and opportunity of good, for the sight of thy works and the experience of thy mercy, for all the bounties that we partake, and all the hopes that we cherish, we would give
thee humble and hearty thanks.  And we pray that
this gratitude may inspire an earnest purpose of
heart, leading us to strive to be less unworthy than
we now are of all thy benefits. Enlighten our dark



FOR  CHRISTIAN  GROWTH.               99
ness, O Lord, and mercifully guide our way for us,
for it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
Guard us against every evil to which we may be exposed from abroad; and may our hearts be kept above
all other keeping, since out of them are the issues of
life.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to preserve us this day without
sin.  May we be in thy fear all the day long.'Since
we know not what a single day may bring forth, prepare our minds for whatever thy will may ordain;
and since each one lays its own obligations upon us,
make us faithful to the duties of each, as its hours
are passing away.  May we not be slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving thee in the common
occupations of the world, and doing all things heartily
as unto the Lord, giving all diligence that we be not
barren or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord
Jesus Christ. May we be kind and just in our intercourse with others, and gain a more perfect rule over
our own spirits.  Keep us mindful of thy constant
presence, that we may not sin against thee.
Make this day a good day to us, by ordering the
events of it graciously. Make it good for us, whatever may betide us in it, by ordering our dispositions
and deeds aright.  May we use wisely its opportunities, and confirm ourselves in faithful habits, and
put further away besetting sins, and advance nearer
towards the fulfilment of the true ends of our being.
And so enable us to number all the days that we have




100   AGAINST WORLDLINESS.
here to live, that, when they come to an end, our
spirits may be ready, and may depart in peace, and
find forgiveness of sin, and grace with thee, through
thine infinite mercy in Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
XXXIV.
But godliness with contentment is great gain.
For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we
can carry nothing out.
And having food and raiment, let us be therewith content.
But they that will be rich fall into temptation, and a snare,
and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in
destruction and perdition.
For the love of money is the root of all evil; which, while
some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves through with many sorrows.
But thou, 0 man of God, flee these things; and follow after
righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.
Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession
before many witnesses.
I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all
things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate
witnessed a good confession,
That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ.
OUR  Father in heaven, we thank thee that thou
hast watched over us during the past night, and that




AGAINST WORLDLINESS.                101
we are preserved to behold the light of another morning, and to enter upon the duties of another day, in
circumstances so encouraging to our hearts, so full of
promise and hope.  May we feel that this great blessing of continued life is thy gift; that the strength
which we have derived from sleep is thy bestowment.
Fill our hearts with gratitude, that'we have slept in
peace and safety; that no peril has overtaken us; that
no harm has come nigh our home; and that with the
morning there have come to us means of usefulness
and growth in goodness.  We pray, our Father, that
these means of improving ourselves and of helping
others may be so used by us, that when the day shall
close we can look back upon its hours with satisfaction, and look up to thee with thankfulness. 0, may
not our hearts be pierced with many sorrows by the
consciousness of having neglected or misused these
precious opportunities of being co-workers with thee
in doing good.  May the law of love abide in our
hearts, and words of kindness be upon our lips, this
day.  As parents and children, as brothers and sisfers, as members of one household, may we be mindful of each other's wants,' careful not to wound each
other's feelings, and rejoice to make each other happy.
May we strive to lead each other to love thee, our
Father, who hast made us capable of so tenderly loving
each other.
We pray that we may carry this spirit of love and
good will into all our intercourse with those around
9*




102      AGAINST WORL DLINESS.
us. May we seek to promote kindness, forbearance,
forgiveness, among our companions and friends. May
we seek opportunities of doing good. May we feel
that there are none so young that they cannot be useful and good, and make others happy; that none are
so old that they may not make life attractive by
patience and gentleness; that none are so strong that
they do not need sympathy and the help of others.
Wherever we are, and whatever we do, may we feel
that thou art with us, and may this sense of thy
presence keep us from sin, and inspire us to faithfulness.  May we not be eager for worldly things, for
honor, and fame, and riches; but, having food and
raiment, may we be content, seeking to do well what
we find to do, to provide for our temporal comfort
without show and excess, to guard against foolish and
hurtful lusts, and to follow after righteousness and
godliness, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus
Christ.  Thus may we witness a good profession, and
fight the good fight of faith, and lay hold on eternal
life.
Father, we pray that thou wilt. bless our kindred
and friends from whom we are separated. If they are
sick, heal them; if they are in trouble, deliver them;
if they are needy, supply their wants; if they are
prospering, fill their hearts with gratitude, and a
sense of their dependence upon thee.
We pray not for these alone.  Our Father, we
seek thy blessing for all men, our brethren. May




FOR  DILIGENCE.                   103
the ignorant be enlightened; the sinful, converted;
the oppressed, liberated; till everywhere, all over the
earth, thy children shall know thee and love thee,
Fountain of all good, Giver of all blessings, to whom
be thanksgiving forever through Jesus Christ our
Saviour. Amen.
XXXV.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all children of light, and children of the day: we
are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch
and be sober.
For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that are
drunken, are drunken in the night.
But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the
breastplate of love; and for a helmet, the hope of salvation.
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we
should live together with him.
Wherefore, comfort yourselves together, and edify one
another, even as also ye do.
OUR FATHER who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name.  Thy kingdom  come.  Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven.




104           FOR  DILIGENCE..
Thanks we give to thee for the sleep and rest of the
past night. Filled with new vigor, we rejoice in the
waking hour; and with the return of consciousness
we would recognize thee ever present and blessing
us.  The world is filled with thy glory; and the
great providence is the manifestation of thy goodness;
and here at the family altar, here especially, would
we render to thee unfeigned thanks for thy care of
each one of us. Impress us with the thought of our
entire dependence upon thee. Every pulsation of our
hearts, every thought of our minds, every feeling
of our souls, every breath and sensation, are so many
witnesses to thy quickening Spirit.  We live, and
move, and have our being, in thee.
O God, help us to understand the great significance
of life; created in thine image, and called to be
fellow-laborers with thee, and taught to aspire to
glory, honor and immortality, aid us, we beseech
thee, to comprehend such a privilege and destiny, and
to press forward to it with the awakened and resolute
powers of our souls.  This day may we be wise.
sober, and diligent. May the powers of the world to
come touch the springs of present action. 0, may we
make no work for repentance, ever mindful that as
we sow we must reap.  Warned of sin and its dreadful consequences, may we abhor evil and cleave to
that which is good, looking with prayerful hope to the
open heavens, and arming ourselves to engage with
vigor in thy service.




FOR  SELF-CONTROL.               105
Bless each one of us before thee.  May peace and
love fill this home with grateful happiness. May we
be wise unto salvation. Lead the young in paths of
innocence; cheer the days of old age; and guide all
hearts to thee.
0 Thou, who didst, so love the world as to give
thine only Son to reclaim man from  sin, and open
before him the way of life, we thank thee that thou
hast appointed us to obtain salvation through our Lord
Jesus Christ.  Convinced of our need of a Saviour,
may we seek and find Christ, hear his word, obey his
precepts, and have him formed and living in our
hearts.  This day may we be children of the light,
Christians in every thought and deed, and come one
day's journey nearer to a glorious and blessed immortality; so that the day of our death, even should it be
this day, may not overtake us as a thief, and whether
we wake or sleep we may live with Christ.
Graciously hear us, 0 Father of our spirits, for
thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory,
forever. Amen.
XXXVI.
My son, attend to my words; incline thy ear to my sayings.
Let them not depart from thy eyes; keep them in the
midst of thy heart.




106          FOR  SELF-CONTROL.
For they are life to those that find them, and health to all
their flesh.
Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the
issues of life.
Put away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse lips put
far from thee.
Let thy eyes look right on, and let thy eyelids look straight
before thee.
Ponder the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established.
Turn not to the right hand nor to the left: remove thy
foot from evil.
ETERNAL GOD, we adore thee as the sovereign
Lord over all beings and in all worlds.  None can
dispute thy authority, resist thy will, or deny thy
right to reign supreme.  But we rejoice and are comforted to know that thy power is not more absolute
than are thy wisdom and thy goodness, and that thy
mercy endureth forever.
O  God, grateful for thy continual care, we would
feel that it is our duty and our happiness alike to submit ourselves to thy will. 0, teach us to obey thee as
we ought. Let not the evil that is in our own hearts,
nor the evil that is in the world around us, beguile us
to our ruin.  May we keep thy sayings in the midst
of our heart, remembering that we can be safe, innocent and happy, only as we are guided, controlled and
disposed of, according to thy holy will.' Be thou,
O God, our counsellor, guardian, sanctifier, and comforter. With filial reverence, gratitude and love, we




FOR SELF-CONTROL.                107
would commit to thee the keeping of our souls, as
to a faithful Creator, who does all things well, and
cannot lay upon man more than is right.
If it be our lot this day to endure hardship, loss
or pain, to be wounded in our affections, or injured in
our interests, then, 0 Father of mercies, do thou
help us to keep our hearts with all diligence, and in
patience to possess our souls. Blessed by thee in all
time past, we would never repine at thy chastisements, or doubt thy future care and kindness. Let
not one murmuring thought or feeling arise within
us in the hour of our chastening. But may the sorrows we experience be mitigated by the remembrance
of all thy past mercies, and soothed by the hope of
good yet to come after sorrow may have purified and
made us better. If the events of this day shall be
conducive to our prosperity, replete with joy, and our
hearts exult in the attainment of some good we have
desired, then, 0 Father, may thy Holy Spirit graciously move each better feeling within us, prompt
us to render the thanks due for thy merciful goodness
to us, and repress every impulse which might tend
to convert to evil what is designed for our improvement.  Thus may we use all sublunary things with
pious wisdom, nor turn to the right hand nor to the
left in the path of thy service.
Great God, we beseech thy blessing on us and on
all who are dear to us. Let this be a day well spent.
May the light of thy presence shine around our paths.




108         MUTUAL  AFFECTION.
Let thy peace dwell in our hearts. Let integrity and
justice, truth and innocence, purity and charity, distinguish and adorn our characters.  May we honor
Christ before men by a conduct consistently Christian.  To thee, 0 Father, we yield ourselves, to be
thine now and forever. Amen.
XXXVII.
clutupl 1nfftifbi.
Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth,
but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may
minister grace to the hearers.
And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are
sealed to the day of redemption.
Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and
evil-speaking, be put away from you, with all malice:
And be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving
one another, even as God for Christ's ~ake hath forgiven you
ALMIGHTY GOD, it is owing to thee that we have
been preserved through the past night. It is through
thy goodness that we have been refreshed with sleep,
and that our eyes are now opened to the light of another day.  Accept, we beseech thee, our grateful
praise; and grant that this day we may be upheld
by thy power, and led by thy hand, and kept from
danger, from sin, and from pain. With the return of
each morning may our thoughts and affections rise to
thee'; and as one day succeeds another, so may our




SUBMISSION  AND  PEACE.               109
love to thee be perpetually renewed in our hearts,
and our service of thee be constant.
Help us, O God and Father, to love one another.
Let thy love be shed abroad upon this family, and
may each member of the same walk in the light of
thy favor.  May children know thee to be their God,
and their father's God; and may they seek thy blessing as their greatest happiness, and make it their first
duty and find it their highest pleasure to keep thy
commandments.
O God, we commit our ways to thee.  To thee we
commend all whom we love.  Be with them and with
us, by day and by night, in sorrow and in joy, in
time and in eternity. Forgive us all our sins, and
accept us freely through Jesus Christ our Lord and
Saviour. Amen.
XXXVIII.
OUTTm  HffIT m4       t tart.
My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be
weary of his correction:
For whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father
the son in whom he delighteth.
Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that
getteth understanding.
For the merchandise of it is better than the merchandise of
silver, and the gain of it than fine gold.
She is more precious than rubies: and all the things thou
canst desire are not to be compared to her.
10




110      SUBMISSION AND  PEACE.
Length of days is in her right hand; and in her left hand
riches and honor.
Her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are
peace.
ALMIGHTY and eternal God, our Creator, Preserver
and Benefactor, we desire to begin this day with the
acknowledgment of thy power and goodness, and of
our obligation to love and serve thee; and we beseech
thee to grant us grace to pass the whole of it in thy
fear, and in the fulfilment of thy commandments.
0 Lord, enable us diligently to perform our respective duties. Let us not waste our time, nor be unfaithful to any trust. Let us have the testimony of our
consciences that in simplicity and sincerity we have
our conversation in the world. Let truth be ever on
our lips. May we perform a kind and Christian part
to all who come within our influence.
We also beseech thee to give us patience to bear
the several trials and vicissitudes of life with an
equal and contented mind.  Let us not be perplexed
with the cares of this world, nor overwhelmed with
unnecessary fears; but let us ever trust thy gracious
providence, and hope in thy goodness and mercy.
Bless unto us the afflictive circumstances through
which we may pass. May we see thy hand in all thy
various dispensations, and know that if we truly love
and serve thee all things shall work together for our
good.
While we recognize thy loving-kindness in the fair




DOMESTIC  RELATIONS.                  11l
scenes through which we walk, and amid the bounties
of thy liberal hand, may we feel that our trials come
from the same infinite goodness from which our blessings flow; may we not be weary of thy correction,
nor ever doubt thy love.
We commend to thy fatherly care all our friends
and relations.  We pray for the rising generation;
that thou wouldst be their hope, their refuge, and
their strength. Hear the cry of the sick, and the
aged, and the afflicted; and grant help and peace to
all thy needy and dependent creatures, and pardon
to sinful and sinning men, through Jesus Christ our
Saviour. Amen.
XXXIX..Am ntit gdnat1*0115
I write unto you, little children, because your sins are forgiven you for his name's sake.
I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that
is from the beginning. I write unto you, young men, because ye have overcome the wicked one. I write unto you,
little children, because ye have known the Father.
I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known
him that is from the beginning. I have written unto you,
young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one.
Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world.
If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in
him.




112        DOMESTIC RELATIONS.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but
is of the world.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he
that doeth the will of God abideth forever.
0 THOU that hast placed the solitary in families,
and made our domestic relations  so  tender  and
blessed, unto thee we gather at the beginning of this
day.  Amid the dark and silent watches of the night
our eyes have been closed, and we have rested in
refreshing sleep under thine all-present and everwakeful care. Peace and safety have been within our
habitation; and with renewed strength we, thy children, come to thee with our thanksgivings, confessions,
and prayers.
We thank thee, 0 God, for all the blessings, personal, domestic and social, which we enjoy.  We
thank thee for health, and soundness of body and
mind; for the delights of home; for the blessed bonds
which bind us together; for the tender friendships we
have formed, and the kind friends thou hast given us;
and for the innocent recreation and pleasures which
relieve the labors of life. But, above all, we thank
thee for the gift of thy Son Jesus Christ; for his
spotless life and his divine example; for his death
endured for us;  for his glorious resurrection and
ascension; and for all the spiritual light and instruction, aid dnd guidance, rich promises and precious
hopes, of his Gospel.




DOMESTIC RELATIONtS.               113
Forgive us, 0 our Father, that we have not cherished the gratitude due for all thy mercies; that we
have too often:forgotten the great Giver; that we have
surrendered so often and so easily to temptation; that
we have been so disobedient to thy laws; that we
have been so deficient in the true spirit of thy children, rendering at times not only. evil for evil, but
evil for good, and living too exclusively for the world
and the things of the world.  Help us, gracious and
holy Being, in our repentance, that it may bring
forth in us the good fruits of amendment unto everlasting life.
While Zthis day encircled in the embrace of our beloved home, may our affection for.one another be sanctified by an abiding love of thyself and of thy Son; so
that we may aid one another on earth in whatever will
make us acceptable to thee, and fit us to enter and dwell
together in heaven.  When separated to our various
cares and duties, may thy Holy Spirit enable us to
be true to our obligations unto thee, faithful to our
engagements, just and diligent in our use of time.
conscientious in improving our talents and privileges,
May we be forbearing and patient under provocation:
gentle and generous in our tempers; inflexible in
every good purpose; and alike through good report
and evil' report firm and resolved in our adherence to
rectitude and truth.  May we always bear in mind
that thine all-seeing eye is upon us) and that thou
judgest not as man judgeth, but judgest the heart.
10o               H




114    TRIUMPH  OF THE  GOSPEL.
May we be, therefore, pure in heart, shunning even
the appearance of evil, and growing this day and
every day in the divine life, according to the perfect
pattern of our blessed Saviour.
We pray, heavenly Father, that thou wouldst send
down thy best and choicest blessings upon our kindred
and friends; and that our friends may be the friends
of our God, and. true disciples of thy Son. Bless
thy church universal. Pity the poor and the afflicted.
Heal the sick. Strengthen the weak and the tempted.
Deliver the oppressed. Reclaim the sinner. Hasten
the time when all men shall know thee the one living
and true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.
All which we ask through him who hath taught us
in praying unto thee to say,
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in
earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread.  And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our
debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver
us from  evil. For thine is the kingdom, and the
power, and the glory, forever. Amen."
XL.
For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared
to all men,




TRIUMPH  OF THE  GOSPEL.                 115
Teaching us, that denying ungodliness, and worldly lusts,
we should live soberly, righteously, and piously, in this present world;
Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing
of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ;
Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all
iniquity, and purify to himself a peculiar people, zealous of
good works.
These things speak, and exhort, and rebuke with all authority. Let no man despise thee.
0 THou who alone hearest prayer, and unto whom
all flesh should come, in the name and as the disciples
of Jesus Christ, whom thou hearest alway, and with
whom  thou art ever well pleased, we would present
ourselves before thee this morning, and in the spirit
and with the confidence of children would offer thee
our humble sacrifice of prayer and praise.
We thank thee, 0 thou preserver of men, for thy
kind and paternal care of us during the silent and
defenceless hours of the last night. We would rejoice
in the pleasant light of another morning. We thank
thee for the providence that preserves our lives, for
the food that nourishes our bodies, for the relationships that cheer and gladden our hearts, and, above
all, for the religion that animates and confirms our
hopes. Continue these blessings to us, give us grace
to improve them aright, and make us worthy of enjoying them.
Help us to realize our dependence upon thee for all
the privileges, blessings and comforts, of this life, and




116J   TRIUMPH  OF TH1n  GOSPEL.
for all the hopes and prospects of a better.  May we
improve the blessings of a common providence, as the
gifts of a munificent Benefactor; and our Christian
privileges, as the exceeding riches of thy grace in thy
kindness towards us, through Jesus Christ.  To this
end may we receive with meekness the engrafted word,
which is able to save our souls.  Help us to open our
minds and hearts to the light and influence of the
truth as it is in Jesus, thanking thee that'thy grace,
which bringeth salvation, hath appeared to us in
him.
We supplicate thy presence, protection and blessing,
during the day on which we have entered.  Spread
over us the wing' of an ever guardian providence, and
shield us from every danger and from every casualty.
Prosper us in every lawful undertaking, and bring us
to the close of the day still surrounded with thy mercies, and still among the living to praise thee.
We look to thee for a blessing upon the inhabitants
of this town, and all our towns.  We pray for those
who are languishing on beds of sickness, and have
wearisome days and nights assigned them.  Comfort
all who mourn with the consolations of the Gospel,
which hath abolished death, and brought life and
immortality to light.  Show thyself to be a Father
of all the fatherless, the Judge and husband of the
widow, the rod and staff of the aged, who tremble on
the edge of the grave. Give repentance unto sinners;
give comfort, confidence and hope, to the penitent; and




DAILY  VIRTUES.                 11:
bring all to the knowledge and obedience of the trutn,
that they may be saved. Denying ungodliness and
worldly lusts, may they live soberly, righteously and
piously, in this present world; looking for' that
blessed hope, the glorious appearance of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
And wilt thou hasten the time when the mild and
pacific principles of the Gospel of Jesus' Christ shall
take possession of all hearts, and unite the whole family of mankind in one great brotherhood, where there
shall be no contest but for a crown of glory; no strife
but to excel'in deeds:of benevolence, philanthropy
and charity; no triumph but the triumph of truth;
when the last universal empire shall be the empire of
the Prince of peace, of the increase of whose government, and the duration of whose reign, there shall be
no end.  Thus throughout the world may'he redeem
from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar
people, zealous of good works.  And unto thee, the
ever-living and only true God, through Jesus Christ
would we ascribe everlasting praise. Amen.
XLI.
Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which. is
evil; cleave to that which is good.




118              DAILY  VIRTUES.
Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love
in honor preferring one another;
Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the
Lord;
Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing
instant in prayer;
Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality.
Bless them who persecute you; bless, and curse not.
Rejoice with them that rejoice, and weep with them that
weep.
Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high
things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in
your own conceits.
Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest
in the sight of all men.
If it is possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with
all men.
Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place
to wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay,
saith the Lord.
Therefore if thy enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst,
give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire
on his head.
Be not overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
MOST High and Mighty Lord, our God, to thee
we owe again  the pleasant light of the  sun, the
renewed strength of the morning, and the hopes of
day.  How  benevolent is thy providence, and how
rich is thy grace!  In  thy light may we see light,
and walk as children of the day, and shun all the
works of darkness. Let it please thee to take us, and
all things belonging to us, this day under thy fatherly




DAILY VIRTUES.                  119'
care, and guide and bless us in all our ways.  May
we bear on our hearts a grateful sense of thy many
mercies; and may we love as well as fear thee. May
we suffer no cloud of unbelief or sin to come over us
this day, to darken the sunlight of thy love.
Help us, 0 God, to improve our time and opportunities as gifts from  thee.   Make us diligent in
business, fervent in spirit, serving the Lord. Aid us
in keeping the body pure as the temple of the soul.
and in consecrating the soul as the shrine of thine
indwelling Spirit. Sanctify all our aims and wishes
by a filial submission to thy holy will.  May thine
exceeding peace rule in our hearts; and may we possess our souls in the patience of faith and hope.
Endue us more and more, -we pray thee, with the
spirit of thy blessed Son, that we may dwell in him.
and through him  in thee, that we all may be one.
Knowing that our life is but a vapor, may we so
number our days as to apply our hearts unto wisdom.
Prosper us as thou seest best in our lawful undertakings, but above all fit and prepare us, by all we do or
suffer, for the everlasting blessedness of heaven. Forgive us our sins, and wean our hearts from them, that
we may sin no more.  As we go forth to the cares
and labors of this day, may we carry the spirit of our
blessed faith into every scene, and may it be a bright
and beautiful light around our daily paths. In forbearance, generosity, sympathy and brotherly love,
may we have our walk with our fellow-men, and may




120          SUNDAY  MO  NIN G.
our example and influence be a blessing to all whom
we may meet.
Most merciful God, may thy blessing rest on this
household, and on all our absent friends. Take under
thy benign. care the poor, the sick, the afflicted, the
oppressed and the dying, and let the deliverance of
the Gospel come unto all men our brethren.  These
things we ask.and'offer in the name, which is above
every name, of Jesus Christ thy well-beloved Son.
Amen.
XLII.
Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will enter them,
and I will praise the Lord:
This gate of the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter.
I will praise thee: for thou hast heard me, and art become
my salvation.
The stone which the builders refused is become the head
stone of the corner.
This is the Lord's doing; it is wonderful in our eyes.
This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice
and be glad in it.
Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: we
have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.
God is the Lord, who hath shown us light: bind the
sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar.
Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God,
I will exalt thee.




SUNDAY  MORNING.                121
O give thanks to the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy
endureth forever.
OUR FATHER who art in heaven, again the sun
has risen at thy command.  Through thine unsleeping providence, refreshed by slumber, we stand upon
the threshold of another day,-a day of rest, of meditation, of worship, and of prayer.  May it be sanctified in the outward observance; and in spirit, and in
truth. Let that holy light, of which the sun shining
in the firmament is but a dim symbol, dawn upon our
souls, dispelling unhallowed thoughts, revealing thy
glorious presence, and leading us onward to that better life upon which, through thy grace, may we enter.
May this day, by the use which we make of its opportunities, by the answers of peace which it brings
to our prayers, by the cleansing influences which it
dispenses, prove a day never to be forgotten, a day
worth ten thousand spent in the ways of the world.
O God, our Maker, who alone canst give us the
light we need, unseal our spiritual yision. Make' us
to discern the greatness which this day commemorates.
It speaks of thine abundant mercy; of that best gift
of thine, thy holy child Jesus, who appeared among
men in the power of thy Spirit, and in the fulness of
thy divinity, and in whom the world saw the glory as
of thy only-begotten Son.  Glad tidings of great
joy he brought from heaven to earth.  Teach us the
value of those' gracious messages, that we may know
how to thank thee, and that the hymns and praises
1I




122          SUNDAY  MORNING.
that we sing this day may be the prompting and the
tribute of our souls.
0 God, let our faith be not in word only, but in
power.  May the spirit of thy Son be our spirit, the
spring of our conduct, giving us strength to avoid
every form of evil, and to cleave, amidst all temptations, to thy law.  Thus open to us the gates of
righteousness, that we may enter therein and praise
the Lord.  Then shall we know its priceless worth,
when we have once tasted, by personal experience, of
the heavenly gift.  Then shall we bring no dead offering, but a living sacrifice, and our praises shall rise
like incense up to the throne of God, and thou,
ever more ready to give than we are to ask, wilt
delight to  pour down upon  us more abundant
measures of truth and holiness.  So by true spiritual
worship, by the private meditations and the public
services of this day, may we go from grace to grace,
and from strength to strength, until we stand forever
in thy presence.
Merciful Father, we mourn that these our best
desires are so faint; that we are so fondly attached to
the things that perish, to the lust of the eyes and the
pride of life; so seldom and so faintly impressed with
the guilt of our ingratitude and disobedience, and that
we live so willingly without God and a true hope.
Increase our sorrow for our unworthiness, and make
it that godly sorrow which will quicken us to instant
and thorough amendment.  Encompass our minds




SUNDAY MORNING.                  123
this day with thoughts of heaven. Give thine angels
charge concerning us, that our feet may never more
stumble, that we may run with patience the race that
is set before us, in the straight and narrow way, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith.
0 come, thou Spirit of truth, come and take up thine
abode evermore in our souls!  Be the life of our
lives, a fountain springing up within us to everlasting
life, that we may never thirst again, and that these
waste places, our hearts, may become like the garden
of the Lord!
Almighty God, may thy kingdom  be advanced in
all hearts this day.  We pray for our brethren of
every order and denomination.  Dwell in the midst
of all worshipping people. Let not this day be abused
into an occasion of selfish indulgence, but may men
hearken to the strong cries of their immortal souls,
and be fed this day with bread from heaven.  May
the truth as it is in Jesus be everywhere faithfully
proclaimed and received into honest and good minds,
where it shall spring up and bring forth the immortal
fruits of holy living. Send its blessed consolations
into afflicted souls; let it bind up the broken-hearted,
and give liberty to the captive.  May it be like a
sword to pierce the hearts of the thoughtless and
rebellious; and let all who profess and call themselves Christians depart from iniquity, and lead godly
and peaceable lives, glorifying thy Son, and thee the
God and Father of all.  To -thee shall be the praise
for ever and ever.  Amen.




124           SUNDAY MORNING.
XLII1.
God be merciful to us, and bless us; and cause his face to
shine upon us.
That thy way may be known upon earth, thy saving health
among all nations.
Let the people praise thee, 0 God; let all, the people praise
thee. 
0 let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou wilt
judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon
earth.
Let the people praise thee, 0 God; let all the people praise
thee.
Then shall the earth yield her increase.; and God, even our
own God, will bless us.
God will bless us, and all the ends of the earth shall fear
him.
GOD of the Sabbath, we thank thee for this day
of sacred rest.  We welcome it with grateful hearts.
Wearied with the cares and duties of another week,
we need its calm  repose, its holy quiet.  May it be
a sacred season to us all, a sabbath of the soul.
May our bodies and spirits be refreshed.  May this
blessed day come freighted with good for our souls.
While it reminds us of the blessings of the past week,
may it also speak to us of Christ, whose resurrection
sanctifies it, and makes it holy to Christian faith.
0, that the spirit of the risen Saviour might penetrate our hearts' that we might rise with him above




SUNDAY,   MORNING.;              125
all that is low, and gross, impure and sinful, and sit
with him in heavenly places this day! 0, that his
love might fill our hearts, and mould our spirits,' and
color -every thought of our minds, and every act of
our lives! Forgive us that we do not open our hearts
more fully to his spirit and truth.  Forgive us for
every violation of that spirit during the past week.
And now that a new week has opened upon us, now
while'we stand upon its threshold, help us' to consecrate ourselves afresh to thy service.
We'thank thee for all our Christian privileges.
May we improve them wisely.  We thank thee for
the Bible.  Make us to understand its teachings; to
love its sacred truths.  Aid us to a clear knowledge
of the office and mission of thy Son. May we read his
words with an understanding heart and an applying
conscience.  May the divine truths that fell from his
lips dwell in our hearts by faith.  May we love
them; obey them; feed upon them as the bread of
heaven.
We thank thee for the opportunities of public worship. May we go to the house of prayer this day with
a reverent and worshipful spirit. May our thoughts
and our' conversation be such as become the Gospel.
Save us from  making our Father's house a house
of merchandise.  Make it indeed the house of God,
and the gate of heaven to our souls.  In sincerity
and in truth let the people praise thee, 0 God, let
all the people praise thee, that God may bless us,
11*




126         SUNDAY MORNING.
that thy saving health may be known among the
nations.
Bless, we pray thee, our minister.  May he be a
true minister of Jesus Christ. May he be filled with
the Master's spirit. May he be faithful in applying
Christian truth to the sins of our own times, and of our
own hearts.  May he not shun to declare the whole
counsel of God.  May he speak the truth in love.
May he win souls to Christ. May his words this day
be fruitful of good to the souls of his flock; and may
we all, pastor and people, be laborers together in our
respective spheres of duty for the advancement of the
Redeemer's kingdom.
Bless our Sunday-school.  May it be a true school
of Christ.  May it lead children to the Saviour, and
fill their young hearts with his love.  Bless the
teachers. May they feel the sacred character of their
work.  May its sacredness not discourage but inspire
them.  May they never grow weary in well-doing,
but diligently scatter the good seed in faith and
prayer.
Bless all the ministers of Christian faith and love
everywhere.   lay the living word have free course,
and be glorified, until all evil, wrong and sin, shall
cease; until thy kingdom shall come, and thy will be
done on earth as it is done in heaven, and thy way
shall be known upon the earth, thy saving health
among all nations. This we pray in the name of thy
beloved Son. Amen.




SUNDAY  MORNING.                   127
XLIV.
How amiable are thy tabernacles, 0 Lord of hosts.
My soul longeth, and even fainteth for the courts of the
Lord; my heart and my flesh crieth out for the living God.
0 Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer: give ear, 0 God of
Jacob.
Behold, 0 God our shield, and look upon the face of thy
anointed.
For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I would
rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell
in the tents of wickedness.
For the Lord. God is a sun and shield  the Lord will give
grace and glory: no good will he withhold from them that
walk uprightly.
0 Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee.
ALMIGHTY GOD, our Heavenly Father, fill our
hearts with joy that the light of another sacred day
has risen upon us; a day of rest from  our usual
labors, a day of repose from our usual cares. How
pleasant is this light to our eyes! how grateful is
this rest to our hearts!  Thou hast, in thy great
goodness, our Father, caused this day to be set apart
for worship, for religious meditation and spiritual
communion.  May its sacred hours be precious to us,
and may we so improve them as to make a Sabbathday's journey heavenward.
Aid us, Heavenly Father, as we study thy word,
as we meditate upon thy truth at home.  May we




128         SUNDAY  MORNIN.G.
be comforted and strengthened by the promises con
tained in the Gospel of thy Son.  May we desire
to partake more and more of his spirit; to be conformed more and more to his likeness; to become one
with him as he is one with thee.  We thank thee for
the words of truth which he spake; for the life of
holiness which he lived; and for the death of triumph
which he died.  May we be inspired with a. deeper
love of goodness as we read of his'works of patience,
and trust, and self-sacrifice; and, as we remember
that this day is made dear to our hearts by his resurrection from the dead, may our faith in the future
life be strengthened; may the spiritual world become
to us a reality, since he has entered it.
Go with us, our Father, as we go to thy house to
worship thee, with thy people.  May we enter thy
courts with thanksgiving, and thy gates with praise.
May we bear to thine house the sacrifice of grateful
and penitent hearts.  And may those who worship
with us worship in spirit and in truth.  May we all
leave our worldly cares behind us, and during the
season of worship may our whole hearts be in communion with thee.
Give thy grace to the preacher of thy word, that
he may so conduct the services of thy house as to
make them a joy to our souls.  May our pastor be
helped by thee in the discharge of his arduous and
responsible duties. Give him deep insight into thy
truth.  Give him a fervent spirit, that he may speak




SUNDAY MORNING.                129
thy truth with power. And to all who hear give
teachable, devout hearts, so that all thy people may
offer to thee acceptable service this day. Revive, 0
our Father, pure and undefiled religion in this congregation. Arouse the church to a sense of their great
obligations to live soberly, righteously and godly, so
that others shall take knowledge of them that they
have been with Jesus, and thus be won from sin to
holiness.  May worldliness and coldness and indolence disappear, and may thy people give themselves for a triumphant conflict with sin and ignorance.
And may a knowledge of the truth as it is in
Jesus be spread abroad in all the churches in all the
world.  May those who love thee labor to send a
knowledge of thee to those who know thee not. May
those who now worship idols which their own hands
have made, soon be taught to worship thee, the only
living and true God. May the time be hastened
when thy kingdom shall come and thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven, and thy name, 0 Father,
shall have the praise through Jesus Christ evermore.
Amen.
I








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EVENING- PRAYERS.
l        r lnr.
The Lord hear thee in the day of trouble; the name of the
God of Jacob defend thee.
Send thee help from the sanctuary, and strengthen thee out
of Zion.
Remember all thy offerings, and accept thy burnt sacrifice
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy
counsel.
We will rejoice in thy salvation, and in the name of our
God we will set up our banners: the Lord fulfil all thy
petitions.
Now know I that the Lord saveth his anointed: he will
hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his
right hand.
Some trust in chariots, and some in horses: but we will
remember the name of the Lord our God.
ETERNAL GOD, Father of the family on earth and
in heaven, we bless thee for our homes, and for the
countless mercies which surround us now as we bring
our evening offering to thine altar.  Thou dost set
12




134         THE SURE DEFENCE.
the solitary in families, and it is thy love that inspires
every true human affection. Thou hast ordained all
the precious relations of the household. Thou hast
established the ties of husband and wife, parent and
child, brother and sister, and these ties are truly
blessed when consecrated by thy grace.  Enable us,
O Lord, to bring all our thoughts, affections and
purposes, to thee, and to order our whole plan of life
within the courts of thy kingdom.
Teach us to look to thee for light and strength in
the least and the greatest of our duties, that the
whole round of our existence may be ruled by thy
truth, and that our whole being may centre in thy
love.  May we learn to rule our children by ruling
our own tempers through a divine faith, and thus
bring the strength of heavenly grace to work upon
their wayward impulses. Open thou within our household the springs of spiritual life, and may we all, both
young and old, day by day, refresh ourselves by the
living water.  In our home may we rejoice to give
the cheerfulness and strength of our affections to the
service of religion, and deem no day so dark as that
which shuts out the light of.God from our souls, or
closes our minds to the love unspeakable that dwells
in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Help us, O God, to remember wisely the former
times; to gather cheerful wisdom from  the remembrance of the by-gone years; to cherish with tender
faith and affection the memory of departed kindred and




LOOKING  UP.                   135
friends, and from our experience of vicissitude and
decay win new motives to hope and fidelity in years
to come.
We pray for our friends now absent, and bless thee
that all who love thy truth are in one favored fellowship, in one spiritual household, wherever they jour
ney.  Into  that household lead us ever in more
close and hallowed relations.  Grant that even now
our earthly home may open into heavenly mansions.
And as we now rely on thy defence, and in thy name
set up our banners, may we rejoice that the Lord
sendeth help, and strengtheneth out of Zion, and will
remember all our offerings and accept our evening
sacrifice. To thy holy name'be all glory forever.
Amen.
II.
Unto thee, 0 Lord, do I lift up my soul.
0 my God, I trust in thee: let me not be ashamed; let not
mine enemies triumph over me.
Yea, let none that wait on thee be ashamed: let them, be
ashamed which transgress without cause.
Show me thy ways, 0 Lord; teach.me thy paths.
Lead me in thy truth, and teach me: for thou art the God
of my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day.
Remember, 0 Lord, thy tender mercies, and thy lovingkindnesses; for they have been ever of old.
Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions:




136              LOOKING  UP.
according to thy mercy remember thou me, for thy goodness'
sake, 0 Lord.
Good and upright is the Lord: therefore will he teach sinners in the way.
The meek will he guide in judgment, and the meek will he
teach his way.
All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such
as keep his covenant and his testimonies.
FATHER, the day which thou hast given us is
spent.  We thank thee for the good which it hath
borne to us, and for the quietness with which it is
closed. For the strength and the.health which we
have enjoyed, for the powers and the opportunities of
labor, and for the fruit growing and gathered of our
efforts, we render thanks to thee. From thee cometh
all; by thee the whole is preserved continually; to
thee let each return.  When through the day perils
have been near us more than we could see, only thy.
power hath saved us.  When joys have gathered
over us, these are thine, and the feeling of thy love
is their crown.   Father, we thank thee for thy
gifts.
O Thou, to whom the depths of our hearts are open,
we need not declare the sins which thou seest, and
which we mourn.  We would not forget the beauty
of the soul even in us; through all stains and defilements help us to perceive thine image in which man
is made, that we may know thee with us and in us,
that we may feel the unspeakable worth of our being




LOOKING  UP.                  137
and that we may be raised through love and sorrow
to repentance, to purity, to communion with thee.
Whatever in the unceasing currents of our thought,
whatever in the changing excitements of our feeling,
whatever in our words spoken or suppressed, in our
deeds done or omitted, contrary to the conscience of
good, darkening to the soul, unkind to thy children,
disobedient.to thee, strengthen us to see with clear
insight, incline us to confess with free penitence,
quicken us to throw from  us hereafter and forever.
Thou askest neither penance nor sacrifice; thou
puttest us not in anger away from  thee; thy mercy
is near to us every hour; greater than the number or
the guilt of our sins is the love in which thou dost
call and welcome the sorrowing soul.  Father, we
come unto thee; thy peace is over us, an infinite
Sabbath.
Thine hath been the day; thine is now the night.
While thou art opening other lands and seas to the
beams of thy rising sun, thou hast brought to us the
hour of its decline. In stillness thy twilight has come
and gone; in stillness thy night is passing, thy stars
are shining, thy creatures are at rest. Now that we
lay us down to sleep, we trust ourselves to thy care.
Pour through us gentle and refreshing influence. If
it be thy will that we live through these hours, protected only by thee, prepare us for truer and holier
service on the morrow.  Even if our waking should
be where this sun of ours cometh not from  its east,
12*




138          GOD  OUR  PORTION.
we would not fear; thou art with us; take thou
these waiting souls.
Soon the last evening shall spread over us from
thee.  Father, may we be ready.  We have wept for
the dear ones whom thou hast withdrawn from us;
our eyes shall overflow with new joy that thou keepest
them in safety and peace. They live in thee; may
we live in thee the short day we are spending on
earth; may we live in thee through the life which
transcends earth and overcomes death. With the great
multitude which no man can number, of all nations,
and kindred, and people, and tongues, standing before
the throne and before the Lamb, may we join the
loud voice - Salvation to our God who sitteth upon
the throne, and unto the Lamb! Amen.
III.
62h m  lor  ortx
The day is thine, the night also is thine: thou hast prepared the light and the sun.
I am continually with thee: thou hast held me by my
right hand.
Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive
me to glory.
Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon
earth that I desire besides thee.
My flesh and my heart faileth: but God is the strength of
my heart, and my portion forever.




GOD OUR PORTION.                  139
For lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast
destroyed all them that go astray from thee.
But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my
trust in the Lord God, that I may declare thy works.
O LORD GOD, Father of all Mercies, we desire to
offer up to thee, before we seek repose, our evening
sacrifice of prayer and praise.  We bless thee for
thy goodness to us during the past day, and we
beseech thee to continue to us thy gracious protection
during this night.  Thou sustainest us, though we
see thee not.  Whom have we in heaven but thee?
Whom on earth shall we desire beside thee?  Thou
art our support in trouble; our guide in difficulty;
our best consolation in time of sickness; our only
refuge in the hour of death.
Thou knowest our ways and our hearts.  Pardon,
we beseech thee, whatever evil we have said, or
thought, or done, this day. Teach us continually to
examine our hearts by the light of thy holy word;
and grant unto us true repentance and faith in our
Lord and Saviour.  May we manifest those tempers,
and abound in those works, which his Gospel requires.  May we be full of meekness and patience, of
kindness and forbearance, of benevolence and charity; and, being established in the love of God, may
we also love our neighbors with a pure heart fervently.
We beseech thee to bless unto us the events of thy
providence; and so to order all things, during the




140    SEEKING A  CLEAN  HEART.
remainder of our lives, that they may issue in our
eternal good.  We know not what a day may bring
forth; but thou knowest all things, the strength of
our hearts, and our portion forever from  the beginning to the end. 0, sanctify unto us our prosperity
and our adversity, our sickness and our health, and
in all conditions grant unto us grateful and contented minds.  While we live on the earth guide us
by thy counsel, and afterward receive us to thy
glory.
We commend to thee the young and the old, the
strong and the feeble, the happy and the afflicted.
Grant unto all the needful spirit of thy grace, the
remission of sins, and life everlasting, through Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
IV.
Create in me a clean heart, 0 God; and renew a right
spirit within me.
Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy
Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me
with thy free Spirit.
Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall
be converted to thee.
0 Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall show
forth thy praise.




SEEKING A CLEAN  HEART.    141
For thou desirest not sacrifice: else would I give it: thou
delightest not in burnt-offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a
contrite heart, 0 God, thou wilt not despise.
0 LORD, our Heavenly Father, the day is thine,
and the night also thine. The light and the darkness, thou hast created them. They are both alike
unto thee, who seest through the thickest shades, and
whose care never slumbers nor sleeps; and they
both alike unto us reveal thy gracious providence.
We would show  forth thy loving-kindness in the
morning, and thy faithfulness every night.
We thank thee for thy goodness to us during the
day that is now past.  We thank thee that we have
been preserved from its various perils, seen and unseen, and kept in our going out and our coming in;
that no calamity has befallen our condition, and no
burthen more than we could bear been laid upon our
strength.  We thank thee for all the instruction we
have received, whether through our outward experience or thy good Spirit; for all that we have tasted
of thy bounty, and seen of thy truth. We thank thee
for every social and domestic comfort that we have
enjoyed; for every faithful exercise in which we have
been allowed to partake; for every good purpose that
tnou hast strengthened us to fulfil; for whatever
blessing has flowed through the senses, or been im-,parted to the soul. We owe all to thee, on whom we
absolutely depend, and in whom alone we truly live.




142     SEEKING A CLEAN  HEART.
0 Lord, who searchest the hearts of the children
of men, with the acknowledgment of thy constant
favors it becomes us to mingle the feeling of our sinfulness and ill-desert.  We are not worthy of the
least of thy mercies, though thou passest before us in
innumerable benefits, and carest for us with all this
care.  May thy goodness lead us to repentance, that
we may be ashamed of our unthankfulness, and turn
from every thought of disobedience unto thee.  Forgive us, we beseech thee, whatever we have done
amiss this day, and whatever we have failed to do
which thy law within us enjoined.
And now, Searcher of hearts, we would enter into
a solemn self-examination.  If we have indulged
any evil habit or passion, if we have dealt unreasonably with our brother, or lost the control of ourselves, if we have allowed the hours of this opportunity and probation to run to waste, or if we have
abused them to any corrupt affection or evil design,
we entreat of thee, 0 Father, the pardon of these
sins.  Create within us clean hearts, and renew
a right spirit within us; and let this entreaty fill us
with earnest resolutions for the time to come, if we
are permitted to see it, that it shall find us more
truly inclined to thy will, and walking in thy way.
And now, Lord, we commit ourselves to thee this
night.  Draw around us with its shadows the peace
of thy Spirit, and the strength of thy defence. When
we can do nothing for ourselves, do all for us. Before




ENCOURAGEMENTS TO  PRAY.    148
we lose all will of our own in dreams and unconsciousness, we would solemnly renounce every intention
of wrong; we would cast out from our hearts every
disposition of enmity; we would be of a forgiving
spirit; we would have no variance with the world
that is soon to become to us for a season as if it were
not; we would repose ourselves upon thy sovereign
will, even thine only.  And when we come to lie
down in the last sleep, may thy mercies surround us
with their security, and enfold us in their peace, and
crown us with the redemption that has been revealed
to us by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
V.
Qium/mag nUeatS tf 1^a
Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find,
knock, and the door shall be opened to you:
For every one that asketh, receiveth; and he that seeketh,
findeth; and to him that knocketh, the door shall be opened.
Or what man is there of you, who, if his son shall ask
bread, will give him a stone?
Or if he shall ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
If ye then being evil know how to give good gifts to your
children, how much more shall your Father who is in heaven
give good things to them that ask him?
Therefore all things whatever ye would that men should
do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the
prophets.




144   ENCOURAGEMENTS TO  PRAY.
Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood ofthe everlasting covenant,
Make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, through
Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.
FATHER of our spirits, we bless thee that the
peaceful hour of evening has come to us once more,
and that we may hear the voice of thy mercy in the
invitation to rest. In thee may we find rest to our
souls.  Without trust in thy love there is no true
peace for us upon our pillow, and with thy presence
only can we know the true refreshing of our souls.
Lord, draw near to us now, and keep us within the
shadow of thy wings.  We thank thee that a Father's
ear is opened to the cry of thy children, and that
there is no truly good thing which thou wilt not give
to the asking soul.
We would solemnly review the experience of this
day. We would bless thee for whatever good we have
been enabled to do or enjoy.  We implore thy forgiveness for all our transgressions of thy holy will.
We beseech thee to bestow upon us thy grace to enable us to overcome our peculiar faults, and to grow
in the true life of children of God.  Let our own
earnest self-examination bring this day's record before
the throne of thy judgment.  May every day find us
more  obedient to  the golden rule of our'great




ENCOURAGEMENTS TO PRAY.   145
Teacher. Thus help us to prepare ourselves for the
day of account.
We commit to thy guardian care all our kindred
and friends, imploring for them the blessings of health
of body and peace of mind.  We pray for the poor,
and sick, and bereaved; for the oppressed, the benighted, the lonely, and the abandoned, we implore
thy grace. Lord, forgive our sins, and teach us true
forgiveness of those who sin against us. Bring on
the blessed time when every wanderer shall return to
the Father, and shall come to himself in coming to
his God.
Now that we' are to give ourselves to refreshing
slumber, may we wisely interpret its solemn meaning,
and own the divine power that continues within us
the motions of healthful life whilst we are wholly unconscious.  May it be to us an image of the blessed
rest in God which the soul shall know when her
weary strivings are ended, and we may hope to enter
upon the perfect peace that lives, and moves, and has
its being, in God. Lord, rebuke our wilfulness, and
win us unto the blessed subjection of thy holy will.
In our labor and in our rest, work thou in our souls
to do and to will that which is pleasing in thy sight,
till we are made perfect. through Jesus Christ. In
the name of that great Shepherd of the sheep, who
through the everlasting covenant offered himself for
us, do we ascribe unto thee, the God of peace, glory
for ever and ever. Amen.
13                  K




146    GRATEFUL CONFIDENCE.
VI.
0 give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: because his
mercy endureth forever.
Let Israel now say, that his mercy endureth forever.
Let the house of Aaron now say, that his mercy endureth
forever.
Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his mercy endureth forever.
The Lord is on my side; I will not fear: what can man do
unto me?
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
man:
It is better to trust in the Lord than to put confidence in
princes.
The Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation.
The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of
the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly.
WE humbly thank thee, merciful Father, for thy
goodness in conducting us to the close of this day,
and for all thy mercies bestowed upon us from day to
day.  Add this to all thy favors, we beseech thee,
that we may never forget to be thankful, but may
constantly acknowledge thee as the source of all our
blessings, and praise thee, our strength, and song, and
our salvation.  Write thy law  upon our hearts, that
all our desires, words and actions, may be conformable to thy holy will.




GRATEFUL  CONFIDENCE.               147
And now, remembering thy mercies hitherto vouchsafed to us, we do entirely trust thee for the time to
come. Thy mercy endureth forever. The Lord is on
our side, and we will not fear. For this only we are
anxious, and do earnestly pray, that we may, all our
days, serve and please thee in such a constant practice
of piety, righteousness and mercy, of temperance,
meekness, patience, truth and fidelity, that the voice
of rejoicing may ever be heard in our tabernacle, and
we may commend the religion and name of our Lord
and Master, Jesus Christ, unto all.
Accept, 0 God, as the testimony of our love and
charity, our hearty intercessions for all mankind.
Let the glorious light of thy Gospel shine upon all
nations; and grant that all who have already received
it may adorn its doctrine in all things.
0 Lord, by thine own right hand, which doeth
valiantly, continue thy gracious protection to us this
night.  Into thy care we commend ourselves, our
souls and bodies, and all things belonging to us. Long
continue to us our domestic prosperity, and let not
this circle be invaded by sickness or death. Bind
our hearts to thee by ties of which the ties of earth
are but feeble types. And make us mindful, we pray
thee, of that time when we shall lie down in the dust,
and grant us grace always to live in such a state that
we may be a family in heaven.  And now to thee,
our God and Father, we ascribe all honor and glory
through Jesus Christ. Amen.




148  THE GIVER AND PRESERVER.
VII.
Preserve me, O God: for in thee do I put my trust
O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my
Lord: my goodness extendeth not to thee;
But to the saints that are in the earth, and to the excellent,
in whom is all my delight.
The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance, and of my
cup: thou maintainest my lot.
The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have
a goodly heritage.
I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel; my reins
also instruct me in the night-seasons.
I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my
right hand, I shall not be moved.
0 GOD our Father, thou causest thy sun to rise,
and we go forth to our work until the evening. Thou
makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all lie down
to rest.  Brought safely through  the dangers and
experiences of another day, we lay on our family
altar the evening  sacrifice of prayer and praise.
Holy Father, how sweet this rest, after the toils and
fatigues of the day! How  grateful this domestic
peace, after the noise and confusion of the world!
How delightful the confidence and affections of home,
after the competitions and rivalries of business!  To
thy fatherly care and love we owe all these provisions of mercy. Thou maintainest our lot, and givest




THE GIVER AND  PRESERVER.  149
us lines that have fallen in pleasant places, and our
goodly heritage.
And when we look back on the past day, amidst
all its toils and cares, how many mercies of thine have
crowned it with blessings! Thou hast given relish to
our food, zest to our pleasures, and pleasure even to
our toils.  While others have fallen into sorrows,
and would give worlds if they could regain what they
have lost, thou hast kept our feet from falling, our
eyes from  tears, and our souls from  death.  Thou
hast given invention to our minds, cunning to our
right hands, and success to all our labors. Thou hast
surrounded us with friendly counsel and sympathy,
and by thy Holy Spirit rebuked every wrong desire,
and promoted holy aspirations. For these, and the other
mercies of the past day, which are more than we can
number and richer than we can estimate, we would
render thee the homage of grateful and adoring hearts.
O God our Judge, another day has gone, with its
solemn account, to bear witness for or against us at
thy tribunal. We confess, with sorrow, that we have
done many things which we ought not to have done,
and left undone many things which we ought to have
done.  For all our misspent time and neglected opportunities; for all our wrong motives and unchristian feelings; for all our irregular desires, vain hopes,
and foolish fears, we would supplicate thy pardoning
mercy.  We fear that pride and moral insensibility
have concealed from our view many sins which have
13*




150   THE GIVER AND  PRESERVER.
been open to thine all-seeing eye. Open our eyes to
behold our moral condition; touch our hearts with
true penitence, that we may not lie down to rest
with the burden of unrepented sin upon our consciences, and the frown of thy displeasure on our
slumbers, 0 thou in whose protection is all our hope.
To thee, who dost never slumber, and to whom the
darkness is as the light, as we lie down to rest and
resign ourselves to unconsciousness, do we now commit our bodies and spirits.  Defend us, we implore
thee, from the devouring flames, from the assaults of
violence, from the attacks of disease. And as sleep
brings refreshment to our toil-worn bodies and careworn minds, let rest from earthly cares and passions
renew a tenderness of spirit, a sensibility to conscience, a sense of thy presence and love. And as
the dew refreshes the parched earth and revives the
drooping  plants, so may the dews of thy grace
refresh our hearts, and revive our best affections and
desires. Keep us in safety through the silent watches
of the night, and open our eyelids on a morning filled
with holy thoughts, and consecrated to thy service.
Or, if our bed should prove our grave, awake us at
the glorious morn of the resurrection, with spirits disenthralled, and prepared to enter thy service, and
behold thy glories, and enjoy thy love. These thanksgivings and supplications we offer in the name of
Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom unto thee we
ascribe all glory, and honor, and praise. Amen.




CONTINUAL  PRAISE.                   151
VIII.
I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.
My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall
hear thereof, and be glad.
0 magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name
together.
I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from
all my fears.
They looked unto him, and were lightened; and their faces
were not ashamed.
The poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved
him out of all his troubles.
The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that
fear him, and delivereth them.
0 taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man
that trusteth in him.
0 LORD, Maker of heaven and earth, we cast ourselves on thy care for this coming night.. Weary
with the labors to which thou grantest our daily
bread, and filled with the experience of many lessons
of thy providence, we seek the wonderful refreshment thy wisdom has prepared for our bodies and our
souls.  We bless thee for the grateful vicissitudes of
day and night, labor and rest, wakefulness and sleep.
Thou sendest us forth into the world thou hast made,
to the society thou hast ordained for us.  We thank
thee for the provision thou hast made for our necessi



152         CONTINUAL  PRAISE.
ties, knowledge for our minds, friends for our hearts,
obstacles to strengthen our will, trials to deepen our
faith, successes to cheer our hope. In all we perceive
and adore our great Taskmaster's faithfulness, and
bless the gracious hand with which he mingles our
cup. Thy praise shall be continually in our mouths.
And now that we commit ourselves to thy care
during the darkness.that gathers round us, we desire
to review our lives, to confess our sins, and implore
thy forgiveness.  We look back upon many omissions
of duty, on many acts of careless or wilful offence
against thy holy law. We have allowed the world too
much room in our hearts.  We have yielded to the
seductions of sloth or of pleasure, and to the love of
money or the fear of man.  0 God, rescue us from
the bondage of iniquity.  Break  this tyrannous
sceptre of the world which usurps thy throne in our
hearts. Suffer not the convictions and desires of our
better hours, when thy Spirit is nigh, to expire in the
moment of temptation, and the season of trial.
We fervently pray, 0 God, that thy kingdom may
come, thy will be done in earth as it is done in
heaven.  We deplore the unchristian customs, the
negligent ways, the cruelties and wrongs, of society;
and especially ask thy pardon for whatever we are
doing, by our sloth or our activity, to perpetuate their
existence, or delay their extinction. Give new power
to thy Gospel over our hearts and throughout the
world, that its blessed Spirit may overcome every




TRUST AND COURAGE.                   153
high thing that is set against it, and establish the
pure worship of thy holiness, the love of Christ, and
the brotherhood of our race, in all parts of the earth.
Father of our spirits, we adore thee with the last
strength of this day. We worship thee, not for what
thou canst do for us, but for what thou art in thyself.
Source of all truth, beauty  and goodness, in our
deep sleep steal thou into our unresisting hearts, and
impress thine image freshly on our souls.  We would
rest in thy arms, and awake in thy likeness.
And when, O Lord, our day of life is over, and the
great night cometh, may a glorious resurrection bring
us to the light of the everlasting morning of thy
presence.  We ask it in the name of thy  Son our
Saviour. Amen.
IX.
Wnrt and &ura^g
The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear?
the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be
afraid?
One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after;
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my
life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his
temple.
For in the time of trouble he will hide me in his pavilion:
in the secret of his tabernacle will he hide me; he will set me
up upon a rock.




154        TRUST  AND  COURAGE.
Hear, 0 Lord, when I cry with my voice: have mercy also
upon me, and answer me.
When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said to
thee, Thy face, Lord, will I seek.
Hide not thy face from me; put not thy servant away in
anger: thou hast been my help; leave me not, neither forsake me, 0 God of my salvation.
I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of
the Lord in the land of the living.
Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he will
strengthen thy heart: wait, I say, on the Lord.
0 GOD, the strength of our life, and our help in all
time. Another day of our life on earth bears testimony to thy loving-kindness and tender mercy.  We
have gone out and come in before thee.  Thou compassest our path and our lying down. What shall we
render unto thee for all thy immeasurable goodness,
which,is new every morning, and fresh every evening?  Every day may we do good, and not evil, in
the world.  Every day may we love thee more, and
serve thee better. Accept whatever thou hast seen to
be right, and pity and pardon whatever thou hast seen
to be wrong. Confirm all that thou seest to be good,
and cleanse us of all that is evil.
Since in thee we live, and move, and have our
being, may we rest by night and by day in the arms
of thy protection, and fear not. Let a devout and
cheerful confidence take entire possession of our souls,
that we may have no undue anxiety for the future,
and dread no evil so much as the evil of sinning




SAFETY  IN  GOD.                 155
against thee. To thee the darkness shineth as the
day, and thou keepest watch round about our pillow.
We sleep in thee, and when we awake we are still
with thee.
Graciously guard us and our dwelling this night
from all manner of harm, and open upon us the light
of another day, if it be thy pleasure, in peace and
safety.  While we here this night wait on the Lord,
wilt thou strengthen our hearts, and give us to see
yet more of the goodness of the Lord in the land of
the living.  And when we sleep the sleep of death,
may it be in the full and sustaining hope of our resurrection from the night of death, and our entrance into
the light of the everlasting day. Through him who
loved us and gave himself for us, our Lord and Master, we give thee all praise and glory fdrever. Amen.
X.
iafett'ln it6
The Lord hath set apart him that is godly for himself: the
Lord will hear when I call unto him.
Stand in awe, and sin not: commune with your own heart
upon your bed, and be still.
Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and put your trust in
the Lord.
There be many that say, Who will show us any good?
Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us.




156           SAFETY IN  GOD.
Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time
that their corn and their wine increased.
I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou,
Lord, only makest me dwell in safety.
ETERNAL GOD, whose gracious hand has led us to
the close of another day, before we shut bur eyes upon
the world, and lose the sense of ourselves and thee,
we would acknowledge thy love, and confide ourselves
to thy care. We come to offer thee nightly sacrifice,
and to put our trust in the Lord.
We bless the goodness that has crowned this day,
and gratefully recognize in its events the boundless
extent of thy providence.  How manifold the experiences, how numerous the teachers, how varied the
blessings, of our human lot! Whether thou sendest
joy or sorrow, health or sickness, we desire to submit
our souls to thee as to a faithful Creator, who knowest
all thy children's wants, and art ever studying their
highest good.
With the thought of thy daily goodness we would
join the remembrance of our neglects and sins.  0
God, subdue the wilfulness, scatter the blindness, and
correct the levity, of our hearts. And as with every
setting sun our time of probation draws towards its
close, deepen our sense of accountability, and prepare
us for the judgment-seat of thy Son.  0, how shall
we appear!  We implore thy grace to wash away
our sins, thy Holy  Spirit to touch and heal our
hearts.  0 Lord, hear the voice of our complaint.




SHADOW  OF THE  ALMIGHTY.   157
Have compassion on our weakness, and suffer us not
to waste our fleeting lives in folly, or to meet our
approaching fate without preparation.
We commend ourselves as a family to thy protection
and blessing, praying that thou wouldst make us to
dwell in safety. Increase our love to each other and
to thee.  Forgive our offences against the law  of
kindness; our parental negligence; our filial disobedience; our weaknesses of temper, deviations from truth,
or lack of love.  Make our home the threshold of
heaven, and grant that our love towards those we have
seen may grow into a perfect love for Him who is
invisible.
Heavenly Father, watch our slumbers; renew our
lives; put the gladness of a new day into our hearts,
and from  day to day lift upon us the light of thy
countenance, till we shall see thee face to face, when
suns shall no more go down.  And to thy holy name
be all glory. Amen.
XI
1^ i  R i^rv         2 rf  tQ     Ilziltyt.
He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall
abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my
God; in him will I trust.
Surely he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and
from the noisome pestilence.
14




158  SHADOW OF THE ALMIGHTY.
He will cover thee with his featliers, and under his wings
shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.
Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor for the
arrow that flieth by day;
Nor for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for
the destruction that wasteth at noon-day.
Because thou hast made the Lord who is my refuge, even
the Most High, thy habitation;
There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague
come nigh thy dwelling.
For he will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in
all thy ways.
Because he hath set his love upon me, therefore will 1
deliver him: I will set him on high, because he hath known
my name.
He shall call upon me, and I will answer him: I will
be with him in trouble; I will deliver him and honor him.
With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salva
tion.
ALMIGHTY and ever-blessed Father, guided by thy
gentle hand, we have reached the close of another
day.  May all that is within us praise and magnify
thine holy name.  Thanks be unto thee for this new
experience of life, for all the light which thou hast
poured upon our various paths, and for that patience
which hath borne with our great unfaithfulness. We
cannot number up the mercies which have made these
hours profitable and glad; yet would we strive to
feel and confess that thou hast been a father unto us.
In all our successes and in all our trials, in all our
joys and in all our sorrows; thou hast blessed us;




SHADOW  OF THE ALMIGHTY.   159
for in all ways thou hast sought to save our souls
alive, and establish us in the heavenly dwelling-places.
Unto every open heart thou hast drawn very near
this day in the Gospel of thy Son; and if at any
time we have been weary and heavily-laden, his cross
hath spoken to us his sweet and comfortable words.
It is of thy goodness that we are still gathered in this
earthly household, for thine is the breath of every
living thing.  0 Lord, when we examine ourselves
whether we be in the faith and love of the Gospel, we
must confess our short-comings.  How far we are
from  thee!  How  often we forget the Master!
Blessed be thy name for the covenant of forgiveness
in his precious blood. Fill us with a godly sorrow
and a saving hope.  Forgive us through him who
died, and let us be renewed in the spirit and temper
of our minds.
0 Lord, who through thy Son hast bound us anew
together, and appointed for us a new law of brotherly
love, may we be indeed a Christian household, and
may our prayers go up unto thee for kindred and
brethren.  Be very near unto those for whom the
watches of this night shall be hours of pain. May
their thought be of thee, and of him who was a man
of sorrows, and of that rest which remaineth for the
children of God.
O thou everlasting Friend, enlighten our darkness;
let the close of each day find us nearer to thee, and in
more perfect fellowship with those holy ones who,




160  THE  DELIVERER  FROM   PE.RIL.
having lived and died in thy faith and fear, have
entered into the joy of their Lord. 0 Father, watch
over us during the hours of slumber. Let us abide
this night under the shadow of the Almighty.  Under
the shelter of thy wings let us trust, and be thou our
shield and buckler.  And when our last day shall
come, may no night gather about our souls, but may
the Lord of life be our light and guide.  To thee
through him shall be the praise. Amen.
XII.
1it "M"Idatrt faUn  erul
And straightway Jesus constrained his disciples to get into
a ship, and to go before him unto the other side, while he sent
the multitudes away.
And when he had sent the multitudes away he went up
into a mountain apart to.pray: and when the evening was
come he was there alone.
But the ship was now in the midst of the sea tossed with
waves: for the wind was contrary.
And in the fourth watch of the night Jesus went unto them
walking on the sea.
And when the disciples saw him walking on the sea they
were troubled, saying, It is a spirit; and they cried out for
fear.
But straightway Jesus spake unto them, saying, Be of good
cheer: it is I; be not afraid.
And Peter answered him and said, Lord, if it be thou, bid
me come unto thee on the water.




THE DELIVERER FROM PERIL. 161
And he said, Come. And when Peter was come down out
of the ship, he walked on the water to go to Jesus.
But when he saw the wind boisterous he was afraid; -and,
beginning to sink, he cried, saying, Lord, save me.
And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and
caught him, and said unto him, 0 thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
0, OUR GOD, again, as the thick shades of night
fall on us, and, after the cares and toils of the day,
we seek the refreshing sleep thou hast provided for
tired man, we would devoutly commend ourselves to
thy sovereign keeping. Through all the perils of this
night wilt thou preserve us, in the time of our necessity sending us a divine help like that which walked
in the night on the waves of the sea to sustain the
sinking disciple. May we this night hear the voice
of a like watchful love say to us, Be of good cheer;
and neither now nor ever may that voice ask us.
Wherefore didst thou doubt, 0 thou of little faith?
For what we have done amiss forgive us, merciful
Lord.  If we have strayed from  thee, or forgotten
thee, 0 now, in this silent and secluded hour, help us
to repent, to resolve anew with better and firmer
vows.  Let us feel thy Spirit breathing love and
serenity into our hearts.
And now, Almighty God, as the favored children
of heavenly grace, let our sleep be sweet, and thy
banner over us be love.  We pray for others, our
dear ones at home and abroad.  May they lie down
14*                  L




162       THE LORD  OUR  SHEPHERD.
in' innocence, sleep in peace, and awake in grateful
joy.  And when our days and nights on' earth are
ended, 0 take us all to thyself in the immortal blessedness of heaven.  We offer this prayer most humbly
in the name of our Lord and Master Jesus Christ.
Amen.
XIII.
EkR SIrh At ouritt~tRtk
The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth
me beside the still waters.
He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name's sake.
Yes, though I walk through the valley of the shades of
death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and
thy staff they comfort me.
Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of my
enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of
my life: and I will dwell in'the house of the Lord forever.
OUR  FATHER  and our  God,  all honor,  and
glory, and dominion, and power, be given unto thee
for ever and ever.  All thy works praise thee, and
may all thy saints bless thee.  The mercies, deliverances and blessings, of another day, demand  our
gratitude. In going out and in coming in, thou, the




THE LORD  OUR SHEPHERD.             163
good Shepherd, hast led our steps, and our paths have
been in green pastures, and beside the still waters.
We have lived upon the bounties of thy love, and
been satisfied:; for goodness and' mercy have followed us all the day.  Thou hast breathed upon our
souls, and thine inspiration hath given us understanding.  Thou hast opened the whole creation of heaven
and earth to our view, that we might be led by what
is seen and temporal to thee' the Unseen and Eternal.
Thou hast visited us this day, and tried us every
hour, that our hearts might incline to follow the Lord
our God. Have mercy upon us that we receive in
no wiser or better spirit the ceaseless lessons of thy
love.  But as the day is now gone, and its opportunities can never be recalled, we would gather up in
this evening hour all it has given us and taught us,
and erect a new memorial of praise.  Forgive us, 0
God, if in aught we have been blind to the glories of
the day which thou hast made, or careless of its duties,
or deaf to its invitations, or ungrateful for its benefits,
or forgetful of its everlasting consequences.  May the
deep consciousness that thou, our heavenly Father,
hast made and given us all these things, abide evermore in us.
And now, as thou dost draw the curtains of darkness again around us, may we rest in thee and fear
no evil.  Grant us, if it be thy holy pleasure, quiet
and refreshing repose, and a glad awakening on the
morrow.  And as by the close of the day thou re



164         ISRABL'S SHEPHERD.
mindest us of the end of all earthly things, and
gently callest on us to prepare for the final sleep of
death, 0  God, fit us for that solemn event, that we
may enter the shades of the tomb without fear or
doubt, having thy presence with us, and thy rod and
thy staff to comfort us. With our sins forgiven and our
souls sanctified, may we meet thee in peace, and dwell
in the house of the Lord forever. We ask it, through
thine abounding mercy, in Jesus our Lord. Amen.
XIV.
Give ear, 0 Shepherd of Israel, thou that leadest Joseph
like a flock; thou that dwellest between the cherubim, shine
forth.
The day is thine, the night also is thine; thou hast pre
pared the light and the sun.
Look upon us, we beseech thee, O Lord God of hosts, cause
thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.
Help us, 0 God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name,
and deliver us, and purge away our sins, for thy name's sake
I am continually with thee. Thou hast holden me by thy
right hand.
Thou shalt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward
receive me to glory.
So we thy people, and sheep of thy pasture, will give thee
thanks forever; we will show forth thy praise to all generations.
0 THOU who alone art good, it is very sweet and




ISRAEL'S SHEPHERD.               165
our bounden duty, when we rest from the service and
joy of the day, to come into thy gracious presence,
and meditate at the feet of the blessed Lord. Let
this be peace and refreshment unto us as we journey
through the world.
Thanks be unto thee, 0 thou who leadest us like a
flock. Thou hast heard our prayers, thou hast supplied our wants, and even when we have forgotten
thee thou hast not forgotten us. We have labored
and enjoyed under thy blessing.  If we have been
patient in tribulation, if we have followed after charity,
if we have obeyed the Master in any good measure,
it was thy Spirit in our hearts. Thou hast opened
the door of the everlasting life unto all who knocked.
Father; we thank thee; make us more thankful.
0 Lord, we need to be forgiven; let thy mercies
abound towards us. Let us not say we were tempted
of thee, but may we take unto ourselves guilt and
shame, and in all sorrow of heart confide only in that
great love wherewith thou dost love us in the dying
Lord.  Purge away our sins, for thy name's sake.
May we henceforth so strive against evil that we
shall make each new day better than the past. As
our day passes into night, we would call to mind the
night of death and the morning of resurrection.
Father, station thine holy angels about the sick and
the dying; turn the wicked from his purpose; be with
the tempted, the friendless, the disconsolate; raise up
guides for poor wanderers. Shield us all this night




166     PARDON  AND  PROTECTION.
from harm.  May our rest prepare us for new faithfulness in our various stations; and when for us this
sun in the heavens shall be' clouded, and these stars
shall withdraw their shining, may we pass out into an
unclouded day, through the riches of thy grace in
Christ Jesus our Lord.  So we thy people, and the
sheep of thy pasture, will give thee thanks forever,
and show forth thy loving-kindness to all generations.
Amen.
XV.
Be merciful to me, 0 Lord: for I cry to thee daily.
Rejoice the soul of thy servant: for to thee, 0 Lord, do I
lift up my soul.
For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and abundant in mercy to all them that call upon thee.
Give ear, 0 Lord, to my prayer; and attend to the voice of
my supplications.
In the day of my trouble I will call upon thee: for thou
wilt answer me.
Among the gods there is none like thee, 0 Lord; neither
are there any works like thy works.
All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship
before thee, 0 Lord'; and shall glorify thy name.
For thou art great, and doest wondrous things: thou art God
alone.
Teach me thy way, 0 Lord; I will walk in thy truth:
unite my heart to fear thy name.




PARDON  AND  PROTECTION.   167
I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart: and
I will glorify thy name forevermore.
O THou who art the Father of mercies and the
Giver of all good, the day is thine, with its powers
of action and its opportunities of good: the night also
is thine, with its welcome rest to the body and the
soul.  Thanks be unto thee for the ever-varied,
daily-multiplied gifts of thy paternal love. 0, that
we might be more worthy of thy care; more alive to
thy goodness; more faithful to thy law; more diligent in the right use of the time and the talents
committed to our trust!
Lord, thou knowest how the hours of this day,
given us by thee, have been spent; how its duties
have been done; how its temptations have been met;
how its trials have been borne. If in aught we have
failed or fallen, God of mercy, forgive us; and grant
that wherein we have done wrong we may do so no
more; but with a holy steadfastness of purpose may
we choose and follow that which is good, and make
the future redeem the past.
Be merciful unto us, 0 God; for unto thee do we
cry.  Help us in our weakness.  Help us to do thy
will, and to be what thou lovest, followers of thy
dear Son.  May we be fellow-workers with him and
with thee in doing good, as we have opportunity, unto
all.  And may it be our joy and crown to promote
the happiness and peace, the present and the eternal




168    PARDON AND PROTECTION.
good, of those who are near and dear to us. If it
please thee, 0 God, who alone knowest what is best,
we beseech thee long to preserve their lives to be the
blessings of ours; and may we be ever faithful both
to them and thee; and may the blessed memory of
those who have gone before us to their rest abide in
our souls, and be as a light shining from heaven to
lead us onward and upward in the way of duty and
the way of peace.
Father, into thy hands we commend ourselves, our
friends, our kindred, our country. We pray for the
sick, the suffering, the needy, and the distressed. We
pray for all who are in danger, by land or by sea.
We would pray more fervently for them that have
fallen, or are falling, into the bondage of sin. Save
them, 0 God, and as far as in us lieth help us also
to save them, by the word of truth, and the labor of
love, and the patience of hope. May thy kingdom
come; may the Gospel of thy Son prosper in the
thing for which it was sent. We pray for the triumph
of freedom, temperance, peace, and every good cause,
in our country and the world; that thy will may
be done on earth as it is done in heaven, and all
nations may come and worship thee, and glorify thy
name, forever.
0 Thou whose unslumbering eye watches over thy
people by night and by day, in time and through
eternity, preserve us by thy good providence from all
evil, and bring us to the light and the duties of




THE DIVINE SHELTER.                   169
another morning refreshed  in body and in mind,
rejoicing in thy love, and prepared for thy service;
which we ask as disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
XVI.
gait  &AtbihR  2fltmr      i
Hear my cry, 0 God; attend to my prayer.
From the end of the earth will I cry to thee, when my heart
is overwhelmed: lead me to the Rock that is higher than I.
For thou hast been a shelter for me, and a strong tower from
the enemy.
I will abide in thy tabernacle forever: I will trust in the
covert of thy wings.
For thou, 0 God, hast heard my vows: thou hast given me
the heritage of those that fear thy name.
Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from him cometh my
salvation.
He only is my rock and my salvation; he is my defence; I
shall not be greatly moved.
So will I sing praise to thy name forever, that I may daily
perform my vows.
FATHER Of all the families of the earth, and in
whom  all are ever blessed, we come again to thee,
delighting to gather around the domestic altar, and
offer the evening sacrifice. May it ascend as fragrant
and holy incense, and draw down thy best blessing.
In the stillness of this hour we would be still and
know that thou art God, the God of the universe,
15




170       THE DIVINE SHELTER.
its Author and Father; from  whom  all souls pro
ceeded, and in whom they live, the Giver of every
good gift. We rejoice that thou art the rock higher
than we, in whose shadow we may rest; and that now,
shut out from  all human eyes, we may gather ourselves together under the covert of thy wings, and
beneath thy sheltering care.
And now, as another day is added to our existence,
may we remember who it is that lengthens out our
days.  Let not the continual reception of thy sure
mercies render us insensible or unthankful.  Rather
let it excite in us profoundest gratitude, and deepest
sense of obligation and responsibility to him by whom
they are bestowed.
We lament our past insensibility to thy goodness,
and all in thought, feeling, word or deed, that was
inconsistent with our relation to thee, unworthy the
natures made in thine own image, and opposed to the
excellence after which we were formed to aspire.
From  the depths of our souls do we lift the prayer,
God be merciful to us sinners, and lead us to newness
of life, and to the practice of every virtue, of purity,
self-denial, active benevolence, enlightened and exalted
faith, fervent and living piety.
May the members of this household be drawn nearer
continually to each other by the cords of a tender
sympathy and affection, at the same time that they
are' brought nearer to thee. After they shall have
accomplished their respective courses on earth, may




EVENING  SACRIFICE.                  171
they be reunited in a heavenly home.  We pray
for all thy children.  For them  and for ourselves
would we offer the all-comprehending petition, " Thy
will, O Father, be done!"  And to thy holy name,
through Jesus Christ, be the glory and the praise
forever.  Amen.
XVII.
Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the
lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his
works.
The Lord is nigh to all them that call upon him, to all that
call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will
hear their cry, and will save them.
The Lord preserveth all them that love him: but all the
wicked will he destroy.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord: and let all
flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, by whose
kind providence we have been guided and preserved
this day, unto thee would we return our thanksgiving
for all thy mercies, and from  thee beseech protection
and defence this night. Let our prayer come before
thee.  If we have this day offended against thy holy
laws, and been filled with any other spirit than that




172        EVENING SACRIFICE
of Christ our Master, show us, O Father, our sin, and
lead us to a heart-felt repentance. As we now, in
silence, recall our actions during the day, may thy
Holy Spirit guide our thoughts, helping us to judge
soberly of ourselves, that we may see our sins, and
gain wisdom and strength even from our failures.
[Here let there be a few moments of silence.]
Blessed Lord, who dost freely offer forgiveness to
the penitent, and newness of life to them that believe
in Jesus, accept our confessions, and heal us from
our sins. Let the word of Christ be our consolation
and our strength, and in him lead us hereafter to a
better life, to the glory of thy holy name.
We'give thee thanks, 0 Father, for the mercies of
the past day, and we give thee thanks for the blessings
of the night; for the rest which thou dost daily grant
us; rest from labor of the hands, and rest from cares
and anxiety of spirit.  We thank thee that after the
toils and trials of the day we have the privilege of
coming, in the quiet hours of evening, to cast our
cares upon thee, and to put our trust and confidence
in thy mercy.  Our souls shall speak the praise of
the Lord, and bless his holy name for ever and ever.
Thus, 0 Father, would we now come; forgive our
sins, pardon our follies, dispel our fears, fill us with
joy and peace in believing, and grant us such quiet
and refreshing sleep that we may gain new strength
to serve thee acceptably in whatever way thou shalt
appoint.




ALL  FROM   GOD.                 173
"Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be
thy name.  Thy kingdom  come.  Thy will be done
on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our
daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive
our debtors.  And lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. For thine is the kingdom, and
the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.
XVIII.
g11 fam  (60.
The Lord looketh from heaven; he beholdeth all the sons of
men.
From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the
inhabitants of the earth.
He fashioneth their hearts alike; he considereth all their
works.
There is no king saved by the multitude of a host: a mighty
man is not delivered by much strength.
A horse is a vain thing for safety: neither shall he deliver
any by his great strength.
Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him,
upon them that hope in his mercy;
To deliver their soul from death, and to keep them alive i
famine.
Our soul waiteth for the Lord: he is our help and our
shield.
For our heart shall rejoice in him, because we have trusted
in his holy name.
15*




174            ALL FROM  GOD.
Let thy mercy, 0 Lord, be upon us, according as we hope
in thee.
OUR FATHER who art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name.  Another day thou hast added to our lives.
Its rapidly passing hours have come and gone, freighted with blessings from  thee.  Through its seen,and
unseen perils thou hast safely borne us. Under the
burden of its trial and discipline thou hast been near
us, and under the pressure of its responsibilities and
constantly recurring duties thou hast helped us. For
what we have this day enjoyed, for the boundless
entertainments of thy providence, for the blessed
light of the sun on which we have looked, the healthful air that we have breathed, the habitations that
have sheltered, the food that has nourished, and the
garments that have covered us, for these renewed
opportunities for the exercise and improvement of our
talents, the success which has attended our labors,
the pleasures of our social intercourse, and the delights of our home, here, in the midst of that home
which thou hast spared to us, would we pour out our
hearty gratitude to thee.  How can we number one
in a thousand of those mercies which thou hast showered upon us! We have been out, and we have come
in, and thou hast been doing us good continually.
Impress upon our hearts a deep sense of thine unbounded goodness; and if we have ever forgotten thee,
pardon our weakness and folly, and, for thy mercy's
sake, do thou not forget us.




SEARCHING  OUR  WAYS.               175
We ask thy blessing upon us this night.  Let thy
peace be to this habitation. Let us go to our rest
with a conscience void of offence towards thee and all
mankind.  If any have injured us, may we forgive as
we hope to be forgiven. If we have injured any, may
our regrets secure thy compassion, and may we have
the dispositions to make all the amends in our power.
We commend ourselves to thee. During our defenceless hours do thou defend us. As we lie upon our
beds and meditate, let us remember the darkness
and the light are both alike to thee, and may we
enjoy continued tokens of thy favor.  Under thy
sheltering wing we lay ourselves down. May sweet
sleep visit our eyelids. May we enjoy invigorating and
healthful repose; and in the morning when we awake
may our thought be still of thee.  And unto thee
will we render the praise and the glory forever.
Amen.
XIX.
tiRardjixhg ffur Ways.
The preparation of the heart in man, and the answer of
the tongue, are from the Lord.
All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the
Lord weigheth the spirits.
Commit thy works to the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be
established.
Every one that is proud in heart is an abomination to the




176       SEARCHING  OUR WAYS.
Lord: though hand join in hand, he shall not be unpun
ished.
By mercy and truth iniquity is purged: and by the fear of
the Lord men depart from evil.
When a man's ways please the Lord, he maketh even his
enemies to be at peace with him.
Better is a little with righteousness, than great revenues
without right.
A man's heart deviseth his way: but the Lord directeth
his steps.
O GOD, who dwellest in the sanctities of heaven,
and among the children of men, once more do we
gather around our domestic altar to remember the
loving-kindness which visited us in the morning, and
which has attended us all the day long. Thou hast
been with us, the members of this favored family,
giving us the activity of our bodies, the vigor of our
minds, and the strength of our affections.  Thou hast
ordered for us the events of the day. It has spoken
to us of thy goodness; we will praise thee continually.
Thou hast this day called us into the field of duty.
Thou hast spread before us the exalted privileges and
the precious hopes of Christians.  Means, motives,
encouragements, without number, thou hast afforded
us, and nothing hast left undone which thou couldst
have done for any. This day, in every scene through
which we have passed, thou hast been calling us to
glory, honor, and immortality.
And what, O God, have we rendered thee for thy
boundless blessings?  We would search our ways,




SEARCHING  OUR WAYS.               177
remembering that though clean in our eyes, thou,
0 Lord, weighest the spirit. We confess our blindness, and weakness, and sinfulness.  We mourn the
strength of our passions, and the feebleness of our
resolutions.  We fear that the objects and the interests of time, by which thou wouldst try us, and
mould us into thy likeness, have too much absorbed
us, and won the affections which belong unto thee.
We feel that in the eagerness of our pursuits we
have given to things seen and temporal that which
belongs only to things unseen and eternal.  We
mourn that we have not better improved thy gifts,
and that we have not a better account to render of the
day that has passed over us.  Pardon, good Lord;
thy children, and may our watchfulness witness to the
sincerity of our regrets, and a more vivid sense of thine
unbounded goodness animate our zeal, and prompt us
to new fidelity, every day that thou shalt spare us.
Remember us and those whom thou hast given us
this night.  Look down upon our unprotected dwelling, and guard our pillow.  May the angel of the
Lord encamp round about us, to deliver us from all
evil. Let us behold the light of another morning,
if it seemeth good to thee; or, if in thine infinite
wisdom this repose shall become the repose of death,
let us behold that glorious morning of the resurrection which no night shall follow. For which we pray
ever to be prepared, in the name and as disciples of
Jesus Christ.  Amen.
M




178            PRAISE  AND  TRUST.
XX.
Blessed be the name of the Lord from this time forth and
forevermore.
From the rising of the sun to the going down of the same
the Lord's name is to be praised.
0 Israel, trust thou in the Lord: he is their help and their
shield.
O house of Aaron, trust in the Lord: he is their help and
their shield.
Ye that fear the Lord, trust in the Lord: he is their help
and their shield.
The Lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us; he
will bless the house of Israel; he will bless the house of
Aaron.
He will bless them  that fear the Lord, both small and
great.
Ye are blessed by the Lord who made heaven and earth.
The heaven, even the heavens, are the Lord's: but the
earth hath he given to the children of men.
The dead praise not the Lord, neither any that go down
into silence.
But we will bless the Lord from this time forth and forever. Praise the Lord.
FATHER, ever-kind and ever-merciful, we thank
thee, as the day is closing, for the blessings which its
hours have brought to us.  How  good, how mindful
of our wants, thou hast been! Thou hast spread the
table of thy bounty, and we have had food convenient
for us. Thou hast surrounded us with friends, and




PRAISE AND TRUST.                179
we have been encouraged by their words of sympathy
and counsel. Thou hast given us labor to perform,
and strength to perform  it. Forgive us, we pray
thee, if we have been slothful servants. Forgive us,
our Father, if amidst all the enjoyments and labors
of this day we have been unmindful of thee; for in
thee we live, and move, and have our being.  Every
good gift and every perfect gift cometh down from
thee.  Without thee we can do nothing.  Accept, we
pray thee, our endeavors to do thy will this day.
We thank thee that thou didst not forget us, if we
have forgotten thee; that thou didst help us in.the
hour of temptation, so that we did not yield; that
thou. didst direct our inquiries, as we were seeking our
duty, so that we found it; that thou hast watched
over us in our words and acts, in our hours of labor,
and in our hours of repose, and brought us in health,
and strength, and happiness, to the close of another
day. How deeply should our hearts be moved with
gratitude when we call all these blessings before us,
and think of their value! We thank thee that by
these daily labors and toils we may purify our souls
and become like thee, and like Jesus Christ thy Son
our Saviour.  We thank thee that in the cares and
obligations of our condition in life there is afforded us
such an opportunity of becoming one with thee and
one with Christ.  May this day's experience give us
courage for future labor and watchfulness.  May
every day's attempt to conform  our lives to thy




180           PRAISE  AND  TRUST.
law incite us to still greater diligence in the work
of life.
Our Father, we pray that. before we close our eyes
in sleep this night we may be at peace with all men.
If any one has wronged us, may we freely forgive the
wrong, as we hope and pray that we may be forgiven
by thee.  If an unkind feeling has been in our
bosoms, Father, forgive us; if an unkind word has
been upon our lips, Father, forgive us; if we have
performed an unkind act, forgive us; and breathe
into our hearts a spirit of love to our enemies, if we
have any.
And now, as the period of rest draws nigh, we ask
thy protection during our hours of sleep. Watch
over us, 0 thou who never slumberest nor sleepest,
and give us that refreshing repose which we need,
that when the morning dawns we may be strong in
thy strength, to do thy work and perform thy will.
Father, we commit ourselves to thy care.  In thy
keeping we shall be secure.  In thy arms we are
safe.  Do with us and for us, our Father, as thou
seest we need now and evermore.  We resign ourselves to thy care, thankful that with the house of
Israel and of Aaron, and with thy sainted children in
all ages, we may trust in the Lord, who is our help
and our shield.  From  the rising of the sun to the
going down of the same be thy name praised, through
Jesus Christ, to whom be glory in his church forever.
Amen.




DAILY  GRATITUDE.                   181
XXI.
Praise ye the Lord. Praise the Lord, 0 my soul.
While I live will I praise the Lord: I will sing praises unto
my God while I have any being.
Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in
whom there is no help.
His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his earth; in that
very day his thoughts perish.
Happy is he that hath the God of Jacob for his help,
whose hope is in the Lord his God;
Which made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that therein
is; which keepeth truth forever;
Which executeth judgment for the oppressed; which giveth
food to the hungry. The Lord looseth the prisoners.
The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind: the Lord raiseth
them that are bowed down: the Lord loveth the righteous.
The Lord preserveth the stranger; he relieveth the fatherless and widow: but the way of the wicked he turneth upside
down.
The Lord shall reign forever, even thy God, 0 Zion, unto
all generations. Praise ye the Lord.
O THOU all-bountiful Giver of our enjoyments and
our privileges, at the close of a day which thy goodness has crowned with blessings, we offer unto thee
the prayer of gratitude. What are we, 0 Lord, that
thou shouldst be mindful of us?  Creatures of a day,
feeble alike in our powers and in our purposes of good,
wandering often from thy holy ways, and walking in
forbidden paths, it becomes us not to boast ourselves as
16




182         DAILY GRATITUDE.
though we had attained aught by our own strength or
our own merit.  It is of thy goodness that we live,
and enjoy life's blessings. All the gifts of this world
are from thee,  health, competence, success in life, the
happy home, the company of friends, and whatever
else makes pleasant this earthly state of being. We
thank thee, 0 God, for the share of these blessings
thou hast granted to us.  May we enjoy them-with
that moderation of spirit which, gratefully recognizing
thee as the bestower, shall be prepared to submit if
at any time thy gifts should be withdrawn. May we
use the means of good thou givest us, not for our own
advantage only, but for that of others, and thus for
thy glory.  May we feel that it is a blessed privilege
to make others partakers in our happiness.
0 God, we pray that thou wouldst guard us, as
against the trials of adversity, so also against the
temptations that attend a prosperous state.  Keep us
from pride.  Knowing that there is nothing we have
but we have received it from thee, may we not glory as
though we had it of ourselves; but rather be more
truly humble, as we contemplate thy goodness on the
one hand, and our deficiencies on the other. Keep us
from indolence. If we are not excited to industry by
the pressure of want, may we be by the sense of duty
to others and to thee.  Keep us from  selfishness.
May we sympathize with others in their distress, and
rejoice in their good fortune. Keep us from too great
devotedness to this world. May we remember that a




CHEERFUL THANKS.                  183
time must come when all earthly possessions will be of
no avail, but when we must part from this life and all
its pleasing pursuits, and go where the only distinction
recognized will be that of piety and virtue. May we
by good conduct and humble faith lay up for ourselves treasures in that unseen and eternal world; and
at length, 0 Father, may thy forgiving mercy receive
us there.
We pray for our friends; bless them, 0 Lord, with
this world's gifts, but still more with those of the life
to come.  Bless thou the poor and needy, and open
the hearts of the prosperous for their relief. Comfort
those in sorrow; restore the sick, or prepare them for
the last great change; receive the dying to thyself.
Recall the sinful from their wanderings, and confirm
thy servants in their faithfulness. Bless all and each
according to thine infinite wisdom and perfect love.
May the Gospel of Christ our Saviour be honored in
our hearts and lives, and made triumphant through
the world; and now and evermore to thee, 0 God,
be praises in his holy name. Amen.
XXII.
OteRr ful  gat has
It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord, and to sing
praise to thy name, 0 Most High.




184         CHEERFUL THANKS.
To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy
faithfulness every night.
For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I
will triumph in the works of thy hands.
Ye that love the Lord, hate evil: he preserveth the souls
of his saints; he delivereth them out of the hand of the
wicked.
Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the
upright in heart.
Rejoice in the Lord, ye righteous; and give thanks at the
remembrance of his holiness.
WE come to thee, Father in heaven, spared and
blest as we have been through another day, that we
may thankfully testify to thy goodness and lovingkindness towards us, and confidingly commit ourselves
to thy protection through the night. Dangers seen
and unseen have been in our path, but thou hast been
our shield. We have gone out and come in, in safety
beneath  thy care.  Thy bounty hath spread our
board; thy strength has sustained, and thy blessing
crowned, our labors; thy Spirit hath helped our
infirmities; and, surrounded  by the  innumerable
mercies of our daily lot, we are brought to the hour
of rest.  And as we would show forth thy lovingkindness in the morning, so would we speak of thy
faithfulness every night.
What thanks can we acceptably render unto thee,
0 thou ever good and gracious Being?  May we remember that the best proof that we are sensible of
thy great and unmerited goodness to us is our daily




CHEERFUL THANKS.                 185
conformity to thy will, and obedience to thy commandments; the daily consecration of ourselves to
thy service; withholding ourselves from sin, resisting
temptation, controlling passion, doing good to others,
and in all things imbibing the spirit, and copying
the life, of the Lord Jesus. Thus may we prove that
we love the Lord, by hating every evil.
Merciful Father, forgive us that we have not thus
shown forth our gratitude, but have been too thoughtless of thine untiring love, too careless of our constant
obligations, too ready to sin. Forgive us, we implore
thee, all our sins of thought, word, and deed; and
grant us thy Holy Spirit to aid and strengthen us in
all time to come, that we may become with every
added day more devoted to thy will.
Father, help us to grow in thy divine image. Help
us truly to love thee, and thy dear Son.  Help us
more and more to appreciate thine inestimable love
towards us, in sending him to be our Saviour. Help
us more entirely and gratefully to accept his mediation, and become reconciled to thee. Help us to make
our home on earth a Christian home.  Through our
pure and disinterested affections, and our right, tender and respectful treatment of each other, may it
aid to fit us for a better home in heaven. Help us
to renounce every evil word and work; to avoid the
seductions of vicious pleasure; to overcome all temptation, and keep ourselves unspotted from the world.
Help us, even in our sorrows and trials, to rejoice in
16*




186     WONDERS AND BOUNTIES.
thee as the all-wise disposer of our earthly lot, who
will, in thine own time, prove that light is sown for
the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart,
and that they shall triumph in the work of thy hand.
Help us to cultivate ever a spirit of benevolence, and
to have warm hearts and ready hands for its offices.
Help us to cherish a sense of true devotion and piety
Help us to live as seeing things invisible; as immortal beings, who know they are to account to thee for
the deeds done in the body, and receive according
thereto, whether good or evil.
And now, Father, in peace and charity with all
men, and in peace with thee, we commend ourselves,
our kindred and friends, to thy ever-watchful care.
May we sleep in safety, and awake beneath thy smile.
While thine all-enfolding wing protects us in the
darkness, may the morning light welcome us to new
activity, and new devotedness to thee.
This we ask through Jesus Christ our Mediator
and Redeemer, for whom we ever bless thee, and in
whose name ascribe to thee, Father everlasting, all
glory and praise forever. Amen.
XXIII.
Off0Mits U10'NffltftRs 
0 Lord our God, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
who hast set thy glory above the heavens.




WONDERS AND BOUNTIES.  187
When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers; the
moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son
of man, that thou visitest him?
For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and
hast crowned him with glory and honor.
Thou hast made him to have dominion over the works of
thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet:
All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field;
The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatever
passeth through the paths of the seas.
O Lord our God, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
0 GOD, our Creator, our guide in life, our support
in death and our portion forever, brought safely
through the perils of the day, a happy family circle,
we would again surround thine altar with grateful,
confiding, adoring hearts.  How many and how rich
are the mercies which have crowned another day!
The sun has lighted us on our paths of duty and
enjoyment; and night draws around us its sheltering
wings, to soothe us to rest. Business has opened to us
the means of support and usefulness, and society has
cheered us with its intercourse. Home has cherished
us in its love, and friendship surrounded us with
its sympathy.  Wisdom has counselled us out of thy
word, and out of the teachings and lives of the good
and wise.  Thy Holy Spirit has been moving on our
hearts, rebuking every wrong impulse, and prompting
holy desires.  And now thou hast set thy glory in
the heavens, and called out the moon and the stars




188    WONDERS AND BOUNTIES.
the work of thy hand.  0 Lord our God, how excellent is thy name in all the earth!
For all these blessings, so rich, so unmerited, so
exclusively thy gift; we would render thee humble
and hearty thanks.  But not as the beings of this
world do we owe thee the deepest gratitude.  More
than for all temporal mercies do we thank thee for
the gift of thy Son.  Without the light which he
has shed on nature, on human life, on the grave, they
would be dark indeed. As the gifts of thy love, our
daily blessings have a new value.  As a discipline of
character, life, with all its trials and sorrows, has a
high and holy meaning.'As the gate of immortal
life, the grave has a solemn, but sublime and inspiring
hope.  With all these blessings and encouragements
of thy providence and grace, what manner of lives
ought we to lead in all holy conversation and godliness! Our hearts should be filled with love, and
our hands with deeds of kindness.  Nature should
be alive with thy presence, and our homes hallowed
by thy love.  Every business and every pleasure
should be holy to those whom thou hast made but
a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned with
glory and honor.
We are humbled, 0 God, when we think how
greatly we have fallen short this day.  Forgive
us, in thy great mercy, all forgetfulness of thee in
the past day, all unfaithfulness in business, all unkindness in society, every hasty word in our home.




WONDERS AND BOUNTIES.                189
And grant that we may not lie down on our pillows
with one unrepented sin. Give us forgiving and loving hearts, that we may be at peace with each other,
and humble and contrite spirits, with which thou dost
delight to dwell.  Under the shelter of thy wings
may we rest sweetly, and rise to a better and happier life on earth than we have before known. And
should this prove the night of death to any of us,
may our parting be blessed; and may we at the morn
of the resurrection be prepared for thy presence, and
the society of the saints in light.
Holy Father, to thy kind protection we commend
all our absent friends.  Let no evil come nigh their
dwellings, and no disease invade their frames. Let thy
sheltering providence and thy forgiving love wrap
them as in a mantle of safety and peace.
Father of mercies, we supplicate thy blessing upon
those tossed on beds of pain, struggling with disease,
and especially those who. are this night to pass
through their last mortal agony. Beyond the reach
of human aid, help them to lean on thine almighty
arm and find rest. Give them the faith and peace of
thy holy Son, when he said, Father, into thy hands I
commend my spirit.
Finally, we commit our all into thy merciful hands
this night, and through the changes of life, trusting
in thy protection, and fearing no evil. And unto
thee we will ever render the homage of adoring
hearts, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




190         SELF-EXAMINATION.
XXIV.
Oldf - f xam1,3tiffe.
Thou art my portion, O Lord: I have said that I would
keep thy words.
I entreated thy favor with my whole heart; be merciful to
me according to thy word.
I thought on my ways, and turned my feet to thy testimonies.
I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks to thee, because of
thy righteous judgments.
I am a companion of all them that fear thee, and of them
that keep thy precepts.
The earth, 0 Lord, is full of thy mercy: teach me thy
statutes.
O THou the preserver of our lives, our Father
which art in heaven, our grateful hearts would praise
thee in this evening hour.  The labors of the day
finished, we would lay aside the cares and anxieties
of life, and here at our family altar, united in loving
harmony, commit ourselves to thee.
We thank thee, 0 Father, that thou dost bow thy
heavens and graciously hear when we devoutly make
known our wants and aspirations. Especially do we
thank thee that now, at the close of this day, we may
come as children, and speak to thee the thought of
our hearts, and invoke the assistance of thy Spirit.
0 lead us to self-examination.  Aid us to see ourselves as thou seest us.  In thy light may we see




SELF-EXAMINATION.                191
light.  Cleanse our sight that we may discern the
secrets of our hearts, and know the motives which
prompt us to action.  Help us to try our ways to see
if we have this day served thee, made thy will our
rule, and thy work our employment; if we have lived
mindful of the momentous concerns of the life eternal.
0 Thou whose mercy is over all thy children, forgive our sins. We would arise and come home to
thee.  We hear the gracious call of thy messengerSon, Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are weary
and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest; and we
would come with open hearts and penitent confessions,
and say, Father, forgive us. May we so live in all
purity, honesty and love, that when all our days on
earth shall have passed, and the shadows of our lifeevening shall be gathering round us, we may hear
benign voices, angels of peace, saying, Fear not, for
you there remaineth a rest in heaven.
0 God, these days and nights are passing rapidly,
and time makes his mark upon these mortal tabernacles; may we be prepared to live in that house not
made with hands, eternal in the heavens.
0 Father of infinite love, help us to keep our
minds and hearts in the glorious faith and cheering
hope of Christ Jesus our Lord, that whether we wake
or sleep we may live with him, throughwhom to thee
be rendered praise and thanksgiving, world without
end. Amen.




192  THE SEARCHER OF HEARTS.
XXV.
W9a 5kardpar of ~astas
0 Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me.
Thou knowest my down-sitting and mine up-rising; thou
understandest my thought afar off.
Thou compassest my path, and my lying down, and art
acquainted with all my ways.
Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee
from thy presence?
If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there; if I make my
bed in hell, behold, thou art there.
If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the utter
most parts of the sea;
Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me.
If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night
shall be light about me.
Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night
shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike
to thee.
Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and
know my thoughts;
And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in
the way everlasting.
ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, we would
again adore thy goodness, and seek thy forgiving
mercy, and commit ourselves to thy watchful care.
Thy kind providence has guarded and guided us
through another day. Thou hast graciously continued
our powers of body and of mind, and hast surrounded
us with a multitude of blessings. What thanks shall




THE  SEARCHER  OF HEARTS.  198
we render unto thee for all thy mercies? If it hath
pleased thee to mingle cares and afflictions with the
brightness of our lot, we know that they come from a
Father's hand, and are working out for us a Father's
purposes of love.
Almighty Parent, teach us to enjoy thy favors with
a filial gratitude, and to meet thy sanctifying chastisements with a filial submission and a filial trust. May
the remembrance of thy constant goodness cheer and
sustain us amidst the labors and perplexities, the
changes and disappointments, of life. May we do our
best, looking unto thee; and having done our best, in
a calm and cheerful faith, we will leave the issue unto
thee, knowing that in thy hands we are forever safe.
Let thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven.
O God, the searcher of hearts, as we look back on
the day that is now drawing to its close, we would
examine ourselves as in thy sight, and try our hearts
and our ways by the word and the life of Christ; and
if in aught we have been wanting in his spirit, or
have been violating his law, God be merciful to us
sinners.  Awaken us to a deeper sense of our dangers
and of our duties.  Help us by thy Holy Spirit to
forsake the sins which we confess, and to carry out
the good purposes which we now form in thy presence.
Help us to see the wrong, to abhor and to shun it;
help us to see the right, to love and to pursue it.
May it be our great aim, the one thing which we keep
ever before us, that which we first and most earnestly
17                   N




194   THE SEARCHER OF HEARTS.
seek, to be religiously faithful to the duties of our lot,
both the little and the great.
O God, our heavenly Father, thou hast made our
life on earth a pilgrimage brief and uncertain: and
now we are a day's march nearer to the grave and to
eternity. We know that the time is short to us and
to all.  May we live, while we live; live as thy
true children and servants, made for nobler pleasures
than those of sense, for higher glories than any which
men can offer, for sweeter rewards than those of
earthly gain.
And now, 0 God, who compassest our path and
our lying down, to whom the darkness and the light
are both alike, we would seek the blessing of sleep,
reposing now, as always, in the arms of thy protecting providence, and committing ourselves and all
whom we love to thy fatherly care.  We would go to
the slumbers of this night, as we hope to go to the
slumbers of the last, in peace with thee, in harmony
with our friends, in charity towards all, in a Christian
faith and a Christian hope, looking up to heaven and
to thee.  We pray for thy blessing upon our neighborhood, our country and the world, upon every righteous cause and every quickening truth in its struggle
with the old evil that is in the world; we ascribe unto
thee the kingdom, the power and the glory, for ever
and ever. Amen.




CONFESSION  OF SIN.                   95
XXVI.
nfsf\     ifx m af  itn.
I will arise, and go to my father, and will say unto him,
Father, I have sinned against Heaven, and before thee,
And am no more worthy to be called thy son: make me as
one of thy hired servants.
And he arose, and came to his father. But when he was
yet a great way off his father saw him, and had compassion,
and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him.
And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against
heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called
thy son.
But the father said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe,
and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on
his feet:
And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat
and be merry:
For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost,
and is found.
O, ALMIGHTY  and everlasting God, for all the
blessings which we every day receive from thy bounty, for all the known and all the unobserved favors,
deliverances, visitations and graces, of thy Holy Spirit,
we bless thy good providence; beseeching thee still to
continue thy fatherly care over us, for we need thy
constant protection and guidance.
God be merciful unto us, who have broken thy
laws, abused thy patience, wasted thy time, sinned.
against thy light, and resisted thy good Spirit. In




196        CONFESSION  OF SIN.
thy plenteous tender mercies pardon all that we have
done or thought amiss during the past day. Now,
when we draw nigh to thee, confessing that we have
sinned against thee, wilt thou draw nigh to us, and
embrace us in the arms of thy forgiving grace. We
rejoice before thee in what our divine Master, thy
chosen messenger, hath taught us of thy readiness to
forgive, and thank thee that in the father welcoming
the returning prodigal we may see thy own tender
love. When we lie down, may it be as pardoned children. Grant us grace that we may render ourselves
more worthy of thy favor for the time to come. Let
us be excited to serve thee, our heavenly Master, with
fidelity, and finish our work with diligence, before that
night overtakes us wherein no man can work.
0 Thou who never slumberest nor sleepest, but both
by night and day dost watch over thy people, keep
and defend us, we pray thee, this night.  Let the
shades which encompass us be as the shadow of thy
wings. May our sleep be quiet and refreshing; and
may we rise in the morning prepared and invigorated
to serve thee in the duties of the day. May all our
nights on earth be hallowed by thy blessing, and all
our days devoted to thy service, so that when we have
slept the sleep of the grave we may awake to the
resurrection of the just.
Hear us, we beseech thee, in thy Son's name, as
whose disciples we approach thee, our Father, and
ascribe unto thee all honor and glory forever. Amen.




SEEKING  PARDON.                    197
XXVII.
That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that
ye also may have fellowship with us: and truly our fellowship
is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.
And these things we write to you, that your joy may be
full.
This then is the message which we have heard from him,
and declare to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in
darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:
But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have
fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his
Son cleanseth us from all sin.
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us.
If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and
his word is not in us.
O  THOU infinite and eternal God, the framer of
our bodies and the Father of our spirits, in whose
hands our times are, and whose are all our ways. We
bless thee for the powers of our minds, and for the
affections and sympathies of our hearts. We bless
thee that thou hast made us capable of contemplating
thine adorable nature and character; capable of knowing thy will and our duty in all the relations of life;
17*




198          SEEK.ING  PARDON.
capable of serving thee in some acceptable, though
imperfect, manner in this world; and capable of being
prepared, by the aid of thy grace in Jesus Christ, for
the more perfect service and the more sublime enjoyment of thee in the world to come.
We thank thee that thou hast added another day
to our earthly life. We bless thee for every token
of thy merciful kindness manifested towards us; that
thou hast kept our feet from falling, our eyes from
tears, and our souls from death; and hast brought us
to the close of the day and of the evening still surrounded by the tokens of thy love, and still sustained
by the power of thy grace. Serenely would we now
look up to thee; for thou art light, and with thee there
is no darkness at all.
Wilt thou, who art faithful and just to forgive us
our sins, pardon the transgressions and imperfections
of this day, and of our, whole life. Create in us clean
hearts, and renew a right spirit within us. Through
that blood of Jesus which cleanseth from all sin, wilt
thou blot out all our transgressions. Suffer them not
to rise in this world to our shame, nor in the world
to come to our condemnation.  May the mind and
spirit of Jesus, the Master, be received into our
hearts, and nurtured  and cherished there, until,
bearing something of his image and likeness, we are
prepared to join the spirits of the just in that world
where our fellowship, in the purest and holiest sense,




SEEKING  PARDON.               199
will be with the Father, and with his Son Christ
Jesus.
May thy blessing ever rest upon this family. May
each member of it, whether present or absent, be an
object of thy protecting care and kindness, and a subject of redeeming love and grace. We commend ourselves, and all that we have, to thy holy protection
and keeping this night. May we lie down in the fear
and love of God. May our sleep be quiet and refreshing to us; and may we awake to behold the light, to
partake of the blessings, and to perform the duties, of
another day, in health and in peace.
Be with us while we shall continue in the world.
Mete out our trials in great mercy to us. Lay not
more upon us at any time than thou wilt give us
strength to bear, and to bear patiently, with filial
submission to thy will, with improvement to our own
souls, and with glory to thy great and holy name.
And when we shall have borne, and done, and suffered, according to thy whole will, in.this our earthly
life, may we be found meet to be partakers of that
rest which remains for the people of God.
We look to thee for a blessing upon the whole
human family. Hasten the time when pure religion,
and rational liberty, and equal laws, and righteous
government, shall enlighten, protect and bless, the
world. May every nation, kindred and tongue, unite
with the heavenly hosts in ascribing glory to God in




200        BORN  OF THE  SPIRIT.
the highest, because there is peace on earth, and good
will to men.
Hear us, 0 our Father in heaven, and when thou
hearest, answer, and forgive, and accept us, in the
name and as the disciples of Jesus Christ. Amen.
XXVIII.
lNg3       sf  te     2vidt.
Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say to thee, Except a man
be born of water, and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God.
That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is
born of the Spirit, is spirit.
Marvel not that I said to thee, Ye must be born again.
The wind bloweth where it will, and thou hearest the sound
of it, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth:
so is every one that is born of the Spirit.
Verily, verily, I say to thee, We speak what we know,
and testify what we have seen; and ye receive not our testimony.
If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how
will ye believe if I tell you heavenly things?
And no man hath ascended to heaven, but he that came
down from heaven, even the Son of man who is in heaven.
And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even
so must the Son of man be lifted up:
That whoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life.
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten




BORN  OF THE  SPIRIT.              201
Son, that whoever believeth in him, should not perish, but
have everlasting life.
For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the
world, but that the world through him may be saved.
INFINITE and holy One, with thee there is no darkness.  The shadows of evening cannot hide us from
thy presence. Thou art with us still. Thine eye has
been upon us through all the day. Thou hast watched
over us, shielded us from harm, and brought us to the
close of another day laden with fresh experience of thy
love and care.
Forgive all that has been wrong in our actions, our
words, or the spirit we have cherished. If we have
yielded to temptation; if we have not been watchful
against besetting sins; if we have been unfaithful in
any of the relations and duties of life; if we have
swerved from Christian integrity; if we have been
untruthful, unkind, or ungenerous; if we have given
way to petulance, or passion; if we have shown a
retaliatory or unforgiving spirit; if we have grieved
or wounded trusting affection; if we have betrayed
or disappointed the confidence of friendship; or in
any way disobeyed thy will, and grieved thy Holy
Spirit, Father, forgive us, and help us to see and
feel our sins, and inspire us with a new spirit, that
we may live more as becometh thy.children.
And now, 0 Father, we would listen to those words
of Jesus which unfold the need of a spiritual birth.
Sitting at the feet of that Teacher from heaven, may




202       BORN  OF THE  SPIRIT.
his voice fall on our ears in the tender and earnest
accents once heard on earth.  While he takes the
things of God and shows them unto us, may the reality and hopes of a spiritual life be by us discerned.
0, that the work of regeneration might ever be going
on in our souls. 0, that each day might witness some
progress in the divine life.. 0, for a living faith, strong
and victorious, that shall open our souls more fully to
thy Holy Spirit, and bring our inmost natures into
harmony with thy will.  Help us to look to thine
only-begotten Son, who was lifted up that all men
might be drawn unto him, and give us that saving
faith in him which is unto everlasting life.
For all the good gifts of thy providence this day
we thank thee; for food, and raiment, and shelter,
and friends; for protection from sickness and casualty,
and for all the enjoyments of social and domestic life.
Sanctify our home.  May it be a Christian home; a
home of love, of faith, of hope, and prayer. And may
all its influences, through thy rich grace, fit us for a
home in heaven.
May we lean trustingly upon thine everlasting arm
this night.  May a sense of thy presence and love
give peace to our slumbers.  May we be refreshed
and strengthened by needful repose. And if it shall
seem good to thee to wake us to the light of another
day, may our souls wake to new emotions of gratitude,
and new purposes of living to thy glory.  This we
humbly ask, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




FOR THE COMFORTER.                     203
XXIX.
1^  ta   2gfl^tae.
If ye love me, keep my commandments:
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another
Comforter, that he may abide with you forever;
Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive,
because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know
him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.
I will not leave you comfortless; I will come to you.
Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye
see me: because I live, ye shall live also.
At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and
you in me, and I in you.
These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with
you.
But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the
Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things,
and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have
said unto you.
Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as
the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be
troubled, neither let it be afraid.
Ye have heard how I said unto you, I go away, and come
again unto you. If ye loved me ye would rejoice, because I
said, I go unto the Father: for my Father is greater than I.
0  GOD, how infinite art thou!  How far beyond
the reach of our thoughts, beyond the grasp of our
understandings!  We adore thine almighty  power,
which created and sustains the world; we are' lost in
wonder at that wisdom which guides all the course of




204       FOR THE COMFORTER.
nature, and of providence; and our whole hearts are
filled with thankfulness for the numberless tokens of
kindness which thou givest us from the inexhaustible
treasures of thy love. We thank thee for our creation, for our preservation, and for all the blessings of
this life; and especially for the kind providence which
has this day guarded us from evil, and given us opportunities to gain knowledge, and wisdom, and virtue.
We confess, 0 Father, our unworthiness to receive
these gifts of thy love; we acknowledge that our
obedience is imperfect, and that our sins are many.
We are the more deeply ashamed of them because
of thy forbearance and kindness; and the more
touched by thy goodness, because thou dost bestow it
upon us in our unworthiness. Let thy goodness lead
us to repentance; let thy love strengthen us in a better life.  Show us, 0 God, our sins; let us know
wherein we have failed, and let us henceforth be more
true to thee, and to Jesus our Redeemer. May that
Holy Spirit which he promised to send as the Comforter from thee descend upon us, to convict us of
sin, to lead us to repentance, to teach us all truth, to
assure us of forgiveness, to work in us the fruits of
righteousness, and to abide with us forever.
We give thanks unto thee, 0, Father, for these
precious hopes and promises of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Trusting in him for the forgiveness of our sins, and
for the acceptance of our prayers, we rest on thine
almighty arm, and know that thou wilt keep them in




SPIRITUAL  WORSHIP.                 205
perfect peace whose hearts are stayed on thee. May
the peace of Jesus, given not as the world giveth, be
our blessed portion.   Dwelling in him  even as he
dwelt in thee, thou wilt keep us evermore in safety.
No harm can befall us by night or by day, since the
darkness and the light are both alike to thee.
Let thy blessing be upon each member of this
household, upon all who are dear to either of us, and
upon all to whom thou hast bound us by any ties.
Bring sinners to repentance, lead thy saints to holier
living, and hasten the day when all men shall serve
thee acceptably, through Jesus Christ our Lord,through whom unto thee would we give honor forever.
Amen.
XX.
Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that
in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
Jesus saith to her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh,
when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem,
worship the Father.
Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship,
for salvation is of the Jews.
But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers
shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the
Father seeketh such to worship him.
God is a spirit: and they that worship him, must worship
him in spirit and in truth.
18




206        SPIRITUAL WORSHIP.
ALMIGHTY PARENT, we have walked by thy light
and thy strength through whatever dangers, seen or
unseen, have been about us, until the curtains of the
night have been drawn around us, inviting us to repose.
How hast thou watched over us and guarded us in all
our paths! In every step we have taken, every
breath we have inspired, every beating of our pulses,
we have drawn from thine everlasting strength and
love. Now that the evening shadows are laid upon all
outward things, and we are invited by the still and
solemn hour to look in upon our own hearts, we implore thine all-revealing Spirit to show us to ourselves. We look up to thee in thy dazzling purity
and holiness, and our own imperfection and corruption
come more fully into light. Forgive us the sins we
have this day committed, and enable us so to see the
secret springs of all our corrupt life, that we may
present our whole soul to be now visited and cleansed
by thy Spirit, so that all things may be created new
within us.  Thou art our Father-Spirit, and may
our nightly worship of thee be in spirit and in truth.
Our Father in heaven, our eyes wait upon thee
with unutterable longings. We have tried all other
good, and still our souls hunger and thirst. Thou
alone canst fill the void that is in us, and satisfy the
cravings of our immortal minds. If deprived of all
things else, we are still rich if only we have the
experience of thy grace. But if we lose thee we lose
all things else, for the whole world is naught bereft




HELP IN  TROUBLE.                207
of thee.  Therefore we pray, above all things, that
thou mayst come within us, and we beseech thee to
lead us through all that we need to prepare the way
for that blessed and glorious coming.  If we need
prosperity, we. pray for it that it may bring us to thee.
If we need adversity and privation, we would rather
have these than spiritual death.  Whatever it may be
that shall raise us, 0, send us that which shall bring
us nearer to thee, and reveal thee through our whole
nature as our unfailing light, our never-setting sun.
As we lie down to sleep, we resign all that we are
into thy hands.  May we be embosomed in thy love.
Keep away all evil thoughts and fancies, and may we
repose like infancy in thee.  And may all our days
and nights prepare us for that world where our sun
shall no more go down, neither shall our moon wane,
but where the Lord shall be our everlasting light, and
our God our glory.  Through Jesus Christ.  Amen.
XXXI.
1^ il alm^
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in
trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shall be removed, and though the mountains shall be carried into the
midst of the sea;
Though its waters shall roar and be disturbed, though the
mountains shake with the swelling of it.




208          HELP  IN  TROUBLE.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge.
Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he
hath made in the earth.
He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth; he
breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; he burneth
the chariot in the fire.
Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among
the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our
refuge.
0 OUR Lord God, almighty and all-merciful, thou
hearest the cry of those who are in affliction; thou
knowest our frame; thou rememberest that we are but
dust. 0 Lord our God, in the midst of life's sorrows
and trials our strength is in thee.  We know that
sorrow springeth not from the ground, that it cometh
not without thy divine command; grant us therefore,
0 Father, to submit to the rod, and to him who hath
appointed it.  Thou, Lord, dost not willingly afflict
or grieve the children of men; aid us, therefore, to
discern in the present and in every time of trial the
beneficent end thou hast in view, that we may derive
from  affliction the means of amendment.  Grant us
that we may not be overmuch bowed down by any
burden of sorrow, so as to forget that resignation to
thy will, that courage, and that faith in thee, which
become us as thy children, and as disciples of our Lord
Jesus Christ.
May we with grateful hearts recount the blessings




HELP  IN  TROUBLE.               209
we still enjoy, and if reminded of happier times in
the past, look forward to the enjoyment, through thy
blessing, of happiness in the future; and above all to
that heavenly world, where there shtll be no more
sorrow nor sighing, but where the light afflictions
which are but for a moment here shall work for us a
far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory.
May the sorrows we here endure, and all the varied
discipline of thy providence, aid us in our endeavors
to attain that world, and the glorious resurrection
from the dead.
Grant us, 0 Lord, ever to keep in remembrance,
and place before us as the model of our conduct, that
holy and divine Saviour, who though he was rich
yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his
poverty might be rich. May we follow his example in
the patience with which he endured affliction, in the
firmness which resisted all temptation, the love that
returned good for evil and prayers for curses, and the
trust in thee which gained the victory over death.
0 Lord, while we deplore outward sufferings, may
we not be insensible to the sins which have deserved
severer chastisement at thy hand.  We lament our
unworthiness, and pray that thou wouldst grant us
still deeper repentance, a clearer view of our own
transgressions, and a firmer purpose of heart to turn
from them all.  In thy mercy, 0 God, forgive them,
and strengthen us that we may fall into them no more.
Let us examine our own hearts and lives, and root out
18*                  o




210           THE TRUE REST.
from them every beginning of evil. Nor let us make
the effort to resist temptation in our own unaided
strength, but trusting to the assistance of thy heavenly grace.
0 Lerd, as the night has gathered round us, so do
shadows and darkness veil the light of thy countenance from thy children's eyes. Yet grant us to commit ourselves calmly to rest, knowing that thou,
though unseen, watchest over us.  May we rise in
safety with  another day, consoled, refreshed  and
strengthened, for the duties to which it calls us. So,
too, may every shadow of distress pass from us, and'the light of happiness shine upon our path; and at
length, when the last shade shall gather, grant us, 0
God, to sink submissively and peacefully to rest, and
to rise accepted in the image of our God when the
light of eternity shall dawn upon us. We offer these
our petitions, 0 Lord, as a united though suffering
family of thy children, in the name of thy blessed
Son, our Saviour, Jesus Christ, ascribing unto thee,
our heavenly Father, glory and blessedness forevermore.  Amen.
XXXII.
At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, 0
Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid




THE  TRUE REST.                   211
these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them to babes.
Even so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy sight.
All things are delivered to me by my Father; and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man
the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will
reveal him.
Come unto me, all ye that labor, and are heavy-laden, and
I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me: for I am
meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest to your souls.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.
BLESSED art thou, 0 God, our great Preserver and
Benefactor, our Father in heaven.   Another day
closes upon us in the midst of countless mercies.
Throughout its various scenes, at home and abroad,
thou hast been with us in thy providential care. In
every joy it has brought, in every success we have
met, in every act of kindness we have experienced; in
the air we have breathed, in the food which has nourished us, in the occupations which have exercised our
minds and bodies, in our continued health, in the
comforts and endearments of home; we acknowledge
thee, and gratefully adore thy love. And above all,
in the advent, mission and ministry, of thy Holy
Child Jesus, our Redeemer, Saviour and Lord; in
the precious revelation he has made of thee as a
Father; in his great sacrifice for our sins; in all that
he taught and all that he suffered, that he might
bring us into living communion with thyself, save us




212           THE TRUE REST.
from the power and degradation of sin, and prepare us
for death and judgment.
Hear our prayer, 0 God, that we may come to him
who is the only true rest for our souls. Through his
grace may we break the hard yoke of our passions,
and leave the heavy burden of our sins, and learn of
him who -was meek and lowly, whose yoke is easy and
whose burden is light. Weary and heavy-laden, may
we find in him a peace which the world cannot give
and cannot take away.
Before we lie down to rest, we would commune
with thee, and with our own souls. We would lay
open to thee, and examine for ourselves, our own
hearts. In the review of the day, -we humble ourselves before thee. Thou hast not been to us a conscious, cherished abiding presence, and therefore we
have sinned.  The fear of God has not always been
before our eyes, and therefore we have forgotten and
broken thy holy law. Truly we have done those
things which we ought not to have done, and have left
undone those things which we ought to have done.
Forgive us, we beseech thee, for thine own mercy's
sake, as thou hast promised by thy Son; and may
the sweet assurance of thy pardon take possession of
our hearts, and give us abiding peace. We would
retire to our chambers at peace with thee, at peace
with the world, at peace with our own souls.
Watch over us, 0 God, this night; and protect us
and our habitation, and all who are dear to us, while




THE BREAD  OF LIF.                  213
we sleep.  And should another day dawn upon us,
may we awake in safety, with minds and bodies
refreshed, ready to go forth to our respective duties,
and faithfully serve thee and our fellow-men.
Which we ask in the name and as the disciples of
Jesus Christ, our most blessed Lord and Saviour.
Amen.
XXXIII.
alCtR Nnt"a vof gt Sfk
And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he that
cometh to me shall never hunger: and he that believeth on
me shall never thirst.
But I said to you, That ye also have seen me, and believe
not.
All that the Father giveth me, shall come to me; and him
that cometh to me I will in no wise reject.
For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but
the will of him that sent me.
And this is the Father's will who hath sent me, that of all
which he hath given me, I should lose nothing, but should
raise it up again at the last day.
And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one
who seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day.
ALMIGHTY GOD, our heavenly Father, who daily
loadest us with benefits; we would come to thee at
the close of this day to express our grateful sense of
thy great and manifold mercies.




214        THE BREAD  OF LIFE.
At home and abroad, in our several ways and amid
varied exposures, thou hast kept us from dangers and
from death.  Thou hast continued to us the use of
our powers and faculties, and enabled  us to, go
through the toils required by duty and necessity
without injury to mind or body.  Thy bounty has
supplied our wants.  Thy loving hand has tenderly
smoothed for us the rough and thorny paths. In thee
we have found an unfailing support, when, wearied
and fainting, we had felt our own strength insufficient
to our need. Most humbly and fervently we thank
thee, 0 God, for these and all the manifestations of
thy unmerited goodness.
And now that we are about to retire to our rest,
we would beseech thee to continue to bless us, and to
take care of us. If in the day that has just past we
have been successful in our endeavors to control our
tempers, appetites and passions, wilt thou accept this
as a proof of our sincere desire to abstain from what is
evil, and by thy grace confirm and fortify within us
the same holy resolution, so that on the morrow we
may begin again the like efforts of self-government
with yet greater zeal.  If we have tried to be of use
to any of our fellow-beings, to do them good, to lighten
their burdens and assuage their griefs, 0 Father, do
thou crown what we have imperfectly attempted with
thine own efficacious blessing.  May the happiness of
others become yet dearer to our hearts with each
succeeding day.




MENTAL  REST.                  215
But, 0 God, thou knowest that we too often fail
to do even what we have most sincerely desired, and
that many errors and sins remain in us to make us
afflicted and ashamed before thy holy eyes.  0, may
thy mercy pardon what we have done amiss.  Make
us truly contrite in view of all our transgressions.
Let thy Holy Spirit help our infirmities, purify our
affections, and give new moral force to our best purposes and desires. May our souls be led to him who
alone can feed them, so that they will hunger no
more.  To him may we go who will in no wise reject
those who seek him, but will give them  everlasting
life, and raise them up with him at the last day.
And now may we lie down upon our beds in peace.
Be thou our guardian and deliverer. Keep far from
us and our habitation every evil; and grant us, in
thy mercy, the joy of a happy reunion around this
family altar in the morning, if it be thy will that we
open our eyes to the light of another day. Amen.
XXXIV.
Menttal gat.
Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or,
What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?
(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek;) for your
heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.




216            MENTAL REST.
But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto
the day is the evil thereof.
ALMIGHTY GOD, we draw nigh to thee in faith
and humility to offer our evening worship.  How
great the privilege to look up to thee and call thee
Father!  How  blessed are they who have him
for their friend who made heaven and earth, and
orders all things therein!  We pray that we may
abide in thy favor; may be kept in thy family; may
always find thee near. Having sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, may all other things
be added unto us. Thou knowest what we have need
of. May thy bounty supply our wants.  May thine
arm be stretched out to protect us. May thy Holy
Spirit sustain and strengthen us.  And when it
seems good unto thy wisdom to visit us with trials
and afflictions, may thy grace sanctify all our sorrows,
and make them instrumental to our eternal benefit.
To thy grace and care we commend our friends and
relations. We beseech thee to guard them from evil,
and grant them all things convenient to them; and
when they shall have finished their appointed course
on earth, to bring them to thine everlasting kingdom.
Bless the old and the young.  May children be
blessed in their parents, and parents in their children.
Bless those who are coming on, and those who are in




FOR  THE TRUE RICHES.                217
the midst of their work, and those who are passing
away.  Be thou the God and the Guide of all.
Let us go to rest, this night, secure in thy gracious
protection. Keep us from distrustful thoughts. May
our minds have rest in thee.  Let us rise in,the
morning prepared for the duties of the day.  And
when at last we are called to sleep the sleep of death,
may we fear no evil, but rejoice in the sure hope of a
brighter morning, through Jesus Christ our Saviour.
Amen.
XXXV.
1ft t  Ent 1m           R I kso
And he spake a parable to them, saying, The ground of a
certain rich man brought forth plentifully:
And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do,
because I have no room where to bestow my fruits?
And he said, This will I do: I will pull down my barns,
and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and
my goods.
And 1 will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid
up for many years; take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry.
But God said to him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be
required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou
hast provided?
So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich
toward God.
ETERNAL GOD, thou only Source of all good, we
admire the wisdom and mercy which are displayed in
19




218        FOR THE TRUE RICHES.
thy ordinances, whereby it is provided that seasons of
thoughtful reflection and needful rest should constantly follow hours of busy toil. The day is thine;
the night also is thine; and in their regular succession may we ever acknowledge the love of Him who
careth for us.
For what we have enjoyed in the day that is now
ended, we offer the tribute of our hearts. For what
we have left undone that we should have done, or have
done that we ought not to have done, we implore
pardon.  Erase from our souls, 0 God, the impression of evil we may have thoughtlessly incurred.
Print deeper there the mark of every truth which has
moved us, of every virtue which has drawn forth our
esteem and love.  Let all the experience we meet
with from day to day leave some profitable lessons
for our future warning and instruction. We would
not live in vain: we would not be cumberers of our
Lord's ground.  We desire to increase in knowledge
and virtue continually.  We would be wiser and
better with every added day.
Great God, how solemn and momentous is the end
for which thou givest us a day more of life! May we
seriously ponder it.  May we feel that we are living
for a purpose whose importance eternity alone can
fully show. Wilt thou, who didst give thy dearlybeloved Son for our salvation, fulfil in us the design
of his divine mission. Help us with unfeigned faith
to accept the gracious words which he brings, and




FOR  THE TRUE RICIES.              219
to embrace the Gospel which he has sealed with his
blood. May the love of Christ constrain us to devote
ourselves unreservedly to his service. Let all hardness and impenitence be removed from our hearts.
Let our whole natures be brought into harmony with
thy perfections, and be transformed by the renewing
influences of thy truth and grace into the likeness of
Jesus Christ.
Almighty Father, we pray that the blessed example and the solemn instruction of thy dear Son
may never pass from our minds.  May his meekness,
gentleness and purity, be ours.  May we learn to
bear and to do thy will, even as he did. In him may
we find peace to our souls. Let no sin have dominion
over us. Let all selfishness, and pride, and anger, and
malice, be banished from our hearts.  May we live to
do good and be useful in the world. May we make
timely Christian preparation for death. Suffer us not
to wander in unbelief and guilt from the only way
that leadeth to eternal life. Keep us from that love
of this world which may make us forget the world
that is to come.  Save us from that bondage to uncertain riches through which we may lose the true
riches that fade not away. In the midst of all thy
bounties help us so to live that the summons may not
find us unprepared or unwilling, if this night our
soul should be required of us.
Father, through the darkness that now encompasses
us wilt thou protect us from all evil. Safely conduct




220    FOR  RENEWED  DILIGENCE.
us along the pilgrimage of life. Fit us to die the
death of the righteous, and finally grant us a part in
the blessedness of heaven.  Amen.
XXXVI.
But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should
overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day:
we are not of the night, nor of darkness.
Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch
and be sober.
For they that sleep, sleep in the night; and they that be
drunken, are drunken in the night.
But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the
breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet the hope of
salvation:
For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain
salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should
live together with him.
Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one an
other, even as also ye do.
OUR FATHER which art in heaven, the day is
thine, and the night also is thine.  Thou sendest the
morning light to summon us to activity, and thou
gatherest about us the shades of evening that we may
sleep and rest. How manifold is thy goodness! We




FOR RENEWED  DILIGEN  E.    221
are thine, made, and preserved, and saved by thee,
and thine we would be by choice and solemn consecration.
At the close of another day, laden with new
experience of thy great goodness, we would renew
our vows. May we feel the solemn call to revive and
quicken our diligence. How many hopes and aspirations of our morning hours are lost in the cares,
struggles or pleasures, of the day! 0 thou Searcher
of our hearts, if we this day have done aught that is
well pleasing to, thee, we rejoice, and thank thee for
opportunity and strength.  And wilt thou look in
mercy upon our failures and defects. Though so far
from what we should be, may we neither lose sight of
our high vocation, and become indifferent, nor sink
through despondency to faithless despair.
Almighty God, encourage us from thy holy word.
If weak, thy service will make us strong; if our feet
stumble upon the dark mountains, the light of Christ
will give us noonday; and if prodigals afar from
thee feeding our meaner appetites, in penitence we
may return home. We thank thee for the hope of
forgiving mercy. May we not abuse that mercy.
Awaken us to unceasing and earnest activity while
our day of life lasts, and till the long night cometh.
Help us to put on the whole armor of God, and
to enter with renewed courage upon that service which
is appointed to us, that we may obtain salvation
through our Lord Jesus Christ.
19*




222             LOWLY  SERVICE.
Father of all the families upon earth, may thy
blessing rest upon this our home. We come here from
our more outward and public concerns, and here may
we meet thee, and see ourselves as thou seest us.
May our life'and health be precious in thy sight.
May love, harmony and peace, come as good angels
into the midst of us.
0  thou ever-present Guardian, be with  us this
night, defend us in its lonely watches, and let thy
peace possess our souls. 0 hear and graciously keep
us; for thine is the power, and to thee be rendered
everlasting praise, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
XXXVII.
Then he cometh to Simon Peter: and Peter saith to him,
Lord, dost thou wash my feet?
Jesus answered and said to him, What I do thou knowest
not now; but thou shalt know hereafter.
Peter saith to him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus
answered him, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me.
Simon Peter said to him, Lord, not my feet only, but also
my hands and my head.
So after he had washedtheir feet, and had taken his garments, and was set down again, he said to them, Know ye
what I have done to you?
Ye call me Master. and Lord: and ye say well; for so I
am.




LOWLY SERVICE.                   223
If I then, your Lord and Master, have washed your feet;
ye also ought to wash one another's feet.
For I have given you an example, that ye should do as I
have done to you.
Verily, verily, I say to you, The servant is not greater than
his lord; neither he that is sent greater than he that sent
him.
If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them.
FATHER ALMIGHTY, who with more than a father's
solicitude, with more than a mother's tenderness, dost
cherish and watch over us, we draw  near with our
evening tribute of prayer and thanksgiving unto thee,
who hearest prayer, and dost not refuse the offering of
praise from humble and contrite hearts. Blessed be
God, that once more we are gathered together for this
holy duty, in circumstances so favorable and hopeful.
May we all count up the mercies of our God, and
find in them the motives to urge us forward in the
duties of a holy life. May thy goodness lead us to
repentance of our sins.  May it animate us with a
purer and warmer charity. May it give new vigor to
faith, new force to virtuous resolution. May it draw
our hearts continually heavenward.
Accept the toils and endeavors, the self-denials and
the patient endurance, which we may have successfully
attained to, by thy grace helping  us, this day.
Forgive our many imperfections and our many sins.
Father, we would bow low before thee.  Compared
with thy perfect holiness, we feel ourselves unworthy




224           LOWLY SERVICE.
to look up to thee, and to call ourselves thy children.
If thou shalt grant us more time and opportunity for
improvement, we pray that we may be enabled to make
the best use of it, and may be ever growing in knowledge and virtue as we increase in years.
Great Father of mankind, may the same blessings
which have made us a happy family be extended to
all the families of men. Inspire us with the most
earnest desire to be useful in every relation we
sustain.  May the spirit of Jesus, who came not to
be ministered unto, but to minister, be in our hearts.
In the footsteps of our divine Saviour may we delight
to walk. Let our love to him ever prompt us to love
all those whom God has placed within the reach of
our kind offices. Willingly and joyfully may we
render to them any service, counting none too lowly
if it may contribute to the comfort of those with whom
our lot is cast.  Make us more prompt to show
courtesy, affection, a yielding of our preferences, and
a study of others' wishes, in our daily intercourse;
so that our lives, if marked by the stewardship of no
great trusts, may be filled full of useful and pleasing
service, in the humble occurrences of every hour.
Dispose us to pity and commiseration, to forbearance
and forgiveness.. Open our hearts wide to the claims
of all our fellow-creatures upon our aid and care, our
good-will and affection, and may our influence and
example be a blessing throughout the sphere in which
they may be felt. Knowing the duty and the precious




CHEERFULNESS IN  OUR  LOT.   225
worth of these things, may we inherit the benediction,
Happy are ye if ye do them.
And now, 0 Father, may thy peace descend upon
us.  May thy merciful protection be over us; may
we sleep undisturbed by any evil, under thy watchful
eye; and when we awake may we rejoice that we are
still with thee. Amen.
XXXVIII.
cmtrtfixnze   S in ah      t m st.
Two things have I required of thee; deny them not to me
before I die:
Remove far from me vanity and lies; give me neither pov
erty nor riches; feed me with food convenient for me;
Lest I be full, and deny thee, and say, Who is the Lord?
or lest I be poor, and steal, and take the name of my God in
vain.
He that loveth silver shall not be satisfied with silver,
nor he that loveth abundance with increase: this is also
vanity.
I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound:
everywhere and in all things, I am instructed both to be full
and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need.
We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are
perplexed, but not in despair;
Persecuted, but not forsaken; cast down, but not destroyed;
As unknown, and yet well known; as dying, and behold,
we live; as chastened, and not killed;
P




226    CHEERFULNESS IN  OUR  LOT.
As sorrowful, yet always rejoicing; as poor, yet making
many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things.
FATHER of all Mercies, we thy children, sheltering
ourselves under thy watchful eye and protecting care,
would offer to thee our evening tribute of praise. Accept our thanks for the past day; for all it has brought
of thy bounty; for all it has offered of thy grace; for
all it has witnessed of kindly offices and sweet affections; for all which will live in our memories of its
opportunities well improved, and its duties faithfully
done.
Before closing our eyes in sleep, we would seek thy
forgiveness of our sins, and implore of thee those spiritual graces which we feel that we need.  May we
bow before thee in the spirit of a cheerful acquiescence
in the lot which thy providence hath assigned to us.
Save us, O God, from ever being anxious, distrustful,
or repining. Believing that thou art the ruler over
the whole earth, and that all things are ordered by
thine unerring wisdom, may we learn in whatsoever
state we are therewith to be content.   Thou knowest
what is truly best for us; we would have no will but
thine. If the lines fall to us in pleasant places, to
thee be the praise.  If sickness and sorrow overtake
us, thou art our portion, and in thee will we put our
trust. Fully assured, 0 Lord, of thy watchful providence, we would be cheerfully satisfied with our lot,
and look on every untoward event of life with patience




CHEERFULNESS IN  OUR  LOT.   227
and serenity, assured that thou canst bring good out
of seeming evil.
To thee, the Rock of our salvation, we will fly in
every extremity of ill; for thou wilt never leave or
forsake the children of thy care.  As all things come
of thee, may our conversation be without covetousness.
Put far from us all envious dispositions, and murmuring thoughts.  Thankful for past mercies, we would
indulge no unseemly anxiety for the morrow, knowing
that futurity is in thy hands. With present health and
comfort, we would cast all other cares upon thee, who
carest for us.
Grant, O God, that thy peace, which passeth all
understanding, may continually possess our souls.
May no corrupt and selfish desires interrupt the devout cheerfulness of our spirits.  Let not sin have
dominion over us, to lead us astray from the paths of
godliness and contentment. Daily laying up for ourselves treasures in heaven, may we enjoy here that
pure satisfaction which follows the diligent practice of
righteousness, and be prepared to enter hereafter into
life eternal. We implore these blessings of thy mercy
through Jesus Christ our Lord, while for this night,
and for our future lives, we commit ourselves to thy
guardian care. Amen.




228           DOMESTIC  UNITY.
XXXIX.
ehold, how good and how pleasant it is for brethren to
Behold, how~ good and how.. pleasant it is for brethren to
dwell together in unity!
It is like the precious ointment upon the head, that ran
down upon the beard, even Aaron's beard; that went down
to the skirts of his garments;
As the dew of Hermon, and as the dew that descended upon
the mountains of Zion: for there the Lord commanded the
blessing, even life forevermore.
Behold, bless ye the Lord, all ye servants of the Lord, which
by night stand in the house of the Lord.
Lift up your hands in the sanctuary, and bless the Lord.
The Lord, that made heaven and earth, bless thee out of
Zion.
0 GoD, the light of every heart that sees thee, the
life of every soul that loves thee, we, thy children,
pray that thou wouldst lighten our darkness, sustain
our faintings, save us from the death of sin, and grant
us life eternal.  Enter, we beseech thee, into our
hearts, speak peace unto this house, abide with us
always, and command thy blessing to descend upon
us as the dew upon the mountains of Zion.
Keep us continually, 0  God, in thy fear.  May
we be followers of that which is good, and disciples
of thy Son Jesus Christ, obeying his precepts, and
imitating his example. Let our bodies be in constant
subjection to our souls, our senses to our reason, and
our reason to thy divine and gracious instruction; that




LOOEING  TO THE END.                229
so, both outwardly and inwardly, we may be fully disposed to do thy will.
May we, thy children, know from our experience
how good and how pleasant it is to dwell together in
unity.  May we be kind and faithful to each other,
and to all with whom we are in any way connected.
And may we be always sensible of our relationship to
thee, our heavenly Father, and feel that whether
sleeping or waking we are still with thee. Keep and
defend us this night.  Grant unto us quiet and restoring slumbers. Bring us to the light of another
morning in safety, and when our days and nights on
earth are numbered and finished, grant that we may
behold each other in the light of eternal day, and be
members together of thy family in heaven. And this
we ask in the name of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord
and Redeemer.  Amen.
XL.
Sohftlg  to  tQk Egg+
The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men
count slackness; but is long suffering to us-ward, not willing
that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.
But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night;
in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise,
20




280        LOOKING   TO  THE  END.
and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also,
and the works that are therein, shall be burned up.
Seeing then that all these things shall be dissolved, what
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and
godliness;
Looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God,
wherein the heavens, being on fire, shall be dissolved, and the
elements shall melt with fervent heat?
Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new
heavens, and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.
Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be
diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot,
and blameless.
GOD of the evening, while the curtain of night falls
around us, thy imperfect creatures, to thee the darkness and light are both alike. We would realize that
thine eye never slumbers; that it is ever upon us, and
upon us only for our good. Having experienced thy
watchful and beneficent care through another day, we
would in this quiet evening hour gratefully and devoutly acknowledge it.
We humbly confess our unworthiness.  We pray
that we may be forgiven; and by true repentance, by
consistent and thorough faithfulness, by reforming
what is wrong and perfecting what is right, may we
commend ourselves to thee and our consciences, and
show as we best can our sense of that unceasing and
infinite goodness, which is new every morning, and
renewed every evening, and every moment of our
life.




LOOKING  TO  THE  END.              231
0 God, as we now yield ourselves to rest under
the shadows of night, may we yet more repose under
the shadow of the Almighty, of thine all-wise and
most merciful protection.  If thou shalt permit our
eyes to open again on earthly scenes, may we awake
with powers refreshed, and spirits invigorated, and
resolute for the work of duty.  Give thine angels
charge over us this night, that our sleep may be rest
and our waking peace.
And when that night cometh, that sooner or later
comes to all, in which the heavens shall pass away,
and the work of life can no more be done, may we be
found prepared to awake in thy likeness, and to enter
on the rest of thy people, in those heavenly mansions
which the great and good Saviour has gone before to
prepare for his faithful followers.  Thus, though all
these things of earth shall be dissolved, we would according to his promise look for new heavens and a
new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. May not
the shadows of time obscure the realities of eternity.
But, grateful for thy long-suffering, remembering
that the day of the Lord will at last come when we
look not for it, may we be diligent that we be found
of him in peace, without spot and blameless.  And to
thy holy name be the glory forever.'Amen.




282               PASSING  ON.
XLI.
Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed,
In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump
(for the trumpet shall sound); and the dead shall be raised
incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this
mortal must put on immortality.
So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption,
and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be
brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed
up in victory.
O death! -where is thy sting?  O grave! where is thy
victory?
The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the
law.
But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory, through
our Lord Jesus Christ.
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmova
ble, always abounding'in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as
ye know that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.
OUR FATHER, who hast given us the light and life
and enjoyments of another day, blessed be thy name
for these and all the rich tokens of thy fatherly goodness, from the beginning to the present time. Let a
fervent gratitude warm our hearts, that we may never
forget or forsake thee, the fountain of. all good, who
hast never forgotten or forsaken us.
We give thee hearty thanks for the active duties,




PASSING  ON.                233
the labors of love and usefulness, which thou hast ordained as the means of our earthly discipline and our
preparation for the life to come.  If we have failed
this day in reverence to thee or obedience to thy
most holy commandments, if we have thought or
done evil to our fellow-men, we pray that we may be
forgiven and restored to thy paternal love. If we
have injured our own bodies or souls, and marred thy
divine image within us, we beseech thee, the source
of all health and all spiritual regeneration, to heal
and to redeem us.
And now, since our days on earth have been lessened,
lead us onward and upward more and more, in faith
and affection, to the heavenly world. While all things
here below are passing away, and we can look for no
eternal home on earth, may we lay up our treasures
and build our hopes in heaven, that when this mortal
shall put on immortality death may be swallowed up
in victory.
O God, thou again drawest around us the curtains
of evening, and declarest thy glory in the starry skies.
Keep us in peace and safety, great Guardian of our
lives, during the hours of darkness and sleep, and may
we be refreshed by quiet slumbers. Let it please thee
to guard all our dear friends, wherever they may be,
at home or abroad, on land or sea, and to bind our
hearts to them in ever new ties of love and spiritual
sympathy. Command thy divine blessing on the poor,
the sick and the erring, that thy compassions and thy
20*




234           NO NIGHT THERE.
corrections may not fail in  their  several needs.
Above all things, our heavenly Father, we pray for
the coming of thy kingdom, and the doing of thy will
on earth as it is done in heaven. May Jesus reign,
from the rising to the setting of the sun, in all hearts
and in all homes.
Graciously accept our evening tribute of prayer and
praise in his holy and ever-blessed name who giveth
us the victory over all danger, and over death itself;
and unto thee, the King eternal, the Father almighty.
be honor and glory, dominion and power, world without end. Amen.
XLII.
And I saw no temple in it: for the Lord God Almighty and
the Lamb are the temple of it.
And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it: for the glory of God enlightened it, and the
Lamb is the light of it.
And the nations of them who are saved shall walk in the
light of it: and the kings of the earth bring their glory and
honor into it.
And the gates of it shall not be shut by day: for there shall
be no night there.
And they shall bring the glory and honor of the nations
into it.
And there shall in no wise enter into it anything that defil



NO NIGHT  THERE..235
eth, neither whatever worketh abomination, or maketh a lie;
but they who are written in the Lamb's book of life.
O LORD, be thou with us now that the evening is
come, and darkness and silence and sleep await us.
Thy beauty fades not away from us with the day.
Thy stars are in the deep sky. The serene expanse
is still full of thy greatness and thy benignity. The
earth  sleeps beneath  thine  overspreading  watch.
Nothing can be lost from  thine eye.  Thou shadest
the earth and lightest the heavens. Father, we love
thee.  Holy, holy, holy, thou who leadest out the
hosts of stars; the whole earth, by night and by day,
dwells amidst the flow of thy glory.
As thus amidst the darkness of night thou showest
the lights above us, so, 0 Lord, amidst the dimness
which gathers over our short time of life, amidst its
clouds and its shades, its infirmities, its bereavements
and its sorrows, thou dost evermore unveil the celestial spheres, and their everlasting beauty and peace.
May we lift up our eyes and see.  May the faith in
our hearts welcome and trust thy word, even when it
seems far off in the distant heavens; may the hope,
full of immortality, drink in forever the promises
of thy love, and make us of good cheer; may the
love flowing instantly from thee to us go up hourly
through the deep mystery to thee, Fountain of good,
pouring its charities on all whom thou hast made.
So may we live here the heavenly life.  So, while




236          NO NIGHT  THERE.
on earth, may we take in and give forth the higher
presence; through the shadows which fall over us, may
we make the substance a reality and a power; among
men may we commune with thee, blessing our brethren.
Living we are thine; to thee may we live forever.
Father, there is no death with thee. Open every
eye to see thee; reveal to every soul the immortality
which it bears within.  The darkness hath passed;
from thee shineth the true light. May the sons of
men rejoice in the morning which hath turned night
to day.  May they behold the whole earth radiant
with thy beams.  May they go up into the mountain
and hear thy voice.  May they come down into the
valley, building up their lives after the pattern which
thou hast shown them.  May they be transfigured to
the likeness of thy dearest Son; so from the divine
splendor may their faces shine, from its descending
rays may their robes grow  white.  Through the
powers of the eternal life, may all be strong to overcome the world, to remove evil, to win the crown of
righteousness. As friend after friend departs, and we
begin to walk on earth bereaved and alone, Father, be
thou with thy lowly ones, and make all hearts glad
with the open vision.  As we enter into the shade
and pass from  mortal sight, may we see, not the
gloom, but the glory, and rejoice in the day which
has no night.  Evermore in the depth of our hearts,
breathing inspiration, and making all things divine,
may we hear the celestial word, I am the resurrection




HELP FOR T1HE NEEDY.    23T
and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live; and whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die.
Blessed be thou, Word of the Eternal. Blessed be
thou, who hast abolished death, and brought life and
immortality to light. Blessed be thou, now and forever. Amen.
XLIII.
1^xa  fat ttR g^  1.
0 that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for
his wonderful works to the children of men!
For he satisfieth the longing soul, and filleth the hungry
soul with goodness.
Such as sit in darkness and in the shades of death, being
bound in affliction and iron;
Because they rebelled against the words of God, and contemned the counsel of the Most High:
Therefore he brought down their heart with labor; they
fell down, and there was none to help.
Then they cried to the Lor.d in their trouble, and he saved
them out of their distresses.
He brought them out of darkness and the shades of death,
and broke their bands asunder.'0 that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for
his wonderful works to the children of men!
OUR FATHER in heaven, thy children kneel before
the throne' of thy mercy, and humbly thank thee for
all the blessings of this day, and for the privilege




238       HELP FOR THE NEEDY.
which we now enjoy of holding communion with thee,
and praising thee for thy goodness and thy wonderful
works to the children of men.
0 God, if this day we have fallen into any sin; if
we have weakly yielded to any temptation; if we
have been angry without cause or beyond bounds; if
we have been uncharitable, unjust, undutiful, or in
any way unmindful of thee and thy laws, we beseech
thee to forgive us in thy great mercy, and give us
true repentance, that we may lie down this night in
peace with the world, with ourselves, and with thee.
And we pray thee, 0 Father, to watch over us this
night, and protect us from all evil, and give to our
eyes refreshing slumbers, so that we may rise in the
morning with renewed power to serve thee.  If we
are to rise no more in this world, grant that we may
wake in the next to life immortal, and the light of
thy countenance forevermore.
We pray thee, also, to protect the whole sleeping
world through the hours of darkness and helplessness.
Be graciously with those, also, who by land or by
sea must wake and watch.  Soothe the pains of the
sick; speak  pardon and peace to sleepless consciences; guide the traveller on his way; preserve the
mariner.from the fury of the tempest, and direct him
through the paths of the deep.  Be a father to the
fatherless; a deliverer to the oppressed; a friend to
all who are under neglect or contempt, or in want,
and especially to those who are persecuted for con



SATURDAY  EVENING.                    239
science and righteousness' sake. Be kind to all our
friends and to all our enemies; to all who have prayed
for us, and to all who have desired that we should
pray for them. Mercifully, 0 God, Father Almighty,
hear their prayers, and ours, which we offer in the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.
XLIV.
Return to thy rest, 0 my soul; for the Lord hath dealt
bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, my eyes from
tears, and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
What shall I render to the Lord for all his benefits toward
me?
I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of
the Lord.
Accept, I beseech thee, the freewill offerings of my mouth,
O Lord, and teach me thy judgments.
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me: give me under
standing, that I may learn thy commandments.
Thy statutes have been my songs in the house of my pilgrimage.
I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in the night, and
have kept thy law.
ALMIGHTY GOD  and most. merciful Father," in
whose hands our times are, and whose are all our




240        SATURDAY  EVENING.
ways; on whom we are dependent for all the privi
leges, blessings and comforts, of this life, and for all
the means and instrumentalities of preparing us for a
better.
We thank thee for thy kind and protecting care of
us another day and another week; that thou hast kept
us ever beneath thy watchful eye and protecting hand,
and in great mercy hast brought us to the close of
the day and of the week still surrounded with thy
goodness, and still among the living to praise thee.
Wilt thou forgive the sins of the day, of the week,
and of our whole lives. May all thy mercies lead
us to repentance, even to that repentance whose fruit
is unto holiness, and whose end is everlasting life.
We commend ourselves to thy holy protection and
keeping this night. May we lie down in the fear and
love of God. May our sleep be quiet and refreshing
to us.  Spread over us the wing of an ever-guardian
providence, and preserve us from  every danger and
from every alarm; and bring us to behold the light
of another morning, even another of the days of the
Son of man, in health and in peace. Prepare us, 0
God of the Sabbath, for the return of holy time. May
we be in the spirit on the Lord's day.  With the
beams of the natural sun may the Sun of righteousness arise upon our souls with healing in his wings,
and fill us with all joy and peace in believing.  Give
us such admiring views of thy creating power and
wisdom, thy providential care and kindness, and thy




SATURDAY  EVENING.                  241
redeeming love and grace, as shall fill our souls with
the- deepest reverence for thy character, the purest
love of thy perfections, the liveliest hope in thy mercy,
and the sublimest joy in thy more immediate worship
and service.  And at the close of the Sabbath day
may we have the satisfaction of reflecting that we
have devoted one day more to the service of our God
and Redeemer; that we have made some advance in
the Christian life, some better preparation for the
joys and services of the kingdom and temple above.
We pray for those who are appointed to minister at
thine altar, and to dispense the bread of life and the
water of life to them who are ready to perish. May
they be baptized anew with the spirit and power of
the truth as it is in Jesus. And clad in the Christian
armor may they go forth to their work with the fearlessness of men engaged in the service of God, and
seeking the salvation of them  that are lost.  And
wilt thou give them that best reward in this life, that
purest of satisfactions, that greatest of joys to the
teacher's heart, the satisfaction and the joy of seeing
the people of their charge, under their ministration,
crowding the gates of Zion, flocking to her solemn
feasts, listening to divine instruction, and walking in
thy truth.
We pray for our country and its rulers. May those
who are appointed to rule over us prove themselves
to be able men, such as fear God; men of truth, hating
covetousness, seeking the good of their country and
21                    Q




242           SUNDAY  EVENING.
their race, and the glory of thy holy name.  Under
the protection of just and equal laws, and a wise
and righteous administration, may the people lead
quiet and peaceable lives in all godliness and honesty.
May the blessings which we ask for ourselves and
our country be extended to the whole human family,
until every nation, tongue and people, shall unite
with the heavenly hosts in ascribing glory to God in
the highest, because there is peace on earth, and goodwill to men.
This our prayer' we offer unto thee the Infinite
Father, in  the name and as the disciples of thy
beloved Son, Jesus Christ. Amen.
XLV.
The mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting
upon them that fear him, and his righteousness to children's
children;
To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember
his commandments to do them.
The Lord hath prepared his throne in the heavens; and his
kingdom ruleth over all.
Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that
do his commandments, hearkening to the voice of his word.
Bless ye the Lord, all ye his hosts; ye ministers of his, that
do his pleasure.
Bless the Lord, all his works in all places of his dominion:
bless the Lord, 0 my soul.




SUNDAY EVENING.                 243
OUR FATHER who art in heaven.  We thank thee
that we have been visited with another day of sacred
rest, rest for the body and rest for the soul. We
thank thee for all the Christian privileges we have
enjoyed;  for all the spiritual refreshment and
strength we have received; for every word of truth
our ears have heard; for every penitent emotion our
hearts have felt; for every good desire that has been
awakened; for every worthy purpose that has been
formed; for every holy aspiration that has been
enkindled.
O God, give to all these Sabbath influences power
to draw our souls upward, and to bring us nearer and
nearer to thee in spirit and purpose, nearer and
nearer to Christ in heart and life. 0, that our souls
might be so opened upward that the Father and the
Son might come and make their abode with us; that
we might be baptized afresh each day with the Holy
Spirit, and with the fire of a sacred love for God and
goodness. May we experience more and more of the
renewing power of the Gospel. May the spirit of
selfishness and sin be cast out of our hearts. May
we become new creatures in Christ Jesus, filled and
animated by a new love for God our heavenly
Father, for man our earthly brother, and for whatsoever things are pure, honest, just, and lovely.
We pray for all mankind.  Thou hast made of one
blood all nations. We are all children of one Father;
all dependent upon thy bounty and love.  We pray




244           SUNDAY  EVENING.
that all may share in the blessings of the Gospel;
that the truth and love and spirit of Christ may go
forth with its redeeming power, until all hearts shall
feel its benign and saving influence; until all hate,
and retaliation, and war, and slavery, and intemperance, and every other form of evil and wrong, shall
cease, and thy kingdom come on earth, and thy will
be done in the hearts of thy children as it is done in
heaven.
With this prayer upon our lips and in our hearts,
we would seek the repose of another night.  May we
rest securely beneath the shadow of thy wings, and
rise with the light of another morning refreshed and
strengthened in body and in spirit for the duties of
this week.  We ask it as disciples of thy Son our
Saviour. Amen.
XLVI.
Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear
fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye,
except ye abide in me.
I am the vine, ye are the branches; he that abideth in me,
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit; for without me ye can do nothing.
If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and
is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the
fire, and they are burned.




SUNDAY EVENING.                   245
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask
what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so
shall ye be my disciples.
As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue
ye in my love.
If ye keep my commandments, ye shall abide in my love;
even as I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide in
his love.
These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might
remain in you, and that your joy might be full.
MERCIFUL FATHER, whose we are, for thou dost
give us life; whom we are bound to serve, for thou
dost give us all our strength; to whom we should be
always grateful, for thou dost bestow upon us all
those blessings which make life desirable; we thank
thee for the precious hours of this sacred day. By
thy favor we have gone up to thy house together;
we have united our hearts in prayer and praise with
our friends and associates; we have listened to the
words of thy servant, as he has spoken to us of our
duty and thy will.
Our Father, help us to remember how highly thou
hast blessed us, in giving us these holy and quiet
hours of worship in thy house.  How many of thy
children do not yet know thee! How many of our
fellow-men are in darkness, worshipping the works of
their own hands! Help us to feel that thou dost
require us to send to them these holy truths, these
inspiring promises, which thou hast given to us.
21*




246          SUNDAY  EVENING.
Help us to feel that thou hast appointed us to the high
and holy work of sending this divine light into
heathen darkness; of pouring this water of life into
the thirsty souls of thy suffering children. We pray
that we may feel, more deeply than we ever yet have
felt, our obligation to aid thy people in sending the
Gospel of thy grace to those who are still destitute
of its healing, saving power.  May the joys of this
day deepen in our hearts a sense of the true value of
the Gospel, so that we shall be moved to more activity
in every benevolent work.
We pray, our Father, that we may feel bound with
stronger ties to our pastor, whose words have cheered
and strengthened us this day. Let not the truths he
has thus declared fall like good seed on stony places;
but in the good ground of prepared minds, and tender
consciences, and holy resolutions, may it bring forth
good fruit to the glory of thy name. Help us all to
co6perate in every good word and work, so that we
may encourage his heart and strengthen his hands.
May we receive him to our homes as a friend and
brother, and may he be to all of us a son of consolation, and a minister of the grace of God.
0 God, we pray for thy people in this place. May
we all be united to Christ, even as the branch is
united to the vine.  Abiding in him, may we bring
forth good fruits to the glory of thee the Father.
Keep us from all delusions that would lead us away
from our sure trust. Amid all the shows and strifes




SUNDAY  EVENING.                247
of the world, may we be determined to know only
Christ and him crucified, as other foundation can no
man lay.
And now, our Father, as the day is closing, we
pray that its holy influences may go with us into the
week; that we may be strengthened by them in the
hour of temptation, and encouraged by them in the
hour of difficulty, so that this week shall witness in
us more purity of purpose, more holiness, generosity,
kindness and forbearance, than we have ever before
possessed.
As we retire to rest, we seek thy protection during
the night.  Keep us, our Father, and bring us to the
light of another day, and to the active duties of
another week, in strength and hope. Hear us, we
pray thee, and bless us, as thou seest we need; and
help us to render to thee the thanks which are due to
thee, for thy great favors through Jesus Christ.
Amen.








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OCCASIONAL PRAYERS.
OCCASIONAL PRAYERS FOR A FAMILY.
Lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations.
Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou
hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting
to everlasting, thou art God.
Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return, ye
children of men.
For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when
it is past, and as a watch in the night.
So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our
hearts to wisdom.
Return, O Lord, how long? and repent thou concerning
thy servants.
O satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and
be glad all our days.
Make us glad according to the days in which thou hast
afflicted us, and the years in which we have seen evil.
Let thy work appear to thy servants, and thy glory to their
children.




252              NEW  YEAR.
And let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us: and
establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work
of our hands establish thou it.
ON the morning of another year, we bow ourselves
before thee, 0 thou God of our lives, and seek thy
blessing.  In thy presence, which we now solemnly
invoke, we consecrate ourselves renewedly to thy service. May the coming year prove a new year indeed,
bringing new thoughts and better resolutions than we
ever yet have formed.  Happy, thrice happy will it
be for us, if it lead us into a new and divine life.
Should it bring us trials and sorrows, and take from
us health and friends, still happy will it be if through
thy grace we are enabled to use it well. Although
it should strip us of our dearest earthly possessions,
it will make us rich indeed if it give us wisdom and
strength, and its memory will be precious forever. 0,
then with one mind and heart we would pause, and
pray for light, and beseech thee to give us new convictions of the priceless worth of a godly and righteous life.  Send' down thy Spirit from  the holy
heavens to write upon our hearts, to record thy will
upon those living tables in eternal characters.
We would no longer be in bondage to the world
and its foolish and hurtful lusts. But we would have
faith in God, and in the unutterable worth of our immortal souls.  We would renounce the pleasures of
sin and sense, and no more be led astray by the hollow promises and gaudy show of life. We know - in




NEW  YEAR.                  253
how many ways hast thou taught us! —we know that
true peace can be found only in making thy will our
supreme law, in submitting every desire to thee. But,
0 God, plain as the way of life is, we are prone to
forsake it, and follow false guides, and take counsel
of our own blinded minds, our own sinful thoughts.
Vanity and passion, the desire of the eyes, and the
pride of life, all these ensnare us and mislead our
understandings, and cause us to neglect the things
which it most solemnly concerns us to know and do.
We do not live, but dream, walking in a vain show,
ruled by the fear or the favor of the world; and we
know not what a blessed thing it is, how divine the
joy, to be one with thee, faithful servants of the living
God, devoted friends and brethren of thy Son Jesus
Christ.
Merciful Father, help thou our insensibility and
unbelief. And now, as another year opens upon us,
renew us in the whole temper of our minds. Regenerate our affections. Give us strength here and now
to break away from every evil habit, and to set out
with another spirit, to become new creatures, dead to
the terrors and solicitations of the world, alive to God
and to truth.
We may not live to see the beginning of another
year.  Long before the present year closes, we may
be laid in the grave. 0 thou Disposer of life and of
death, may we be found doing thy work, with our
faces set heavenward and our whole souls bent upon
22




254               NEW  YEAR.
living wisely and well.  Let not this year be marked
by broken vows, by a sinful surrender of our souls to
the tyranny of wicked passions, by indolence and deadness of heart; but may it be forever memorable as a
year rich in generous purposes and Christian deeds.
And when we are called to stand at thy bar, may this
year bear witness to virtuous resolutions carefully
kept, to our growth in knowledge, in piety, and in
love.
And may every coming year, every coming day,
bear the same blessed testimony.   By the divine
power of a true spirit, may we convert all the
changes of life, abundance and want, sickness and
health, into opportunities of grace; and so may webe
raised above the power of time, and breathe the air
of an eternal world, even while we sojourn in this
vale of shadows.
Almighty God, we would lay open our hearts before
thee. Search thou us and show us ourselves, all the
heights and depths of our own nature, the glory for
which we are made, the perils to which we are exposed, the sins which we secretly nourish, and with
lowly and earnest minds, with godly fear, may we
toil day and night to obtain the end of our being, even
the salvation of our souls.  Let thy mighty power,
which controls the courses of the universe, upholding
worlds and systems of worlds, 0, let it descend and
inspire us, that, like the stars of the firmament, we
may show forth the glory of God.  Not unto us,




A  DAY  OF FASTING.                   255
not unto us, but unto thee, shall be rendered praises
everlasting. Amen.
II.
Is not this the fast that I have chosen? to loose the bands
of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke?
Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou
shouldst bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when
thou seest the naked, that thou shouldst cover him; and that
thou shouldst not hide thyself from thy own flesh?
Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy
health shall spring forth speedily: and thy righteousness
shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy
rearward.
Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer; thou shalt
cry, and he will say, Here I am. If thou shalt take away
from the midst of thee the yoke, the putting forth of the
finger, and speaking vanity;
And if thou shalt draw out thy soul to the hungry, and
satisfy the afflicted soul; then shall thy light rise in obscurity,
and thy darkness be as the noon-day:
And the Lord will guide thee continually, and satisfy thy
soul in drouth, and make fat thy bones: and thou shalt be
like a watered gaiden, and like a spring of water, whose
waters fail not.
JUST and holy God, who lovest righteousness and
hatest iniquity, to thee all hearts are open, all desires




256         A DAY  OF FASTING.
are known. Called this day to humiliation and prayer,
do thou make it a sacred season to our souls, by impressing upon us every motive to sincere repentance
and a holy life.
0 Lord, our only hope is in thy mercy.  With
thee there is plenteous redemption; and having proclaimed thyself willing to forgive, we rely on divine
compassion.  We blush under the humiliating consciousness that thou hast been following us with thy
loving-kindness, while we have been sinning against
thee.  Deep and abiding sorrow belongs to us.  We
would seek that forgiveness which thy word promises,
and fly to that redemption of which Christ is the
minister.
Righteous Father, we would examine ourselves as
members of a family.  If we have yielded to temptation, and the year past has seen us angry without
cause and beyond bounds; if we have been uncharitable, unjust, undutiful, or unkind; if plenty has been
abused by luxury, and liberty by licentiousness; if
our ease and safety have only led to strife, envyings,
and divisions; above all, if we have been indifferent
to thy worship, restrained prayer, and forgotten the
Saviour who died for us; if we have thus broken the
ties which should bind us to one another and to thee,
do thou, merciful God, convince us of our sins and
folly, and lead us back to innocence, piety, and peace.
May we no longer be hardened and blinded; but let it
please thee to look in tender compassion on thy frail




A DAY OF FASTING.                257
and forgetful children, who would now turn to thee
with sorrowing and penitent hearts.
Universal Parent, we would recognize our near
connection with the citizens of this nation; and as we
now at thy footstool humbly and penitently confess
our sins, we beseech thee mercifully to regard us all,
prostrate before thee, and to hear the voice which
will issue to-day from so many temples and closets,
saying, Spare thy people, 0 Lord, and give not thy
heritage to reproach.  We mourn over the violations
of piety and truth, of righteousness and law, of temperance and purity.  We mourn over the existence
of treachery, the displays of pride, the perpetration
of cruelty, the guilt of rebellious lives.  Especially
we mourn over the neglect of the Bible, the Sabbath, and the sanctuary.  These sins fill our faces
with shame, and our hearts with dread.  The land
mourneth because of wickedness.  0 God, if we of
this family have been partakers of any of these sins,
may we this day humble ourselves lowly in the dust
before thee in shame and self-reproach, and so repent
that in future we shall be no more guilty of these
offences. Cleanse us, thou pure and perfect Spirit,
from  every pollution, and restore us through him
who died for us. Pour out upon thy people the spirit
of prayer and humiliation, and show them the things
which belong to their peace before this hour of reconciliation be past.  0 may they no longer abuse thy
mercies, but keep this day such a fast as thou hast
22-                R




258         A DAY OF FASTING.
chosen; and, loosing every bond of wickedness, become
a peculiar people zealous of good works.
Supreme Director of human affairs, while we lament
the sins which cleave to us and to our country, and
ask thee to spare those who penitently confess their
faults, we would intercede for all sorts and conditions
of men. Fountain of all power, bless those in authority; and may they who make and they who execute
the laws be men of wisdom and justice, of industry
and truth, of piety and peace. May they ever keep
our land the happy abode of freedom  and order,
and may virtue and judgment run down as waters,
and righteousness as a mighty stream.  Endue with
grace and clothe with godliness the ministers of religion. May they do honor to thy truth in their public
services and private conduct. Faithful and fearless,
may they show thy people their transgressions. We
beseech thee to bless all seminaries of learning, instructors of youth, and patrons of education, and
grant that all our means of mental, moral and religious advancement may be thankfully acknowledged
and diligently improved.  Prosper those who labor,
and may lawful trade in all its branches receive thy
blessing.
Compassionate Father, we again ask thy favor on
the purposes of this day.  May a spirit of seriousness and self-reflection pervade all classes, and the
humiliation professed be felt in truth.  God forbid
that we should confess sins which we do not feel, or




A  DAY  OF THANKSGIVING.    259
retain those we confess. Do thou give us such a deep
persuasion of the evil of sin, that we shall wholly for
sake it.
Author of nature, we ask thy smiles on the opening season. Order all things in much mercy for us,
and whatever earthly good thou shalt deny us, deny
us not thy heavenly grace. May the year be crowned
with thy goodness, and we be permitted to rejoice
before thee at its close, as the true disciples of Christ.
In the name of an ever-gracious Redeemer we offer
our prayer, ascribing  to  thee all praise forever.
Amen.
III.
I will extol thee, my God, 0 King; and I will bless thy
name for ever and ever.
Every day will I bless thee; and I will praise thy name for
ever and ever.
Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable.
One generation shall praise thyworks to another, and shall
declare thy mighty acts.
I will speak of the glorious honor of thy majesty, and of thy
wondrous works.
And men shall speak of the might of thy terrible acts; and
I will declare thy greatness.
They shall abundantly utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness.




260     A  DAY  OF THANKSGIVING.
The Lord is gracious, and full of compassion; slow to anger,
and of great mercy.
The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all
his works.
All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints
shall bless thee.
They shall speak of the glory of tly kingdom, and talk of
thy power;
To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the
glorious majesty of his kingdom.
Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion
endureth throughout all generations.
The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those
that be bowed down.
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.
The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his
works.
The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all
that call upon him in truth.
He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will
hear their cry, and will save them.
My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord, and let all
flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.
BLESS the Lord, 0 our souls, and all that is within
us bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, Q our souls,
and forget not all his benefits.  Indulgent Father, in
thee all goodness dwells, from thee all blessings flow.
On this anniversary we come as a family around this
altar, to pay our tribute of joyful thanks for the many




A DAY  OF THANKSGIVING.    261
blessings, public and private, temporal and spiritual,
which thou hast given and continued to us in the
year past.
Mornings and evenings have returned with the visitations of thy love, and the joy of thy salvation.
Laden as we have been with thy bounties, may it be
found that our hearts are filled with thy love, and
our lips tuned for thy praise.  We would adore that
goodness which glows in the sun, refreshes in the
breeze, distils in the fruitful dew, descends in the
copious showers, smiles on us by day and watches
over us by night, opens upon us in the joyous spring,
and gladdens our hearts in the bounteous autumn. 0
Lord, if we speak of thy mercies, they are more than
we can number.
Our guardian God, we thank thee for thy care of
the members of this family, and for permitting so
many to meet this day to rejoice together in health,
prosperity, and friendship.  Blessed be God for the
ties which bind us to one another, and for that communion of hearts which gives a blessedness not of earth
to our social enjoyments and family affections.  We
thank thee for thy gifts through the past season. We
thank thee for the food that has nourished, for the
raiment that has clothed, and for the health that has
cheered us. We have sat under our own vines and
in the shelter of our own dwellings, having none to
molest or make us afraid.  In whatever degree the
strength of our memories, the clearness of our under



262    A DAY  OF THANKSGIVING.
standings, and the tranquillity of our passions, have
been preserved,"to thee be the praise. We thank thee
for the good influences of parental education; for the
salutary lessons received from pious ministers, and for
all the benefits derived from reading, conversation, and
experience. Especially we thank thee for the continuance of our religious favors, the spiritual manna, the
bread that came down from  heaven, the Gospel of
Jesus, the words which minister everlasting peace.
0 God, thy goodness is above all praise.  Thou art
holy in all thy works.
We thank thee for our public blessings: that we
enjoy liberty, safety, and plenty; that we do not
groan under the miseries of tyranny, bloodshed, and
ruin; that thou hast ever opened thy liberal hand,
and given us our meat in due season.  We bless thee
for the comforts of good neighborhood, for the labors
of the wise, the means of education, the privilege of
public worship, the support of civil order, the administration of justice, for every encouragement to welldoing, every manifestation of useful truth, and for all
the hopes of the Gospel of thy Son.
Bountiful Supporter of the world's great family,
while we ask the continuance of thy blessings, we
especially ask for wisdom to improve them  aright.
Let not our prosperity destroy us, and thy gifts become the means of nourishing pride and presumption,
lust and intemperance, but do thou dispose us to a
grateful and prudent use of thy bounties. Above all,




A DAY OF THANKSGIVING.    263
we desire to value temporal things by their relation
to eternity; and may we never think we prosper unless our souls prosper; or that we are rich unless we
are rich towards thee; or that we are wise unless we
are wise to salvation.
In the spirit of the Gospel, we would, extend our
good wishes to all beings capable of happiness. Bless,
we pray thee, all our rulers, judges, and officers in
authority.  May our land be the abode of truth and
freedom, of religion and peace. Let thy mercy de
scend on thy whole church; purify it by thy Spirit,
and preserve it from error.  Strengthen its ministers,
and touch their lips with the fire of thine altar.
Prosper the means of education; enlighten the ignorant; convert the unbelieving; cheer the persecuted;
relieve the distressed; speak peace to troubled consciences; strengthen the weak; confirm the strong;
deliver the oppressed from him who spoileth him, and
succor the needy who hath no helper. Open in every
land an asylum for distress. Multiply the cheering
fruits of hospitality and kindness; cause the tear of
sympathy to console the afflicted; scatter the cloud
that hangs over the mind of the upright; avert the
tempest which is ready to break on the innocent, and
erect in every heart an altar for thy praise.
Giver of every good, as we this day rejoice in the
blessings of the harvest, we pray that we may make
it a day of temperate feasting and religious gladness.
Let not our abundance become a snare to us; but




264               CHRISTM AS.
may we honor thee under all our enjoyments, and
whether we eat or drink, or whatever we do, do all to
the glory of thy holy name.
Praise ye the Lord.  Praise thy God, 0  Zion-!
Let everything which has breath praise the Lord.
Amen.
IV.
And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in
the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.
And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the
glory of the Lord shone round about them; and they were
sore afraid.
And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I
bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all
people.
For unto you is born this day, in the city of David, a
Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.
And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe
wrapped in swaddling-clothes, lying in a manger.
And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the
heavenly host praising God, and saying,
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good-will
toward men.
Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and
redeemed his people,
And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us, in the house
of his servant David:
As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have
been since the world began:




CHRISTMAS.                     26b
That he would grant to us, that we being delivered out of
the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear,
In holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our
life.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest,
for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his
ways;
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, by the remission of their sins,
Through the tender mercy of our God; by which the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shades
of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
GLORY be to thee in the highest heavens, 0 thou
God of our salvation! Thou hast proclaimed peace
on earth, and infinite good-will to men. Unto us has
been born a Guide and Deliverer. Glad tidings from
heaven he brought; holy is the truth  which he
uttered, immortal the hope he inspires. We hail the
morning which commemorates his birth.  We rejoice
that we too may hear the song heard by the wondering shepherds.  We thank thee that we may unite in
the joyful commemoration which makes us one with
millions of thy children in all parts of the world.
We praise thee that we may take up the glad memories and the holy hopes of this day, and help bear
them  onward to millions who shall come after us.
Glory to God in the highest that, through thy tender
mercy, the day-spring from on high hath visited us,
to give light to them that sit in darkness and in the
23




266             CH RISTMAS.
shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of
peace.  And  while to thee, his Father and our
Father, his God and our God, we bring these our
grateful acknowledgments, we would offer our prayers
that we may be more deeply impressed with a sense
of that divine grace which commended thy love to us,
in  that while we were yet sinners Jesus Christ
came not to condemn the world, but that the world
through him might be saved.
We adore thy providence in the advent of this
great messenger from  heaven. We gratefully acknowledge thy hand in the special gifts with which
he was endowed, and in the miraculous power which
he exercised; and thank thee that by signs and
wonders he was approved of thee as thine anointed,
the Son of thy love, the chosen revealer of thy will.
In thine own Spirit, given unto him without measure,
the spirit of grace, of truth and of power, we joyfully
see the testimony thou didst bear to his authority.
Thanks be to thee that he came clothed, not in royal
pomp, but in the ornaments of a lowly and single
mind; and that as in him appeared a divine compassion and benignity, we behold in him thy glory, the
glory as of the only-begotten Son of God, full of grace
and truth.
We praise thee that thou hast thus revealed thyself in the flesh, and that the divinity which shines
through all things hath appeared most brightly of
all, in a living shape, in one made in all points as we




CHRISTMAS.                    267
are, who, though rich, for our sakes became poor, and
took the form of a servant.  Thus hast thou drawn
near to us, and we are enabled to see the invisible,
and hold communion with the uncreated and the
everlasting. For all that thy beloved Son did and
suffered, for his words of truth, for his triumph over
the powers of darkness, for his serene and unfaltering
faith and his unfailing love, for his readiness to taste
of death for our sakes, for the mysterious and immeasurable impression he made on a guilty world by
his sacrifice on the cross, for his glorious resurrection
and ascension, and that he still lives at thy right
hand, we would, on this day, bring thee the offerings
of devout gladness and praise.
0, may a sense of thine abounding mercy be
inscribed upon our inmost souls, by the influence of
thy Holy Spirit. May our whole being be moulded
by the truth as it was set forth in Jesus, and may we
reflect, in some humble degree, the living glory which
shone so steadily in him.  Lead us to him in all
lowliness of spirit, to trust in him as the redeemer of
souls.  Thus shall we best express our gratitude,
when by the cleansing and renewal of our souls they
shall, through thy grace, be transformed into his
divine image.  Like him may we conquer the world.
For thy truth and grace may we hold ourselves ever
ready to live and to die.  Give unto us the spirit of
self-sacrifice.  May all that earth can bribe us with
be as dross in comparison with the consciousness of




268             CHRISTMA S.
fidelity to God.  Save us from our sins.  Save us
from  the corruptions of our -hearts.  Break our
slumbers. Let the light of Christ search our souls
and scatter our darkness.  Never may we prove false
to those interests for which he came into the world,
and when in it gave his body to be broken, and his
blood to be poured out on the cross.
0 Thou who art working in and through all things
to fulfil the purposes of infinite wisdom, give thy holy
word new power among men.  Let not the Lord
Jesus lie buried and forgotten.  Raise him up the
conqueror of the world, and give him an everlasting
empire in our hearts, and let every eye see him, and
every tongue confess him to be Lord, to the glory of
thee, the Father. Every year, as this joyful anniversary comes round, may it find the world more and
more in harmony with the song of the angel choir.
Draw Christians of different names together, and unite
them  by ties of mutual respect and love.  May all
nations, and kindreds, and tongues, and languages, be
filled with his spirit, and be governed by his law.
Let all superstition, and injustice, and slavery, and
intemperance, and fraud, disappear before that religion
which came down from heaven, bringing precious and
divine gifts unto men. Soften all hearts. Quicken all
consciences, that every form of evil may vanish, and
that thy grace may abound, and thy saving truths be
known to all hearts.  And to thee shall be rendered
everlasting praise. Amen.




CLOSE  OF THE YEAR.                  269
V.
Lord, make me to know my end, and the measure of my
days, what it is; that I may know how frail I am.
Behold, thou hast made my days as a handbreadth; and
my age is as nothing before thee: verily every man at his
best state is altogether vanity.
Surely every man walketh in a vain show: surely they are
disquieted in vain: he heapeth up riches, and knoweth not
who shall gather them.
And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in thee.
Deliver me from all my trangressions: make me not the
reproach of the foolish.
Hear my prayer, 0 Lord, and give ear to my cry; hold not
thy peace at my tears: for I am a stranger with thee, an'd a
sojourner, as all my fathers were.
0 spare me, that I may recover strength, before I go hence,
and be no more.
O THOU in whose sight a thousand years are but
as a day, all things on  earth are passing away,
but thou remainest one and the same, and to thy
years there is no end. Thy providence has brought
us to the close of another year, and we would raise
our thoughts above the flight of time to the eternity
in which thou dwellest, and to those things which
know no change, but from glory to glory.
The departing year in its course has carried hence
the hopes and treasures of many hearts.  Friends,
with whom at its beginning we exchanged affectionate
23+




270        CLOSE  OF THE  YEAR.
greetings, have disappeared, and their coming steps
we shall hear no more.  Many who welcomed the
past year with hopes as confident as ours have
entered the silent mansions of the dead, never to
return.  Merciful God, open all our hearts to hear
the solemn voice that now addresses us. Thou alone
knowest how near the last hour is that we spend
beneath the sun.  Soon the day shall come whose
evening light our eyes shall never see. Bring home
to us a sense of our mortality. And teach us so to
number our days that we may apply our hearts with
all diligence to the search after wisdom. Make the
point of time  at which we now stand a gate of
heaven.  Bless  to  our sanctification  the  solemn
lessons of the past.
Well may we rejoice, 0 God, that we still live in
the possession of this hour of prayer, this means of
grace. We deplore, before thee, that the closing year
bears hence so scanty a record of our spiritual growth,
that it testifies to so many broken vows, to resolutions
fervently formed one moment, and disregarded the
next.  Another leaf in the book of time is about to
be turned down, and what is written there we cannot
erase; and we mourn, merciful Father, that it has so
much to fill us with shame. We are humbled under
a sense of our manifold deficiencies, our repeated
transgressions, our wilful devotion to the idols which
our own passions have set up. Dispose us to thorough
self-communion.  May we prove our own  hearts




CLOSE  OF TEE YEAR.                271
faithfully, and tear off all their disguises, and confess
all our sins, with an overcoming desire to forsake them
forever.  Make us to feel that life is too solemn to
be wasted in vain wishes and regrets. Save us from
supposing that tears alone will wash away the guilt
of sin.  Let us not flatter ourselves with a barren
sensibility.  But may we consider well that no
repentance is acceptable in thy sight which does not
reform the whole life.
Breathe, 0 God, a divine life into our hearts, the
life-of faith, that we may obtain a lasting dominion
over the evil that is in the world and in ourselves.
Daily, hourly, may we watch and pray, lest we fall
into temptation. Help us to form that habit of mind
which reads in all the changes of life lessons of holy
wisdom.  The past and the future admonish us of
the infinite value of the present. May every moment
be used in the sight of God, and as fraught with
momentous consequences, with our weal or our woe.
0 that it may be given us, in thy grace, to walk
henceforth as becometh our great vocation, as the
children of God and the friends of Jesus. So, when
the hour of our departure comes, it shall find us
ready, enriched with treasures of which death cannot
rob us, filled with thy Spirit.
For thy favor to this household we render thee our
united thanks; for the health and prosperity we have
enjoyed, and for the trials we have been called to
bear.  Prepare us for the hour of separation, and for




272         IN A TIME OF TRIAL.
reunion in the abodes of the blest. Chasten the fond
hopes of the young.  Save them  from  that love of
pleasure which would render them heedless to their true
peace - the salvation of their souls. May they seek
for good in doing good and being  good.  Do thou
make the sacred sense of rectitude supreme in their
hearts.  Guide us all through the coming perils of
life.  To thee may we always turn with our whole
souls, in every time of trouble, as to our best friend;
and unto thee shall be the glory forever.  Amen.
VI.
ln  a Eime of  Efial.
Wherefore, seeing we also are encompassed with so great a
cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin
which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience
the race that is set before us,
Looking to Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who
for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne
of God.
For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds.
Ye have not resisted to blood, striving against sin.
And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh to
you as to children, My son, despise not thou the chastening
of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked by him:




IN  A  TIME  OF TRIAL.              273
For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth
every son whom he receiveth.
If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons
O THOU whose ear is ever open to the cry of thy
children, hear us, we beseech thee, in this the time
of our need.  We devoutly thank thee for the innumerable mercies which have blessed every period of our
past existence; may we be alike able to adore thee
for the various instances of affliction with which thou
hast seen fit to visit us.
Hitherto, 0 Father, thou hast given us strength
equal to our day; thou hast overruled the sorrows
and trials of our lives to the promotion of our best
interests.  Be thou yet our strength and our refuge.
Upon thee would we cast ourselves, for time and for
eternity. All our interests we would confide to thy
keeping.  One thing we would earnestly seek after,that may we pursue all the days of our lives, — to feel,
alike in joy and sorrow, in privation and abundance,
in life and at the hour of death, that under thy government all is well.
O pardon us, we entreat thee, if our hearts have
ever mistrusted thy wisdom or goodness. Pardon us,
if in sorrow we have hesitated or been disinclined to
come to thee. Forgive the frailties and misgivings of
our nature.  May our weakness be made perfect in
thy strength.  Give unto us thy Holy Spirit.  Cast
the mantle of thy love over us, that we may learn to
trace thy hand and trust thy goodness in every event.
s




274        IN  A TIME  OF TRIAL.
May the example of our Saviour be ever before our
eyes; may his patience in trial, his resignation to thy
will, his assurance of thy favor, be constantly the
chief objects of our desire and pursuit. To us, as
they did to him, may  these  dispositions impart
strength to sustain and energy to conquer our trials;
and may that same happy composure of spirit, by
which the last and the severest scenes of his life were
signalized, be enjoyed by us during every period, and
especially in the trying moments of our pilgrimage.
Devoutly, 0 God our Father, do we thank thee for
his sufferings as well as for his teachings; for his
death as well as for his life: and because we have a
High Priest that can be touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, do we come boldly unto the throne of
grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to
help us in the time of need.  May we, in imitation
of Jesus, learn patience by the things we suffer; may
patience have with us its perfect work; and thus
finally may we, through thy mercy in Christ, be permitted to enjoy that perfect salvation of which, by his
obedience unto death, he became the author.
And now, 0 God, to that eternal weight of glory
may we have our eyes steadily directed, so that our
present afflictions may appear light, and, through him
who loved us and gave himself for us, may purify our
hearts, and preserve us unto the end.  Hear us, 0
God our Father, in these our supplications; hear us
for the sake of thy infinite mercy; manifested by




FOR A  FRIEND DANGEROUSLY ILL. 275
Christ; and through him, our Mediator and Lord, do
we ascribe unto thee, the Source of all mercy, and the
God of all consolation, the glory due unto thy name.
Amen.
VII.
The Lord will strengthen him upon his bed of languishing;
thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.
Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany,
the town of Mary and her sister Martha.
(It was that Mary who anointed the Lord with ointment,
and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was
sick.)
Therefore his sisters sent to him, saying, Lord, behold, he
whom thou lovest is sick.
When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not to
death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be
glorified by it.
FATHER  of Mercies, from  thee cometh all hope.
To thee our inmost souls lie open.  Thou hearest the
prayers that are springing there, beyond all power of
utterance, for our suffering friend. Thou knowest how
ardently we desire that this sickness may not be unto
death; that thy blessing may descend upon the means
used for the restoration of thy servant, and give success to the efforts of human skill.; Spare, 0 Lord, we
beseech thee, and grant that strength may be restored.




276  FOR A FRIEND DANGEROUSLY ILL.
Turn our sorrow into joy. Give unto us the garment
of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Let thy servant
live and bless thy name.
But,.O God, not our will, but thine, thy perfect
will, be done. Be this the prayer of our hearts, as
well as of our lips.   Shed abroad within and all
around us the peace of entire submission.  May we
all, and thy  suffering  servant especially, repose
unwavering faith in thee.  Being truly penitent for
all offences, may a  voice be heard from  heaven
whispering hope. Give the assurance of thine everlasting mercy.  Encompass and sustain the spirit in
the hour of darkness with thoughts of heaven. Enable
us all to rise far above the clouds of this mortal state,
to sit in heavenly places, with him who was made
perfect through sufferings, and where thou art revealed working in all things to produce boundless
and everlasting good.  Let not the monitory voices
of life and death fall upon heedless ears. May we
gird on the armor of righteousness, and so be prepared to part with the near and the dear, and to follow them at thy bidding, supported by that faith in
thy blessed Son which takes the sting from death,
and despoils the grave of its victory.
Be with us, heavenly Father, in all temptations.
May every fear be still, every murmur hushed, every
heart exalted into holy communion with thee.  To
thee may we leave all issues, with peaceful trust. And
whether our blessings remain or depart, let our faith




RECOVERY  FROM  SICKNESS.    277
in God abide; and by all events, whether joyous or
sorrowful, may we grow in this saving grace, and to
thee shall be the glory forever. Amen.
VIII.
I love the Lord, because he hath heard my voice and my
supplications.
Because he hath inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I
call upon him as long as I live.
The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of the
grave gat hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow.
Then called I upon the name of the Lord: 0 Lord, I beseech thee, deliver my soul.
Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful.
The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and
he helped me.
Return unto thy rest, 0 my soul; for the Lord hath dealt
bountifully with thee.
For thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from
tears, and my feet from falling.
I will walk before the Lord in the land of the living.
OUR hearts ascend in thankfulness to  the Dispenser of all good. Thou hast redeemed thy servant
from the grave.  When brought very low, thou didst
show thy healing grace, and give the hope of recovered strength. Thou hast lifted a burden from our
24




278    RECOVERY  FROM  SICKNESS.
hearts.  We rejoice that a dear friend has been
spared to us.  We pray that the life which is prolonged through thy blessing may be consecrated to
thee.  May it be given with redoubled diligence to
the work of duty, and show its lifelong gratitude by
a more thoughtful walking in the way of thy will.
We pray for ourselves. May we lay up thy warnings in our hearts. In the hours of returning gladness let us not forget the days of darkness that are
gone for a while, but which in thy own time are to
come again.  By listening thoughtfully to the past,
may we be prepared for the future.  Admonished of
the uncertainty of life, may the ardor of our attachments be chastened.  Let us not lay up our hearts'
treasure on earth, where decay and death corrupt, but
may we rejoice in the imperishable possessions of
truth and virtue, and feel that they are garnered safe
above all the changes and uncertainties of this world.
And now, 0 Father, as we enter upon a new season of hope and joy, we would consecrate ourselves
anew to thy holy service.  Draw us closer to thee.
Do thou reign supreme over our affections.  Be thou
loved with all our strength, and give us the unfailing
joy of minds filled with.thy Spirit, and growing in
holiness for ever and ever. Prepare us for that time
when the infirmities of our mortal bodies shall be thy
instruments to sever our ties to this world. Receive
us then to that world where sickness and sorrow are
not known, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




ON  THE  BIRTH  OF A CHILD.   279
IX.' ra wR  frff           L"ariats  fi  tQk   aittt
mf a. s13i^v
So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him.
Lo, children are an heritage of the Lord.
He maketh his servants to be the joyful parents of children.
He hath put a new song in our mouth, even praise to our
God.
I will be the God of your children from one generation to
another.
OUR FATHER in heaven, we now look up unto thee
with especial gratitude, with joyful devotion. Thou
hast not only joined us twain together in the tenderest relation, but thou hast permitted us now to become parents.  Thou hast presented to our hands
and bestowed on our hearts this most precious treasure, a child of our own. We thank thee fervently for
the opening and sweet delight of parental affection.
But, 0 Being of beings, this is thine offspring,
rather than ours.  Thou art the framer of the body
and the father of the spirit, and thou art now and
thou ever wilt be the life of the life; and thou lovest
the child more than we, even in the utmost, can love;
for thy name is Love, and thou art infinite. Through
us, thou but reachest forth this image of thyself into
existence. Making us nearest in earthly relationship,
thou hast made us also nearest in endearing attach



280   ON THE  BIRTH  OF A CHILD.
ment, that through our opportunity and care this
child may be faithfully nurtured.  Into our persons
thine own gracious providence would descend, that the
frail body may be preserved from harm, that the faculties may be trained for usefulness here, and that the
immortal soul may be prepared for an ever-blessed
hereafter.
We now earnestly pray that we may truly appreciate our sacred office, and feel our solemn responsibility.  May we most deeply realize that upon us,
more than upon any others, the welfare of this little
one both for time and eternity will depend.  But,
0 how weak we are of ourselves!  Father Almighty
and most merciful, we utterly rely upon thee; all
our strength and success must come from thee. Dispose us therefore to frequent prayer, that in our ignorance, and sinfulness, and helplessness, thou mayest
be near with thy Divine compassions.  Assist us to
guard this priceless trust from the temptations of
the world; and may we be especially watchful against
those tendencies within, which are ready to start
forth into sin and lead to misery.  May we be wise
and diligent to repress every depraved appetite and
passion, and early to fill the soul with love for God.
0 save us from the folly, from the great wickedness,
of ever becoming ourselves the foremost and most
dangerous tempters to evil.  Suffer not that affection,
which thou hast implanted in our bosoms to insure
fidelity,, to degenerate into debasing indulgence.




ON THE BIRTH  OF A CHILD.   281
Rather may we turn the opening soul toward thee,
that thine own Holy Spirit may flow in with purifying power.  Especially may we set the face of this
little child, from the earliest capacity, to look unto
Jesus, and in due time bear to the Saviour's arms an
offering which he will bless. Dispose us to fulfil all
righteousness, and to lead our loved one into the way
of perfect discipleship to. the Divine Master. Thus
bring a new-created spirit into the fullest communion
with Christ, and to the reception of his salvation.
Now, 0 Father of Light, to these ends wilt thou
open our understandings to thy word; dispose us to
embrace all its holy truths. God of all grace, pour
into our hearts thy regenerating and sanctifying Spirit.
We would not cease to cry unto thee to make us perfect even as thou art perfect. Thus in self-distrust
and humility, but in faith and hope, we consecrate
ourselves to the sacred duties of parentage. To thy
service, anew and more than ever, we now dedicate
our home.
" Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy
name.  Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on
earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily
bread.  And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive
those who trespass against us. And lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil.  For thine is
the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.
Amen.
24*




282         DEATH  OF A  CHILD.
X.
lRtlt fit a  01H^+
And they brought young children to him, that he should
touch them; and his disciples rebuked those that brought
them.
But when Jesus saw it, he was much displeased, and said
to them, Suffer little children to-come to me, and forbid them
not: for of such is the kingdom of God.
Verily I say to you, Whoever shall not receive the kingdom
of God, as a little child, he shall not enter therein.
And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon
them, and blessed them.
Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones: for I
say to you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the
face of my Father who is in heaven.
O  GOD, who art thyself a Father, who knowest
every feeling thou'hast wrought into the parental
heart, we appear before thee now bowed down with
sorrow.  The child that thou gavest us, the delight
of our eyes, the joy of our hearts, thou hast taken
away, and this infant blossom hath withered at early
morn.  O  thou Comforter of the afflicted, be nigh
unto us, and let faith and hope, the blessed token of
thy presence, fill our hearts.
In faith would we follow this departed child in its
ascending flight.'The tie which bound it to us is
broken, but it never can be separated from thee. We
called it ours, but it was thine, and to thee it is




DEATH  OF A CHILD.               283
united far more intimately, than to us. It was sent
hither with the will of him who doeth nothing in vain,
and by the same wise will it is summoned hence
Help us to recognize it as the sacred property of God,
as it were an angel alighting among us for a little
while, upon a mission of love. May we rejoice, with
a joy deep beyond utterance, at the thought of that
goodness which lent us that precious treasure to gladden
our hearts, although but for a brief space. A messenger from heaven has been here.  May the heavenly tidings which it brought be graven on our
inmost souls, not to be erased by the grief of the
present hour, but deepened by the tears which we shed.
Sanctify the memory of this dear child, and may it
prove a fountain of blessed and saving thoughts.
May that other world which thy Gospel hath unveiled
rise before our faith in new  brightness, as the
home of the beloved.  May we be drawn unto him
who took children in his arms and said, Suffer them
to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom  of
heaven.  0 may we henceforth be more in earnest in
the great work of life.  May we strive more diligently to prepare ourselves for communion and fellowship with the pure and the blessed in thine everlasting kingdom.
Almighty God, what shadows we are!  What is
our life? It is vapor, which appeareth for a little
while, and then vanisheth away.  We take a few
steps in life. We suffer and we enjoy, and then we




284        DEATH  O   A CHILD.
disappear from the face of the earth forever. But,
blessed be God, we are not wholly dust.  There is a
spirit within us which can never taste death, and
which, by all the changes of life, thou art calling, as
by so many voices from heaven, to glory, honor, and
immortality.  Thou art speaking to us now by this
event which hath filled our souls with sadness. Speak
on, 0 Lord; for thy servants hear.  Hearkening to
the warning voice, let us not indulge in idle sorrow,
but may we arise and gird up our loins, and resolve
to use diligently every moment of our sojourn on
earth, seeing that we know not what an hour may
bring forth, and that now is the accepted time, now
the gates of salvation stand open before us, and we
may enter into life eternal.
0 thou God of parents and children, since we may
be so soon and suddenly separated, quicken us in the
discharge of our duties one towards another. When
we are called to part, save us then from the anguish
of bitter remembrances, from the painful recollection
of unkind words, and unfeeling neglects.  Let the
thought of the parting hour rise before us to check
every evil disposition, to allay our rising anger, to
quench all unhallowed heats.  May every day bind
us more and more closely together. And when we
go, one after another, to the narrow house appointed
for all the living, 0, may immortal hopes sanctify
our departure.  Thou wilt watch over our slumbering dust, and not one of us shall be forgotten before




DEATH OF A FRIEND.                   285
thee.  Thou wilt welcome us to a higher sphere; we
shall behold the good and just that have gone before
us, and our joy shall know no interruption, and no
end. 0, fulfil our holy desires. Inspire our hearts.
Guard and guide us now  and forever, and to thee
shall be rendered everlasting praises. Amen.
XI.
^tu  ff a u lRnLk
But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them who are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as
others who have no hope.
For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so
them also who sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.
For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle
were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made
with hands, eternal in the heavens.
Therefore they are before the throne of God, and serve him
day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the
throne will dwell among them.
They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more;
neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
For the Lamb who is in the midst of the throne will feed
them, and will lead them to living fountains of waters: and
God will wipe away all tears from their eyes.
0 THOU, our refuge in trouble, and the rock of
our trust, thou art our only abiding stay; and although
clouds and darkness are now  round about thee, we
doubt not thine infinite good-will. O Lord, hear us,




286        DEATH  OF A FRIEND.
and be very present in our hearts, and fill them with
thy consolations.
It has pleased thee to enter our family circle by
that most mysterious of all human events, death.
One with whom  a little while ago we exchanged
sweet counsel hath vanished, and these familiar places
will know the departed no more.  Our hearts are
filled with sorrow; and as the beloved image of our
friend rises before us, we are ready, in the anguish of
bereavement, to exclaim, " Would to God we had
died for thee! "
And now, as all things around us wear looks of
sadness, and life is wrapped in gloom, we would turn
unto thee, O Father, with hearts wounded and desolate, but, blessed be God; not without hope.  Put
underneath us the everlasting arms of thy power,
and lift us out of the shadow of this affliction.  Lead
us from this darkness into the light, full of glory, in
which thou dwellest. Let not this sorrow prove too
great for us, blinding our minds, and hardening our
hearts. May we receive it as descending from heaven,
bringing heavenly gifts. Dispose us to discern the
working of thy hand; and while our dearest earthly
joys are departing, come thou. in the fulness of thy
love, and abide with us and mI us forever, and may
we have abundant cause to say, "It is good for us
that we have been afflicted."
While in times past we have been prone to live
forgetful of the grave, though always open before us;




DEATH OF A FRIEND.               287
while we have promised ourselves that to-morrow will
be as to-day, and even more abundant, and that the
mountain of our prosperity stands strong and cannot
be moved, now, 0 Father, break up our insensibility
to the nearest and most solemn realities, that we may
no longer pursue shadows which fade away in our
grasp.  By the removal of the near and dear, may
we be led to commune with ourselves and with thee;
to see the vanity of life, and the momentous interests
of eternity.  Blessed be God, light hath streamed
down upon us from above, through the opening into
the heavens which received the ascending Lord and
Saviour.  O, help us to hear his voice in gentle
accents of love say to each of us, Let not your hearts
be troubled, neither let them be afraid. In my Father's
house are many mansions.  Whosoever liveth and
believeth in me shall never die. Give us, gracious
God, 0 give us unspeakable thanks for the comfort of
these precious truths.
And now, heavenly Father, who hast purposes of
good in all thy dealing with thy children, we pray
that we may clearly see and deeply feel this present
affliction to be sanctified to our eternal welfare. To
this end may it be met and endured with profound
submission to thy most holy will. May we take heed
to that divine example which, in thy great goodness,
has been granted in our Lord and Saviour, the Man
of Sorrows. Help us to learn of him how to obtain
strength from the heaviest burdens, and draw the




288        DEATH OF A FRIEND.
waters of everlasting life from the lowest depths.
May we see now how blessed it is to endure with
meekness, to cherish an unfaltering faith in God, and
to give ourselves up entirely to thee, saying, from our
hearts, " Do with us and with ours as seemeth to thy
perfect wisdom best. Thy will be done."
We thank thee, 0 Father, for the many kind
friends still spared to us, and for the rich consolation
of, their sympathy.  Bless all their offices of love;
and as one after another goes from our circle to return
no more, may we, whose day on earth is prolonged,
be knit more and more closely together. Do thou form
amongst us those ties which death cannot destroy.
We would not mourn, 0 God, as without hope.  All
are in thy holy keeping, the living and the dead. The
friends whom we love depart, but still thy providence
is around them. The dust returns to the earth as it
was, but the spirit ascends to God who gave it, to
pursue, if attaining to the resurrection of the just,
that higher life into which death is but a new birth.
Let this faith spring up like a fountain to gladden our
souls. Let it rise upon us like a light of heaven, and
scatter every cloud.
Give us strength to return to the duties of life with
increased diligence and with purer aims. May our
walk henceforth be more thoughtful, now that the
shadow of the grave lies upon our path.  Of that
mysterious change, through which one has now passed,
and which, in thy time, awaits us also, may we




DEATH  OF A FRIEND.               289
cherish no appalling thoughts.  May we regard it as
a step in our immortal progress which will no longer
seem gloomy and dark when the lights of eternity
have fallen upon it.  And when we are called to
follow our departed friend, may we be found in the
way of righteousness, and with a hope within that
shall triumph over the grave.  Lead us into that
world where all tears are wiped from all eyes;
and, joined to the glorious assembly of the just made
perfect, may we look back upon the tribulations of
this world as the instrument of thy choicest grace.
And to thee shall be ascribed praise and glory everlasting. Amen.
25                  T




OCCASIONAL PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
I.
tidf-sm  wwRtalQUa  ts 6SL
0  GOD, who seest in secret, and searchest the
hearts of the children of men, behold me thy child
as I bow before thee in this private and solemn
act. Thou hast been my Guardian and Guide in all
times past, giving me all that I have, and all that
I hope for. Amid thy bounties and mercies have
I lived, with one painful thought on my soul.  0
Lord, it is the thought that I am not thine; that
I have not given myself to thee; that I have not
purposely chosen and consciously taken thee for my
master, and offered and consecrated my heart, will
and strength, to thy service. Thou knowest how
often I have thought to do this, and have said, I will
make haste and delay not to pay unto the Lord my
vows, and bind myself to him in an everlasting covenant, that shall not be broken. But thou knowest
likewise, 0 merciful and compassionate God, how
often the cares of the world, and the sin that is here




PRAYERS FOR  THE CLOSET.   291
on my heart, have prevented me, and I have not made
my peace with God.
Gracious and blessed Father, me thy frail creature,
me thy guilty child, wilt thou now behold and bless.
And while I pour out before thee confessions of my
past neglect, help me to prove the sincerity of my
soul in this solemn hour. In a duty I have so long
postponed, by an offer free and unreserved, I do now
present myself unto thee, 0 God, avouching thee to
be my God and my portion forever.  Accept this
consecration to thee. Take me, 0 God, thy creature
and child, to do with me as seemeth to thee to be
right. To thee I give myself, and bind myself by
these solemn vows.  Come by thy Holy Spirit, and
take possession, and make my soul thy  temple.
Dwell in me from this time forth, moulding my will
to thine, forming my affections after the pattern of
thy dear Son; and hereafter may neither death nor
life, nor things present nor things to come, be able
to separate me from thy love.
And now, 0  God, let this solemn act be sealed
and registered in heaven. Over all the sins of my
heart, and the temptations of the world, may this be
my triumphant song — I can do all things through
him who strengtheneth me. And, thine here on earth,
may I be found thine when thou shalt come with thy
holy angels; may thy mark be on my forehead, and
the spirit of thy son Jesus be in my heart, when the
Lord shall receive them that are his. Amen.




292    PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
II.
1hr titR U  ip t mt iltR tip  I igmit.
FATHER of Infinite Love, I thank thee for all thy
wonderful and most merciful gifts, but above all for
the gift of thine own Holy Spirit. Thou art willing to
descend.into the heart of man, and make that unworthy
place thy constant dwelling.  Thou art, this moment, offering.even to me, thy sinning servant, this
blessed privilege, this boundless good. I am  very
weak, and ignorant, and erring, and disobedient. But
thou, 0 my God, art ever willing,. and ever waiting,
to strengthen, to enlighten, to guide, to pardon me.
And the assurance of this divine condescension and
deliverance I nave in my Saviour.  It is by him, and
and by him alone, who is my gracious Redeemer and
ever-living Lord, that the Comforter cometh into the
world.
Blessed be thy holy name, 0 thou who art his
Father and my Father, that his promise is thus fulfilled, which he gave to his first disciples, when he
declared that he would come to his own and abide
with them forever.  And even as that Eternal Word
which was with thee in the beginning came forth into
our corrupted and enfeebled race to restore it, was
made flesh and dwelt among us, and suffers us to
behold thy glory, full of grace and truth, in the face
of Jesus Christ, so when he ascended up from the




PRAYERS  FOR  THE  CLOSET.   293
body into that glory which he had with thee before
the foundation of the world, he breathed the Holy
Spirit into his church, and gave himself to be thus
the perpetual light and life of his followers. I would
praise thee for his advent and humiliation, for his
wondrous union with humanity, for his ascension to
thy right hand, and now especially for his undying
presence and power, in this Spirit which he hath
given.  0 my Heavenly Father and Friend, may I
be personally a partaker in this unspeakable grace.
Make me a true follower of thy Son's steps, and a
real member in his spiritual Body, that I may share
in the immediate influences of his love. Unite my
heart to his pure and tender heart. Suffer me to lean
my head in his bosom, to cling to his hand, to kneel
humbly at his feet. Bring me into a more vital and
inward fellowship with him, whom to know and to
trust is everlasting blessedness.
And to that end, I entreat thee to take away from
me all dispositions that obstruct the entrance of the
Spirit into my breast.  Subdue my pride; curb my
ambition; soften my hard self-will; put out the
unholy fires of lust; set me free from  inordinate
attachments to any of the gains, or pleasures, or pursuits, or honors, of this world. But open my soul
to welcome, without, hindrance, the coming of my
Master.. May he find my heart a room prepared and
clean for its celestial guest. May I be as one of those
that watch, daily and hourly, for their Lord. Help
25P




294    PRAYERS FOR  THE  CLOSET.
me to overcome the evil that is within me and round
about me on every side; to hold fast simplicity and
sincerity; to conquer my spiritual enemies; to banish
those hateful passions, and to forsake those dangerous
practices, which must drive thy sweet influence away,
separate me from the society of Jesus, and offend thee
who hatest all iniquity.  Save me, I beseech thee,
from the guilt of quenching thy Holy Spirit.
And while I ask that thou wilt pour these quickening and purifying streams into my breast, I pray also
that the fruits of the Spirit may appear in all parts of
my life. Being born again of thy grace, may I show
forth the power of that regeneration in the beauty of
holiness, in a right and truthful conversation, in the
meekness of wisdom, in a brave and upright conscience, in honest dealings, in charity, in gentleness,
in temperance, in purity, in long-suffering, in forgiveness, in reverence and piety. Sanctifying me within,
wilt thou regulate all my outward conduct and.relations, my individual habits and my intercourse with
others, by the same Spirit. And when thou hast thus
recreated me in my Saviour's likeness, and renewed
within me a righteous soul, and permitted me to serve
thee through all my days on earth, grant, I humbly
pray, that I may come into the great company of
those that are redeemed and forgiven, and that I may
join that heavenly host in ascribing all glory and
thanksgiving unto the Father, and the Son, and the
Holy Spirit. Amen.




PRAYERS FOR THE  CLOSET.   29b
III.
ALMIGHTY CREATOR, Father of Jesus Christ my
Lord! Thou didst breathe into me the breath of my
natural life. Inspire me now, I beseech thee, with
the life that is spiritual and immortal.  Thou didst
frame this body, so fearfully and wonderfully made.
Hallow it by an indwelling soul devoted to thy will.
Let its frailty, its disorders, its perishableness, make
me only the more diligent and faithful in consecrating
all its powers to thy service. The faculties of my
mind were planted and attempered by thy wondrous
skill.  Subdue them to thy perfect authority, and let
them rejoice to bow at thy righteous control. The
affections and sympathies of my heart were all wakened by thine unsleeping love.  May they rise first
of all to thee, and find their noblest exercise in the
adoration of thy wisdom and mercy, so that all my
mortal friendships shall be made stronger and purer,
by being mingled with the higher love which binds
my heart to heaven.
But 0, thou Searcher of hearts, thou knowest that
I am stained within and without by the defilements
of sin.  I am not clean; I am not just; I am not
good. The bright heavens over my head are impure
in thy sight; how much more this offending breast!
The world has too much power over me. I am too




296    PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
much the victim of its delusions, and the slave of its
passions.,Grant me deliverance by thy Holy Spirit.
I am too apt to conform to its wicked customs, to be
overborne by its proud fashions, to be led astray by its
base examples. 0, break this vile bondage, and bring
me into the liberty of the sons of God.  I am too
self-seeking in my business, too harsh in my speech,
too uncharitable in my judgments, too impatient in
my temper, too fond of ease and indulgence, too devoted to the way that seems pleasant in my own eyes.
Scatter these deceptions and snares.  Show me my
peril and guilt. Rouse me to repentance, and then,
merciful Father, pardon me, and restore me unto
thyself.
But thou seest, my God, that the root of all my
outward transgressions is an unsubmissive and unreconciled heart. Bend my stubborn will, therefore, and
break down every feeling that rebels at thy law. The
sin is in the depths of my heart. I feel that my disease is in the inmost dispositions and hidden state of
my soul.  Reach after it there, I pray thee, and
purge it thence. No superficial sorrow or fitful effort
can drive it away.  Nothing can save me but a renewal of my inmost being, through the inworking of
thy grace.  Give me that hearty and thorough repentance which is unto life, and needeth not to be
repented of. Pour into the springs of thought and
feeling within me a quickening and converting energy. Hold up before me, in thy word and providence,




PRAYERS FOR  THE  CLOSET.    297
that law of awful purity which is a terror to the conscience, and which is the condemnation of my life.
Alarm my indifference. Urge my sluggishness. Hasten my steps in the return from the far country to
my Father's house.  Reveal to me the promise and
the peace that dwell forever in that blessed home, and
so lead me, from under the stern and fearful discipline
of a law which maketh nothing perfect, into the liberty of grace; from the obedience of a servant to the
free and filial trust of a child; from the dread of penalties and the seeking of rewards, to a better hope and
the love that casteth out all fear. Make me a true
disciple of the cross.
Lord God Almighty, with thee all things are possible. I implore this infinite good, this glorious salvation by thy Son. Work it out within me, I beseech
thee, in thine own way, and by such instruments as
thou wilt; by pain or joy, by suffering or comfort,
by sickness or health, by peace or by grief.  Only
so chasten me that I may be wholly thine.  So
renew me that I shall say and feel, in all things,
Thy will be done."  And so refashion my sinning
soul, that I shall be a new creature in Christ Jesus,
and by the power of his redemption. And thine Shall
be all the glory, through him who is the Mediator of
the new covenant. Amen.




298    PRAYERS FOR  THE  CLOSET.
IV.
INFINITE and Eternal Being, whose nature and
whose ways no finite mind can comprehend, thou
seest how  my frail reason is burdened, how  my
thoughts are oppressed, how my words are silenced, in
meditating on thy decrees and dispensations, on the
prevalence of evil, and on the prospects of human kind.
0 my Lord, these mysteries are too awful and too
painful for me.  Help me, I pray thee, to repose on
the belief of thy divine perfection, who art supremely
just and holy, merciful and good, and with whom all
things are possible.  Let me never forget or doubt
that God is love: and great as may be the difficulty
of reconciling the state and history of our' race with
that glorious and delightful truth, 0 give me strength
to hold fast the invaluable declaration and supreme
manifestation of it, and to believe that it shall at
last be developed in all its cloudless and overcoming splendor.
Teach me ever to believe with the heart that fact
which is the marvellous and crowning demonstration
of thy essential love; that God so loved the world
that he spared not his own Son, but delivered him
up.for us all; that he is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the




PRAYERS  FOR THE CLOSET.   299
whole world; that Jesus was made lower than the
angels in order that he, by the grace of God, should
taste death for every man; that he gave himself a
ransom for all; that as the Lamb of God he taketh
away the sin of the world; and let me not entangle
myself in strifes of words and perplexities of speculation, which would restrict the largeness of this grace.
Merciful Father, never may I forget that we know but
parts of thy ways; that man's mind and man's systems are limited and dark, and that human hearts are
deceitful and erring. 0 give me to believe that there
is something beyond and above their view and mine,
in the glory, efficiency and vastness, of thy great salvation.  Let me cease from man, whose breath is in
his nostrils, for wherein is he to be accounted of!
Save me and mine, I beseech thee, good Lord,
from  all fundamental and ruinous error, from  all
haughty and presumptuous reasonings, but specially
from distrustful and despairing thoughts of thee, of
thy glorious administration, and thy holy purposes.
0 grant me strength to believe that it is for wise and
gracious reasons thou permittest me to be variously
tried, perturbed and tempted, and peculiarly so at
times, by pondering the high and surprising mysteries of thy procedure and decrees.  0  Lord, be
pleased to extricate me from all trials, as they shall
successively or together occur; and at present particularly from this arduous trial of faith. Give me, I
entreat, that calm and happy confidence in thee which




300    PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
may keep me at ease for fulfilling duty, allowing me
to prosecute with renewed strength those endeavors
which thy providence and grace alone can encourage
and empower me to pursue.  I ask all through the
all-prevailing mediation of my Saviour Jesus Christ.
Amen.
V.
frapr  Act @afxeae  auerf "at(1-0            an
0 TnHou who still leadest me in thy own dark,
mysterious way, thou beholdest the doubts and discouragements which oppress my mind and weigh upon
my spirit, and seest that I have no vigor and resolution to bear up against them. Yet, Lord, thou art
able to bear me through.  Help me, most merciful
Father, to commit my way unto thee.
Thanks be to thee that thou hast ever taught me
that it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps.
O bring the blind by a way that he knoweth not;
lead him in paths which he hath not known. These
things do unto him, and forsake him not. Heavenly
Father, new cares succeed the former; and thus will
it be until I put off this tabernacle, and the pilgrimage of mortality is ended.  0 teach and strengthen
me to meet them all with a more steadfast and sub



PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.   301
missive mind.  Give me grace to remember that the
period hastens on when these toils and conflicts shall
be all forever past; that thou meanwhile knowest my
frame, and art acquainted with all my infirmities; and
while I feel that I can have no shadow of merit on
which to ground a single hope, 0, let hope arise and
augment in thy free, boundless mercy, through thy
beloved Son; the delightful hope that, when the pains
of time have ceased, that glorious Saviour will receive
even me, who have been so unbelieving and so unworthy, with those most dear to me, into the rest
which remaineth; where we shall know  perfectly
how to serve him, and shall experience no inability,
no incompetence, no reluctance, to attempt and fulfil
what we know.
And now, 0 God, make me docile under the discipline of thy providence; and if I walk in darkness and
have no light, give me grace still to trust in the name
of Jehovah, and stay myself upon my God.  Thou
knowest, 0 Discerner of the heart, how little ability
I now have to act, how little capacity to pray, how
many and great anxieties oppress me, and how liable
I am by an unwatchful state of mind to render myself even less fit for contending with them; but yet, O
gracious God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
thou canst still hold me up, thou canst bear me
through.  How often in past times hast thou said to
the waves of trouble, Hitherto shall ye rise, but no
further! How often have I had to say, Hitherto the
26




302    PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
Lord hath helped me. Suffer me not to despond, but
enable me patiently to wait and hopefully to confide,
through my Saviour hnd Redeemer. Amen.
VI.;tt  Outwit t1  OR I     mff    ^  tBR lRg~11in4  of a  $i14hum
0 ALMIGHTY GOD, merciful and gracious, who in
thy justice didst send sorrow and tears, sickness and
death, into the world as a punishment for man's sins,
and hast comprehended all under sin, and this sad
covenant of sufferings, not to destroy us, but that thou
mightest have mercy upon all, making thy justice to
minister to mercy, short afflictions to an eternal
weight of glory; as thou hast turned my sins into
sickness, so turn my sickness to the advantages of
holiness and religion, of mercy and pardon, of faith
and hope, of grace and glory. Thou hast now called
me to the fellowship of sufferings. Lord, by the
instrument of religion let my present condition be so
sanctified that my sufferings may be united to the
sufferings of my Lord, that so thou mayest pity me
and assist me. Relieve my sorrow, and support my
spirit; direct my thoughts, and sanctify the accidents
of my sickness, and that the punishment of my sin
may be the school of virtue, in which, since thou




PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.             303
hast now entered me, Lord, make me a holy proficient,
that I may behave myself as a son under discipline,
humbly and obediently, evenly and penitently, that I
may come by this means nearer unto thee; that if I
shall go forth of this sickness by the gate of life and
health, I may return to the world with great strength
of spirit, to run a new race of a stricter holiness and
a more severe religion: or if I pass from hence with
the outlet of death, I may enter into the bosom of
my Lord, and may feel the present joys of a certain
hope of that sea of pleasures m which all thy saints
and servants shall be comprehended to eternal ages.
Grant this through Jesus Christ our dearest Lord and
Saviour.  Amen.
VII.
naprlfter  a  gXit t of Vabl.
How many days and nights of bodily ease, most
merciful God and Father, hast thou, in my past life,
graciously vouchsafed to me! And now that it hath
been thy will to permit or to ordain the interruption of
that ease in the hours when I desired rest, I beseech
thee to save me from murmuring thoughts and discontented feelings.  Save me from  the unbelieving
suspicion that these sensations come by fate or chance;
that thou regardest not the lot of thy frail creatures,
or that such trials are too small for thy notice, and




304      PRAYERS FOR- THE CLOSET.
unfit to be a subject of prayer.  Guard me by thy
heavenly grace, 0 Lord, from repining, as though a
hard and strange thing happened unto me when I am
thus visited, even were thy discipline far more severe
and lasting.
0 let me not forget that thus thy servants have
been called to suffer in all ages; that thus, and inexpressibly more, my Redeemer suffered, and that I
ought humbly to expect, and then patiently receive,
such a portion of like suffering as thy providence and
grace may determine; which will probably, in remaining years or days, be a larger and heavier share than
hitherto. Often have I read and heard and thought
of those who on earth endured great tribulation, but
are departed to the realm where there shall be no
more pain.  I have admired their acquiescence, and
thy grace thus manifested in them; but now, when it
toucheth me, how little am I prepared to meet the
same infliction, to trust fully in the' same Deliverer,
and to anticipate the same repose!
O grant me fortitude, heavenly Father; and above
all, since affliction too often has but increased my
proneness to sinful thoughts, and wishes, and imaginations, open my eyes, I beseech thee, and awaken my
heart to this peril; show me that all my hope of
peace, and of escaping from deep unhappiness, must
depend on being freed, through thy grace, from unholy tempers of mind.  Convince me more profoundly
that to be spiritually-minded is life and peace, and




PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.             305
strengthen me more effectually to shun the misery of
the carnal mind which is death.  And now, if it be
thy holy will, 0 God, mercifully remove this pain.
Indulge me, gracious Lord, with quiet rest; and help
me, notwithstanding present sensations, to do somewhat, though it be but little, this day in some department of my duties. Assist ihe also to think believingly
on that blessed state into which no pain, or unrest, or
weariness, can enter. 0 give me and mine a part in
that glorious, perfect immunity from sins and griefs,
through him who suffered for our sakes. Amen.
VIII.
"ayn after ftd    tat  of a "ear 61t1d0 MY God and Father, who only hast immortality,
who hast originated and bestowed all the ties of kindred in this our mortal state, thou hast been pleased
to take from me a near and dear and faithful friend.
Help me, I pray, to bless thee that I have had the
great benefit of that friend's affection, counsel, and
Christian kindness. Let me praise thee also for the
assured hope that one so dear, so valuable to me, lived
by faith, and then fell asleep in Jesus.  Make me
willing to resign this friend and helper unto thee.
Teach me to have no distrust of thy parental care
26*                  u




306      PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
and pity towards them that fear thee, when I review
the sufferings through which  the  departed  past.
While I feel that the follower of Christ was thus
painfully made conformable unto his death, do thou,
gracious Lord, strengthen me firmly to believe that
the same power and mercy shall gloriously conform
my dear friend to the likeness of his resurrection.
And now, forgetting the things which are behind,
may I henceforth press more strenuously along the
mark for the prize of the high calling of God in
Christ Jesus. Cause that all lessons derivable from
the example and sentiments, from the faith, humility
and patience in sufferings, of the departed, may be
durable and fruitful in my heart; and may this and
every instance of a truly Christian departure from
our transitory life make us newly and profoundly
grateful for thy holy Gospel, the only hope of offending, helpless, dying creatures.
0 grant, most merciful Father, through Christ
Jesus, that the most salutary thoughts which have
been excited in this season of affliction may be so fixed,
or so reawakened, as to bring forth riper, happier fruits
of earnest piety than have been yet produced; and do
thou prepare me and all for the bodily pains of advancing life, for the heavier pangs of mortal sickness,
and for the great conflict of death.  Finally, so fill
me with certain hope and undoubted love towards thee,
as to give inward assurance of a life immortal,
through Jesus Christ. Amen.




PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.            307
IX.
O ALMIGHTY GOD, who fillest all things with thy
presence, and art a God afar off as well as near at
hand; who didst send thy angel to bless Jacob in his
journey, and didst lead the children of Israel through
the Red Sea, making it a wall on the right hand and
on the left; be pleased to let thy angel go out before
me and guide me in my journey, preserving me from
sudden and sad accidents, from falls and errors. And
prosper my journey to thy glory, and to all my innocent purposes; and preserve me from  all sin, that
I may return in peace and holiness, with thy favor
and thy blessing, and may serve thee in thankfulness
and obedience all the days of my pilgrimage; and at
last bring me to thy heavenly country, there to dwell
in thy house, and to sing praises to thee forever. I
implore this through him who is the Shepherd of the
flock, the Bishop of all souls, and who, whether we be
at home or abroad, in life and in death, will keep all
who are committed to him. Amen.
X.
0 ALMIGHTY GOD and gracious Father of men and
angels, who openest thy hand and fillest all things




308   PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
with plenty, and hast provided for thy servant sufficient to satisfy all my needs; teach me to use thy
creatures soberly and temperately, that I may not
with excess of meat or drink make the temptations
of mine enemy to prevail upon me, or my spirit unapt for the performance of my duty, or my body
healthless, or my affections sensual and unholy. 0
my God, never suffer that the blessings which thou
givest me may either minister to sin or sickness, but
to health, and holiness, and thanksgiving; that in the
strength of thy provisions I may cheerfully, and actively, and diligently, serve thee; and so feast at
thy table here that I may be accounted worthy to be
admitted to the eternal supper of the Lamb; and to
thee, through the Son and Holy Spirit, shall be glory
forever. Amen.
XI.
Infa fnteUte ^ ixit, ant  u           t t^ ^me
mf l^era tza  anb  latinRa,
0 ALMIGHTY GOD, Father and Lord of all creatures, who hast disposed all things and all chances so as
may best glorify thy wisdom, and serve the end of thy
justice, and magnify thy mercy, by secret and indiscernible ways bringing good out of evil; I most
humbly beseech thee to give me wisdom from above,
that I may adore thee, and admire thy ways and foot



PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.    309
steps, which are in the great deep, and not to be
searched out. Teach me to submit to thy providence in
all things; to be content in all changes of person and
condition; to be temperate in prosperity, and to read
my duty in the line of thy mercy; and, in adversity,
to be meek, patient and resigned; and to look through
the cloud, that I may wait for the consolation of the
Lord, and the day of redemption; in the mean time
doing my duty with an unwearied diligence, and an
undisturbed resolution, having no fondness for the
vanities or possessions of this world; but laying up
my hopes in heaven and the reward of holy living,
and being strengthened with thy Spirit in the inner
man, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
XII.
1^t the  ^mta    Mf @he^um:tef Uz he sash
by all 1rs       anUulhr   ^nmman.
0 ETERNAL GOD, great Ruler of men and angels,
who hast constituted all things in a wonderful manner,
making creatures subject to man, and one man to
another, and all to thee, the last link of this admirable
chain being fastened to the foot of thy throne; teach
me to obey all those whom thou hast set over me,
reverencing their persons, submitting to all their lawful commands, cheerfully undergoing those burdens
which the public wisdom and necessity shall impose




310   PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
upon me; at no hand murmuring against government,
lest the spirit of pride and mutiny, of murmur and
disorder, enter into me, and consign me to the portion
of the disobedient and rebellious, of the despisers of
dominion, and revilers of dignity. Grant this, 0 holy
God, for his sake who for his obedience to the
Father hath obtained the glorification of eternal ages,
our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
xlII.
4  lcafe    tsh Be        bx  Qa  alrRkts fat ttRkm
0 ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who hast
promised children as a reward to the righteous, and
hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy,
and an engagement of my duty; be pleased to be a
father unto them, and give them  healthful bodies,
understanding souls, and sanctified spirits, that they
may be thy servants and children all their days.
Let a great mercy and providence lead them through
the dangers and temptations and ignorances of their
youth, that they may never run into folly, and the
evils of an unbridled appetite. So order the events
of their lives, that, by good education, careful tutors,
holy example, innocent company, prudent counsel,
and thy restraining grace, their duty to thee may be
secured in the midst of a crooked and untoward




PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.   311
generation; and if it seem good in thy eyes, let me
be enabled to provide conveniently for the support of
their persons, that they may not be destitute and
miserable in my death; or, if thou shalt call me off
from this world by an early summons, let their portion
be, thy care, mercy, providence, over their bodies and
souls; and may they never live vicious lives, nor
die violent or untimely deaths; but let them glorify
thee here with a free obedience, and the duties of a
whole life; that, when they have served thee in their
generations, and have profited the Christian commonwealth, they may be co-heirs with Jesus in the
glories of thy eternal kingdom, through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Amen.
XIV.
XlO rapr to h iff     ria  g    tj    lmfast tf
0 HOLY and almighty God, Father of mercies,
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of thy love
and eternal mercies, I adore and praise and glorify
thy infinite and unspeakable love and wisdom, who
hast sent thy Son from the bosom of felicities to take
upon him our nature, and our misery, and our trials;
and hast made the Son of God to become the son of
man, that we might become the sons of God and




312    PRAYERS FOR THE CLOSET.
partakers of the divine nature: since thou hast so
exalted human nature, be pleased also to sanctify my
person, that, by a conformity to the humility and
laws and sufferings of my dearest Saviour, I may be
united to his spirit, and be made all one with the
most holy Jesus. Amen.
XV.
3  lrapr of @rkpaatin  fr ^at    ft1Al
iatrammxnt.
0 MOST gracious and eternal God, the helper of the
helpless, the comforter of the comfortless, the hope of
the afflicted, the bread of the hungry, the drink of
the thirsty, and the Saviour of all them that wait
upon thee; I bless and glorify thy name, and adore
thy goodness, and delight in thy love, that thou hast
once-more given me the opportunity of receiving the
greatest favor which I can receive in this world, even
the body and blood of my dearest Saviour.  0 take
from me all love for sin or vanity; let not my affections dwell below, but soar upwards to the element of
love, to the seat of God, to the regions of glory, and
the inheritance of Jesus: that I may hunger and
thirst for the bread of life, and the wine of elect souls,
and may know no loves but the love of God and the
most merciful Jesus.




PRAYERS FOR  THE CLOSET.   313
Grant therefore, 0  God, that he who is my
Saviour, whose body is my food, whose righteousness
is my robe, who is the priest and the sacrifice, the
master of the feast and the feast itself, the physician
of my soul, the light of mine eyes, the purifier of my
stains; that he may enter into my heart and cast out
from thence all impurities, all the remains of the old
man; and grant I may partake of this holy sacrament
with much reverence, and holy relish, and great
effect, receiving hence the communication of.the holy
body and blood, for the establishment of an unreprovable faith, of an unfeigned love, for the fulness
of wisdom, for the healing my soul, for the blessing
and preservation of my body, for the taking out the
sting of temporal death, and for the assurance of a
holy resurrection, for the ejection of all evil from
within me, and the fulfilling all thy righteous commandments, and to procure for me a mercy and a fair
reception at the day of judgment, through thy
mercies, 0 holy and ever-blessed God. Amen.
XVI.
Mrapg    bre;rt    iarn     mnt  sif Qk
THIS day, 0  our Creator, Preserver and Redeemer, thou invitest me to review here in an especial
27




314    PRAYERS FOR  THE CLOSET.
manner all thy benefits.  Let me be grateful that
thou didst hallow one day of seven, in memory of the
great work of creation; and that now, each Christian
Lord's day, while it celebrates this first of miracles,
commemorates that other expression of thy love, the
resurrection of the Saviour of the world. Thanks be
to thee that on this Lord's day we, and multitudes
of those who name his name and trust in his salvation, may keep the feast which shows forth the Lord's
death until he come.
Let me adore thee, 0 my God, for that sacred and
mysterious offering which procures our pardon; for
the solemn burial, which, with all its attendant circumstances, proved the reality of the Lord's death;
and for that glorious resurrection and ascension which
sealed the acceptance and efficacy of the one great
sacrifice.  Incline and quicken and strengthen me
this day to remember and review these great events
believingly, devoutly, and joyfully. 0 let the sorrows
of life around me, and the sure prospect of infirmity
and dissolution before me, and the deep sense of
manifold sin within me, endear exceedingly and above
all price the assurances of a Saviour's love, and work,
and purpose.  0 grant to me, and those who shall
commune with me, and all throughout the world who
shall engage in this sacred ordinance, rightly to
discern the Lord's body; his sufferings, his grace, his
life-giving power. By a living and effectual faith
may we become one body in him; with him to die to




PRAYERS FOR  THE CLOSET.   315
sin, and with him to rise into joint and endless blessedness.
Lord, grant us those desires, resolves and hopes,
those aspirations and heavenly aids, during and after
this ordinance, which will make it truly an inestimable privilege, truly a means of eternal blessings
through Jesus Christ my Lord.  Amen.
XVII.
lntx   Be i      If    a   n ma^ ^- u    mhm   awlatm
O TIHO  who seest my whole heart, and knowest
all my unfaithfulness, how can I hope, except by thy
special blessing and  surpassing mercy, to be an
instrument of spiritual good, while I am myself so
low in spiritual attainments, so worldly, so indifferent,
so weak in faith, and so unworthy in thy sight. Yet,
O my God, thou canst cause the earthen vessel, the
broken vessel, the too often dishonored vessel, to
receive and convey the balm and medicine of thy
heavenly truth, to the praise and glory of thy own
name.  0 deign to bless my feeble endeavors and
ministrations this day. Let the prayers which shall
be poured out be uttered in a believing, contrite,
grateful, earnest spirit. Let the words of comment
and enforcement which may be offered be words of




316    PRAYERS FOR  THE CLOSET.
truth and soberness, conducing to the edification of
Christians, and the conviction and renovation of those
who as yet believe not.
0 Thou that hast all hearts in thy almighty hand,
be pleased so to move and guide my failing mind and
heart, and those of others, that we may derive from
these means of grace wisdom, and strength, and new
devotedness. Fix in my soul, and in every soul
present, more forcibly than ever, the practical and
prevailing persuasion, that to depend on thy help is
indispensable; that to be spiritually-minded is life
and peace; that to serve thee in simplicity and godly
sincerity, through Jesus Christ, is the way of true
freedom and exaltation, of true content and joy; that
nothing in the tents or palaces of wickedness or earthly
pleasure can compare with the happiness of walking
in the light, as thou art in the light. 0 let the blood
of Christ purify us from all iniquity; and do thou
take away every evil thought and imagination of the
heart, confirming each right and self-denying aim
and resolve within us, that we may live and die unto
the Lord, and be meet for his undefiled home and rest.
Heavenly Father, make all the services of the day,
and of the remaining Lord's days which thou mayest
grant us upon earth, effectual for these great ends
to us and ours, and to all in every place whom we
love or ought to love; and bring us all together in the
one temple of thy eternal grace and glory, through
Jesus Christ our Lord and Saviour. Amen.




COLLECTS.
I.
Our  sahb r  at    l kfeabthr
AssIST us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, and dispose the way of thy servants toward the attainment of everlasting salvation;
that among all the changes and chances of this mortal
life, they may ever be defended by thy most gracious
and ready help, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
II.
0 GoD, the protector of all who-trust in thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase
and multiply upon us thy mercy, that, thou being our
ruler and guide, we may so pass through things temporal that we finally lose not, the things eternal.
Grant this, 0 heavenly Father, through Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
27*




818               COLLECTS.
III.
ALMIGHTY GOD, who seest that we have no power
of ourselves to help ourselves, keep us both outwardly
in our bodies and inwardly in our souls, that we may
be defended from all adversities which may happen to
the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault
and hurt the soul, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
IV.
AssIsT us, 0 Lord, in all our doings, with thy
most gracious favor, and further us with thy continual help; that in all our works begun, continued and
ended in thee, we may glorify thy holy name, and
finally by thy mercy obtain everlasting life, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
V.
1A    ZRS1 aVIr  I ffs         t iffu
0 ALMIGHTY LORD and everlasting God, vouchsafe, we beseech thee, to direct, sanctify and govern
both our hearts and bodies, in the ways of thy laws,




COLLECTS.                 319
and in the works of thy commandments, that through
thy most mighty protection, both here and ever, we
may be preserved in body and soul, through our Lord
and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.
VI.
ALMIGHTY GOD, we beseech thee graciously to
behold this thy family, for which our Lord Jesus
Christ was contented to be betrayed, and given up
into the hands of wicked men, and to suffer death
upon the cross. And this we beg in the name of our
Mediator, through whom we ascribe unto thee all
honor and glory, now and ever. Amen.
VII.
ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast given thine only Son to
be unto us both a sacrifice for sin and also an example of godly life, give us grace that we may always
most thankfully receive this inestimable benefit, and
daily endeavor ourselves to follow the blessed steps of
his most holy life, through the same Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.




820               COLLECTS.
VIII.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who knowest
our weakness, and art acquainted with every action
of our lives, and every secret of our hearts, we acknowledge in thy presence our imperfections and sins,
and fervently pray that thou wouldst be gracious unto
us, and forgive us, and help us to forsake all that is
evil and cleave to all that is good, and to make thee
and thy approbation the objects of our supreme regard; so that we fail not at last to attain that eternal
happiness which thou hast promised to thy faithful
servants, through thine infinite mercy in Jesus Christ
our Lord. Amen.
IX.
ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, who hatest nothing which thou hast made, and dost forgive the sins
of all those who are penitent, create and make in us
new and contrite hearts, that we, worthily lamenting
our sins, and acknowledging our wretchedness, may
obtain of thee, the God of all mercy, perfect remission and forgiveness, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen




COLLECTS.                 321
X.
ALMIGHTY GOD, unto whom all hearts are open,
all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid,
cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration
of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee,
and worthily magnify thy holy name, through Christ
our Lord. Amen.
XI.
0 GOD, who art ever more ready to hear than we
are to pray, and who hast promised the assistance of
thy Holy Spirit to those who truly seek it, we humbly beseech thee to fulfil thy gracious promise to us
thy servants, and grant us that light and help without which we know nothing and can do nothing. 0.
guide us by thy counsel, defend us by thy might,
purify us by thy Spirit, and keep us in thy fear and
love continually; and.thine shall be the honor, and
the glory, and the praise, through Jesus Christ our
Lord. Amen.
w




322              COLLECTS.
XII.
ntpzag the XeakI.
0  ALMIGHTY Go-D, who alone canst order the
unruly wills and affections of sinful men, grant unto
thy people that they may love the thing which thou
commandest, and desire that which thou dost promise,
that so, among the sundry and manifold changes of
the world, our hearts may surely there be fixed,
where true joys are to be found, through Jesus
Christ our Lord.  Amen.
XIII.
lttthEmm    fbm   6V/rvm
ALMIGHTY GOD, who showest to those who are in
error the light of thy truth, to the intent that they
may return into the way of righteousness, grant unto
all those who are admitted into the fellowship of
Christ's religion that they may avoid those things
that are contrary to their profession, and follow all
such things as are agreeable to the same, through
Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




COLLECTS.                   328
XIV.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, it is our
earnest desire and humble prayer that thou wouldst
enable us to resist and overcome temptation. May
neither the allurements of vicious pleasure, nor the
difficulties of a virtuous course, deter us from the
practice of our duty. To whatever trials our integrity may be exposed, may we have strength to preserve it uncorrupted; that, having endured temptation, we may receive the crown of eternal life,
which thou hast promised to the righteous by Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
XV.
0 GoD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of
so many and great dangers, that, by reason of the
frailty of our nature, we cannot always stand upright,
grant to us such strength and protection as may
support us in all dangers, and carry us through
all temptations, through  Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.




324              CoLLECTS.
XVI.
Snbmisimg      ix In    al.
0 MOST gracious and merciful Father, we desire to
resign ourselves and all our interests to thy disposal,
in the humble hope that thy mercy will never forsake
us, and that thou wilt cause all things to work together for our good. We would submit patiently to
thy will under all our afflictions; and we humbly
pray that we may so pass through the changes of this
world as finally to be prepared for the enjoyment of
perfect and eternal happiness in the world tb come,
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
XVII.
0 THOU God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
give us grace, we humbly beseech thee, to act in
every relation and condition of life as thy children,
disciples of thy Son, and members of the general family of mankind. May we love one another with pure
hearts fervently, and heartily unite our endeavors to
promote each other's happiness; that in this life we
may experience how good and how pleasant it is for
brethren to dwell together in unity; and that we may
be prepared for an eternal abode in the regions of'
endless peace and joy, through thine infinite mercy,
declared unto us by Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.




COLLECTS.                  325
XVIII.
0 ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast knit together thine
elect in one communion and fellowship, in the mystical body of thy Son Jesus Christ our Lord; grant us.grace so to follow thy blessed saints in all virtuous
and godly living, that we may come to those unspeakable joys which thou hast prepared for those who
unfeignedly love thee, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
X1X.
ALMIGHTY and most merciful God, who wouldst
have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge
of thy truth; regard in mercy, we beseech thee, those
parts of the earth where the Gospel is not known, and
bring them to the knowledge, obedience and love, of
the religion of thy dear Son. We also pray for the
whole Christian world; that all who profess the
faith of the Gospel may hold it in unity of spirit, in
the bond of peace, and in holiness of life. We entreat thee more particularly to assist us to govern
our hearts by the blessed law of charity, that,
together with all our fellow-Christians, we may continually become here on earth more worthy of the
glorious society in heaven, where charity never fail28




326              COLLECTS.
eth; which we beg in the name of Jesus Christ, the
head of all things to the church, through whom. we.ascribe to thee blessing and praise, for ever and ever.
Amen.
XX.
LORD of life and death, of all ages and all worlds,
give us to know the value of our fleeting years.
While we have time, let us improve it as we ought;
let us not forsake thee in life, nor fall from thee in
death; and 0, keep us, we entreat thee, from that
second death, which must come upon the heedless and
impenitent.  Save us, and bring us to dwell with
thee, where weakness, danger and death, shall find
no room.  Grant this, 0 Lord, for thine infinite
mercy's sake, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
XXI.
xx'.
Nkfat gtaabtag QNR BI" it
BLESSED LORD, who hast caused all holy scriptures
to be written for our learning, grant that we may in
such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly
digest them, that, by patience and comfort of thy
holy word, we may embrace and ever hold fast the




COLLECTS.                  327
blessed hope of everlasting life which thou hast given
us in our Saviour Jesus Christ.  Amen.
XXII.
aUftr  1x^^ ttR I^IL
0 GoD, who in times past didst speak to the fathers by the prophets, and in these last days to us by
thy Son; we thank thee for the volume of thy holy
word; for the plain and ample directions it contains;
for the sublime instructions it affords; for the consolations and hopes it presents to the penitent, the
afflicted, and the dying; for the immortal life it
reveals to man; for the eternal glory and happiness it
promises to those who love and strive to obey thee.
May we be enabled, by the light and assistance which
it gives to our ignorance and frailty, to order our
steps aright, to keep thy laws and ordinances blameless, and steadily to pursue that path of virtue and
true holiness which leads to everlasting life. And
this we humbly beg in the name of our Saviour Jesus
Christ. Amen.
XXIII.
LORD of all power and might, who art the author
and giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the




328              COLLECTS.
love of thy name, increase in us true religion, nourish us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy
keep us in the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.
XXIV.
ALMIGHTY GOD, we humbly thank thee for the privileges of religious worship and instruction which we
have at this time enjoyed. Forgive whatever thou hast
seen amiss in us, and whatever may have been said contrary to the truth and to thy holy word. Accept the
sincerity of our devotions, and cause the good seed of
thy word to spring up and bear a hundred-fold in our
hearts and lives. Teach us to love thee more and
serve thee better day by day; and when our days on
earth are ended, may we be received to thine eternal
joy, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
XXV.
ALMIGHTY GOD, who hast given us thine onlybegotten Son to take our nature upon him, and as at
this time to be born of a virgin  grant that we, being
regenerate, and made thy children by adoption and




COLLECTS.                 329
grace, may daily be renewed by thy Spirit. And this
we beg in the name of Jesus Christ, through whom we
ascribe unto thee all honor and glory now and ever.
Amen.
XXVI.
0 GOD, the unfailing source of light and mercy,
who hast brought us to the beginning of this year,
and art sparing us to love thee, and to keep thy commandments; give us, we beseech thee, a solemn sense
of the importance of time, and of diligence in improving the talents thou hast placed in our hands; and
enable us so faithfully to discharge our duty in this
life, that when we shall appear before thee at thy
great tribunal-we may be found worthy of that eternal kingdom which thou hast promised by Jesus
Christ our Lord. Amen.
28*




LITANIES.
I.
0 GOD, our heavenly Father, who by thy Son
hast redeemed the world, and' by thy'Holy Spirit
dost govern, direct, and sanctify the hearts of thy
faithful servants, have mercy upon us, thy children.
Have mercy upon us, 0 Lord.
Remember not, Lord, our offences, neither take thou
vengeance of our sins; spare us, good Lord, spare thy
people, we beseech thee, whom thou hast redeemed by
the most precious blood of thy Son.
Spare us, good Lord.
From all evil and mischief; from sin; from the assaults of temptation; from all blindness of heart; from
pride, vain-glory, and hypocrisy; from envy, hatred,
and malice, and all uncharitableness; deliver thy children, good Lord.
Good Lord, deliver us.
From lightning and tempest; from plague, pestilence, and famine; from battle and murder, and from
death unprepared for,
Good Lord, deliver us.




LITANIES.                  331
From  all sedition, and rebellion; from  all false
docrine, contention, and division; from hardness of
heart, and contempt of thy word and commandment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
In all time of our tribulation; in all time of our
prosperity; in the hour of death, and in the day of
judgment,
Good Lord, deliver us.
We humbly beseech thee to hear us, 0 Lord God,
and that it may please thee to rule and govern the
holy Christian church in the right way, and to illuminate all ministers of the Gospel with true knowledge
and understanding of thy word, and that both by their
preaching and living they may set it forth and show it
accordingly; and that it may please thee to endue all
our rulers and magistrates with grace, wisdom and
understanding, that they may execute justice and
maintain truth; and that it may please thee to bless
all schools and seminaries of learning; all instructors
of youth, and all means of true knowledge, virtue, and
piety;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to bless and keep all thy
people, and give to all nations unity, peace, and concord;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord
That it may please thee to give us a heart to love
and fear thee, to hear meekly thy word, to receive it
with pure affection, to bring forth the fruits of the




332               LITANIES.
Spirit, and diligently to live after thy commandments;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord
That it may please thee to bring into the way of
truth all such as have erred and are deceived; to
strengthen such as do stand; to comfort and help the
weak-hearted; to raise up those who fall; and finally
to give us victory over all temptations;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to succor, help and com
fort, all who are in danger, necessity, and tribulation;
to preserve all who travel by land or by water, all sick
persons and young children; to show thy pity upon all
prisoners and captives; to defend and provide for the
fatherless children and widows, and all who'are desolate and oppressed;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to have mercy upon all
men; and to forgive our enemies, persecutors and
slanderers, and to turn their hearts;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give and preserve to our
use the kindly fruits of the earth, so that in due time
we may enjoy them;
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
That it may please thee to give us true repentance,
to forgive us all our sins, negligences and ignorances,
and to endue us with the grace of thy Holy Spirit, to
amend our lives according to thy holy word;




LITANIES.                  333
We beseech thee to hear us, good Lord.
0 Lord, grant us thy peace.
Lord, have mercy upon us.
0 Lord, deal not with us after our sins;
Neither reward us after our iniquities.
II.
0 GoD, whose nature is ever to have mercy and
forgive, receive our humble petitions; and though we
be tied and bound with the chain of our sins, yet let
the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us.
Graciously hear andforgive us, 0 Lord.
Save us, we beseech thee, from wandering thoughts,
low desires, and vain imaginations, and from the waste
of our time and the neglect of thy warnings; save us
from idle words and corrupt communications, from an
impatient and irreverent spirit, from hatred and wrath,
from all selfishness, uncharitableness, and deadly sin.
Save us, we beseech thee, 0 Lord.
Almighty Father, who hast given thine only Son
to die for our sins, and to rise again for our justification; grant us to put away the leaven of malice and
wickedness, that we may always serve thee in pureness
of living and truth, and finally pass the grave and gate
of death to our joyful resurrection.
Grant this, we beseech thee, 0 Lord.
Grant unto us to be poor in spirit, that ours may




334               LITANIES.
be the kingdom of heaven; give unto us godly sorrow
and mourning, that we may be comforted; meekness,
that we may inherit the earth; hunger and thirst after
righteousness, that we may be filled; grant unto us
to be merciful, that we may obtain mercy; to be pure
in heart, that we may see God; to be peace-makers,
that we may be called the children of God; and to
be patient in all trouble, that our reward may be great
in heaven.
Grant this, we beseech thee, 0 Lord.
Lord of all power and might, who art the author
and giver of all good things, graft in our hearts the
love of thy name, increase in us true religion, nourish
us with all goodness, and of thy great mercy keep us
in the same, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
O Lord, keep and defend us forever.
0 God, by whose Spirit the whole body of the church
is governed and sanctified; receive our supplications
and prayers which we offer before thee for all estates
of men in thy holy church, that every member of the
same in his vocation and ministry may truly and
faithfully serve thee. Give wisdom also to our rulers
and magistrates, that they may always incline to thy
will, and walk in thy way; and grant thy blessing
to all schools and teachers, that knowledge, virtue
and piety, may increase and be established among us.
Graciously hear us, 0 Lord God.
Show thy mercy, 0 Lord, to all men; be a friend
to the poor and friendless, and a father to fatherless




LITANIES.                  335
children; be a guide and defence to all travellers by
land and by water; enlighten the ignorant; comfort
the afflicted; bless our friends and benefactors, and
bless our enemies; and fill the whole world with thy
truth, mercy, and love.
Graciously hear us, 0 Lord God.
Kindly preserve us, 0 God, from temporal danger
and bodily pain; may we temperately enjoy the fruits
of the earth in their season; supply our wants according to thy wisdom, and grant that we may so pass
through things temporal that we finally lose not the
things eternal.
Graciously hear us, 0 Lord God.
Favorably with mercy hear our prayers.
0 gracious Father, have mercy upon us.
0 Lord, let thy mercy be shown upon us;
As we do put trust in thee.
0 God, heavenly Father, from whom all good things
do come, we thank thee for life and all its blessings,
for religion and all its consolations, hopes and joys;
we thank thee for the life and doctrine, the death,
resurrection and ascension, of thy Son Jesus Christ;
for Christian faith and Christian fellowship.  Grant
us thy grace, that we may be truly grateful; that we
may constantly serve thee on earth, and at last may
be found meet to be partakers with the saints in light,
through the great Mediator and Redeemer, Jesus
Christ. Amen.




336              LITANIES.
III.
0 THOU of whom and through whom and to whom
are all things, help us with one mind and one mouth
to glorify thee, even the Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ.
O Thou, who art the God of patience and consolation, grant us to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus.
0 Thou, who art the God of hope, fill us with all
joy and peace in believing, that we may abound in
hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost.
May we be full of goodness, filled with all knowledge, able also to admonish one another.
May those that are strong bear the infirmities of
the weak.
May we follow after the things which make for
peace, and things wherewith one may edify another.
Save us, we beseech thee, 0 heavenly Father,
from being conformed to this world, from thinking
of ourselves more highly than we ought to think,
from  being wise in our own conceits, from being
overcome of evil, and enable us to overcome evil
with good.
Hear us, good Lord.
If we have, at any time, held the truth in unrighteousness; if when we have known God we have not
glorified him as God, nor been thankful; if we have




LITANIES.                 337
changed thy truth into a lie, and worshipped the creature more than the Creator;
Forgive us, we beseech thee, 0 our Father.
If we have not liked to retain thee in our thoughts;
if we have despised thy goodness, forbearance and
long-suffering; if our heart has been impenitent and
hard; if we have dishonored thee by breaking thy
law;
Forgive us, we beseech thee, 0 our Father.
If the good which we would we do not, and the evil
which we would not, that we do; if to will is present
with us, but how to perform that which we will we
find not; if, when we would do good, evil is present
with us; if we find a law in our members warring
against the law of our mind, and bringing us into
captivity to the law of sin in our members;
Help us, we beseech thee, 0 our Father.
Being justified by faith, may we have peace with
thee, through our Lord Jesus Christ, and rejoice in
the hope of the glory of God.
Shed thy love in our hearts by the Holy Ghost.
May the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
make us free from the law of sin and death, and make
us walk, not after the flesh, but after the Spirit;
may we not receive the spirit of bondage again to
fear, but the spirit of adoption, whereby we call thee
Father;
Being led by thy Spirit, may we become thy
children.
29                x




338               LITANIES.
May nothing separate us from the love of Christ;
neither tribulation, nor distress, nor persecution, nor
famine, nor nakedness, nor peril, nor the sword;
It all these, may we be more than conquerors
through him who has loved us.
May neither death nor life, nor angels, nor powers,
nor things present, nor things to come, nor height,
nor depth, nor any creature, separate us from the love
of God which is in Christ Jesus.
May nothing separate us from thy love.
May we confess with our mouth the Lord Jesus,
and believe in our heart that God has raised him from
the dead;
May we believe with our heart unto righteousness, and confess with our mouth unto salvation.
We beseech thee, heavenly Father, that we may be
enabled to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy
and acceptable to thee, being transformed by the renewing of our mind.
Whether we live, may we live unto the Lord;
and whether we die, may we die unto the Lord.
May our love be without dissimulation; may we
abhor that which is evil, cleave to that which is good;
be kindly affectioned one toward another; not slothful in business, fervent in spirit; rejoicing in hope,
patient in tribulation, continuing instant in prayer;
distributing to the necessities of our brethren, given
to hospitality.




LITANIES.                  839
May we rejoice with those that rejoice, and weep
with those that weep.
May we render unto all their dues.
May we love our neighbor as ourselves.
May we cast off the works of darkness, and put on
the armor of light.
Awaken us, 0 Lord, from our sleep.
Now unto him that has power to establish us according to the Gospel, and the preaching of Jesus
Christ;
To God only wise, be glory through Jesus
Christ, forever. Amen.
IV.
0 THOU, who didst command the light to shine out
of darkness; and hast shined in our hearts, to give
the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in
the face of Jesus Christ, establish us in Christ and
anoint us.
Seal us thine, 0 Lord, and give us the earnest
of thy Spirit in our hearts.
0 God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort, who
comforteth us in all our tribulation, give us grace and
peace.
Confirm us unto the end, that we may be blameless in the day of the Lord Jesus.




340              LITANIES.
0 Thou, who wilt bring to light the things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the hearts, and
whose Spirit searcheth all things, help us to renounce
the hidden things of dishonesty, and to speak as in
the sight of God.
Take away, Lord, the veilfrom our hearts, and
let the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, the
image of God, shine upon us.
May we not walk in craftiness, nor handle the word
of God deceitfully; may we judge ourselves, and not
be judged; may we keep under our body and bring it
into subjection; may we watch, quit us like men, and
be strong; and having the spirit of faith, may we believe, and therefore speak.
Grant, 0 Lord, that we faint not; but though
our outward man perish, may our inward man be
renewed day by day.
May our light afflictions, which are but for a mo
ment, work out for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we look, not at the things
seen and temporal, but at the things not seen, but
eternal.
Reveal to us, 0 Lord, by thy Spirit, what eye
hath not seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man
conceived.
May we be enriched by thee with all utterance, and
with all knowledge; may we be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment;




LITANIES.                  341
may we be perfect, may we be of good comfort, may
we live in peace;
May the God of love and peace be with us.
Help us to stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ
has made us free, and not be entangled again with any
yoke of bondage; knowing that the kingdom of God is
not meat nor drink, but righteousness, peace, and joy
in the Holy Spirit.
May we be zealously affected always for that
which is good.
Help us to show the fruits of the Spirit; love, joy,
peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, and temperance.
If we live in the Spirit, may we also walk in the
Spirit.
As we have opportunity, help us to do good to all
men, and especially to those who are of the household
of faith; to bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil
the law of Christ; to crucify the flesh, with its affections and lusts; to sow to the Spirit, and of the Spirit
to reap life everlasting; and not to be weary in welldoing, believing that we shall in due season reap, if
we faint not.
V.
0 THOU, who art the one God and Father of all;
who art above all, and through all, and in us all; who
hast adopted us as children in Jesus Christ, thy Son.
29*




342              LITANIES.
in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of
our sins; quicken us, we beseech thee, who have been
dead in trespasses and sins.
0 Thou, who art rich in mercy, for the sake of
thy great love wherewith thou hast loved us, make
us alive in Christ.
0 God, our Father, the Father of glory, we pray
thee to give us the spirit of wisdom and revelation in
the knowledge of thyself, that we may know the hope
of thy calling, and the riches of thine inheritance, and
the greatness of thy power, which thou hast wrought
in Christ, when thou didst raise him from the dead,
and make him sit at thine own right hand in heavenly
places.
We pray thee to raise us up also, and make us
sit in heavenly places with him.
O Thou, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, grant
us to be strengthened with might by thy Spirit inwardly; that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; that,
being rooted and grounded in love, we may be able to
understand the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height, of the love of Christ, and be filled with all the
fulness of God.
Help us, heavenly Father, to come in the unity
of the faith, and the knowledge of the Son of God,
to the stature of a perfect man,, to the measure of
the fulness of Christ.
Help us to walk with all lowliness and meekness,.
with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love;




LITANIES.                 343
endeavoring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bond
of peace; to put away all bitterness, and wrath, and
anger, and evil-speaking, with all malice.
May we be kind to one another, tender-hearted,
forgiving one another, even as God, in Christ, hath
forgiven us.
May we be followers of thee, as dear children, and
walk in love, as Christ has loved us; redeeming the
time; having the fruit of the Spirit in all goodness
and righteousness and truth; speaking to ourselves in
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and
making melody in our hearts unto the Lord.
May we give thanks, always, for all things,
unto God our Father, in the name of the Lord
Jesus.
Help us to be strong in thee and in the power of
thy might; to put on thy whole armor, that we may
be able to stand in the evil day; girt about with truth,
having on the breastplate of righteousness, our feet
shod with the Gospel of peace, taking the shield of
faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit.
Help us to pray always, with all prayer and
supplication, in the Spirit, and watch thereunto
with all supplication and perseverance.
May peace be to all the brethren, and love, with
faith, from  God our Father, and the Lord Jesus
Christ.
Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus
Christ in sincerith. Amen.




344              LITANIES.
VI.
0 GOD, our heavenly Father, who hast loved us,
and hast given us everlasting consolation and good
hope through grace, we beseech thee to comfort our
hearts, and to establish us in every good word and
work.
Hear us, 0 God, and direct our hearts into thy
love, and into the patient waiting of Christ.
0 God, our Saviour, who wilt have all men to be
saved, and to come to the knowledge of the truth;
and hast manifested thyself to us, by the appearing
of Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death and brought
life and immortality to light through the Gospel, we
beseech thee to hear us.
Give to us, 0 God, the spirit, not of fear, but
of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.
O Thou, who art the blessed and only potentate; the
King of kings and Lord of lords; who only hast immortality; dwelling in the light which no man can approach
unto; whom no man hath seen nor can see; to thee be
honor and power everlasting.
We give thee thanks, 0 our Father, who hast
made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of
the saints in light.
Thou hast delivered us from the power of darkness,
and hast translated us into the kingdom. of thy dear
Son, in whom we have redemption, even the forgiveness of our sins.




LITANIES.                 345
May we therefore fight the good fight of faith,
and lay hold on eternal life, following after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, and meekness.
We pray thee to forgive us, 0 God, if we have set
our affections upon things below, instead of things
above; if, professing to know thee, we have denied
thee by our works; if through the love of money we
have fallen into temptation and a snare; if we have
indulged those passions which war against the soul;
or if we have done anything through strife or vainglory.
Forgive us, we beseech thee, these and all our
sins.
May we work out our salvation with fear and trembling, not counting ourselves to have attained; may
we forget the things which are behind, and reach forth
unto those which are before; approving the things
which are excellent, being sincere and without offence,
filled with the fruits of righteousness, and doing all
things without murmuring or disputing.
Grant that our conversation be as becometh the
Gospel of Christ, and may the peace of God rule
in our hearts.
May we watch and be sober; may we put on charity, which is the perfect bond; may we comfort one
another, and edify one another; not returning evil
for evil, but following ever that which is good; may
we rejoice evermore, pray without ceasing, and in




346              LITANIES.
everything give thanks; may we prove all things,
hold fast that which is good, and abstain from all
appearance of evil.
0 God of peace, we pray thee to sanctify us
wholly.
O God, if thou hast not appointed us unto wrath,
but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,
preserve our spirit, soul and body, blameless unto his
coming; and the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with us all, for ever and ever. Amen.
VII.
0 GoD, the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning; from whom cometh
down every good and perfect gift; we ask of thee
wisdom, who givest to all men liberally.
We would ask, 0 God, in faith, nothing wavering; believing that, if we draw nigh to thee, thou
wilt draw nigh to us.
0 Almighty God, who canst not be tempted with
evil, neither canst tempt any man; we confess that
we are drawn away by our own lusts and enticed; but
we beseech thee, 0 our Father, who art very pitiful
and of tender mercy, who dost resist the proud, but
givest grace to the humble, to hear the prayer of faith
and raise us up.
If we have committed sins, may they be forgiven




LITANIES.                 347
us; if we have known to do good and done it not,
if we have been hearers of the word, and not doers
also, deceiving our own selves; forgive us, 0 God,
and save us.
May we not have the faith of Jesus Christ with
respect of persons; may we not despise the poor; may
we not have faith without works, but show our faith
by our works; and, laying aside all that is impure,
receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is
able to save our souls.
Help us to look into the perfect law of liberty,
and continue therein, and so to receive the crown
of life which the Lord has promised to them that
love him.
Give us, Lord, the wisdom from above, which is first
pure, then peaceable, gentle and easy to be entreated,
full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and
without hypocrisy.
O Thou, who art light, and in whom is no darkness at all, may we walk in the light, and have
fellowship with thee.
0 Thou, who art love; may we dwell in love, and so
dwell in thee; may our love be made perfect, and be
free from all fear; may we be born of God, and overcome the world; may we keep thy commandments,
and love thy children.
0 God, grant that we love thee, not in word and
tongue, but in deed and truth, and hereby know




348              LITANIES.
that we are of the truth, and assure our hearts
before thee.
May we not love the world, nor the things which
are in the world; may we remember that the world
passes away, with all that is in it; and that if we love
the world, the love of the Father is not in us.
Grant these our prayers, heavenly Father, we
beseech thee, for thine infinite mercies' sake, in
Jesus Christ.  Amen.
VIII.
BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection
of Jesus Christ;
To an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, anid
that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for us.
0 God our Father, who hast redeemed us by the
precious blood of Christ, and taught us to be holy as
thou art holy; and who, without respect of persons,
judgeth every man's work;
Help us, we pray thee, to pass the time of our
sojourning here in fear.
0 God, the Father of Jesus Christ, whom, though
not having seen, we love; in whom, though now we
see him not, believing, we rejoice; who was fore6rdained before the foundation of the world, but was




LITANIES.                 849
manifest in these last times; make us, like him, holy
in all manner of conversation.
Purify our souls in obeying the truth, through
the Spirit, unto unfeigned love of the brethren;
and may we love one another with pure hearts
fervently.
0 Thou, whose eyes are over the righteous, and
whose ears are open to their prayers, but whose face
is against them that do evil, make us all of one mind,
having compassion one of another, loving as brethren,
not rendering evil for evil, nor railing for railing, but
contrariwise, blessing.
Adorn us with the hidden man of the heart, with
that which is not corruptible, with the ornament of
a meek and quiet spirit.
Add to our faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge;
and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance,
patience; and to patience, godliness; and to' godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness,
charity.
May we all become a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God, and to show
forth the praises of him who hath called us out of
darkness into his marvellous light.
May we follow him who has suffered for us, leaving
us an example, that we should follow in his steps, and
being dead to sin should live to righteousness; when
reviled, may we not revile again, but by well-doing
put to silence the ignorance of foolish men; may we
30




850              LITANIES.
refrain our tongue from evil, and our lips that they
speak no guile; may we sanctify the Lord God in our
hearts, so that all may be ashamed who falsely accuse
our good conversation in Christ.
Grant, 0 Lord, that, if it be thy will, we may
suffer for well-doing, rather than for evil-doing.
May the time past of our lives suffice us to have
disobeyed thee; for the time to come may we be sober
and watch unto prayer; may we have fervent charity
among ourselves; that God may in all things be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom be praise and
dominion for ever and ever.
May the God of all grace, who hath called us to
his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that we
have suffered for a while make us perfect, establish, strengthen, and settle us; and to him be glory
and dominion forever.  Amen. o