in thee; for he who hath delivered, will yet deliver. May the thought that the Lord will provide, quell every restless and fearful emotion. O God, make me a steadfast follower of them that through faith and patience, inherit the promises.

PEACE.

Heavenly Father, grant me peace of conscience towards thee, through the atoning blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. Give me, I pray thee, that holy serenity of mind, which the world can neither give nor take away, and which results from receiving thy love, and from knowing and doing thy will continually. Enable me to live peaceably with all menrespecting with justice their rights, and not seeking with pertinacity my own-giving place to wrath, and refraining from an evil tongue, and every thing that stirs up strife.-Lord, give thy churches rest from unholy divisions within, and from wicked assaults without. May the household of faith dwell together in unity; and then the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. O God, promote and establish peace between man and man, and between nation and nation, throughout the world. Supplant, by the influence of the gospel, that selfishness which is the fruitful source of every form of contention : and in its place implant that holy love which worketh no ill to its neighbour, and which leadeth man to regard every human being as a neighbour and a brother. Then shall individuals cease from strife -nations shall learn war no more-and Jesus, the Prince of Peace, shall reign over a dominion where there shall be none to hurt nor destroy-where heart shall beat in harmony with heart-where eye shall

speak peace to eye-and where hand shall be to hand the exchange of good-will to man.

PERSECUTION.

Shepherd of Israel, I would praise thy name for that comparative exemption from persecution, which we enjoy in this highly favoured land. Yet perhaps we owe our peaceful security to our conformity with the world. It becomes us to inquire, whether the world arrays itself not against us, because we have not fearlessly borne our testimony against it, that its deeds are evil; or because we have not rebuked its practices by a high standard of holy living.-Lord, let me not desire exemption from the enmity of the wicked, at the expense of duty. Make me willing to suffer persecution for righteousness' sake: yea, thou hast said that they shall suffer it, who live godly, in Christ Jesus. If our Blessed Lord was reviled, scourged, and persecuted, and his noble cloud of witnesses, of whom the world was not worthy, had trial of cruel mockings, and bonds, and death, why should I hope to escape? Lord, enable me so to act, that whether men may devise evil or good concerning me, my conscience shall be free from guilt towards thee and all mankind.

O thou who art a very present help in trouble, remember those who fall into persecution. Overrule the trial of their faith and patience, for their good and thy glory. Abate its severity, or open a door of deliverance from it, or enable them to bear it as good soldiers of Christ. While they suffer according to thy will, may they commit the keeping of their souls to thee, in well-doing, as unto a faithful Creator. Let them not wonder nor complain, as though some strange thing had happened

unto them; but rejoice inasmuch as they are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, they may be glad also with exceeding joy.

PERSEVERANCE.

God of Salvation, let me not be of those that draw back unto perdition, but of them that believe unto the saving of the soul. Make me steadfast in the pursuit of knowledge, and performance of duty. Teach me that the race is not to the swift, but to them who cast aside every weight, and the sin that doth so easily beset them; and who look to Jesus, as the Author and Finisher of faith. Blessed be God, the way I am called to run in, is not an unbeaten path; for thy people on earth are now walking in it as the highway to heaven; the saints in glory have followed it unto life eternal; yea, even the High Priest of our profession, Christ the Righteous, hath made it smooth by his glorious footsteps. Lord, give me a warmer zeal, and a holier strength, to run that heavenly road.

O God, set clearly and strongly before my mind, that exceeding and eternal weight of glory, which is laid up for those that endure unto the end. May I so run, that I shall obtain it. Enable me to continue in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them. O teach me the duty of perseverance, by a conviction of the uncertainty of life. Those servants only shall be blessed, whom when the Lord cometh, he shall find watching.—Give me, I beseech thee, such views of the foes that are within and around me, as shall lead me to continual dependence on thy grace, and unremitted diligence in thy will. Imbue me with courage of mind and

strength of heart, to overcome all the hinderances which Satan, or the world, or my own passions, may cast in my way.-Heavenly Father, let nothing be able to separate me from thy love in Christ Jesus. O, love me with an everlasting love. May he that is the Ransom of sinners, save me unto the uttermost. May thy Holy Spirit seal me unto the day of redemption, and be my Comforter, to abide with me forever. And then, in that inheritance which is incorruptible, and that fadeth not away, I will praise thee for the power of thy grace, by which I shall have been kept, through faith, unto salvation.

PIETY.

God of Salvation, vouchsafe unto me a spirit of intelligent and devoted piety. Make me a Christian, not only in name, but in truth. May I watch diligently, lest while I have the form of godliness, I may be destitute of its power.-Lead me, I pray thee, into the constant exercise of repentance towards God, and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Fill my heart with love to thee, thine ordinances, thy service, thy people, and all mankind. Give that love such strength and purity, that it shall fulfil thy law. Make it abound more and more, in knowledge and judgment, until I am filled with the fruits of righteousness, unto the glory and praise of God. Cleanse thou my heart from evil thoughts, and my life from wicked ways; and enable me to die unto sin, and to live unto righteousness. Make me meek and forgiving, sincere and humble. Let consistency, self-denial, and gratitude, pervade all my actions. Make me earnest in prayer, unwavering in faith, and joyful in hope. Prepare me for the quiet en

durance of every trial, and for the zealous performance of every duty. If I suffer as a Christian, let me not be ashamed, but glorify God on this behalf.

Lord, make me a follower of them who, through faith and patience, inherit the promises. Permit me not to put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in my brother's way: but cause me to follow after the things which make for peace, and things wherewith one may edify another. May I so act before the world, that men may take knowledge of me, and be led to glorify our Father in heaven. May the same mind which was in Christ be also in me. As I have borne the image of the earthly, so let me bear the image of the heavenly; and of his fulness receive, and grace for grace. Blessed Lord, grant that by patient continuance in well-doing, I may seek for glory, and honour, and immortality, where the righteous shall shine forth as the sun, in the kingdom of their Father.

PITY.

Merciful Father, make my heart sensible to every object of pity. Blessed Jesus, thou hadst compassion on every subject of distress and misfortune. Thou didst mourn with them that mourned, and weep with them that wept. It was indeed the tenderness of thy love which brought thee to this world of wo, that thou mightest bless and save those who were ready to perish. O may the same mind be in me which was in Christ Jesus. Let no form of selfishness so harden my heart, that I shall fail to exercise compassion for the wants and woes of thy creatures. Let me not stop my ears to the cry of the needy, nor turn away my eyes from them that are stricken with misery. And let me not pity only