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of thine own ministers and the faithful stewards of thy mysteries in all the churches of Christ. O let not thy word return unto thee void. Give it an abundant increase.

O let not prayer be any where made in vain; but give the spirit of grace and supplication to all thy assembled people, and every where may it come up as a memorial before thee. Every where may Jesus our High Priest, receive the supplications of a believing people, and by his own prevailing intercession obtain full answers of peace, and grace, and love.

O Lord, by thy earthly Sabbaths enable us to rise more to the hope, the foretaste and earnest of the heavenly Sabbath, where there is no absence of God to mourn, no cessation of service to grieve; but without weariness, or distraction, or interruption, thy people serve thee day and night, and see thy face, and thy name is on their foreheads, and they go no more out, and they reign for ever and ever.

May this be the happy, the everlasting portion of each one of us, through Jesus Christ, our blessed Mediator and Advocate.

XXXI.

MONDAY MORNING.

PRAISE FOR MORNING MERCIES,-FAMILY BLESSED

NESS SOUGHT.

O Lord our God, we will give thee thanks for ever; while we have any being we will sing praises

unto thy name. Abundant reason have we to do so. What an unspeakable mercy it is that creatures so sinful and so perverse and ungrateful as we have been, can yet, in this day of grace, come into thy holy presence, and know that thou art reconciled to us by the cross of Jesus, and wilt receive us as thy sons and thy daughters. Behold we come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.

Together we unite in praising thee for all the renewed mercies of another morning; light and life, health and peace, food and raiment, home and shelter, warmth and comforts, family union and social love, and all the dear relations of domestic life are from thy goodness, and all redeemed for us through that precious Saviour, by whom all things are ours, both for time and eternity. It is our highest privilege and happiness, that in offering praise we glorify thee. It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord; praise is comely for the upright, and in Jesus praise is comely for us; though in ourselves sinful, we are accounted righteous in thy sight through faith in him. All glory be to thee for blessings without end, which daily manifest thy continual goodness to us, and for thy loving-kindness, who orderest all things concerning us.

Help us this day to recollect and meditate upon the truths which we yesterday received. May the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, bring them to our remembrance, that they may abide with us and bring

forth much fruit, and may be the power of God to our salvation.

Give us not only outward privileges, but that inward grace which they were intended to impart. Pour thy Spirit very abundantly upon us and all thy people. We want a broken and a contrite spirit. We want a penitent and believing heart. We want a self-denying, self-sacrificing and loving spirit. O Lord, give us this new heart and this new spirit. Write that new commandment distinctly and manifestly on all of us, the commandment that we love one another as Christ has loved us.

Bless us as a family together. Make us, more and more, blessings and comforts to each other daily and hourly, as we grow in conformity to thy image, and partake more of thy likeness. Whether in the relation of parent or child, master or servant, friend or kindred, may each relation be that fountain of love and refreshment which thou didst design that it should be, so that we may grow up in all things unto Christ our head, and edify each other continually in love. May our household, in all things, be conducted on the rules of the gospel. May we use hospitality without grudging, and delight in being a comfort and blessing to others.

Prepare us for all thy holy will and all thy righteous and gracious dispensations with our country and with the world, with our church and the whole church of Christ. May the great object of our lives

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be to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and may we have entire confidence in thy love, to provide for every want. Let us not be troubled about many things, but, remembering that one thing is needful, may we choose that good part which shall not be taken from us.

We ask the same blessings for all our friends and relations, for our neighbours and for our fellow Christians and fellow-creatures through the world. Every where let the gospel be preached, and the way of the Lord be prepared, and a waiting people be called forth, all ready for his coming and meet for his heavenly glory. Hear us, for Jesus Christ's sake, to whom with thee and the Holy Ghost be all honour and glory now and for ever. Amen.

XXXII.

MONDAY EVENING.

FAITH IN CHRIST SOUGHT.

Almighty and everlasting God, Creator of all things, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, enable us by thine own Spirit to draw near to thee. May we dread coming unto thee in form only and not in spirit, in carelessness and not in earnestness, in unbelief and not in faith. And O give us to thirst after thy presence and favour and love, even as the hart panteth for the water-brooks.

We thank thee for the many mercies of this day,

all testifying thy care over us, thy love and goodness to us. O how many are now living on our earth who are destitute of the temporal advantages and the spiritual blessings which we enjoy. And who are we, and what are we, that thou shouldest have so favoured vile, ungrateful sinners, rebellious creatures, continually breaking thy laws and offending in thy sight!

O Lord, freely forgive our many offences, more in number than the hairs of our head. May thy goodness melt and subdue our souls, and still continue to do us good, and to bless us, by turning each one from our iniquities.

Give unto us grace to know Jesus Christ and him crucified, and to count all but loss for the excellence of this knowledge. We earnestly implore of thee the gift of precious faith in the Lord Jesus Christ. Thou hast told us that whosoever believeth in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life; thou hast told us that the just live by faith. O grant unto us this living and saving faith. May we simply and wholly trust in Christ, and not in any merits or good deeds or righteousness which we have done, or can do. Grant that the life we now live in the flesh we may live by faith in the Son of God, who loved us and gave himself for us; and may his wonderful love ever constrain us not to live to ourselves, but to Him who died for us.

O Lord, may we all believe thy faithful testimony,

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