XLIV.

LORD'S DAY EVENING.

ADORATION-CONFESSION-PRAYER TO BE PRE

SERVED FROM A HARDENED HEART.

O Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, who dwellest in the highest heavens, on a throne of glory, encompassed with seraphim and all the glorified hosts of heaven, thou art the God, even thou alone, of all the kingdoms of the earth, thou hast made heaven and earth: we worship thee. Thou wast also in Christ reconciling the world unto thyself, not imputing their trespasses unto them: we bless thy holy name, who redeemest our life from destruction, and crownest us with loving-kindness and tender mercies.

O Lord, receive the prayers and praises of thy whole church through the world, this day presented unto thee. May they ascend up unto thee through the mediation and intercession of our great high priest, who takes the golden censer, and with much incense offers the prayers of all thy saints before thy throne. Thus may there come down from above, that divine grace and power by which sin shall be vanquished, the world overcome, Satan subdued, and all the fruits of righteousness be largely yielded up by us and all thy people to thy glory.

O Lord, forgive all the sins of our services this

day. How many are our Sabbath sins! In past days how many broken Sabbaths, unimproved opportunities, and lost privileges, and alas how we still fall short in every thing of thy glory. How often has the Sabbath been to us rather a weariness than a delight, a formal service, and not a spiritual enjoyment; a burden, and not a privilege! How often have vain imaginations, wanderings of heart, and distractions of mind, mingled with and polluted all its holy duties even to this very day! Blot out all our sins for thy name's sake. And give us a believing, penitent heart, that receiving thy word in faith and meekness, we may be not only hearers but doers of it also. Make our hearts truly to receive and gladly to obey. O preserve us from a hardened heart. Keep us from tempting and provoking God. Keep us from erring in our hearts, and from ignorance of thy ways, and enable us so to believe, that we may finally enter that rest which remains for the people of God.

Bless thy faithful ministers in their own souls, and in their families; make them burning and shining lights to thy church. Make thy people watchful and prayerful. May we remember all the solemn admonitions to be ready for the Lord's coming, and keep us from the temptation of thinking thee slack concerning thy promise. May our loins ever be girded about, and our lights burning, and we ourselves like unto men that wait for their Lord, that

when he cometh we may open to him immediately. O Jesus, hear us for thy own name's sake. Amen.

XLV.

MONDAY MORNING,

PRAISE-CONFESSION A BLESSING SOUGHT ON THE WORD PREACHED.

Almighty Lord, whose eyes are in every place, beholding the evil and the good, who art the God of our family, into whose name of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, we have all been baptized, and to whom we desire ever to live, we praise thee, we exalt thee, we give thee glory, as the only living and true God, God over all things in heaven and in earth, now and for ever.

We praise thee for all the mercies of another morning, for thy protection through the night, for the measure of health and strength which we enjoy daily, for our family comforts and family love, for our religious privileges and the many means of grace. O Lord, what thanks shall we render for thy holy word; for the gift of thy only begotten Son himself, for the indwelling of thine own Spirit, and for the blessed hope of living with our Saviour in those glorious mansions which he is now preparing for us. O give us grace to take the cup of salvation. O give us grace to believe all thy love, to rejoice in it, and to love him who has so first loved us,

Unworthy, utterly unworthy, are we of these thy mercies. We have walked each one in his own way. We have all departed from our first and best, and most tender Father and friend. By unbelief, by alienation of heart, by self-will, and pride, and selfishness, and impenitence, we have all offended thee. Oh may thy Spirit so bring home to our hearts thy love and our ingratitude and perverseness, as to remove that in us which is hard and stony, and make us humble and contrite in thy sight. Like Job, may we each see our own sinfulness, and with broken hearts and self-abhorrence exclaim, Behold, I am vile, I abhor myself, I repent in dust and ashes.

And while our mouths are thus stopped, and we each acknowledge that we are guilty before thee, reveal to us the full preciousness of Christ; the length and breadth, the depth and height of his love which passes knowledge. May thine own Spirit continually take of the things of Christ, and show them to us. May he show us things to come, may he glorify Christ more and more to us, and in us, and by us.

O Lord, sanctify us by the truths which we yesterday heard; make us thereby free from sin and at liberty to serve thee; give unto us that best and only true liberty. May we manifest the truth in a holy and devoted life, ever looking to Jesus and seeking to tread in his steps.

Bless all who with us heard the word of salvation, both in our own church and in all other churches through the world. May the joyful sound gladden every land. Restore Israel, bring in the fúlness of the Gentiles, hasten the Redeemer's return and the restitution of all things. Bless our magistrates, and make them ministers of good to thy church and this nation, and direct all concerning us as shall be most for thy glory in the good of all mankind, through Amen. Jesus Christ our Lord.

XLVI.

MONDAY EVENING.

FOR FAITH IN CHRIST'S LOVE AND HATRED OF SIN.

Heavenly King, the Lord of all, whom it is our privilege to know as our Father, and by faith to discern as now in the midst of us-we bless thee that while thy glory is revealed to adoring cherubim and seraphim, angels and archangels, in the highest heaven, we too may come very near to thee by Jesus Christ, through one Spirit, and partake of thy manifested presence and favour.

Grant unto us, now approaching to thee, rest and refreshment of spirit, inward strength and divine comfort, through the pardon of all our sins, and the gracious gift of thine own Holy Spirit. We acknowledge together that we have all this day again sinned against thee. We have not, as we should