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and raging lusts within our hearts and in the world. O Lord Jesus, who hast redeemed us from all iniquity, purify us unto thyself a peculiar people, zealous of good works. Wherever we go, whatever place we visit, may we ever act as becomes thy true and faithful disciples. May we never be ashamed of thy gospel. May we confess thy name and spread thy praises, and at length may we be restored to our own home and country, without having, by our sins, dishonoured thy name, or brought reproach on thy gospel. O heavenly Father, hear us for our Redeemer's sake.

Family Entercessions.

CLXXX.

PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH OF GOD.

We beseech thee, O Lord, to send thy blessing on thy whole church now militant here upon earth, and exposed to innumerable snares and temptations, dangers and enemies.

We praise thee for the thousands and tens of thousands who have in all ages been gathered unto thee, for the thousands now walking in thy heavenly ways; but O let the coming years before the advent of our Lord be years of special and enlarged blessing. May multitudes be brought into thy fold. May the last days of thy church be her best days, and bounteous floods of blessing be poured upon her from on high. Bless especially our own beloved land, and every inmate of it. May plenteous streams of grace descend upon us, from that pure and living fountain, which flows from the throne of God, Accomplish, Lord, the restoration of Israel; fulfil the promises so long delayed, let the waste places of Judah rejoice and be glad; and O hasten that which is the consummation of all things, the return of our blessed Lord. May we be found waiting and watching for him; may our lamps never grow dim, nor our loins be ungirt, our faith never fail, nor our love grow

cold, nor our lamp go out in darkness, till the sound be echoed from the songs of angels and archangels, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, and then may we all, without one exception, enter in with him to the marriage, for his name's sake.

CLXXXI.

FOR ALL THE MINISTERS OF CHRIST.

O Lord Jesus Christ, the chief Shepherd and Bishop of our souls, who when thou didst ascend on high, and lead captivity captive, didst give gifts to men, some apostles, some prophets, and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, and for the edifying of the body of Christ, we beseech thee graciously to look upon the bishops and pastors of thy flock, and upon all whom thou dost call to minister thy gospel and feed thy church, and pour upon them thy abundant blessing.

O Lord, greatly enrich them with spiritual gifts and endowments, according to thy infinite fulness and the multiplied wants of thy church. Raise up sons of thunder to awaken the careless; sons of consolation to comfort the mourner; eloquent men to convince mightily the ignorant; good men full of the Holy Ghost, that much people may be added to the Lord; faithful men like Timothy, naturally caring for the state of their people; and devout men like Epaphras, always labouring fervently for them in prayer.

According to thy inexhaustible fulness supply all the wants of thy people in every place, that thy unsearchable riches may be fully made known.

And O Lord, uphold thy ministers, and strengthen them that their faith fail not. Make them wise to win souls. Endue their words with heavenly power; may they be like fire, burning away the dross, and like the dew, strengthening, reviving and refreshing the hearts of thy people. Send them help from thy sanctuary, and strengthen them out of Sion, so that thy word may have free course and be glorified in all the earth. Hear us, for thy name's sake.

CLXXXII.

FOR PROTESTANT AND REFORMED CHURCHES. O Lord Jesus Christ, we thank thee for thy special grace and loving-kindness to thy church in past days. When corruption and apostacy, and the worship of saints and idols, of gold and silver and brass and stone and wood, which neither can see nor hear nor walk, had overspread thy whole visible church, how graciously at that time didst thou in thy tender mercy appear for thy people; and we bless thee, O Lord, for so plenteously pouring out thy Spirit upon thy servants, and raising up the blessed Reformers to hold forth the light of thy truth. All glory be to thy holy name, for that remarkable revival of the gospel of the grace of God, and for the establishment of churches holding thy truth in its purity throughout Christendom.

But we have to acknowledge before thee how soon thy truth became again obscured, and its progress was hindered, by the multiplied divisions and strifes of thy sinful creatures. We have to confess that multitudes in the Protestant and Reformed churches have but a name to live while they are dead, and their works are not found perfect before thee our God.

O Lord, give thy churches grace to be watchful, and to strengthen the things that remain and are ready to die. O Lord, help them to remember how they have received and heard, and to hold fast and repent. May our own church be especially thus assisted and blessed of thee. May a new and enlarged spirit of union be given to all thy churches and people, holding thee the Head. May multitudes come wholly out of Babylon, and be delivered from her plagues. May the Jews be speedily grafted in again, and thus be as life from the dead to the world. O hear us, for thy name's sake.

CLXXXIII.

PRAYER FOR UNITY AMONG CHRISTIANS.

O thou good and gracious Father, who art in the Son, our Lord Jesus, and He in thee, in union inexpressibly entire and complete, and who wouldest have all thy people one in the Father and the Son, we entreat thee to take away all things that prevent and hinder this perfect union. Every where grant grace to thy children to be like-minded, having the

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