prosper every design to do good to the bodies or to the souls of men; all efforts for building churches; maintaining ministers of Christ, spreading either thy holy word or edifying books, sending missionaries to Jews or to Gentiles. Bless all who conduct, support, or labour in these societies, and (may they all be effective for promoting thy glory in the salvation of our fellow-men.

Watch

Again we commend ourselves to thy care. over us as a family for good; may no change occur amongst us without its designed blessing being realized to us, may we every day be dearer to each other and more ready to fulfil the law of Christ by bearing each other's burdens.

O hear us, and answer us, according to the fulness of thy mercy in Christ Jesus. Amen.

IX.

THURSDAY MORNING.

TO RECEIVE OUT OF GOD'S SUFFICIENCY WHAT WE

NEED.

Almighty Father, our one, our heavenly Parent, in the name of Jesus Christ we approach unto thee, desiring to see by faith thee who art invisible, and to have access, unto thee through one Spirit. art the Lord, the Holy One, the Creator of Israel, our King, and besides thee there is no Saviour.

Thou

O Lord, our minds are dull and cold towards thee,

our affections are grovelling, our souls cleave to the dust, and in many things we have all offended in thy sight. We believe that thou hast given all things. pertaining to life and godliness to us in Christ Jesus, and we come to thee for pardon, for life, and for strength. Enable us to discern the reality of heavenly and eternal things, to receive thy grace with a glad heart, and by faith in the Son of God, to overcome the world. In the midst of our folly pity us, and spare us, and impart to us heavenly wisdom. In our weakness may thy strength be perfected. Enable us to live in the constant recollection of the judgment to come, and remembering the solemn account thus to be rendered, may we now live in thy fear, and may we obey thy commands all the days of our life. Give us that which thou seest good, though we know it not, and even dread it as evil. Take from us that which thou seest to be evil, though we may ignorantly desire it. Supply all our need out of thy riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Enlighten our minds to know Jesus Christ as the precious gift of God, and, in the full knowledge of Christ, may we now seek from that Saviour the living water that springeth up to everlasting life.

O thou who sparedst not thine own Son, assuring us thereby that thou wilt with him give us all things; we ask especially for spiritual blessings and heavenly graces, and a large heart of love to all men, not loving in word and in tongue, but in deed and in

truth, that we may know we are of the truth, and assure our hearts before thee; we entreat thee to make us a full blessing to our fellow-creatures.

About to enter upon the duties which thou hast this day given to us to walk in, we ask grace to fulfil them in thy name; and to seek thy glory as the one great end of all to be done by us. May we all live as in thy presence; each occupying his talent in fulfilling his work appointed by thee, and in every thing seeking to do thy will. Deliver us from a complaining, dissatisfied, and murmuring spirit, and give us a glad, grateful and thankful heart, filled with real love to thee.

Bless our family, our neighbourhood, our church, our country, and all in authority over us. Guard us from all foes and all dangers, whether national or spiritual. Bless thy people Israel, and enlarge thy kingdom continually, till the whole earth rejoice in the kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ. Hear us for his name's sake, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, be all honour and glory now and evermore. Amen.

X.

THURSDAY EVENING.

THANKSGIVING FOR CHRIST, PRAYER FOR THE HOLY SPIRIT, AND FOR HELP TO THE AFFLICTED.

O most merciful and heavenly Father, give unto us thy quickening grace, that now, when we bow

our knees unto thee, we may fully believe that thou art here present, and a rewarder of all them that diligently seek thee. O give us thine own Spirit, that we may come before thee not in form, but in power; not in carelessness, but in reverence; not with a doubtful mind, but in full confidence of heart, looking to him who is at thy right hand, ever living to make intercession for us.

We praise together thy goodness for all our daily mercies; our temporal blessings are all from thee, our religious privileges we owe to thy free favour, our spiritual blessings are all thy gift. But most emphatically and above all we bless thee for the great gift, the peculiar gift, the most surprising of all gifts, thy only-begotten Son, the Lord Jesus Christ; who came into the world for us sinners; and took upon him our nature, sympathizing with us, redeeming us, and assuring us thereby that thou wilt with him also freely give us all things.

In his name then we ask for a yet farther gift, infinitely needful to us, even thine own Holy Spirit to teach us, to dwell in us, to sanctify us, and to comfort us. May He constantly dwell in us; guarding us from all error on the right hand and on the left, and guiding us into all truth. We farther beseech thee to bestow upon us that precious gift of faith which was imparted to thy servants of old, and by which out of weakness they were made strong, and

overcame the wicked one.

Give unto us that most

excellent gift of charity, which thinketh no evil, and suffereth long, and is kind, and never faileth. O may we supremely, ardently, and intensely love thee, and delight in thee, and thence love all our fellow

men.

Forgive freely, fully and for ever, all our past sins, as we would now forgive all others who may have trespassed against us. Thou knowest, O Lord, all our sinfulness, temptations and dangers, but there is forgiveness with thee, and thereby thou wilt be feared. May we fear to grieve our God who pardoneth our iniquity, and do Thou assist us effectually to show forth thy praise, by a life devoted to thee.

We pray for the afflicted, the suffering, the castdown, and the sorrowful. We pray for the stranger, the captive, the tempted, and the endangered. We pray for those who have lost what they valued most on earth, entreating thee thereby to take occasion to give them fuller and richer blessings that shall endure to everlasting life.

May we as a family continually edify each other in love, and may bonds now be knit together, uniting us more and more in Christ Jesus, which shall be lasting as eternity; so that, though our earthly union may be severed for a season, our spiritual and heavenly union may be perfected and completed for ever, in thy coming kingdom and glory, for our Redeemer's sake. Amen.