that in thy goodness family prayer has been established amongst us, and thy word is daily brought before us. Only grant thy grace, that our service may never sink into a mere outside form, but may be a spiritual service, humbling us as well as quickening and strengthening us; bringing us as a family into real fellowship with thyself; leading us to prize Christ, our only Saviour, to glory in him, and to follow his holy example.

*

Again we renew our thanksgivings unto thee for all thy continual loving-kindness bestowed upon us. If of old there were those who were appointed to praise thee because thy mercy endureth for ever, and when all united in this, the glory of the Lord filled thy house;† much more should we, under the richer blessings of the Gospel, and called out of darkness into thy marvellous light, show forth thy goodness, and raise, morning by morning, and evening by evening, fresh songs of praise unto thee our God. We do as a family with one accord exalt and magnify thy holy name for those many blessings, the gifts of thy love, which we now daily together enjoy.

Oh grant, we entreat thee, that thy mercies may constrain us to give up ourselves unto thee. Give, O give unto each of us, entire devotedness of heart to our God. May we yield up ourselves unto thee as those that are alive from the dead, and all our members as instruments of righteousness in thy free f 2 Chron. vi. 13, 14.

* 1 Chron. xvi. 41.

and happy service. O blessed Jesus, the Son of God, and the Son of man, do thou make us free that we may be free indeed. May the thoughts of our hearts be consecrated unto God. May the powers of our understanding be employed for him. May all our inward faculties and all the affections of the heart be occupied for God, and turned wholly to thee. May our meditation of thee be sweet to us. May our ears hear for thee. May our tongues speak for thee, and our hands work for thee, and our feet walk for thee and with thee. O teach us effectually that we are bought with a price, even the blood of Jesus; and constrain us thereby to seek in every thing to glorify thee in our body and in our spirit, which are thine.

Bless thy ministers every where, and especially those whom thou hast appointed to watch over our souls, in preparing for their sacred work of instructing thy people. Give them heavenly direction in their subjects, and furnish them with those thoughts and those divine truths, and that utterance of them, which shall be most seasonable and profitable for all who hear them. May each in his generation and in his station be a full blessing to thy church, bringing thy people to a prepared and waiting state for the appearing and kingdom of Christ.

Every where multiply grace upon thy people, and add to them continually. May all who love thee be more and more brought to be like-minded, having

the same love, and be of one accord and of one mind, so that the world may believe that Jesus was sent of the Father, and all may know him even from the least to the greatest. Hear us, for our Redeemer's sake. Amen.

XXVIII.

SATURDAY EVENING.

PREPARATION FOR CHRIST'S COMING-PRAYER FOR

MINISTERS.

O Lord our God, how excellent is thy name in all the earth. Thou hast set thy glory above the heavens, and what is man that thou art mindful of him, or the Son of man that thou visitest him! How wonderful was that love that thou didst show to the world, in sending thy only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. O give unto us grace ever to believe in Jesus, and readiness, if need be, to suffer for his sake.

Brought by thy goodness to the end of this week, we desire humbly to confess the many sins which we have committed, and how far we have all of us come short of thy glory. None of us are righteous, none of us have of ourselves done good, no, not one. We have all erred and strayed from thy ways, and each one has turned to his own way.

But it is thy faithful promise that if we confess

our sins thou art just and faithful to forgive us, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. We ask for this double blessing; forgiveness and cleansing. Pardon all our sins. Create in us a clean heart.

Lord, increase our faith, quicken our watchfulness, enable us to pray always. Make us like the wise virgins, that while we have time we may gather oil, even the oil of thy truth in our lamps. Give us that unction from the Holy One, that we may know all things. And when the cry shall be heard, Behold the Bridegroom cometh, may we all be ready and prepared at once to go and meet him.

Give us a full blessing through the whole of the Sabbath on the morrow. May it be to each of us a quickening, strengthening, and instructive Sabbath for our souls. Let us not rest in the mere form of godliness, and an outside show of religion, but give us all its living reality, its inward power, and its mighty energy; making us new creatures, so transforming us that we may prove what is thy good and acceptable and perfect will.

O Lord, when we look back on past Sabbaths, on cold and formal prayers, and hearts dull and lifeless in thy service, we greatly fear lest we should thus again dishonour thee, who art a Spirit, and who requirest that those who worship thee should worship thee in spirit and in truth. Thou knowest our weakThou knowest how full we are of vain imaginations and distracting thoughts; O assist us then

ness.

with thy all-sufficient help and strength, and thyself enable us to draw nigh to thee, and do thou draw nigh to us, that we may have real communion with thee in thy house and service.

Bless the pastors of thy flock, the missionaries to Jew and Gentile, and the teachers of thy truth through the world. O that they may go forth in thy name and strength; may every where declare first of all that Christ died for our sins, and every where glory in his cross. May this saving doctrine be the power of God unto the salvation of innumerable precious souls. Thus send the gospel of thy grace on its glorious errand of mercy through the wide world and to every nation, kindred, people, and tongue, gathering thine elect from every land, till the fulness of the Gentiles be come in, and all Israel be saved.

Give us now sweet rest to refresh us, and fit our bodies to fulfil the sacred duties of the Sabbath. May we lie down with thee in our last thoughts, and may we awake in the morning still present with thee, through our only and complete Saviour, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.