Give us the increase of faith in him, the hope of his glory, and the love which he manifested. O may thine own strength enable us to overcome sin and to do thy will; to put off anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of our mouth, lying, and all the deeds of the old man; and to put on the new man, where Christ is all and in all.

We thank thee, O Lord, for the many mercies of this day. May we see thy love in every thing, and then in every thing give thanks, knowing that this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning us. May we know that if we sow in tears we shall reap in joy; and may all our enjoyments be heightened by seeing the hand of love bestowing them. O Lord, how good thou art in all thy ways to us, punishing us infinitely less than we deserve, and blessing us so graciously, notwithstanding all our provocations. What a Saviour is our Saviour! What a teacher and comforter is thy blessed Spirit! What a promise the promise of eternal life! And all this for sinners, even for us in Jesus Christ.

O let the happy tidings of this grace and love pervade the habitable globe. Let the Jews, let the Gentiles throughout the earth know the joyful sound. Break in pieces the usurped empire of Satan, and let the captives rejoice in their great Deliverer, Jesus Christ. Hear us for His name's sake.

LXIII.

WEDNESDAY MORNING.

PRAISE TO GOD FOR ALL THINGS, EVEN AFFLICTIONS.

Almighty and everlasting God, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who art light and love, blessed be thy glorious name, which is exalted above all blessing and praise. Thou, even thou alone, art Lord; thou hast made heaven, the heaven of heavens, with all their host, the earth and all things that are therein, the seas and all that is therein, and thou preservest them all, and the hosts of heaven worship thee. We also, a feeble company of thy sinful creatures redeemed out of a sinful world, join the glorious company of those who, without ceasing, praise thee. Every day will we bless thee and praise thy name for ever and ever.

Surely none on the face of the earth have greater reason to acknowledge the long-suffering and forbearance, the righteousness and goodness of our God than we have. Living in this highly-favoured Protestant country, with the pure light of reformation truth, preserved to our day in our beloved church, with the holy scriptures in rich abundance, the preached gospel and the abounding means of grace, what thanks we owe thee for all religious and spiritual privileges and blessings! What thanks shall

we render also for innumerable temporal blessings, in daily provision for our wants, health and comforts, in protection from evil, and all the enjoyments and endearments of the family and social circle. And yet farther, and enable us by faith to discern fully thy love in them, we would bless thee for our. afflictions and sorrows, our losses and disappointments, for sickness and for suffering. We feel that with unmingled ease and worldly prosperity, if thou hadst not been so wise, so firm, so good, so faithful as to chasten us even as thine own children, we might have been lost for ever. But we bless thee that thou hast given us the tokens of chastening love, that we are sons of God. O give us ever believingly, to feel that whom the Lord loves he chastens, and that the end which he designs is our profit, that we may be partakers of his holiness, and that thus he would make us vessels prepared and meet for his heavenly kingdom. Magnified and exalted then be our God, just and true, good and right, merciful and gracious are all his ways.

Let

O Lord, grant now yet farther grace unto us. our lives correspond to the greatness of thy mercies; let humble love, and grateful praise, and entire devotedness fill our whole souls and our whole lives. Wherever we are, wherever we go, let the mercies of God give us a quickening mighty impulse, that we may present our bodies a living sacrifice unto thee.

May we all of us seek first thy kingdom and thy righteousness. In order to this, may we be diligent to obtain and improve time for retirement, for the study of thy word and for secret prayer, and may we neglect no means of grace which thy providence affords us.

Bless every member of our family, and make us growing blessings to each other, to our relatives and friends, to our neighbourhood, to thy church, to our country; yea, to Jew and Gentile through the world. May we remember that the time is short, and therefore, with all fervour and holy simplicity, endeavour in that short time to bring many souls unto thee. O Jesus, hasten thy coming, and prepare thy church for thine appearing, and take thine own kingdom and reign for evermore. Amen and Amen.

LXIV.

WEDNESDAY EVENING.

AGAINST MERE FORMALITY, AND FOR FAMILY

name.

HOLINESS.

Lord, teach us to pray; by thine own Holy Spirit help our infirmities and quicken us to call upon thy We confess our great want of reverence and earnestness, our mere formality and great unbelief. Remove all the hinderances to spiritual worship, and give us true and fervent prayer.

O Almighty God, our heavenly Father, we have

much to bring before thee, mercies without number to be thankful for, many sins to confess and bewail, many wants to be supplied, dear friends to be blessed, enemies to be delivered from, and all our duties to thee, to each other, and to ourselves to be fulfilled. We spread all before thee. It is thine ordinance that we should pour out our hearts unto thee, who knowest our frame and art ever ready to help all that come unto thee by Jesus Christ.

Glory be to thee, O God, for all thy unceasing goodness to us, and especially for all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ Jesus. Thou hast set before us, in thy oly word, the blessed hope that we are come in spirit already to Mount Zion, to the city of the living God and the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels; to the general assembly and church of the first-born, which are written in heaven; and to God the Judge of all,、 and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling. O help us to walk worthy of this high calling. May we have our conversation in heaven and not on earth. May our hearts be set on things above, and may the forms of godliness lead us, by thy accompanying grace, to the power of godliness.

Preserve us from being carried about with the winds of false doctrine, and enable us to abide in Christ, that we may bear much fruit. Speaking the