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own hands. Bless us with thy presence, thy grace, and thy protection. Suffer not the enemy to have an advantage over us; neither let the sons of wickedness approach to hurt us. Be with all thine every where. Visit them, in particular, with thy salvation, whom we desire to bear upon our hearts before thee. May those who are near and dear to us, be near and dear to God: and whatever separation thy good Providence may make upon earth, Ŏ grant that we and they may meet with joy at thy right hand, in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment. May. all orders and degrees of men, from the highest to the lowest, be fearers of God, lovers of truth, and workers of righteousness; strengthen and relieve those who labour under any affliction in mind, body, or estate; and make all work together for their good. Preserved, O Lord, by thy gracious mercy, we have come to the close of another week, many of our fellow creatures since the commencement thereof, have left this scene, and have entered upon an eternal state. O God most holy, O God most mighty, grant that, before our eyes close in death, we may be enabled to embrace the Lord's Christ in the arms of faith, and under the shinings of thy countenance, and in the unclouded prospect of thy celestial abode, may say, Now, Lord,

lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, for mine eyes have seen thy salvation. Lift up the light of thy countenance upon us, and may our comforts be neither few nor small. In all the duties of thy holy day that are before us, may we look to the spirit of grace for willingness and power to serve thee faithfully, and may our entire dependance be upon the merits of Jesus Christ the righteous. Be thou present in the worshipping assemblies of thy saints; meet them that desire to meet with thee, and visit them with thy salvation who mean to visit and wait on thee in the ordinances of thy appointment; may such as seek thee be joyful and glad in thee; and may they find, by happy experience, that one day in thy courts is better than a thousand elsewhere, and that thy house is indeed the house of God and the gate of heaven. Be with all thy faithful stewards of thy mysteries in every place, who shall administer in thy name. Enable them rightly to divide the Word of Truth, giving both to saints and sinners their portion. Pardon the unworthiness of ministers and people, and vouchsafe to own thy glorious gospel, by making it effectual to the salvation of them that hear; every spiritual and temporal mercy we request for the alone sake of Jesus Christ the righteous. Amen.

FOURTH WEEK.

Meditation for the Lord's Day.

"tree;

"The righteous shall flourish like the palm he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. "Those that be planted in the house of the Lord, "shall flourish in the house of our God. They "shall bring forth fruit in old age; they shall "be fat and flourishing: to shew that the Lord "is upright, and there is no unrighteousness in "him."-Psalm xcii. 12, 13, 14.

The trees of righteousness grow not in common soil, but in the house of the Lord. It is from his grace, by his word and spirit, that they receive all the sap and virtue that keeps them alive and makes them fruitful; they put themselves under the divine protection, fix themselves under divine ordinances, take root in them, and bring forth all their fruit to God's honour and glory.

They shall grow in grace, in usefulness, and in beauty; like the tall cedars of Lebanon, they shall grow nearer heaven, and with a holy ambition shall aspire towards the upper world.

They shall flourish to the credit of their profession, and to the comfort and joy of their own souls; while the wicked flourish like the grass which is soon withered, the,

righteous shall flourish like the palm tree; their leaves shall not wither; being planted in the house of the Lord they shall flourish in the courts of their God; there their root ia, and there their branches spread; their life is hid with Christ in God, their light also shines before men, and they adorn the doctrine of God their Saviour in all things.

They shall be fruitful. Did they bear only leaves, they would be trees of no value; but they shall bring forth fruit-fruits of holiness, of lively devotion, useful conversation, and those good works by which God is glorified, and all around them edified-the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ to the praise and glory of God. Other trees, when they are old, leave off bearing, but the plants of righteousness shall bring forth fruit, even in old age: in them the strength of grace shall not fail with the strength of nature; the last days of the saints have been their best days, and their last work their best work; to shew that they are upright, and to shew that the Lord is faithful, who has promised that they that wait on him shall renew their strength. The faithfulness of God is the believer's triumph; if they are plants of righteousness, it is because they are planted by his right hand. If they bring forth fruit, it is because he has made them fat and flou

rishing; if their leaf does not wither, it is because he has planted a living principle of grace within; if they flourish, it is to shew that the Lord is faithful, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

HYMN.

Lord 'tis a pleasant thing to stand
In gardens planted by thy hand;
Let me within thy courts be seen,
Like a young cedar fresh and green.

There grow thy saints in faith and love,
Blest with thine influence from above ;
Not Lebanon with all its trees
Yields such a comely sight as these.

The plants of grace shall ever live;
(Nature decays, but grace must thrive)
Time, that doth all things else impair,
Still makes them flourish strong and fair.
Laden with fruits of age they shew
The Lord is holy, just, and true ;
None that attend his gates shall find
A God unfaithful or unkind.

PRAYER

For the Lord's Day Morning,

WHEN THE SACRAMENT IS ADMINISTERED.

O my gracious God and Father! With how sweet a feast hast thou entertained me!

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