that we may be followers of thee as dear children, and show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, through Jesus Christ.

And now blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever.

Our Father, &c.

The Lord bless us, and keep us.

Amen.

The Lord make his face to shine upon us, and be gracious unto us.

The Lord lift up his countenance upon us, and give us peace.

ANOTHER EVENING FAMILY PRAYER.

O THOU, who art the God of all the families of the earth, who didst favourably notice Abraham's commanding his children and his household after him to keep the way of the Lord: be thou present with us now, and enable us by thy Holy Spirit, and through thy Son's intercession, to worship thee in spirit and in truth.

We come before thee acknowledging that we were all born in sin, the children of wrath, and have in common a corrupt nature and a continual propensity to depart from thee. And O how often have we offended thee, the God of all the earth, by actual transgressions!

Even in the day that is past, by vain thoughts, by idle words, by sinful indulgences, we have grieved thy Spirit, and incurred thy displeasure. Our only refuge is in thy promised mercy in Christ Jesus. We cast ourselves wholly on that mercy. Fixing all our hopes on our Saviour's sacrifice, we confess

our guilt, and earnestly pray that his blood may cleanse us from all sin.

And give us, we beseech thee, the comfortable assurance that our sins are forgiven. Let thy Holy Spirit bear witness with our spirits that we are children of God. Plentifully impart to us the gift of thy Spirit, that we may bring forth the fruits of love, joy, peace, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, long-suffering, forbearance, and temperance. Grant that we may so copy the example of our Saviour, as to be the Epistles of Christ, known and read of all men; and have clear evidence of our own salvation. Teach us so to live that we may glorify thee, who hast bought us with a price of such amazing value as the blood of thine own Son.

O that all now kneeling together may indeed obtain mercy in Christ Jesus, be passed from death unto life, and love and serve thee unfeignedly. But, O Lord, how weak is our faith! how cold is our love to thee! how dead, how dull are our hearts! Help us to believe in thee and to love thee; to love God with all our heart, with all our mind, with all our soul, and with all our strength. Shed abroad the love of God in our hearts, by giving us the Holy Ghost; and may we be taught of Thee to love one another. Be thou present with us in our more retired devotions; praying to our Father which is in secret in our closet, may we find his presence and blessing there.

Bless, O Lord, all that are near and dear to us. Many beloved relatives and friends are now absent from us; but thou art with them, and all their wants are known to thee. Give them thy grace; ever guide them here by thy counsel, and may none of them be wanting in thy heavenly kingdom.

We pray for the king, and all in authority: Lord, may their counsels be ordered by thee as may be most for the good of our country.

Give, we beseech thee, to all Bishops, Priests, and Deacons, and ministers of Jesus Christ everywhere, true knowledge and understanding of thy word; and may they set it forth in their lives accordingly. Make them wise to win souls. Lord, call forth, and send out many faithful labourers to the work of the ministry. Bring it to pass that the distant isles shall wait on thee, and the Gentiles come to thy light. Bless every society established for benefiting the bodies or the souls of men, and especially those in which we are more immediately engaged and interested, and hasten thy kingdom.

Thanks be unto thee, holy Lord God, for all thy goodness towards us. How multiplied are thy mercies every day! How excellent is thy loving-kindness! We bless thee for all thy long-suffering and forbearance towards us. We bless thee for the infinite mercies of redeeming love. We bless thee for the knowledge of thy salvation, and for the light of thy truth; for protection from every danger during the night, and provision for all our wants by day. Thou hast spread our table with food, and thou givest us every needful good. Accept these our prayers and praises, which we offer up in and through Jesus Christ, our only mediator and advocate. Amen. Our Father, &c.

FAMILY PRAYER, SUNDAY MORNING.

O ALMIGHTY God, Creator, Governor, and Upholder of all things, who, after making the heaven and earth,

didst rest on the seventh day, and bless and sanctify it; teach us now, resting from our worldly labours, to devote the day to thy service. O thou whose Son did, as on this day, rise again from the dead, grant us grace to rise from the death of sin to the life of righteousness. Help us now, in his name, to seek thy blessing on those holy duties to which the sabbath is set apart.

We bless and praise thee for the appointment of this day, and for all the means of grace which we enjoy in this highly-favoured land. We bless thee that thy house is open, that thy ministers have liberty to preach, and we have opportunity and inclination to assemble with thy people and hear thy holy word.

Above all, we thank thee for the knowledge of Jesus Christ; for free justification and salvation through his life, death, and resurrection. We praise thee for the gift of thy Holy Spirit. Blessed, for ever blessed, be thou, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for all these thy benefits.

Great have been thy mercies to us; but with shame we confess that we have slighted thy goodness, and carelessly regarded thy great salvation. How many sabbaths have we broken; how many invitations of mercy have we neglected; how many warnings and threatenings have we trifled with! How cold have been our prayers; how great our irreverence: how inexcusable our unbelief!

To

Forgive us, O forgive us, all our negligences and infirmities, and all our sins and iniquities. the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him. Return again, and bless us. Graciously be present with us, through

all the solemn services of this day. Enable us to go to thy house in the spirit of prayer. Pour out upon us, and all that shall meet in thy name, the spirit of grace and supplication. Let none of us draw near to thee with our lips only, while our hearts are far from thee: but enable us to worship thee in spirit and in truth. Cause thy face to shine upon us. Grant that we may find that the Lord is in his holy temple, and be able to say, It was good for us to have been there! Prepare our hearts to receive thy holy word, that it may be sown in good ground, and bring much fruit to perfection.

[Bless, especially, such of us as hope this day again to receive the memorials of our Saviour's sufferings and death. May contrition, penitence, faith, humility, and love, be in lively exercise, and be greatly increased.]

Help all of us not only to abstain from engaging in our usual business and occupation, but also keep us from worldly conversation and from vain thoughts. Raise our affections to things above, and let our conversation be in heaven. Enable us to give this day to reading and hearing thy word, to meditation, selfexamination, and prayer; and be thou with us, to bless us in our retired devotions.

And, Father of mercies, we beseech thee to bless all that minister in holy things. Multiply unto them thy grace, that they may be faithful, diligent, and laborious. Grant them humility, disinterestedness, watchfulness, and zeal; may they have grace to take heed to themselves and to the flock over which the Holy Ghost has made them overseers, feeding the Church of God which he has purchased with his own blood. Stand by and strengthen them this day.

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