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enabled us to do aright. The evil is from ourselves alone, and to us belong shame and confusion of face for it; but all the good is of thy free grace, and of thy mere mercy; and to thy blessed name, O Lord our God, be all the praise and glory rendered, with the most feeling and grateful hearts, now and for everAmen.

more.

MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY, OR OTHER SOCIAL CIRCLE.

ALMIGHTY and everlasting God, we kneel down to thank thee for thy merciful care and protection during the past night; and we beseech thee now to let thy blessing rest upon us. Help us to begin the day with the solemn dedication of ourselves to thy service; and then to go to the duties of our, several stations, with an earnest desire to do every thing in thy fear, and with a view to thy glory.

We beseech thee, O Lord, to establish us in the great doctrines of thy gospel; may we be grounded in the faith of Christ crucified for us: may that history which we read in thy holy word, of our Saviour's coming down from heaven, to live as our example, and to die as the atonement for our sins, affect us deeply, and have its full influence upon us: may it excite our warmest gratitude to him who died for us: may it inspire us with hatred against sin: may it elevate us above the fear of wicked men; and may we learn to take part with our suffering and despised Lord. May that zeal to save us, which he showed, awaken, in each of us a concern for our own salva

tion; and may it be the chief desire of our hearts to be made partakers of all the benefits both of his death and of his glorious resurrection.

But since we are by nature so prone to evil, and so little disposed to spiritual things, we pray thee, O God, to purify our minds from all sinful and vain desires, by the powerful efficacy of thy grace. O Lord, grant unto us thy Holy Spirit. May he dwell within us, as a spirit of purity and holiness, a spirit of truth and of wisdom, of peace, and love, and of holy joy, and consolation. May we pass this day in the thankful remembrance of thy mercies, and in the diligent performance of thy commandments. May no evil thoughts, no angry tempers, no distressing doubts or fears disturb us. May we serve thee our God; and live peaceably with all men. May we be kind, and humble; patient and thankful; and sober-minded, and temperate in all things. May we fulfil the duties of the day; and may we lie down at night, praising thee again for all thy goodness, and committing ourselves with holy confidence to thy mercy.

We ask these blessings in the name of Jesus Christ, our only Mediator. Amen.

EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY, OR OTHER SOCIAL CIRCLE.

O LORD, our heavenly Father, Almighty and most merciful God, we are met together to offer our united prayers and supplications unto thee. Thou understandest the secrets of all our hearts. Thou hast known all the circumstances of our past lives; and

art acquainted with the present disposition of all our minds. Thou knowest whether we are of the number of those who live in thoughtlessness and forgetfulness of thee, and persist in their impenitence, not seeing their danger; or whether we are of that happy number who have embraced thy gospel with true contrition of heart; and have obeyed its solemn call to repentance and newness of life.

O Lord, suffer not that any of us should harden our hearts against thee. May we fear lest death should overtake us in our sins; and if we are yet negligent of the things which make for our everlasting peace, may we begin to seek the salvation of our souls with earnestness and anxiety. But if any of us have already received thy truth in the love of it; if any of us have already repented truly of our sins, and begun to lead a new life, and to walk in the way of thy commandments, we pray that we may be enabled to persevere to the end.

O Lord, how great is the privilege of those who can thus look up with holy confidence unto thee! How blessed are they who have Him for their friend, who made heaven and earth, and hath all things under his government! We pray thee to receive us into thy favour; to adopt us into thy family, and to make all things work together for our good.

Having sought, first, the kingdom of God and his righteousness, may all other things be added unto us. May thy merciful providence direct the events of our lives. May thine arm be stretched out to protect us. May thy Spirit sustain and strengthen us; and if it should please thee to visit us with trials and afflic

tions, may thy grace sanctify all our sorrows; and cause them to be instrumental to our eternal benefit.

We now commit ourselves to thee for this night; earnestly beseeching thee to pardon our sins, and to take us under thy gracious protection. May we rise in the morning with every good desire growing up in us; and go to the duties of the following day, remembering that we are candidates for a heavenly prize, and looking beyond these temporal things, to a better and more enduring inheritance.

We offer up these our imperfect prayers in the name of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. Amen.

CHAPTER VII.

PRIVATE PRAYERS.

PRAYER FOR A SOLDIER.

O LORD GOD of hosts! who hast all the creatures, in heaven and in earth, ever ready to fight thy battles, and to execute thy commands! thou didst not sow any seeds of enmity in our nature; but didst create man in thine own image, endued with all the principles of love and dispositions to peace. It is from our lusts alone that wars and fightings have come amongst us. We first, by transgression, made ourselves enemies to thee; and have therefore been justly left by

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thee to cherish enmity against our fellow creatures, and to bite and devour one another. O my God, I lament the sad necessity that exists for learning and exercising the art of war. But now that I am in a line which binds to the performance of military duties, instruct me, O Lord, and enable me to behave myself as a truly Christian soldier ought to do. Above all things incline me, O Lord, to enlist under thy banners, and enable me to become a good soldier of Jesus Christ. Let me war a good warfare, and never cease to fight against those enemies that war against my soul. And that I may have peace with thee, my God, let me have no peace with my sins; nor ever take part with those that rebel against thee. Let me never be carried away by the influence of ungodly examples, or be led to commit any wickedness against which thou, O God, hast declared thy wrath from heaven. O grant that I may never strive with my Maker; nor allow myself in such a habit of mind and course of life, as are enmity against God; but let me dread more to fall into thy hands, than into the hands of those who can only kill the body; and ever show myself the more zealous for thee, the more I see others set themselves against thee. O Lord most high! make me valiant for thy cause, as well as for my country. And preserve me, O my God, from the profaneness and blasphemy, the lewdness and debauchery, the rudeness and violence, that are so common amongst men of my profession: let me not be infected with their contagion; but preserve my integrity amidst all the temptations wherewith I am surrounded.

Though the sword is in my hand, let the

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