nature, and of providence; and our whole hearts are filled with thankfulness for the numberless tokens of kindness which thou givest us from the inexhaustible treasures of thy love. We thank thee for our creation, for our preservation, and for all the blessings of this life; and especially for the kind providence which has this day guarded us from evil, and given us opportunities to gain knowledge, and wisdom, and virtue.

We confess, O Father, our unworthiness to receive these gifts of thy love; we acknowledge that our obedience is imperfect, and that our sins are many. We are the more deeply ashamed of them because of thy forbearance and kindness; and the more touched by thy goodness, because thou dost bestow it upon us in our unworthiness. Let thy goodness lead us to repentance; let thy love strengthen us in a better life. Show us, O God, our sins; let us know wherein we have failed, and let us henceforth be more true to thee, and to Jesus our Redeemer. May that Holy Spirit which he promised to send as the Comforter from thee descend upon us, to convict us of sin, to lead us to repentance, to teach us all truth, to assure us of forgiveness, to work in us the fruits of righteousness, and to abide with us forever.

We give thanks unto thee, O, Father, for these precious hopes and promises of our Lord Jesus Christ. Trusting in him for the forgiveness of our sins, and for the acceptance of our prayers, we rest on thine almighty arm, and know that thou wilt keep them in

perfect peace whose hearts are stayed on thee. May the peace of Jesus, given not as the world giveth, be our blessed portion. Dwelling in him even as he dwelt in thee, thou wilt keep us evermore in safety. No harm can befall us by night or by day, since the darkness and the light are both alike to thee.

Let thy blessing be upon each member of this household, upon all who are dear to either of us, and upon all to whom thou hast bound us by any ties. Bring sinners to repentance, lead thy saints to holier living, and hasten the day when all men shall serve thee acceptably, through Jesus Christ our Lord, through whom unto thee would we give honor forever. Amen.

XXX.

Spiritual Worship.

Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Jesus saith to her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.

Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews.

But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

God is a spirit and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and in truth.

ALMIGHTY PARENT, we have walked by thy light and thy strength through whatever dangers, seen or unseen, have been about us, until the curtains of the night have been drawn around us, inviting us to repose. How hast thou watched over us and guarded us in all our paths! In every step we have taken, every breath we have inspired, every beating of our pulses, we have drawn from thine everlasting strength and love. Now that the evening shadows are laid upon all outward things, and we are invited by the still and solemn hour to look in upon our own hearts, we implore thine all-revealing Spirit to show us to ourselves. We look up to thee in thy dazzling purity and holiness, and our own imperfection and corruption come more fully into light. Forgive us the sins we ⚫ have this day committed, and enable us so to see the secret springs of all our corrupt life, that we may present our whole soul to be now visited and cleansed by thy Spirit, so that all things may be created new within us. Thou art our Father-Spirit, and may our nightly worship of thee be in spirit and in truth.

·

Our Father in heaven, our eyes wait upon thee with unutterable longings. We have tried all other good, and still our souls hunger and thirst. Thou alone canst fill the void that is in us, and satisfy the cravings of our immortal minds. If deprived of all things else, we are still rich if only we have the experience of thy grace. But if we lose thee we lose all things else, for the whole world is naught bereft

of thee. Therefore we pray, above all things, that thou mayst come within us, and we beseech thee to lead us through all that we need to prepare the way for that blessed and glorious coming. If we need prosperity, we pray for it that it may bring us to thee. If we need adversity and privation, we would rather have these than spiritual death. Whatever it may be that shall raise us, O, send us that which shall bring us nearer to thee, and reveal thee through our whole nature as our unfailing light, our never-setting sun.

As we lie down to sleep, we resign all that we are into thy hands. May we be embosomed in thy love. Keep away all evil thoughts and fancies, and may we repose like infancy in thee. And may all our days and nights prepare us for that world where our sun shall no more go down, neither shall our moon wane, but where the Lord shall be our everlasting light, and our God our glory. Through Jesus Christ. Amen.

XXXI.

Help in Trouble.

God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.

Therefore we will not fear, though the earth shall be removed, and though the mountains shall be carried into the midst of the sea;

Though its waters shall roar and be disturbed, though the mountains shake with the swelling of it.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth.

He maketh wars to cease to the end of the earth; he breaketh the bow, and cutteth the spear asunder; he burneth the chariot in the fire.

Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the heathen, I will be exalted in the earth.

The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.

O OUR Lord God, almighty and all-merciful, thou hearest the cry of those who are in affliction; thou knowest our frame; thou rememberest that we are but dust. O Lord our God, in the midst of life's sorrows and trials our strength is in thee. We know that sorrow springeth not from the ground, that it cometh not without thy divine command; grant us therefore, O Father, to submit to the rod, and to him who hath appointed it. Thou, Lord, dost not willingly afflict or grieve the children of men; aid us, therefore, to discern in the present and in every time of trial the beneficent end thou hast in view, that we may derive from affliction the means of amendment. Grant us that we may not be overmuch bowed down by any burden of sorrow, so as to forget that resignation to thy will, that courage, and that faith in thee, which become us as thy children, and as disciples of our Lord Jesus Christ.

May we with grateful hearts recount the blessings