We remember that we are sinners,

and ac

in the flesh. knowledge the multitude and aggravations of our offences. Conscious not only of the reality, but the greatness, of our guilt, we could indulge no hope, hadst not Thou exhibited thine infinite benevolence, and revealed a Mediator, in whom Thou art reconciling the world unto thyself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.

ness.

Thou hast not left thyself without witness, in that Thou hast been doing us good, and giving us rain from heaven and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladBut herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Blessed be thy name, we have all the certainty we could desire, that with Thee there is mercy. THAT mercy the publican sought, and found: THAT mercy has never disappointed any that trusted in it; THAT mercy at this very moment cries to us, Ask and it shall be given you, seek and ye shall find. O Lord, we avail ourselves of thine invitation, and plead thy promise! According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out our transgressions. Create in us also a clean heart, and renew a right spirit within us.

We hope we are convinced that while many things are desirable and some useful, ONE thing is needful; and that instead of the inquiry, What shall I eat, and what shall I drink, and wherewithal shall I be clothed? the supreme anxiousness of our soul is, What must I do to be saved? O visit us with thy salvation, in the illumination of the mind, and the sanctification of the life; in all the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and in all the fruits of the Spirit. we willingly obey all thy commands, and cheerfully submit to all thy appointments. In the annihilation of selfwill, and in the temper of implicit devotedness, may we, as to every duty, say, Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And as to every event, Here I am, let Him do what seemeth

May

Him good. Grant us piety and wisdom to accommodate ourselves to the allotments of life; and enable us to maintain a christian temper and behaviour in all the changing scenes of providence, that all things may work together, if not for our gratification, yet for our good.

May we disengage ourselves from the present evil world, and be received and acknowledged as the sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty. May the righteous be our attraction and delight; and though few in number, and despised by the foolish and wicked, may we go with THEM, because God is with them: and like Moses, may we choose rather to suffer affliction with the people of God. than enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season.

May we walk by faith, and not by sight. May we weigh both worlds, and may the future and the eternal preponderate. May this be our growing experience as well as profession-As for me I will behold thy face in righteousness, I shall be satisfied when I awake with thy likeness.

By thy mercies we renew this morning the consecration of ourselves to thy service. Go forth with us into the concerns of the day. Keep us in all our ways. Innumerable are our dangers; but the greatest of all is sin. Uphold our goings therefore in thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over us. May we abstain from all appearance of evil; and the very God of peace sanctity us wholly and may our whole spirit, and soul, and body, be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

And to God only wise, the Father, he Son, and the Holy Ghost, be ascribed al. honour and praise for ever and Amen.

ever.

THURSDAY EVENING.

O GOD, thy greatness is unsearchable. Thy name is most excellent in all the earth. Thou hast set thy glory above the heavens. Thousands minister unto Thee, and ten thousand times ten thousand stand before Thee. We feel ourselves in thine awful presence to be nothing, less than nothing, and vanity: nor do we presume to approach Thee because we are deserving of thy notice-for we have sinned-we have incurred thy righteous displeasure -we acknowledge that Thou art justified when Thou speakest, and clear when Thou judgest.

But our necessities compel us, and thy promises encourage us. Thou art nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and savest such as be of a contrite spirit. Thou hast provided and revealed a Mediator, who has not only obeyed but magnified the law and made it honorable; and Thou hast made us accepted in the beloved. And we behold an innumerable multitude returning from thy throne successful, rejoicing and encouraging us to go forward. THEY were not, though all guilt and indigence, refused nor upbraided; but freely obtained pardon and holiness and righteousness and strength, and were blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ.

O look Thou upon us, and be merciful unto us, as Thou usest to do unto those that love thy name! Convince us of sin both in its penalty and in its pollution, and may we mourn over it with a godly sorrow. Give us that faith by which we shall be enabled to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ; and believing may we have life through his name.

And may we not only have life, but have it more abundantly. We often question the reality of our grace; but the imperfections of our religion are too obvious not to be acknowledged, and too aggravated not to be deplored

Our souls cleave unto the dust; quicken Thou us according to thy word. Strengthen in us the things that are ready to die. May we not only live in the Spirit, but walk in the Spirit. By holy resemblance may we put on the Lord Jesus Christ: may the same mind be in us which was also in Him; and may we feel it to be our dignity and delight to go about doing good.

And as He suffered for us, leaving us an example that we should tread in his steps; may we learn to suffer like Him. When reviled, may we revile not again, but commit ourselves to Him that judgeth righteously. Whoever may be the instrument of our grief, may we never lose sight of an overruling agency in preparing and presenting it; but be able to say, The cup which my Father giveth me, shall I not drink it? In patience may we possess our souls. May we be calm to inquire, wherefore Thou contendest with us. Let not weeping hinder sowing; nor sor row, duty.

We live in a world of changes, and have here no con tinuing city-may we seek one to come; and have our minds kept in perfect peace, being stayed upon God. Be with us to the end of our journey; and after honoring Thee by the life we have lived, may we glorify Thee by the death we shall die. When heart and flesh fail, be Thou the strength of our heart, and our portion for ever. At death may we fall asleep in Jesus; and in the morning of the resurrection, may He change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like his own glorious body; and so may we be for ever with the Lord.

Who can understand his errors? Forgive, O God, the sins of the past day, in thought, word, and deed, against thy divine majesty. We bless Thee for our preservation in our going out and our coming in, and in all our ways: and we bless Thee for all the supplies and indulgences which thy good providence has affored us.

And now, O Thou keeper of Israel, we commit our souls and our bodies to thy all-sufficient care. Suffer no evil to befal our persons, and no plague to come nigh our dwelling May our sleep be sweet; or if Thou holdest our eyes waking, may we remember Thee upon our bed, and meditate on Thee in the night-watches.

And with the innumerable company who never slumber nor sleep, and who rest not day and night, we would join in ascribing blessing and honor and glory and power unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb, for ever and ever. Amen.

O THOU, whose name alone is Jehovah, the most high over all the earth! When we consider thy majesty and thy purity, and reflect upon our meanness and guilt, how shall we come before the Lord, or bow before the high God? We are unworthy of thy notice, and have rendered ourselves justly obnoxious to the curse of thy holy law: and wert Thou to judge us according to our desert, the most innocent periods of our life, and the devoutest services in which we have ever been engaged, would make us shrink back with dread and despair from thy presence. But we are encouraged to approach Thee, by the revelation Thou hast given us of thyself as the Lord God gracious and merciful; the invitations and promises of thy word; and the meditation of thy dear Son. We are assured that He put away sin by the sacrifice of himself; and being raised from the dead, entered into the holy place, there to appear in the presence of God for us. We rejoice that we have now an Advocate with the Father to plead ou