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our blessed Master, and never to be weary in welldoing. Let the assurances and pledges, which thou hast given us of thy love to all thy upright and faithful children, fill our hearts with joyful hope, and with a firm reliance upon thy divine assistance. Safe un

der thy protection, and happy in thy favour, may we cheerfully follow where thou pleasest to conduct us, desire only what thou shalt see fit to give us, and endure with fortitude the trials which thou shalt appoint for us. In health and in sickness, in life and in death may we lift up our souls unto thee, and make thy goodness and mercy in the Mediator of our race our only confidence and joy. And having lived, by thy grace, in a state of continual improvement and preparation for thy heavenly kingdom, may we finally be received into the same, to the praise and glory of thy name, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

O God, who art the Father of all mankind, fill the minds of thy reasonable creatures, we beseech thee, with the knowledge of thy truth, and deliver them from every evil affection. Cause the gospel of thy Son to prevail through the world, to enter the hearts and govern the lives of all its inhabitants, and to make all nations righteous and happy. Reform the disorders, which arise from the evil passions of men; and prosper the just designs of all who delight in peace. Grant, that the blessings of free and equal government may become universal, the advantages of civil society be widely extended, the best interests of every community be fully secured, and all thy children be united in the praise of thee and the love of one another.

We commit to thee, our righteous Governor, all the important concerns of our country. We pray, that we may live in safety, and enjoy thy blessings in tranquillity and peace; that we may escape the destructive evils, which thou hast appointed for wicked nations;

and that religion and virtue may so prevail among us, that our privileges may be transmitted to succeeding ages. Be pleased to give us the fruits of the earth in their seasons, and to bless all orders of men in the diligent discharge of their respective duties. Give success to all the means employed among us for instructing the young, for reclaiming the vicious, and for establishing the well-disposed. Enlighten, direct, and prosper the President of the United States, and all who are invested with authority. May they be men fearing thee, and hating covetousness and all manner of iniquity; may all their power and influence be exerted for the promotion of the welfare of the people, and the advancement of thy glory; and, under their government may justice and judgment be impartially administered.

Finally, we beseech thee, O God of mercy, to extend thy favourable regard to all our brethren who are in affliction. May thy wisdom be their direction, thy power their support, thy goodness their confidence. By patience and a serious improvement of their sufferings, may they be prepared for unmixed happiness in that better world, where all thy ways will be completely justified and everlasting praise will ascend to thy throne.

And unto thee, the King eternal, immortal, and invisible, be all honour and glory, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer, now and evermore. Amen.

5.

ETERNAL and most merciful God, unto whom all hearts are open, and from whom no secrets can be hid! we would raise our thoughts and affections to thee, as the greatest and the best of beings, the object of supreme veneration, the high and mighty Ruler of the Universe. The heavens are the throne, the earth is

thy foot-stool. Honour and majesty are before thee; strength and beauty are in thy sanctuary; holiness becometh thy house for ever. Powerful is thine

arm; unsearchable are thy judgments; righteous is thy reign; with thee there is no respect of persons. Thy wrath is revealed against all ungodliness and wickedness; thy mercy is sure to every humble and penitent soul; thy counsels are counsels of peace, and not of evil. We address ourselves to thee as dependant, frail, and guilty creatures, who cannot exist without thy support, who cannot be happy without thy love. We acknowledge, that all our faculties are the work of thy hand, that all our outward advantages and enjoyments are the gifts of thy Providence, that all our consolation and improvement flow from thy grace. We bless thee for all those satisfactions and comforts, which have sustained, cheered, and gladdened us in every stage of our pilgrimage. We praise thee, that we are made but a little lower than the an gels, and formed with capacities to know, to love, and to rejoice in thee for ever. We thank thee, above all, for the mission of thy beloved Son, for redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, for the possession of his precious gospel, for the privilege of freely inquiring into its meaning, and for the liberty of openly professing our faith. What everlasting gratitude is due to thee, that his doctrines perfectly enlighten the human mind, that his precepts clearly point out to us the path of duty, that his example incites and encourages our works of love, that his death speaks peace and joy to the upright believer, that his resurrection from the grave establishes our confidence in him as our divine Mediator and Redeemer, and that his ascension to glory enlivens our best and dearest hopes!

O God! accept, we beseech thee, the expressions of our thankfulness for these inestimable mercies. Par

don, of thine infinite goodness, whatever of lukewarmness and disobedience thy pure eyes have seen in our minds and in our lives. Give us grace to make a diligent and faithful use of every talent committed to our care. Vouchsafe to direct us in all our religious inquiries. Help us to shun all presumption, and to maintain a humble and teachable disposition. Preserve us from those prejudices which pervert the judgment, from those passions which debase the understanding, from those mistakes which weaken the principles and obstruct the practice of Christian virtue, from those superstitious imaginations and fears which betray men into dishonourable and unworthy conceptions of thee. Assist us to know thee more and more perfectly, to understand thy will and our exalted destination, to make thee the object of our highest confidence, reverence, and joy, to love thee with all our souls, and to walk with circumspection and alacrity according to thy holy commandments. May we daily learn more of that Saviour who was meek and lowly in heart, take his yoke upon us, and find his promised rest and peace. May our faith in him continually grow stronger and more efficacious, and that same mind and spirit be in us which was in him. May his gospel be completely successful in correcting our errors, in forming within us the amiable graces of the Christian character, in supporting us under the difficulties and sufferings of this transitory life, and in preparing us for the glory which is about to be revealed. Having lived as his true followers, may the remembrance of his crucifixion and triumph banish every fear from our bosoms in the hour of death. And, in the day of judgment, may thy grace give us the portion of those, to whom our Lord shall say: "Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world."

Almighty God, thou desirest not the destruction of

any, but hast loved the whole world and given thy Son to taste death for every man. O grant, we beseech thee, that all the children of Adam may rejoice in the light of his gospel, and experience the invaluable blessings, which are bestowed upon us through his mediation. Be pleased so to direct the affairs of this world, and to smile upon all proper means for the advancement of thy kingdom, the kingdom of truth, purity, and righteousness, that it may soon be completely and universally established. Put an end, we pray thee, to tyranny and violence, to the destructive schemes of ungodly ambition, to the effusion of human blood, and to the unnatural devastations and calamities of war. Dispose all, who bear the name of thy Son, to speak the truth in love, to honour each other, and to live as brethren. And let every plant, which thou, our heavenly Father, hast not planted, be root

ed up.

We pray for the various tribes of the human family. May it please thee to favour all virtuous and pious communities with thy special protection, and to employ all the methods of thy government for the reformation of such as are vicious and corrupt.

We implore thy blessing, especially, upon the land in which we live. Pour out upon us, O God, a spirit of repentance and reformation of all our national sins. Grant, that our civil and religious liberties may be secured and preserved, and that our public counsels, founded upon truth and righteousness, may be crowned with success. May all our magistrates, judges, and rulers, be inspired with wisdom and energy, with a love of justice, with a zeal for religion, and with a generous concern for the happiness of the people. May all the ministers of thy word be found faithful, helpers of the joy of their fellow-Christians, not lords over thy heritage, but ensamples to the flock. May it please thee to smile upon the useful labours of the

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