PRAYER.

L

ORD, teach us how to pray aright, With reverence and with fear: Though duft and afhes in Thy fight, We may, we muft, draw near.

Burdened with guilt, convinced of fin,
In weakness, want, and woe,
Fightings without, and fears within,
Lord, whither shall we go?

God of all grace, we come to Thee
With broken, contrite hearts;
Give what Thine eye delights to see,-
Truth in the inward parts.

Give deep humility; the sense
Of godly sorrow give;

A ftrong, defiring confidence,

To hear Thy voice and live;

-

Patience, to watch, and wait, and weep, Though mercy long delay;

Courage our fainting souls to keep,

And truft Thee, though Thou flay.

Give these, and then Thy will be done;
Thus, ftrengthened with all might,
We, by Thy Spirit and Thy Son,

Shall pray, and pray aright.

James Montgomery. 1803-1853.

IF

THE LORD'S PRAYER.

F any be distreffed, and fain would gather
Some comfort, let him hafte unto

Our Father.

For we of hope and help are quite bereaven
Except Thou succor us

Who art in Heaven.

Thou fhoweft mercy, therefore for the same
We praise Thee, finging,

Hallowed be Thy name.

Of all our miseries caft up the sum;

Show us Thy joys, and let

Thy kingdom come.

We mortal are, and alter from our birth;

Thou conftant art,

Thy will be done on earth.

Thou madeft the earth as well as planets seven.
Thy name be blessed here

As 't is in Heaven.

Nothing we have to use or debts to pay,

Except Thou give it us.

Give us this day

Wherewith to clothe us, wherewith to be fed,
For without Thee we want

Our daily bread.

We want, but we want no faults, for no day paffes But we do fin,

Forgive us our trespaffes.

No man from finning ever free did live;
Forgive us, Lord, our fins,

As we forgive.

If we repent our faults, Thou ne'er disdaineft us; We pardon them

That trespass against us;

Forgive us that is past, a new path tread us;
Direct us always in Thy faith,

And lead us —

We, Thine own people and Thy chosen nation -
Into all truth, but

Not into temptation.

Thou that of all good graces art the giver,
Suffer us not to wander,

But deliver

Us from the fierce affaults of world and devil

And flesh, so fhalt Thou free us

From all evil.

To these petitions let both church and laymen,
With one consent of heart and voice, say

Amen.

COME, let us pray: 't is sweet to feel
That God himself is near;

COM

That, while we at his footftool kneel,
His mercy deigns to hear:

Though sorrows cloud life's dreary way,
This is our solace, let us pray.

Come, let us pray: the burning brow,
The heart oppreffed with care,
And all the woes that throng us now,
Will be relieved by prayer:

Our God will chase our griefs away;
O glorious thought! - come, let us pray.

Come, let us pray: the mercy-seat
Invites the fervent prayer;
Our Heavenly Father waits to greet

The contrite spirit there:

O loiter not, nor longer stay

From Him who loves us; - let us pray.

THE HOUR OF PRAYER.

Y God! is any hour so sweet,

MY

From blush of morn to evening star, As that which calls me to Thy feet, The hour of prayer?

Bleft is the tranquil hour of morn,
And bleft that hour of solemn eve,
When, on the wings of prayer upborne,
The world I leave.

Then is my ftrength by Thee renewed
Then are my fins by Thee forgiven;
Then doft Thou cheer my solitude
With hopes of heaven.

No words can tell what sweet relief
There for my every want I find;
What strength for warfare, balm for grief,
What peace of mind.

Hushed is each doubt, gone every fear;

My spirit seems in heaven to stay; And e'en the penitential tear

Is wiped away.

Charlotte Elliott.