heavens opened, and enable us by Christ, the true ladder, which connects heaven and earth, to ascend up unto thy right hand in Paradise; should it, however please Thee, to continue us longer in this world, O enable us to spend our days in perfecting holiness in the fear of the Lord. And O Father, for this purpose, wean our sinful hearts from the love of the world and all its sinful lusts, that our conversation may be in heaven, and that our supreme affections may be placed upon heaven and things divine, so as to enable us to forget that which is behind, and press forward towards the mark, for the prize of our high calling of God in Christ Jesus. For this purpose, O, Father!: accomplish that good work of grace which thou hast begun in us, to the glory of thy name, and the salvation of our sinful souls; and may the repose of this night, prove strengthening to our frail bodies, so that we may be better prepared for the duties of the ensuing day. And as thou hast covered the earth with darkness, so also be pleased in thine infinite compassion, to cover all our sins and iniquities as with a thick cloud, that we may not on account of them, be banished from the light of thy countenance. Remember not the sins and trans gressions of our youth, but remember us rather according to thy tender mercy and compassion in Christ Jesus, thy once suffering, but now risen and glorified Son. Thou hast said, that light shall shine forth out of darkness. O enlighten us then, thou Father of lights, enlighten our darkened hearts more and more with the knowledge of the light of Jesus Christ, and of thy glory, that as children of light, we may walk in the commandments. • Bless also our Christian government, that under the protection of it, all things may prosper, that righteousness and truth may kiss each other; that peace, and the general welfare of the community may spring forth and bloom, and that they may ever visit and abide in thine house. Fill those more and more, who are stewards over the mysteries, with a spirit of wisdom and knowledge and the fear of God. Bless thou with power in word and truth, pure and holy lives. Preserve our bodies from injurious diseases, and our souls from the fiery darts of the devil, and our nourishment from all things calculated to injure our health. Look down in tender compassion upon all truly penitent sinners; comfort the distressed; redeem and strengthen the persecuted; restore to health all whom thou hast visited with indisposition ; bind up the wounds which thou hast inflicted both as to body and soul; protect all widows and orphans as the apple of thine eye; preserve them as a compassionate Father and righteous Judge. Have mercy upon all such as cry unto Thee in their distress; wipe away their tears; turn their lamentations into joy ; and give them the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Grant us, O Lord! these our humble petitions, for thou canst do unto us infinitely and abundantly more than we can ask or think, for Jesus, thy beloved Son's sake, who hast commanded us to pray "Our Father" &c. : Evening devotion for an individual. 1 LORD thou wilt hear me when I pray, I am forever thine; I fear before thee all the day, 2 And while I rest my weary head, 3 I pay this evening sacrifice; : 4 Thus with my thoughts composed to peace I'll give mine eyes to sleep, "I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for Thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." Ps. 4, v. 8. "The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid?" Ps. 27, v. 1. O most holy God and heavenly Fa ther, whose eyes are so pure that they cannot behold iniquity! How shall I a poor sinful creature, who am by nature a child of wrath, a slave of satan, nay, a fiend as it were of hell, take it upon myself to appear before Thee! I am not only impure and depraved by nature, and incapable of doing any good, and prone to all manner of evil; but I am a thousand fold more so, by my actual sins and transgressions, which are more in number, alas ! than the hairs of my head, or the sand of the sea shore. For alas! I have transgressed all thy commandments in ten thousand instances, in thoughts, desires, gestures, words, and deeds, and have thereby excited thy wrath and displeasure, profaned thy holy name, grieved thy Holy Spirit, ruined my im mortal soul, rendered my conscience impure and uneasy, and above all, my transgressions and disobedience have been daily repeated. Alas! notwithstanding all thy warnings and calls unto me, and mine own solemn vows; and even during the past day, I have added new sins unto the black catalogue of my past iniquities. Now O Lord! what shall I say? I know that death is the wages of sin; but I pray Thee O Father! to remember me in tender mercy. May I be covered with shame and confusion of face, under a sense of my unfruitfulness in religion, by which I have caused thers to be offended and to stumble. Create within me a godly sorrow, which worketh a repentance, which needeth not to be repented of, that my soul may be grieved on account of my sins, not out of fear of punishment, or that I have thereby merited death, hell, and eternal damnation, but out of love to Thee, and that I have with my sins, excited the wrath and displeasure of such a kind and compassionate father, whose bowels of love and mercy towards me should have ever secured my unwavering obedience and unfeigned love to his holy will and commandments. Awaken in me, a true hatred to all, even my most secret bosom sins, that I may guard more vigilantly against them; and |