sence as poor ignorant creatures. Our knowledge, O God, is nothing, yet in our foolishness we consider ourselves wise, and are unwilling to be instructed. O Lord, have mercy upon us, and give us to understand our own ignorance, and our debasement.

Congregation.-O Lord, give us to know our ignorance and debasement.

Minister.-Merciful Father, we adore thee that thou hast not left us to the due effects of our ignorance, our pride, our vanity, and our folly. Glory to thy name, O our God, for thy forbearance and compassion towards us.

Congregation.-Glory to thy name, O God, for thy forbearance and compassion.

Minister.-Our Father in heaven, we praise and magnify thy name, for providing for us a Sacred Volume to teach all things that it concerns us to know in this our dark and degraded condition.

Congregation.-O God, we adore thee for the Sacred Volume.

Minister. O Lord, we thank thee that thou hast given unto us this precious Book to read in our public assembly. O enable us greatly to prize this privilege, and to rejoice in thy bounty to us.

Congregation-O Lord, we bless thee for this Book to read in our public assembly.

Minister. O God of glory, let thy name be glorified in us whilst we engage at this time in the reading and hearing of thy Holy Word. O give us grace, we beseech thee, to lend our ears to thy voice speaking to us in the Holy Scriptures.

Congregation.-O God, enable us to listen to thy voice in the Holy Scriptures.

Minister. Grant unto us, O our God, not only to open our ears to thy instructions, but may our under

standings be deeply engaged, and may we indeed receive divine knowledge whilst we wait upon thee in this portion of thy service.

Congregation. O Lord, grant us divine knowledge in reading thy word at this time.

Minister. And teach us, O our Father and our God, to be not only hearers, and understanders, but to be also doers of thy word. May our hard hearts be now softened before thee, and may they be warmed with thy divine teachings.

Congregation.-Soften now, O God, our hard hearts, and warm them with the fire of thy Word.

Minister.-Almighty God, be pleased to hear us: graciously accept of our thanksgivings, and vouchsafe to us rich and eternal instructions from thy Holy Revelation, through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Saviour: amen.

Congregation.-Amen, and amen.

[The Minister standing; the Congregation sitting.]

Minister.—The First Portion of our Scripture Reading is in the Book of [Genesis] the [Third] Chapter.

[When the Minister has spoken these words, let all the Congregation open their Bibles at the place mentioned, and diligently attend whilst God's Holy Word is read in their hearing.]

Minister-[At the close of the chapter,]-Here endeth the First Portion of our Scripture Reading.

[After the same manner, the Second, Third, Fourth, Fifth, and Sixth Portions are to be read, the Minister saying at the close of the last," Here conclude our Present Readings of the Word of God."]

[The Minister still standing; and the Congregation sitting.]

Minister.-Let us now praise God, for all his blessings to us in the Holy Scriptures.-The hymn follow

ing:-Or, the hymn No.-[pronouncing as before the two first lines.]

[All stand.]

1. Father of mercies, in thy word,
What endless glory shines;

For ever he thy name adored,
For these celestial lines.

2. Here

may

the wretched sons of want

Exhaustless riches find;

Riches, above what earth can grant,
And lasting as the mind.

3. Here the Redeemer's welcome voice
Spreads heavenly peace around;
And life, and everlasting joys,
Attend the blissful sound.

4. O may these heavenly pages be
My ever dear delight;

And still new beauties may I see,
And still increasing light.

5. Divine Instructor, gracious Lord,
Be thou for ever near!

Teach me to love thy Sacred Word,
And view my Saviour there.

[Still standing.]

Minister. Let us now attend to the Preaching and Hearing of God's Holy Word, commencing by Prayer.

[All kneel.]

Minister.-Almighty God, and our heavenly Father, Thou, in thine infinite wisdom, hast ordered and disposed all that concerns the kingdom of thy Son Jesus Christ, and blessed and holy and gracious are all thy arrangements. Give us grace, O God, cheerfully to comply with all thine appointments, and to believe

them to be, what in truth they are, all wise and benevolent, and made in all respects to promote thy glory and our greatest good.

Congregation.-O Lord, give us understanding and grace to see the wisdom and goodness of all thy appointments.

Minister.-Thou, O Lord our God, hast directed us how we are to give, and how we are to receive instruction in divine things. We are now met together in holy assembly in thy name, and we now proceed to attend to thy directions for our edification. Give grace, O Lord, and strength to thy Servant whom thou hast called to speak to this congregation at this time. May his eyes be directed to thee for all help and power, and do thou be near unto him and bless him, in his weighty and responsible duty of teaching this people now before thee.

Congregation. O Lord, most graciously stand by and strengthen thy Servant faithfully to preach unto us at this time.

Minister. Almighty God, thou searcher of all hearts, thou only knowest our respective necessities : O look on us all according to our wants, and direct thy Servant to speak to us in such a manner as to feed us each and all with that food which we especially need. But chiefly, we beseech thee, to apply to us the instructions we hear, and to enforce them upon us, so that they may be engraved on our memories and our hearts, and thus become of permanent utility to us at all times, and in all our concerns.

Congregation.-O Lord, graciously apply to us by thy Spirit all the instructions we may now receive.

Minister.-O Thou Lamb of God who takest away the sin of the world, take away our sins, and remove our sinfulness, that we may be freed from condemnation, and be delivered from the burden and the corruptions of our sins. Let thy holy instructions from

thy word benefit us herein, that we may see our iniquities forgiven, and may learn to cleanse ourselves from all impurities of body and of mind, and that we may perfect holiness in thy fear.

Congregation.-O Lamb of God, cleanse us in every way from our sins.

Minister. O God of all grace, in thy name we enter on this part of our services, in thy house, on this holy day: O let thy blessing be upon us in Christ Jesus our Lord: amen.

Congregation.-Amen, and amen.

[The Congregation sit.]

[The Sermon is now delivered; and is succeeded by the following Prayer, which concludes the Service.]

Minister.-Let us Pray.

[All kneel.]

Minister. O Most Holy and Ever Blessed Majesty of heaven and earth, write and seal upon us, we earnestly beseech thee, divine ideas and impressions from what we have now heard. Let us all receive into honest and good hearts the seed that has been sown, and may it bring forth in us much fruit to the glory of thy Most Holy Name, in our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

Congregation.-O Lord, let us rightly receive thy words, and let them bring forth in us much fruit.

Minister. Lord Jesus, thou hast taught us in thy parables and instructions that we are in great danger of having the impressions we receive in thy house effaced from our minds by our great adversary. Give us understanding to watch against this, and to strive against temptations and snares from every quarter, lest the truth sown in our minds and hearts should be forgotten or become unproductive. Our only hope,