God is the Lord who hath showed us light; bind the sacrifice with cords, even to the horns of the altar. May we never convert our blessings into instruments of provocation, by making them the means of nourishing pride and presumption, wantonness and intemperance; and compel Thee to complain-Do ye thus requite the Lord, O foolish people, and unwise? Is not He thy Father, that hath bought thee? Hath He not made thee, and established thee?

For this purpose meet with us in thy house; and may the goings of our God and our King be seen in the sanctuary Be with the preacher, and with the hearers; and let the words of his mouth, and the meditation of their hearts be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, our strength, and our Redeemer. May public instruction awaken the ardour of our feelings: may our gratitude not only be lively, but practical and permanent. And by all thy mercies, may we present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable unto Thee, which is our reasonable service.

Bless the Lord, ye His angels, that excel in strength, that do His commandments, hearkening unto the voice of His word. Bless ye the Lord, all ye His hosts: ye ministers of His, that do His pleasure. Bless the Lord, all His works, in all places of His dominion; bless the Lord, O my soul. Amen.

FOR A DAY OF THANKSGIVING.

EVENING.

O Gon, Thou art good, and doest good. Thou art good to all, and thy tender mercies are over all thy works.

We have thought of thy loving kindness this day, in the midst of thy temple; and are again surrounding this domestic altar, to exclaim, O that men would praise the Lord for His goodness, and for His wonderful works to the children of

men.

We lament to think, that a world so filled with thy bounty, should be so alienated from thy service and glory. We mourn over the vileness of our ingratitude, and abhor ourselves, repenting in dust and ashes.

O Thou God of all grace, make us more thankful. In order that we may be more thankful, may we be more humble; impress us with a deep sense of our unworthiness, arising from the depravity of our nature, and countless instances of unimproved advantages, omitted duties, and violated commands. May we compare our condition with our desert, and with the far less indulged circumstances of others. May we never be inattentive to any of thy interpositions on

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our behalf: but be wise, and observe these things, that we may understand the loving kindness of the Lord.

How many blessings, temporal and spiritual, public and private, hast Thou conferred upon us. Thy mercies have been new every morning, and every moment.

Our afflictions have been few and alleviated, often short in their continuance, and always founded in a regard to our profit. Thy secret has been upon our tabernacle; and we have known Thee in thy palaces for a refuge. The lines have indeed fallen to us in pleasant places, yea, we have a goodly heritage. Thou hast not dealt so with any people. It is a good land, which the Lord our God has given us-a land distinguished by knowledge; dignified as the abode of civil and religious freedom; endeared by the patriot's zeal, and the ashes of our forefathers; a land the Lord careth for, and upon which His eye has been from the beginning even to the end of the year.

Thou hast been a wall of fire round about us, by thy providential protection, and the glory in the midst of us, by the gospel of our salvation, the ordinances of religion, and the presence of thy Holy Spirit.

What shall we render unto the Lord, for all His benefits towards us? Because Thou hast been our help, therefore under the shadow of thy wing may we rejoice. Because Thou hast heard our voice and our supplication, therefore may we call upon Thee as long as we live; and in every future difficulty and distress, make Thee our refuge and our portion.

Enable us to bless Thee at all times; may thy praise continually be in our mouth; and may we show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives.

Being delivered from the peril and calamity (of—) with which we have been exercised, may we serve Thee without fear, in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives.

We dare not trust our own hearts. We have often resembled thy people of old, who, in the hour of deliverance and indulgence, sang thy praise, and said-All that the Lord commandeth us, will we do, but soon forgot His works and the wonders which He had showed them. Keep these things for ever in the imagination of our hearts; and not only draw us, but bind us to thyself, with the cords of love, and the bonds of a man.

And with all our calls to gratitude and joy, may we re

member that we have also reason for sorrow and humilia tion. O, give us that repentance which is unto life. Reform, as well as indulge us; and pardon, as well as spare. Let not our prosperity destroy us, nor our table become a snare. Let us not by our perverse returns, provoke Thee to visit us with heavier afflictions; and turn the rod into a scorpion. May our ways please the Lord, that we may hope for continuance of thy favour, and know that ali things shall work together for our good.

Do good in thy good pleasure unto Zion. Build Thou the walls of Jerusalem. And as the churches have rest, may they walk in the fear of the Lord, and in the comforts of the Holy Ghost, and be multiplied.

Preside over our national councils; impart wisdom to those who conduct our public affairs; and may all the various classes in the community, pursue that righteousnes which exalteth a nation, and forsake that sin which is a reproach to any people.

Regard the services in which we have been engaged with the thousands of our Israel; accept of the poor and imperfect thanksgivings we have offered; and let thy word, which has been dispensed, in aid of the devotion of the day, accomplish all the good pleasure of thy goodness-through Jesus the Lord, our righteousness and strength; and in whose words we address Thee as

Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy name; thy kingdom come; thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those that trespass against us, and lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil; for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

PETITIONS

FOR

PARTICULAR OCCASIONS.

FOR RAIN.

ARE there any of the vanities of the Gentiles that can cause rain? Or can the heavens give showers? Art not Thou he, O Lord, our God? Therefore will we wait upon Thee, for Thou hast made all these things.

Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it: Thou greatly enrichest it, with the river of God, which is full of water. Thou makest it soft with showers; Thou blessest the springs thereof. Thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness; and the little hills rejoice on every side.

We have been made to feel the worth of this blessing, by the want of it: and it would be easy for Thee to continue the privation, till the heavens over us were brass, and the earth under us iron; and the husbandman be ashamed for the wheat, and for the barley, because the harvest of the field is perished, and because joy is withered away from the sons of men.

But O deal not with us after our desert. Turn not a fruitful land into barrenness. Command thy rain to descend; cause the grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs for the service of man; that he may bring forth food out of the earth.

FOR FAIR WEATHER.

How numberless are our wants and dangers! Our hopes are destroyed, not only by the deficiency, but the excess of our supplies. Stop, we pray Thee, the bottles of heaven, which have so long been pouring down water upon us; and cause thy sun not only to rise, but to shine-give us the clear shining after rain, that the earth may yield her increase, in maturity; and opportunity be afforded for the wholesome ingathering of grass for the cattle, and grain for the use of man: that there may be no complaining in our streets; but that we may eat in plenty, and be satisfied, and praise the

Lord.

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And O let us not forget our souls in our mindfulness of the body; nor expend all our concern upon the meat that perisheth-but be above all things, anxious to secure that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, and which the Son of man will give; for him hath God the Father sealed.

IN VIEW OF JOURNEYING.

O Gon, Thou hast called thyself the Preserver of men, and the length of our days. We are therefore encouraged to commit ourselves to thy guardian care, in the journey before us.

Many have parted with their friends, with the hope of soon embracing each other again, but instead of returning to their own dwelling, have been conveyed to the house appointed for all living. We pray, with submission to thy pleasure, that this may not be our experience. Give thine angels charge concerning us, to keep us in all our ways. Let no evil befall our persons, and no plague come nigh our dwelling. May we know also that our tabernacle is in peace, and visit our habitation, and not sin.

Yet uncertain what a day may bring forth, may we be prepared for every event of thy providence; and wherever, in dying, we go from, may it be our happiness to know where we are going to-and rejoice in the prospect, that when all our wanderings and partings are ended, we shall unite in our heavenly Father's house, and be for ever with the Lord.

FOR A NEW MARRIED PARTY.

BLESS those who have just entered a state honourable in all. May they remember the vows they have left at the altar; and in the discharge of their personal and relative duty, may they make thy word their rule, that mercy and peace may be upon them. May the husband love his wife even as himself; and may the wife see that she reverence her husband; and both walk together, as heirs of the grace of life, that their prayers be not hindered.

Preserve them from the evils which destroy or diminish the welfare and comfort of the condition in which Thou hast placed them; and may they enjoy all the happiness derivable from prudence, temper, accommodation, real godliness, and the divine blessing.

May they expect to discern infirmities in one another; but may they be always most deeply conscious of their own.