Answer. And with thy spirit.

Reader. Let us pray. Then shall he read either of the following Pray

ers.

O ALMIGHTY and everlasting God; for all the blessings which we every day receive from thy bounty; for all the known, and all the unobserved favors, deliverances, visitations, and graces of thy holy Spirit, we bless thy good providence; beseeching thee still to continue thy fatherly care over us, for we are weak and ignorant, and need thy constant protection and guidance.

God be merciful unto us, who have broken his laws, abused his patience, wasted his time, sinned against his light, and resisted his good Spirit. Lighten our darkness, we beseech thee, O Lord, that we may be able to see the evil and danger of sin, and shun the shares of temptation, and walk with safety in the paths of pleasantness and peace.

For

give whatever we have done or thought amiss during the past day; and give us grace that we may

render ourselves more

worthy of thy favor for the time to come. Let us be excited to serve thee, our heavenly Master, with fidelity, and finish our work with diligence, before that night overtakes us, wherein no man can work.

O thou who never slumberest nor sleepest, but both by night and day dost watch over thy people, keep and defend us, we pray thee, this night. Let the shades which encompass us be as the shadow of thy wings. May our sleep be quiet and refreshing; and may we rise in the morning prepared and invigorated to serve thee in the duties of the day. May all our nights on earth be hallowed by thy blessing, and all our days devoted to thy service; so that when we have slept the sleep of the grave, we may awake to the resurrection of the just.

Hear us, we beseech thee, in thy Son's name, as whose disciples we approach thee, our Father, and ascribe unto thee all honor and glory for Amen.

ever.

SECOND.

OUR Father in heaven, thy children kneel before the throne of thy mercy, and humbly thank thee for all the blessings of this day, and for the privilege which we now enjoy of holding communion with thee.

OFather, to watch over us this night, and protect us from all evil, and give to our eyes refreshing slumbers, so that we may rise in the morning with renewed power to thee. If we are to rise no more in this world, grant that we may wake, in the next, to life immortal, and the light of thy countenance for evermore.

serve

We pray thee, also, to protect the whole sleeping world through the hours of darkness. And be graciously with those, who, by land or by sea, must wake and watch. Soothe the pains of the sick ; speak pardon and peace to sleepless consciences; guide the traveller on his way; preserve the mariner from the fury of the tempest, and direct him through the paths of the deep. Be a Father to the fatherless; a Deliverer to the oppressed; a Friend to all who are under neglect or contempt, or in want; and especially to those who are persecuted for conscience' and righteousness' sake. Be kind

O God, if this day we have fallen into any sin; if we have weakly yielded to any temptation; if

we

have been angry without cause, or beyond bounds; if we have been uncharitable, unjust, undutiful, or in any way unmindful of thee and thy laws, we beseech thee to forgive us in thy great mercy, and grant us true repentance, that we may lie down this night in peace with the world, with ourselves, and with thee. And we pray thee,

to all our friends and to all our enemies; to all who have prayed for us, and to all who have desired that we should pray for them. Mercifully, O God, Father Almighty, hear their prayers, and ours, which we offer in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

THIRD.

O LORD God, Father of all mercies, we desire to offer up to thee, before we seek repose, our evening sacrifice of prayer and praise. We bless thee for thy goodness to us during the past day, and we beseech thee to continue to us thy gracious protection during this night. Thou sustainest us, though we see thee not. Thou art our support in trouble; our guide in difficulty; our best consolation in time of sickness; our only refuge in the hour of death.

Thou knowest

our

ways, and our hearts. Pardon, we beseech thee, whatever evil we have

said, or thought, or done this day. Teach us continually to examine our hearts by the light of thy holy word; and grant unto us true repentance, and faith in our Lord and Saviour. May we manifest those tempers, and abound in those works, which his Gospel requires. May we be full of meekness and patience, of kindness and forbearance, of benevolence and charity; and being established in the love of God, may we also love our neighbor, with a pure heart, fervently.

We beseech thee to bless unto us the events of thy providence; and so to order all things, during the remainder of our lives, that they may issue in our eternal good. We know not what a day may bring forth; but thou knowest all things. 0 sanctify unto us our prosperity and our adversity, our sickness and our health; and in all conditions grant unto us grateful and contented minds.

We commend to thee