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O thou greatest and best of beings, cause us to long after more abundant communications of thy favour, and a nearer conformity to thy will and to thy blessed nature. Withdraw our affections more from all created objects, and engage us to cleave unto thee, and repose ourselves in thee as our rest, who hast dealt so bountifully with us. Thou art our father and our friend for time and for eternity. As such may we cheerfully commit ourselves to thee for both, leaving it to thee to choose our inheritance, and to order all our affairs; while we make it all our business and all our delight, to praise and to serve thee. O may our souls follow hard after thee, and still press on towards thee, and may thy right hand uphold us, till all our desires be accomplished in the full enjoyment of thyself.

Amidst all the difficulties and dangers of our mortal pilgrimage, may we feel ourselves supported and borne forward by thine almighty arm, towards the region of blessedness above. May we be waiting for thy salvation, with ardent desire, and yet with calm resignation, while we are found doing thy commandments. May our loins be girt about, and our lamps be

burning, as those who are waiting for their Lord; and O grant that we may be found of him in peace. The close of every week and every day brings us nearer to the close of life. O that every week and every day may find us wiser and better; more fit to leave this world, and to enter into the heavenly state.

We pray that thy blessing may be upon all thy people: feed thine inheritance, and lift them up for ever. May every Christian society flourish in knowledge, holiness and love. Clothe thy ministers with salvation, that by their means thy chosen people may be made joyful. Cause a glorious accession to thy churches every where. May converts fly to Jesus as a cloud, and as doves to their windows. May thy table, O Lord, be furnished with guests, and may all that love thy salvation, say "Let the Lord be magni"fied, who hath pleasure in the prosperity of his servants." We pray that those who profess to have received Christ Jesus the Lord, may be duly careful to walk in him.

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Let the light of thy favour shine upon our habitation; and may that blessing of

the Lord be on our family, which maketh rich, and addeth no sorrow.

Grant that the solemnities of thine house [and of thy table] on the ensuing day, may be blessed to us and to our fellow-worshipers; and that by all the services of thy church below, we may be preparing to join the general assembly and church of the first-born above. We present these our imperfect praises and prayers to thee in the all-prevailing name of Jesus, who died for our sins, and rose again for our justification. and ever liveth to make intercession for us to whom be honour and dominion everlasting: Amen.

SATURDAY EVENING,

OR

LORD'S-DAY MORNING,

PREVIOUS TO THE LORD'S-SUPPER.

GREAT and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty. What then art thou thyself, whose power produced and sustains, whose wisdom contrived and directs, whose goodness crowns them all!

Our souls are quickly lost in the contemplation of thee; but yet we delight in the celebration of thy praises. We bless thee, O our God, that thou hast made of one flesh and blood all nations of men to dwell on the face of the earth, and determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation, that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him. We bless thee that thou hast, in the course of thy providence, so ordered the circumstances of our birth and education, that we should be partakers of the grace of the gospel from our earliest years, and know the wonderful works of God; even those things which many prophets and kings desired to see and hear, but could not.

We bless and magnify thy name for all our powers as reasonable creatures; for all the testimonies of thy paternal care; all the effects of thy common bounty and goodness, in the course of our lives. But more especially we praise thee for thy distinguishing grace and mercy in Jesus Christ. While we glory and rejoice in him we cannot forget to pray, that all mankind may enjoy the same happiness. the whole world know that thou

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hast so loved it, as to give thine only Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life!

Hear, O most gracious God, the prayers of thy faithful people for the enlargement of that kingdom of truth and righteousness which thou hast set up amongst men; and that the religion of Jesus may he professed and practised, in its native simplicity, wherever it is propagated. Grace be with all them that love the Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. May their numbers continually increase, and their consolations abound. May the multitude of them that believe be of one heart and one soul: and may the church of Christ appear to be the school in which immortal souls are trained up for the more perfect worship and the everlasting felicity of the heavenly world.

O let us not receive the grace of God in vain. Let it not be in vain that we have been so fully taught the way of the Lord; that we have had such assistances both external and internal: that we have enjoyed every sort of encouragement to abound in all the fruits of holiness, which are by Christ Jesus to the praise and glory of God.

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