Heavenly Father, we would wait upon thee as thy adopted children, during this day of rest, in all thy gracious ordinances, in thine house and out of thine house; but we are tied and bound with the chain of our sins: O then let the pitifulness of thy great mercy loose us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our only Lord and Saviour.

SUPPLICATION.

Almighty and merciful God, who in thy wisdom and goodness didst cause the Sabbath to be made for man, for his repose, for his instruction, for the comfort and refreshment of his soul, for his spiritual rest in thee, we humbly pray that these ends may be answered in us this day. May it be to us a day of rest from worldly business and worldly conversation and worldly care, from sin and vanity: make us to remember that it is thy day; to remember and keep it holy.

Prepare us, O Lord, for the various duties of this holy day. Sanctify unto us thy appointed means of grace; and grant that they may all be prospered and blessed to the edification of our souls. Send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead us; let them bring us to thy house of prayer, and there let us worship thee in spirit and in truth. May we not be of the number of those who draw nigh unto thee

with their mouths and honour thee with their lips while their heart is far from thee; but make us true and faithful worshippers. Accept, O merciful Lord Jesus, all such offerings as thou enablest us to bring and present; and fulfil thy gracious promise, that where two or three are gathered together in thy name, there wilt thou be in the midst of them.

O gracious Father, help us against the infirmities of our nature, and the sins that beset us in our attendance upon thee. Bless the instruction which may this day be given to us and to all that profess the name of Christ. Let thy word have free course and be glorified; give us grace to hear it in a meek and teachable spirit; dispose us to receive it, not as the word of man, but as the word of the most high God, our Creator and Redeemer, our Lawgiver and King, to whom all our obedience is due.

O God, who hast caused the true Light to shine upon us, open thou our eyes that we may behold wondrous things out of thy law; and forasmuch as all preparation of the heart is from thee, open thou our hearts, that they may receive the truth as it is in Jesus, even the engrafted word which is able to save our souls.

Holy Spirit, the teacher and guide, the guardian and comforter of all faithful people, descend and visit us this day; lead us into all truth; give us the

will, give us the power, to turn heartily and entirely unto the Lord, and to set our affections on things above; convince us of sin, and cleanse us from all unrighteousness; that so we may be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ, and that the blessed Gospel may be unto us the power of God unto salvation.

Lord, we believe; help thou our unbelief; give us the true faith, the faith that worketh by love; enable us to comprehend, with all saints, more and more of the height and depth and length and breadth of thine amazing mystery of love in the redemption and salvation of man. O that we may be brought to know more of that love of Christ which passeth knowledge; that we may be filled with all the fulness of God; and love him with all our heart, and all our mind and all our strength: that we may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that we may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God.

And as our dear Lord and Master did continually manifest on this day the tokens of his love for the bodies and the souls of men, so may we, reverencing his example and following his steps, abound in love one towards another; and rejoice in doing good to the bodies and souls of all around us, according as He, the Lord of all, giveth us the means and opportunity.

On the Day when the Lord's Supper is administered.

Blessed Lord and Saviour, let thy gracious presence be especially with thy servants, who shall assemble around thy holy table this day. Give them a true spirit of repentance, a lively faith, and fervent charity. And though we are unworthy to gather up the crumbs that fall from thy table, yet grant us so to eat of the bread of life, that our souls may be fully satisfied, and strengthened for thy service; and so to drink of the fruit of the vine, that our spirit may be refreshed, and our affections raised nearer to thee.

INTERCESSION.

O God of the spirits of all flesh, we beseech thee to bless all thy people this day, especially all that wait upon thee in thy house, and to relieve them according to their several wants and necessities. Clothe thy word with power, and make it effectual to the bringing of many hearts into captivity to the obedience of Christ. Awaken the careless, humble the proud, bring back the wanderer from the error of his way comfort the afflicted soul, raise up them that are fallen, and strengthen such as do stand. Bless all the ministers and stewards of thy mysteries; endue them with thy heavenly grace; that they may preach the truth in love, and be instruments in thy almighty hand of turning many to righteousness.

O bless thy Church all over the world, and grant that there may this day be added to it such as shall be saved. Bless thy Church in this land: we are indeed unworthy of thy divine favour; for we have grievously abused our high privileges, have gone backward from thee our God; and are a people laden with iniquity. But thy property is to have mercy; and we beseech thee to send thy Holy Ghost, that we may be brought to repentance, and a true faith in Jesus Christ our Lord. Send thy blessing upon the king and all that are put in authority under him; that they, knowing whose ministers they are, may faithfully serve thee in their several stations, to thy honour and glory, and the good of thy people committed to their charge.

And O thou, who art a light to lighten the gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel, hasten the time when the veil shall be removed from the Jewish mind and heart; and when the fulness of the nations shall be brought in to thy Church; even when the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our Lord and of his Christ; and the earth be filled with the knowledge of thy glory, as the waters cover the sea.

Bless this family, O Lord; bless and sanctify all our dear relations and friends; and grant that we may be united in the love of thee and of one another; and may be travelling together, with one mind and