Imatges de pàgina
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the infinite love of my crucified Saviour, to render him thanks and praife for laying down his life as a facrifice for the fins of the world, and to reprefent unto thee that facrifice as a full fatisfaction for them; whereby thou doft incline me humbly to hope for all the benefits of his death and paffion. But

What thanks, moft gracious God, can I return unto thy Divine Majesty, for impreffing a fenfe of my duty upon my mind; and for that ftrength and power, whereby thou haft, in fome measure, enabled me to perform it? I will praife and magnify thy great and glorious name, and I will entirely devote myself to thy fervice as long as I have any being.

Bleffed be thy name for those fresh fupplies of grace I have received; grant that they may make me run the way of thy commandments with delight and pleafure, that I may never more faint, or droop, or tire in my duty. Bleffed be thy name for thofe comfortable affurances thou haft given me of pardon and forgiveness.

Let this thy compaffionate goodness be a perpetual obligation to love and gratitude. Let it put me upon my guard, that I may watch over all my ways, and do always that which is well-pleafing in thy fight. Bleffed

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Bleffed be thy name, for that peace and quiet thou haft restored to my foul; for thofe refolutions thou haft wrought in me to persevere in thy fervice to the end of my days; make them firm, vigorous, and constant; and never let any finful paf fions any more ruffle and difcompofe my mind.

Bleffed be thy name for that relish thou haft given me of fpiritual delights, that defire of poffeffing the eternal inheritance let the enjoyments of fenfe appear mean and contemptible; and let not the pleasures of the world henceforward. any more prevail upon me to tranfgrefs thy holy laws.

Grant, O Lord, that I may walk worthy of these thy diftinguishing mercies, and live as it becomes the redeemed of the Lord. Without thee, O bleffed Jefus, I can do nothing; without thee, who art the fun of righteoufnefs, I fhall walk in darkness; without thee, who art the physician of fouls, I fhall languish and die; without thee, who art the joy of all devout minds, I fhall confume my days away in fadnefs. Remain therefore, O Lord, and abide with me for ever; Ishall then be enabled to do thy will in this life, and thereby be qualified to partake of thy glories to all eternity in the next. Amen, Amen.

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Thus

Thus having complied with the duties of the morning, you may refresh yourself with a temperate and cheerful meal, and thankfully enjoy the good things of this life, which God hath blessed thee with. As to the afternoon of this, and all other Lord's days, you are piously and prudently to divide it between the public service, family duties, private devotions, and offices of charity, if they present themselves; and, I will add, your own necessary refreshment: for I am not so strict, as totally to forbid you some time upon that day, to unbend your mind, and relax your thoughts, by any company and conversation that is Instructive, and innocently diverting: but I absolutely forewarn you against all places of public resort, all gaming and sportful exercises, as giving offence to some, and bad examples to others; for they are unsuitable to the seriousness and solemnity of the day, and indeed savouring too much of levity and profaneness: and for the further improvement of thy soul, read a lesson out of the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 2. Section III.

N. B. After these good instructions and devotions, if thou wouldst, my devout Christian! persevere in thy duty, and desirest to lead an holy and godly life for the future, I would advise thee, by all means, (after you have ended the foregoing meditation) to make the second part of this New Week's Preparation to be thy companion for the week ensuing, for beginning with the devotions for this Sunday's evening, it will furnish thee, through the course of another week, with such devotions, meditations, and hymns, as will be acceptable to Almighty God, after thou hast been a worthy partaker of the Lord's Supper.

Those sercants and others who have not the command of their own time, and therefore cannot employ as much of it in these exercises as they could wish and desire; they may rest assured that God approves and accepts their willing mind, provided they go in a sincere resolution to avoid and forsake sin, and live in the fear of GOD; and Behave themselves with conscience and honesty in those several stations of life which his providence has appointed them.

OCCA

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A MORNING PRAYER to be used any day in the week.

O let me hear thy loving-kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust show thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto thee. Psalmy

exliii. 8.

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Moft mighty and gracious God, to whom I am indebted for all the good things I enjoy; for in thee I live, and move, and have my being; I defire to adore and blefs thy glorious name, humbly befeeching thee to accept this my morning facrifice of praife and thankf giving for the comfortable refreshment of the night paft, for thy prefervation of me (and my family and all that belongs to me) from fire, robbery, and tempeft, and from all perils and dangers, and efpecially for bringing me in health and fafety to the beginning of this day; in which I befeech thee, O Lord, to keep me without fin.

Give me awful thoughts of thy Divine Majefty, and fuch an humble, ferious, and devout frame of mind, that my adoration: may not reft in a mere outward form of godlinefs, but that I may always offer unto thee a lively facrifice, holy and acceptable in thy fight.

Be with me, O Lord, this day, in all places and upon all occafions; direct and. N. 2. guide

guide me, fanctify and preferve me : :keep me both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my foul: defend me from the power and malice of the devil, from the corruptions of my own finful nature, and from thofe fins efpecially that seem most habitual to me. Pardon, I beseech thee, all the fins I have at any time committed. Grant that I may die unto fin, and rise again unto righteoufnefs: that henceforth being freed from fin, all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in me. [Direct me, O On Sunday morn Lord, in all my af-ing inftead of the oppofite fairs, blefs my la-pararaph, fay,

[And now I am going bours and ftudies, to the place of thy public and give me grace to worship, I beseech thee do my duty in that let thy Holy Spirit acftate of life, where- company me, and make me devout, ferious, and unto thou haft been attentive. Raife my mind pleafed to call me, from the thoughts of this and make me there-world to the confiderawith content; conti-tion of the next; that I nue to me the blef-may join fervently in the prayers and praifes of fings I enjoy; fup-thy church, and liften ply me with thofe to my duty with an howant; and turn from neft heart, in order to And give me all thofe evils practife it. which I have moft day, as thou haft appointme grace to dedicate this righteously deferv-ed me to thy fervice and ed ;

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