ciple St. John, I will open the flood-gate of mine eyes, I will water my couch with tears, I will bring my body into fubjection, and rend my heart; left left I by my evil deeds approve and become partaker of their fins. The infatiable malice of the chief priests and elders, who perfuaded the multitude to cry out at once, away with this man, and release unto us Barabbas! What was this but to fay, deftroy the innocent, and give us a traitor and a thief? away with the Prince of Peace and univerfal charity, and leave unto us the author of fedition? put him to death who has raised up the dead before us, and give unto us a known murderer?

8. But what haft thou done, O thou Lamb of God! and how haft thou deferved, thou Saviour of the world, to be thus expofed, vilified, and tormented? what is thy crime, and the cause of thy grief? what is it that hath laid thee on the altar of the crofs, naked, bleeding, tortured, and dying? the Lord has laid on thee the iniquities of us all: thou art wounded for our tranfgreffions: thou art bruifed for our fins: the chastisement of our peace is upon thee; and by thy ftripes we are healed.

9. Sing then, all you dear-bought nations of the earth, fing hymns of glory

to

to the only fefus; let every one break forth into finging, who pretends to felicity; fing praifes to the God of our falvation; to him, who for us endured fo much fcorn, and patiently received fo many injuries; to him, who for us fweat drops of blood, and drank of the dregs of his Father's wrath; to the eternal Lord of heaven and earth, who for us was flain by the hands of the wicked; who for us was led away as a sheep to the slaughter; and, meek as a lamb, opened not his

mouth.

A prayer on Friday morning, acknowledging our own frailty, and imploring God's grace, through the merits. of the passion of his Son Jesus Christ.

Have mercy upon me, O God, after thy great goodness; according to the inultitude of thy mercies, do away mine offences. Wash me thoroughly from my wickedness, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my faults; and my sin is ever before me. Psalm li. 1, 2, 3.

Moft great and glorious Lord God, just and terrible in thy judgments to all obftinate, rebellious finners, but of infinite mercy to fuch as truly repent, and turn unto thee; look down, I befeech thee, with the eyes of mercy upon me, who now prefent myself before thee, acknowledging that I am not worthy to lift up mine eyes to the throne of thy glorious majefty. O Lord, my fins are fo

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many

many and fo great, that it is owing to thy infinite goodness and mercy, that I have now an opportunity of humbling myself before thee, and begging mercy for my foul, which, I confefs, has greatly finned against thee.

For I ftill fear, I have too great a defire after the things of this world; too great a fondness for the profits and pleafures of it. And though I am fully perfuaded, that it is my happiness and privilege, as well as my duty, to love and serve thee; yet I am very apt to forget thee, and to grow carelefs and remifs in that great and important work which thou haft given me to do. My devotion to thee is many times cold and languid; my prayers are full of wanderings, deadness, and distractions; and the very best of my religious duties are accompanied with fo many failings and imperfections, that 1 have great cause to humble myself before thee.

O Lord, I have no hope but in thy mercy, and the infinite merits and paffions of my dear Redeemer; and if thou rejectest me, I am loft and undone for ever. Therefore remember that I am but duft, and turn not thy face from me, nor caft thy fervant away in difpleasure; let the interceffions of thy beloved Son prevail

in

in my behalf; and for the fake of his meritorious death and paffion, for all that he has done, and all that he has fuffered for me, have mercy upon me.

O Lord, pardon and forgive, I most earneftly and unfeignedly befeech thee, all the fins and follies of my life paft: especially, O my God, lay not to my charge those fins [Here may be named particulars by which I have offended thee, my good and gracious Lord God. O cleanfe me from all my fecret and unknown tranf greffions; and vouchfafe, O merciful Father, to be reconciled unto me, who am forry for my fins, and grieved that I have offended thee, my moft gracious Lord and Mafter; for which, and all other thy repeated mercies to me, I owe all the returns of love and duty that can poffibly be paid by a creature to thee his Creator.. O Lord! open thou mine eyes, that I

may

fee the vilenefs and deformity, as well as danger, of fin; that I may flee from all appearance of evil, and with an unwearied diligence follow after, and purfue the things that make for my everlafting peace.. Grant that for the time to come, I may live only unto thee, in awful fear of thy great name, and a conftant regard to thy bleffed will, keeping always a confcience void of offence, both towards thee,

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my

my God, and towards all men: that when thou shalt think fit to take me out of this ftate of trial and temptation here, I may be received into that bleffed kingdom, where all tears fhall be wiped from mine eyes, and fin and death fhall be no more. Grant this, O merciful Father, thro' the merits, and for the fake of the fame, thy dear Son and my bleffed Saviour, Jefus Chrift. Amen.

Here observe the directions given on page 8, and more particularly endeavour to improve your soul by reading a lesson out of the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 4, Section I.

The Meditation for Friday Evening. Upon the sufferings of Jesus Christ, commemorated in the sacrament of the Lord's supper.

For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that we should follow his steps: who his ownself bare our sins in his own body on the tree; that we being dead to sin should live unto righte ousness by whose stripes ye were healed. 1 Peter ii. 21. 24.

1.

NOW

my foul, thy dearest Lord is taken down from the crofs, let us by the eye of faith and reafon look nearer upon him: O what a man of forrows, what a doleful fpectacle do we behold! how pale, how wan, and extenuated! how mournful and doleful is his face! his eyes are funk, his temples are furrowed with the thorns! O the gafhes and deep wounds

of