Imatges de pàgina
PDF
EPUB

and of committing all our interests, for time and for eternity, to the disposal of thy good providence.

We bless thee, that our lot has been cast in this favoured land; that we enjoy the blessings of freedom and of knowledge, and have been permitted to taste those many comforts which belong to civilized and social life. Especially, we bless thee, that we have been born in those days on which the light of the Sun of Righteousness has arisen; and that we have been made acquainted, in thy gospel, with the wonderful things which thou hast done, and art yet to do, for our race, through Jesus Christ, thy Son.

Grant us all, we beseech thee, a deep impression of the excellence and value of thy blessed word; may we delight to meditate in it by day and by night; and may we constantly be gaining a clearer insight, by its means, into the mysteries of thy providence and the purposes of thy grace. May it be to us as a light to our feet and a lamp to our path; and may its precepts, under the influence of thy good spirit, purify all our thoughts, and words, and actions.

Bless to us all the ordinances of grace; make us

joyful in thy house of prayer; and may we there be enabled to pour out our supplications before thee, under a deep sense of thine infinite perfections, and of the need which we have of thy direction and blessing. May our praises be acceptable in thy sight; and may the exhortations and admonitions of thy word fall with so deep an impression upon our hearts, that they may bring forth in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

May thy Sabbaths be our delight; and may the calm and pure exercises of this holy day extend their influence to our habitual conduct.

Let thy good providence go with us into every duty and scene of life. Thou knowest, O Lord, that the ways of this mortal life are full of perplexity to man; that we are constantly longing for that, which, if obtained, would do us ill; and that we shun that salutary discipline which is intended to purify our hearts from the stains of this life. We know not in what path we should walk, that we may be most secure; and thou knowest, O Lord, that events are constantly arising, which mar all our plans, and which thy providence alone can direct for our good.

O let thy favour ever be with us; for thou, Lord,

dost sometimes hide thy face from the sons of men, to punish them for their iniquities; thou leavest them to their own ways and their own devices; and the evil thoughts which they are prone to indulge, thus become to them the snares which lead them to destruction. O! for the Redeemer's sake,—for the sake of him in whose name we trust,-who is now our witness in heaven, and who has promised to be with his followers to the end of the world,-for his sake, O most merciful Father, deny us not thy guidance;-grant us humble, penitent, well-disposed, and obedient hearts; may we ever live as seeing thee, to whose eyes all our ways are open ; and may we be ready at all times to do whatever thou wilt command, or to bear whatever thou mayest impose.

Make us faithful and just in all our dealings, affectionate and kind to all who are connected with us, acting always so as to secure the confidence of those who look to us for direction or support, and never indulging any thought that has the disadvantage or injury of our neighbour as its object.

Above all, O Lord, keep us from the dominion of all gross sin. May we ever remember, that for these things the wrath of God is revealed from

heaven against the disobedience of men; and that such sins are earnests of thy coming vengeance to all those who continue to practise them. Make our consciences tender, and our lives pure; and in all things may we adorn the doctrine of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Bless all our friends, O Lord, wherever they are. Be particularly gracious to those who are near and dear to us, but whom thou hast far removed from our society. O keep them from the sins and dangers of the world; and may they never lose, amidst the many vices of life, the good ambition of being thy servants.

And may we and they, though separated from each other, be united in the bonds of perfect love. Bless also, O our God, the friends whom thou hast given us as our companions in life. Reward all who wish us well, and enable us, from the heart, to forgive all those who have injured us.

Look in great mercy and loving-kindness on the rising generation. Impress them early with reverence for thy name, and with a desire to do thy holy will; and, oh! be pleased to keep thine everlasting arms around them through every scene of this mor

tal life. Thou knowest, O Lord, how weak the heart of man is, and how prone to err; thou alone also knowest through what scenes of danger every man that lives must pass. Oh! let not sin have the dominion over any one of those who now worship before thee, but grant them all thy blessing; guide them amidst all the sorrows and temptations of this world, and bring them safely at last to thy heavenly kingdom.

Hear, O heavenly Father, these our humble supplications, and grant us thy blessing in all things, that whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, we may do it to thy glory, and be rewarded with thy favour, for our Redeemer's sake. Amen.

« AnteriorContinua »