ings; and may we at last be admitted, when this life shall close, to the far greater fellowship of the temple that is above, not one of us being lost.

And while we remain upon this earth, O keep us from the evil that is in the world. Thou knowest, O Lord, into what great sins we may be betrayed, and by what imperceptible changes we may be led on from the peace and happiness of virtue to the utmost pollution and hopelessness of vice. Thou knowest how easily either prosperity or adversity may unsettle what seems now to be the steadfast purpose of our hearts. We earnestly beseech thee to adapt the dispensations of thy providence to our weakness and imperfections. Let thy gracious hand lead us and guide us through every step of our mortal journey; suffer us not to be tempted above what we are able to bear, but with every temptation do thou make for us a way to escape.

And for this purpose O keep us always in that humble and devout frame of mind which is wellpleasing in thy sight. May no morning or evening arise without finding us in fervent supplication for thy blessing. May thy holy word dwell in our hearts, and regulate all our conduct; and may every

one of us be examples, in our different spheres, of the true spirit of our Master who is in heaven.

Bless all our friends, and keep us ever mindful of them at thy throne of grace. If we have done wrong to any man, forgive, O Lord, this great sin; —and enable us from the heart to forgive those who have injured us. Guide the young into those paths that lead to happiness, both in time and in eternity, —and may our Sabbath services be earnests to us all of that better Sabbath which shall never end.

Into thy hands we now commit our bodies and our spirits. O bless us with all that is good for us -and to thy name, Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be ascribed all glory and honour, dominion and praise, now and for evermore. Amen.

ANOTHER FAMILY PRAYER

FOR SABBATH MORNING OR EVENING.

PROV. xvi. 1. The preparation of the heart in man, and the answer of the tongue, is from the Lord.

WE thank thee, O Lord, that although thou art the High and Lofty One who inhabiteth eternity, and whose name is Holy, thou delightest also to dwell with the man who is humble and contrite in heart.

Grant unto each of us, who are now met together for thy worship, that truly contrite heart which thou approvest,-take away from us all refuges of lies;—and may we be all alive, as we ought to be, to the holiness and perfection of thy nature, and to the evil and demerit of our own ways,—to a just sense of thy mercy, as it is manifested in

Jesus Christ our Lord, and to fervent desires for thy blessing in time and in eternity.

It is our consolation, O Lord, to know, that nothing happens without thy permission; that even the hairs of our heads are numbered, and that there is not a thought in our hearts, nor a word on our lips, but, lo! O Lord, thou knowest them altogether.

We bless thee for the place thou hast given us amidst thy works,-for those great and progressive powers with which we are endowed, and especially for that religious nature, by means of which we are made capable of holding communion with thee and of seeing thine attributes, even whilst thou thyself art invisible, in the magnificent arrangements of this lower world.

We bless thee for the many peculiar advantages by which our situation upon this earth has been distinguished, for the blessing of a Christian and enlightened education,-for having cast our lot in a land of liberty and of knowledge, for the many endearments of social and domestic life, and for that portion of the good things of this life which has fallen to our share.

But, above all, we bless thee that this is not the only scene on which we are destined to exist,-that this cherished being shall not perish when the countenance is changed by the hand of death;-but that an hour is coming, in which all who sleep in the dust of the earth shall hear the voice of the Son of Man, and live. We look forward with holy but humble joy to the great realities which are then to be revealed. It is but a moment, O our God, which separates time from the things that are eternal; our life is but a vapour that soon passeth away; -and we, who now bow on this footstool of thy throne, must in a very little time stand before thee for judgment.

Alas! O Lord, how shall we speak peace to our souls with such a prospect before us; for we know that our fate in eternity must depend upon the part we have acted in this life; and we feel, that we have never done that which it was our duty to do, but that we have even stained our lives by the commission of many acts of great sin.

To what ground of hope, O God, can we betake ourselves, but to thy mercy manifested through Christ Jesus, thy Son; and blessed be thy name,