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their mouths boldly, to make known the mystery of the gofpel, that thereof they may speak, as they ought to fpeak, as able minifters of the New Testament, not of the letter, but of the Spirit ", and let them obtain mercy of the Lord to be faithfuli.

Let the arms of their hands be made strong by the hands of the mighty God of Jacob; and let them be full of power by the Spirit of the Lord of hofts, to how thy people their tranfgreffions, and the house of Jacob their fins m.

Make them found in the faith, and enable them always to fpeak the things which become found doctrine ", with meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; and let not the fervants of the Lord ftrive, but be gen. tle to all men, apt to teach P.

Make them good examples to the believers, in word, in conversation, in charity, in fpirit, in faith, and in purity; and let them be clean that bear the veffels of the Lord, and let Holiness to the Lord be written upon their foreheads.

Lord, grant that they may not labour in vain, or spend their ftrength for nought, and in vain t, but let the hand of the Lord be with them, that many may believe, and turn to the Lord v.

(6.) For all the universities, fchools, and nurseries of learning.

Let the schools of the prophets be replenished with every good gift and every perfect gift from above, from the Father of lights ".

Caft falt into thofe fountains, and heat the waters thereof, that from thence may iffue ftreams, which fhall make glad the city of our God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the most high.

g Eph. vi. 19, 20.`
Gen. xlix. 24.
o ii. I.

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b 2 Cor. iii. 6. i 1 Cor. vii. 25. /Micah iii. 8. m Ifa. lviii. 1. n Tits i. 13. p2. Tim. ii. 24, 25. ☛ Ifa. lii. 11. s Exod. xxviii. 36. t Ifa. xi. 21. w James i. 17. x 2 Kings ii. 21.

1 Tim. iv. 12. xlix. 4. v Acts

y Pfal. xlvi. 4. .

(7.) For the common people of the land.

Give grace to all the fubjects of this land, that they may, under the government God hath fet over us, live quiet and peaceable lives, in all godliness and honesty, dwelling together in unity, that the Lord may command a bleffing upon us, even life for evermore 2.

Let all of every denomination that fear God and work righteousnefs, be accepted of him a; yea, let fuch as love thy falvation fay continually, The Lord be magnified, that hath pleasure in the profperity of his fervantsb. (8.) For the feveral ages and conditions of men, as they fand in need of mercy and grace.

1. For thofe that are young and fetting out in the world. Lord, give to thofe that are young to remember their Creator in the days of their youth, that thereby they may be kept from the vanity which childhood and youth are fubject to, and may be reftrained from walking in the way of their heart, and in the fight of their eyes, by confidering, that for all thefe things God will bring them into judgment c.

Lord, make young people fober-minded, and let the word of God abide in them, that they may be ftrong, and may overcome the wicked one .

From the womb of the morning let Chrift have the dew of thy youth, and let him be formed in the hearts of thofe that are young 5.

Keep thofe that are fetting out in the world from the corruption that is in the world through lufth; and give to those that have been well educated, to hold fast the form of found words, and to continue in the thingswhich they have learned ..

2. For thofe that are old, and of long standing in pros feffion.

≈ 1 Tim. 2. a Acts x. 35. b Pfal. xxxv. 27. c Eccl. xii. 1, 9, 10. d Tit. ii. 6: e 1 John ii. 14. f Pfalm g Gal. iv. 19, b 2 Pet. i. 4, 2 Tim. i. 136.

ex. 3:

There are fome that are old difciples of Jefus Christ *, Lord give them ftill to bring forth fruit in old age, to fhow that the Lord is upright', that he is their rock, and there is no unrighteoufnefs in him ". Now the evil days are come, and the years of which they say there is no pleasure in them ", let thy comforts delight their fouls °.

Even to their old age be thou he, and to the hoary hairs do thou carry them thou haft made; we beseech thee bear, yea, do thou carry and deliver them P.

Those whom thou haft taught from their youth up, and have hitherto declared all thy wondrous work, now alfo when they are old and grey-headed, leave them not, caft them not off in their old age, fail them not when their ftrength fails a.

Let every hoary head be a crown of glory to thofe that have it, being found in the way of righteoufness, and give them to know whom they have believed .

3. For thofe that are rich and profperous in the world,. fome of whom perhaps need prayers as much as those that request them.

Lord, keep thofe that are rich in the world from. being high-minded, and trufting in uncertain riches, and give them to truft in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy: That they may do good,. and be rich in good works, ready to diftribute, willing to communicate, that they may lay up in ftore for themfelves a good fecurity for the time to come.

Though it is hard for those that are rich to enter into the kingdom of heaven, yet with thee this is poffible t. 4. For thofe that are poor and in affliction, for fuch we have always with us.

Ford, make those that are poor in the world rich in

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faith, and heirs of the kingdom, and give to them to receive the gospel ".

O that the poor of the flock may wait upon thee, and may know the word of the Lord *.

Many are the troubles of the righteous, good Lord deliver them out of them all ; and tho' no affliction for the present seems to be joyous, but grievous, neverthelefs, afterward let it yield the peaceable fruit of righte ousness to them that are exercised thereby 2.

5. For our enemies, and those that hate us.

Lord, give us to love our enemies, to blefs them that curfe us, and to pray for them that defpitefully use us, and perfecute us a

Father, forgive them for they know not what they dob; and lay not their malice against us to their charge, and work in us a difpofition to forbear and forgive in. loved as thou requireft we fhould, when we pray .

And grant that our ways may fo please the Lord, that even our enemies may be at peace with us fi

Let the wolf and the lamb lie down together, and let there be none to hurt and destroy in all thy holy mountain let not Ephraim envy Judah, nor Judah vex Ephraim "

6. For our friends and those that love us«.

And we with for all thofe whom we love in truth, that they may profper, and be in health, especially that their fouls may profper h

The grate of the Lord Jefus Christ be with their fpirits.

xxxiv. 19.

Pfal.

v Mat. xi. 5. w James ii.-5. Zech. xi. 11. y
≈ Heb. xii. II. a Mat. v. 44. b Luke xxiii.
d Col iii. 13. e Mark xi. 25.
Prov. xvi. 7. g Ifa. xi. 6, 9, 13. h 3 John 2, i Philem. 25

34.

c Acts vii. 6.

M.

M-3

138

CHAP. VI.

Of Addreffes to God upon particular Occafions, whether Domeftic or Public.

IT

T is made our duty, and prescribed as a remedy against difquieting care, that in every thing, by prayer and fupplication, with thanksgiving, we fhould make our requests known to God. And it is part of the Parrhesia, the boldness, the liberty of fpeech, (fo the word fignifies) which is allowed us in our access to God, that we may be particular in opening our cafe, and feeking to him for relief; that, according as the fore and the grief is, accordingly the prayer and the fupplication may be by any man, or by the people of Ifrael m. Not that God needs to be particularly informed of our condition; he knows it better than we ourfelves do, and our fouls too in our adverfity; but it is his will that we fhould thus acknowledge him in all our ways", and wait upon him for the direction of every step, not prefcribing, but fubfcribing to infinite wisdom, humbly fhowing him our wants, burdens, and defires, and then referring ourselves to him, to do for us as he thinks fit.

We fhall inftance fome of the occafions of parti cular addrefs to God, more or lefs ufual, which may either be the principal matter of a whole prayer, or in-. ferted in our other prayers, and in fome cafes that are more peculiar to minifters, or others, in common to them with mafters of families and private Christians. As there may be fomething particular.

1. In our morning prayers.

Our voice fhalt thou hear in the morning, in the morning will we direct our prayer unto thee, and

k Phil. iv. 6.

n Frov. iii. 6.

/Heb. x. 19. Pfalm xxxvii. 23.

m a Chron, vi; 29

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