Our Father, which art in heaven; &c. SOME SHORT MEDITATIONS FOR SUCH AS ARE WELL-DISPOSED, AND HAVE TIME TO SPARE. John xvi. 23. Verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in My name, He shall give it you. EVERY thing is promised to this duty, when we pray as we ought to do; that is, In the name, and through the merits, of Jesus Christ; out of a sense of our own wants and miseries; with the humility of sinful creatures; and with a full purpose of doing what we know will please God. O Lord, vouchsafe me these dispositions, that I may never ask Thee any thing in vain, or render myself unworthy to receive Thy blessings. Prov. iii. 5, 6. Lean not unto thine own understanding; in all thy ways acknowledge God, and He shall direct thy paths. Do Thou, O God, direct my paths, and teach me to guide my affairs with charity, discretion, justice, and piety. Shew me the way that I should walk in, and give me grace to follow the conduct of Thy good Spirit, for the sake of Jesus Christ. 1 Cor. xv. 33. Evil communications corrupt good manners. No man must say, that he has any respect for God, or fear for himself, who chooseth the conversation of wicked men. Their idle and profane discourses will leave evil impressions upon the mind. Their indecent freedom with the name of God, and things sacred, will lessen the reverence we owe to the Divine Majesty. Their filthy and lewd talk will destroy modesty, and every grace and virtue; and will not fail to wear off the thoughts and fears of what may come hereafter. May Thy graces, O God, keep me from a conversation so displeasing to Thee, and so destructive to the souls of men; grant this for Christ's sake! 1 Pet. i. 17. Pass the time of your sojourning here in fear. GIVE me, O God, this most necessary and most useful fear and dread of the unfaithfulness of my own heart. Make me ever mindful of my infirmities and failings, that I may be more watchful over myself, and more earnest in my prayers for the help of Thy grace for the time to come. Every thoughtful person, before he lieth down to sleep, will put himself under the protection of God, who giveth His angels charge concerning His elect, to preserve them from the powers of darkness, from the dangers of the night, and from all sad accidents. ANOTHER EVENING PRAYER FOR A PERSON IN PRIVATE. O MOST gracious and merciful God, I give Thee thanks, that it hath pleased Thee to add another day to the years of my life, and that none of Thy judgments, to which for my sins I am justly liable, have fallen upon me. Accept, O Lord, of my unfeigned thanks, for this Thy constant care over me: for delivering me from the dangers of an evil world: and for the many undeserved blessings bestowed upon me day after day. Blessed be Thy goodness, that my sins and ingratitude have not prevented Thee from bringing me safe to the evening of this day. O God, infinite in mercy, pardon my sins of the day past, whether in thought, word, or deed, which I have committed through the fraud and malice of the devil, or through my own weakness and frailty; and grant that they may never rise up in judgment against me. Prepare me, I beseech Thee, for the continuance of Thy favours by giving me the grace of a true repentance, and a thorough, amendment of life. Make me truly sensible of the weakness and corruption of my nature; and the need I have of Thy gracious help, that I may pray for it continually. May I ever make a right use of the time which Thy goodness shall yet vouchsafe me, and not dare to abuse Thy patience and long-suffering. Make me ever sensible of my latter end, that death may not overtake me unprepared: and in the hour of death, and in the day of judgment, good Lord deliver me. O God all powerful, take me this night under Thy protection; preserve me from the powers of darkness, and from the dangers of the night; and by Thy grace and providence, bring me at last through all the trials and temptations of this world to a blessed end: that I may die in peace, and rest in hope, and rise in glory: through Jesus Christ; in whose name, and according to the full meaning of that holy prayer which He hath taught us, I most humbly beseech Thee to hear me, for myself, and for all Christian people. Our Father, which art in heaven; &c. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c. SHORT MEDITATIONS, FOR SUCH AS HAVE TIME, AND ARE Eph. iv. 26. WELL-DISPOSED. Let not the sun go down upon your wrath. LORD, grant that I may lie down to sleep, with the same charitable dispositions with which I desire to die. I beseech Thee for all that are my enemies; not for judgment and vengeance, but for Thy mercy; for their pardon and conversion, and for their eternal happiness. Heb. iii. 7, 8. To-day if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts. THIS is the day, and this the life, in which God speaks to us in mercy. Lord, grant that I may not harden my heart against this truth: nor let me slip this day of Thy patience; that neither the cares nor the pleasures of this life may ever make me forget, that this is the day on which my salvation depends, so far, that I know not whether I shall have another. Rev. iii. 3. Thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee. LET me give credit to Thee, O God, Lord of truth, and not to my own corrupt heart, which would flatter me, that I may have time and warning sufficient to prepare for death! But give me grace, O Lord, to be prepared for that unknown hour, by a speedy repentance, a true conversion, and a holy life. Matt. xvi. 26. What is a man profited if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul. How many live without thinking of this! We admire and we envy those who get great estates for themselves and for their children; making their riches their delight, their happiness, and the whole concern and business of their lives. Lord, deliver Thy servant from such a blindness, as must end in my everlasting ruin, and in the loss of my soul, for which the whole world cannot make me amends. Luke xiii. 7, 8. Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig-tree, and find none. Cut it down: why cumbereth it the ground?-Lord, let it alone this year also: if it bear fruit, well; if not, then after that, Thou shalt cut it down. I ADORE Thy wonderful patience, O God, towards me; and Thy merciful intercession, O Jesus, with Thy Father, for sparing me: may this goodness and long-suffering lead me to repentance! And may Thy all-powerful grace enable me to bring forth fruits meet for repentance, and worthy of Thy future care! MORNING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY. Josh. xxiv. 15. As for me and my house, we will serve THIS ought to be the sincere resolution and constant practice of every Christian master of a family. Without this, none can reasonably expect to have dutiful children, or faithful servants; nor justly hope to have God's blessing in this world, or in the world to come. Let some one devoutly read or say what followeth, the rest of the family seriously attending. THE Lord hath brought us safe to the beginning of this day let us give Him thanks for this, and for all His mercies. Let us pray, that we may live in the fear of God, and continue in love and charity with our neighbours. That His Holy Spirit may direct and rule our hearts, teaching us what to do, and what to avoid : That the grace of God may ever be with us, to support us in all dangers and carry us through all temptations. That the Lord may bless all our honest endeavours, and make us content with what His providence shall order for us: and that we may continue His faithful servants this day and all the days of our life. For all which blessings let us devoutly pray. Then all devoutly kneeling, let one say, O MOST gracious and merciful God, by whom the world is governed and preserved, we give Thee humble thanks for Thy fatherly care over us; in preserving us from the dangers of the night past, and in bringing us safe this morning to see another day. We gratefully acknowledge our dependence upon Thee, for all the necessaries, conveniences, and comforts of our life; for all the means of our well-being here, and of our everlasting happiness hereafter. We give Thee thanks for the light of Thy Gospel, and the help of Thy grace, and for the promise Thou hast made us of pardon and forgiveness through Thy Son Christ Jesus, on our sincere repentance and amendment. Give us, we beseech Thee, such a sense of these and all |