other Thy mercies to us, as may make us truly thankful to Thee for them.

Give us grace that we may ever walk as in Thy sight; make a conscience of all our ways; and, fearing to offend Thee, may never fall into the sins we have repented of.

Enable us to resist and overcome the temptations of the world, the flesh, and the devil; to follow the motions of Thy good Spirit; to be serious and holy in our lives; true and just in our dealings; watchful over our thoughts, our words, and our actions; diligent in our business, and temperate in all things.

Give us grace honestly to improve all the talents which Thou hast committed to our trust: and may no worldly business, no worldly pleasures, divert us from the concerns of the life to come!

May Thy blessing be upon our persons, upon our labours, upon our substance; and upon all that belong to us: and may we never undertake any work, which we dare not beg Thee to prosper!

May Thy grace defend us in all assaults of our enemies: and grant that this day we fall into no sin, neither run into any kind of danger: but that all our doings may be ordered by Thy governance, to do always that which is righteous in Thy sight.

Give us, gracious God, what is needful for us, and grace not to abuse Thy favours: give us, we beseech Thee, contented minds; and make us ever mindful of the wants of others.

Give us, in this world, the knowledge of Thy truth, and in the world to come, life everlasting. Amen.

Hear us, O merciful God, not according to our imperfect petitions, but according to the full meaning of that form of prayer which Jesus Christ hath taught us, and for His sake. Our Father, which art in heaven; &c.

The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, &c.

PROPER MEDITATIONS FOR SUCH AS HAVE TIME, AND ARE
DEVOUTLY DISPOSED.

Psalm cxxvii. 1. Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it.

UNHAPPY and blind are they, who expect to prosper without Thy blessing, O Lord. I do therefore beg that blessing upon myself and family, my labours, and substance. And may I never hinder Thy blessings, by undertaking any work which may dishonour Thee, or my Christian profession! Fit us, O Lord, by Thy grace, for that house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens, prepared for them that love and fear Thee.

Hab. ii. 9. Woe to him that coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that he may set his nest on high, that he may be delivered from the power of evil.

DELIVER US, O God, from covetousness, the root of all evil; which leads men to trust in themselves; to forget their dependence upon Thee; and foolishly to hope to be out of the reach of misfortunes, and those evils and afflictions, which are designed in great mercy, for the punishment of sin, and for the salvation of sinners. Preserve us, O Lord, from this too common but damnable sin of covetousness, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Luke xvii. 26-29. As it was in the days of Noah, and of Lot: they did eat, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they builded; till the day that Lot went out of Sodom, when they were all destroyed.

LORD, open our eyes before we are surprised by death, as those miserable sinners were in the days of Noah, and of Lot. May this be a warning to us! And keep us, by Thy grace, from setting our hearts too eagerly upon the business, the cares, or pleasures, of this life, without considering how soon and suddenly we may be called out of it; and that day overtake us unawares.

Col. iv. 1. Masters, give unto your servants that which is just and equal, knowing that ye also have a Master in heaven.

O HEAVENLY Master, bless me with good and faithful servants and grant that I may perform all the duties of a Christian master; that I may have a tender concern for the welfare both of their bodies and souls, and be an example to them of sobriety, justice, and piety; and that we may be a household fearing God. And may Thy blessing be upon them, and upon all my affairs committed to their trust, for the sake of Thy beloved Son.

PARENTS FOR CHILDREN.

Eph. vi. 4. Ye parents, bring up your children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

O GOD, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, for His sake bless my children with healthful bodies, and understanding souls, and sanctified hearts, that they may remember their Creator all their days. Let Thy grace preserve them from the temptations of an evil world, and may I never be wanting in any part of my duty to them, but instruct them in the faith and duties of a Christian life; convince them of their faults, and correct them in reason and love. O be Thou, O God, their Father and portion in this world, and in the world to come! Amen.

EVENING PRAYER FOR A FAMILY.

Let one of the family read or say distinctly what followeth, the rest seriously attending.

By the favour of God, we are come to the evening of this day; and we are so much nearer our latter end.

Let us seriously consider this, and pray God to prepare us for the hour of death.

Let us, with penitent hearts, beseech Him to pardon our offences, and to deliver us from the evils which they have deserved.

Let us resolve to amend whatever we have done amiss, and pray God, that His grace may keep us from returning to those sins which we have repented of.

And then we may be safe under His protection, who alone can defend us from the powers of darkness.

For all which blessings let us devoutly pray.

Then all devoutly kneeling, let one distinctly say,

O LORD and heavenly Father, we acknowledge Thy great goodness to us in sparing us when we deserve punishment: in giving us the necessaries of this life, and in setting before us the happiness of a better.

O merciful God, pardon our offences, correct and amend what is amiss in us, that as we grow in years, we may grow in grace, and the nearer we come to our latter end, the better we may be prepared for it.

In the midst of life we are in death.

LORD, grant that these thoughts may make us careful how we live, that we may escape the bitter pains of eternal misery.

Take from us all ignorance, hardness of heart, and too much carefulness for the things of this life.

Make us an household fearing Thee, O God, submitting ourselves to Thy good pleasure, and putting our whole trust in Thy mercy.

Give us a true knowledge of ourselves, of the corruption of our nature, and the necessity of Thy gracious help to save us from ruin,

And may the Spirit of Christ ever live and rule in us, possessing our souls with a sincere love of Thee, O God, with an earnest desire to please Thee, and with a dread of offending Thee.

Sanctify us wholly, we beseech Thee, that our spirits, and souls, and bodies, may be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Continue to us, and to all Christian churches, the means of grace and salvation; and may the saving truths of the Gospel be published and received in all the world!

Vouchsafe unto us an interest in all the prayers of Thy holy Church, which have this day been offered to the throne

of grace.

Forgive all that have injured us, and forgive us our many offences against our neighbour.

Bless, we beseech Thee, O God, all those whom Thy providence hath set over us, whether in Church or State: and give us grace to honour and obey them for conscience sake.

Defend us from all adversities which may happen to our bodies, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt our souls; and prepare us to receive with an humble resignation whatever Thy providence shall think best for us.

And, finally, we beseech Thee to give us grace, that we may lead and end our lives in Thy faith and fear, and to Thy glory, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Hear us, O merciful God, for ourselves and for all mankind, not according to our weak understandings, but according to the full meaning of that holy prayer, which Thy beloved Son hath taught us.

Our Father which art in heaven; &c.

Select Scriptures, and Meditations upon them; which may teach us how to profit by reading the Scriptures.

Matt. x. 30. The very hairs of your head are all numbered.

LET this Thy wonderful providence, O God, and care over us, be evermore our comfort and defence against all the evils which may happen to our bodies, and all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt our souls; against the distracting cares of this life, and against the fears and adversities which

This section, om. in the ed. of 1781, is printed here from the folio of 1782.