Thus having complied with the duties of the morning, you may refresh yourself with a temperate and cheerful meal, and thankfully enjoy the good things of this life, which God hath blessed thee with. As to the afternoon of this, and all other Lord's days, you are piously and pru dently to divide it between the public service, family du ties, private devotions, and offices of charity, if they present themselves; and, I will add, your own necessary refreshment: for I am not so strict, as totally to forbid you some time upon that day, to unbend your mind, and relax your thoughts, by any company and conversation that is instructive, and innocently diverting: but I absolutely forewarn you against all places of public resort, all gaming and sportful exercises, as giving offence to some, and bad examples to others; for they are unsuitable to the seriousness and solemnity of the day, and indeed savouring too much of levity and profaneness: and for the further improvement of thy soul, read a lesson out of the NEW WHOLE DUTY OF MAN, Sunday 2. Section III.

N. B. After these good instructions and devotions, if thou wouldst, my devout Christian! persevere in thy duty, and desirest to lead an holy and godly life for the future, I would advise thee, by all means, (after you have ended the foregoing meditation) to make the second part of this New Week's Preparation to be thy companion for the week ensuing; for beginning with the devotions for this Sunday's evening, it will furnish thee, through the course of another week, with such devotions, medita ions, and hymns, as will be acceptable to Almighty God, after thou hast been a worthy parta ker of the Lord's Supper.

Those servants and others who have not the command of their own time, and therefore cannot employ as much of it in these exercises as they could wish and desire ; they may rest assured that God approves and accepts their willing mind, provided they go in a sincere resolution to avoid and forsake sin. and live in the fear of GOD; and behave themselves with conscience and honesty in those several stations of life which his providence has appointed them.

OCCA

OCCASIONAL PRAYERS.

A MORNING PRAYER to be used any day in the week.

O let me hear thy loving kindness betimes in the morning, for in thee is my trust: show thou me the way that I should walk in, for I lift up my soul unto thee. cxlii. 8.

Psalm

Moft mighty and gracious God, to whom I am indebted for all the good things I enjoy; for in thee I live, and move, and have my being; I defire to adore and blefs thy glorious name, humbly befeeching thee to accept this my morning facrifice of praife and thankf giving for the comfortable refreshment of the night paft, for thy prefervation of me (and my family and all that belongs to me) from fire, robbery, and tempeft, and from all perils and dangers, and efpecially for bringing me in health and fafety to the beginning of this day; in which I befeech thee, O Lord, to keep me without fin.

Give me awful thoughts of thy Divine Majefty, and fuch an humble, ferious, and devout frame of mind, that my adoration may not reft in a mere outward forin of godlinefs, but that I may always offer unto thee a lively facrifice, holy and acceptable in thy fight.

Be with me, O Lord, this day, in all places and upon all occafions; direct and N 2

guid

guide me, fanctify and preferve me: keep me both outwardly in my body, and inwardly in my foul: defend me from the power and malice of the devil, from the corruptions of my own finful nature, and from thofe fins efpecially that feem moft habitual to me. Pardon, I beseech thee, all the fins I have at any time committed. Grant that I may die unto fin, and rife again unto righteoufnefs: that henceforth being freed from fin, all things belonging to the Spirit may live and grow in me. [Direct me, O On Sunday morn Lord, in all my af- ing instead of the oppofite fairs, blefs my la-pararaph, fay,

[And now I am going bours and ftudies, to the place of thy public and give me grace to worship, I befeech thee do my duty in that let thy Holy Spirit acftate of life, where-company me, and make me devout, ferious, and unto thou haft been attentive. Raife my mind pleafed to call me, from the thoughts of this and make me there-world to the confiderawith content; conti-tion of the next; that I nue to me the blef-may join fervently in the prayers and praifes of fings I enjoy; fup-thy church, and liften ply me with thofe to my duty with an howant; and turn from neft heart, in order to me all thofe evils practife it. And give which I have

rightcoully

moit day, as thou haft appoint me grace to dedicate this deferv-ed me to thy fervice and ed;

the

ed; or which either the care of the foul: Dithe malice of the de-rect me in all my ways,. vil, or the wicked- and guide my feet in thy paths, that I may, at the nefs or misfortunes laft, from a life of rightc-of the world, may oufnefs be tranflated to bring upon me.] a life of eternal glory.]

I refign, O God, and give myfelf to thy providence; I fubmit myfelf to all the events which it fhall pleafe thee to bring upon me; and grant me always thofe things, whether profperous or adverfe, that may best conduce, and be most profitable to my eternal falvation. So, my God, do with me what thou feeft good, and let thy holy will be done in me, and by me, for the fake of Jefus Chrift our Lord. And for this end,

Teach me to direct my converfation as becometh the gospel; and grant that I may this day, and for ever, endeavour to mortify my corrupt inclinations, to clean fe myfelf from all filthinefs of fleth and fpirit, and to bring every inordinate defire: to the obedience of thy will..

Fill my heart with fuch honeft and upright affections for truth and justice, that no worldly intereft or advantage, how promifing or great foever, may be able to hake my integrity, which I beg may be always fupported by thy providence, and that in the ufe of honeft and lawful

N. 3.

meane

means I may improve that talent, which thy infinite wifdom and goodnefs has committed to my charge.

"Be gracious, O moft merciful God, "to the whole race of mankind; pity the deplorable flate of thofe that know thee “not, and have never heard of thy name: "reform the wicked and impenitent; and "let all that name the name of Chrift depart from iniquity.

"Let every one of my friends and re"lations, O God, be of the number of "thofe whom thou loveft and delighteft

in. Defend them from the evils and "temptations of this world; and grant "them whatever thou feeft needful both "for their fouls and bodies."]

And now, O my God! relying firmly on thy gracious promifes, I commend into thy hands myfelf, and all that thou haft given or bleffed me with, my foul and body, and all my relations; keep us from all evil, lead us into all good, carry us fafely through the dangers and temptations of this wicked world, to that place of everlasting reft and peace, which thou haft prepared for thofe that die in the Lord, through the merits of thy beloved Son Jefus Chrift, my Lord and Saviour, in whole words I fum up and recommend the wants of all mankind, toge

ther