the redemption of the world, by the death of thy dear Son. For thy name's fake therefore, O Lord! and for thy beloved Son's fake, pardon, I moft humbly be-feech thee, all my paft fins, and let not iniquity be my ruin. Forgive the deadnefs of my devotion; the coldness of my affections; the wanderings of my prayers; and whatever thou haft feen amifs in me. Oh! pity my weakneffes and forgive my infirmities, and lay not to my charge the imperfections of my religious duties. But enable me, O Lord, by the affiftance of thy good fpirit, to amend whatever has been amifs, and to endeavour more and after the attainment of all thofe graces and good difpofitions, which are neceffary to render our prayers and praises acceptable in thy fight.

And whereas I have fo lately.renewed my baptifmal covenant with thee, in the Lord's fupper, let me never fall into a careless and unconcerned ftate of mind; into a coldness and indifferency toward the duties of religion; but animate and enliven my fluggish heart, and cleanse it from all its defilements. Oh root out of my heart, by the powerful efficacy of thy grace, O God! all pride, and envy, and covetoufnefs; all bitterness, anger, and malice; and whatever elfe is contrary to D 3.

the

3

the laws and precepts of the gospel; and replenish my foul with the graces of thy Holy Spirit, that I may become fruitful in every good word and work, and that my whole life may be one continued act of a humble and dutiful obedience to thy divine commands. To which end,

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O bleffed Lord! ftrengthen my faith, fortify my mind, and give me a honeft and upright heart, that nothing may be ever able to fhake my integrity. Give me fuch a lively fenfe and conviction of the fhortnefs and uncertainty of this life, and of the momentous concerns of eternity, that I may not be fo foolish as to wafte my precious time in an eager pur fuit after the things of this world; but grant that I may employ it in fuch a manner as may best promote thy honour and glory, and fet forward mine own falvation.

O make me fo wife as to fee, and know, and follow the things that make for my peace, left they be hid from mine eyes, and all opportunities of reconciling myfelf to thee, my offended God, be far from me: let the falvation of my precious foul be my conftant care and concern.

Grant that I may never forget the one thing needful, but give all diligence to make my calling and election fure; that, endeavouring

deavouring in all things to approve myself thy faithful fervant, I may, from ferving thee here upon earth, be admitted, in thy good appointed time, to the praising thee eternally in thy everlasting kingdom, through the merits of my compaflionate Saviour and Redeemer Jefus Chrift, thy Son, our Lord. Amen.

Our Father &c.

A prayer before examination.
In the Evening.

Almighty Lord God, who art the

fearcher of all our hearts, and a difcerner of the very thoughts, and in whofe fight all things are naked and open, be pleafed to impart a ray of thy heavenly light to difcover all the fins and infirmities of my paft life, and whatfoever thou knoweft wherein I have done amifs, that henceforward no fecret fin may lie undiscovered and corrupted in my foul; that by examining my life and converfation by thy law, the rule and measure of my duty, I may understand the true state and condition of my foul; and from a juft fenfe and fight of all my tranfgreffions, with the affiftance of thy grace and heavenly benediction, I may be enabled to reform my life, and to turn my feet unto thy teftimonies; fo faithfully to fearch

and

and examine my own confcience, that I may return again holy and clean to that heavenly feaft, and be received as a worthy partaker of that holy table which thou haft called me to: grant this for thy mercies' fake in Chrift Jefus. Amen.

THAT

HAT your whole life may be more conformable to the gospel of Jefus Chrift, by which we must be judgeď at the tribunal, in the last day; and that you may be better prepared for more folemn examination, it has been advised by wife and good men, that we fhould every evening pat fome fuch questions as thefe to ourselves."

Short heads of examination for the Evening. In what company have I spent this day paft?

What fin have I committed?

What good have I omitted?

When and in what manner have I performed my morning devotion?

What mercies have I received? How thankful have I been, and am I, for them What temptations have I refifted? What ground have I of my

tual fins?

got

babi

How have I governed my paffions? Have I not been eafily provoked by little accidents which daily happen?

What opportunities have I had of doing good, and how have I improved them? What opportunities have I had of discouraging evil, and how have I oppofed it?

"To these questions you may add fuch others as you find neceffary. If you recollect the whole time of the day from

your

your rifing, (for which a few minutes before your evening devotions will fuffice,) you will very easily be enabled to answer the preceding questions; and, when you have done this, you muft heartily beg God's pardon for any fin you have been guilty of, and show yourselves thankful for those blessings, refpecting either this or another life, which he hath bestowed

Some have written down the fins they have been guilty of, that they might again humble themselves at the time of their moft folemn humiliation; which may be further ufeful; for, by comparing one time with another, you will better discern the amendment of your life and growth in Christian virtue; but this is only advice; for every perfon is left to judge for himself of the usefulness and expediency of this method.”

The Sinner's Complaint.

IN deep diftrefs and troubled thoughts,
To thee, my God, I rais'd my cries ·
If thou feverely mark our faults,

No flesh can ftand before thine eyes.
But thou haft built thy throne of grace,
Free to difpenfe thy pardon there:
That finner's may approach thy face,
And hope, and love, as well as fear.
As the benighted pilgrims wait,
And long with for breaking day;
So waits my foul before thy gate:
When will our God his face difplay?
My truft is fix'd upon thy word,
Nor fhall I trust thy word in vain :
Let mourning fouls addrefs the Lord,
And find relief from all their pain.
Great is his love, and large his grace,
Thro' the redemption of his Son,
He turns our feet from finful ways,
And pardons what our hands have done.