A Prayer for those who have lately been Confirmed.

O GOD of Grace and Father of Mercies! who hast promised that "those that seek Thee early shall find Thee," vouchsafe to look with thy favour on those young persons who have lately so solemnly dedicated themselves to thy service. Enable them faithfully to persevere in the fulfilment of those engagements which they then personally undertook. Let nothing in this world separate them from a state of favour and communion with Thee. Enable them to subdue all sinful lusts and passions; to resist, steadfast in the faith, the temptations of the devil; and keep them unspotted from the world.

Enable them to believe that thy favour, O Lord, is better than life, and the peace and joy of thy Spirit more to be esteemed than all worldly treasure and honour; that the ways of true religion are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace.

Make them thankful that they may now be admitted at thy Holy Table, and dispose them faithfully to avail themselves of the privilege in the spirit of humility and prayer.

Strengthen them, we beseech Thee, O Lord, with the Holy Ghost the Comforter, and daily increase in them thy manifold gifts of grace; the spirit of wisdom and understanding; the spirit of counsel and ghostly strength; the spirit of knowledge and true godliness; and fill them, O Lord, with the spirit of thy holy fear: and grant that, being thus guided and strengthened by thy grace, they may at length attain eternal life, through JESUS CHRIST, our only Mediator and Advocate. Amen.

PRAYERS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS.

A General Fast or Day of Humiliation.

MORNING.

O GOD, most just and holy, by thy mercy, we thy sinful and unworthy creatures have been spared to see the light of another morning. We now humbly bow our knees before Thee, desiring to begin, in self abasement and with penitent hearts, this solemn day, which has been appointed by our Rulers and Pastors to be a time of special humiliation and prayer, on account of the grievous calamity with which Thou hast visited this land.

Hear us, therefore, O most merciful Father, and look with pity upon us, who, in behalf of ourselves and of the sinful people of this land, fall low on our knees before Thee, begging for mercy and pardon.

O Lord, we do most sorrowfully confess that we are a wicked and rebellious people,

notwithstanding the manifold and oftenrepeated mercies which Thou hast vouchsafed us. Thou hast shown us wonderful things in thy goodness, O GOD of our salvation, and hitherto protected both our Church and Nation from secret treachery and open violence. Thou hast continued to us the light of thy glorious Gospel, the benefit of thy Word and Sacraments; Thou hast preserved to us our holy religion, reformed from those errors and corruptions which prevail in many other nations; and hast blessed us with liberty, safety, and plenty; whilst so many whilst so many of our brethren abroad are persecuted and enslaved, and whilst other countries have groaned under the miseries and calamities of tyranny, bloodshed, and ruin. Thou hast given us fruitful seasons, and many other great and invaluable blessings; and for many years hast preserved us from famine, pestilence, and earthquakes, and from civil and intestine wars; and when Thou hast corrected us, it has been like a kind and

tender Father, in mercy and gentleness, letting us see that not our ruin, but our amendment, was intended. O Lord, after all these obligations, all these blessings, what manner of persons ought we to have been in all holy conversation and godliness! But, alas! to our shame and confusion it must be confessed, that we have shown ourselves very unworthy of these thy mercies. Instead of making suitable returns for thy goodness and lovingkindness, we have, by a long course of sin and rebellion, greatly provoked thy wrath and indignation against us. We have blasphemed that holy name whereby we are called, and by our sinful practices have made our lives as notorious for vice, as they should have been eminent for virtue and godliness. We have abused our plenty, by riot and luxury; our liberty, by licentiousness; our ease and safety, by strife and envying and divisions. We have not expressed a due sense of the inestimable benefits of the Gospel, nor brought forth