thy care and kindness, as the vineyard of the Lord, which his own right hand hath planted. Thou hast hedged us about with thy providences; digged and pruned us with thy judgments; watered and refreshed us with thy mercies. Justly, most justly, mightest Thou expect to find in us fruits answerable to all thy care. But, alas! we have brought forth wild grapes; we are overrun with briars and thorns of contention. Our works (too often) have been no better than the unfruitful works of darkness. We confess, O Lord, that we have walked unworthy of our holy vocation, and that Thou mightest justly take away the Gospel of the kingdom from us, and give it to another people, that should bring forth fruits more worthy of it.

But, O gracious, long-suffering God, who even in judgment hast ever remembered mercy; enter not into judgment with us for our great unmindfulness of Thee; lay not to our charge the numberless evils of which our own consciences accuse us. O

Lord, if Thou shouldest be extreme to mark all our barrenness under the means of grace; our ingratitude for thy most precious benefits; and our abuses of the innumerable favours which we have so long enjoyed, we could receive from Thee nothing but wrath and eternal condemnation. O, deal not with us according to our sins; neither reward us according to our iniquities. But remember thy tender mercies and lovingkindnesses which have been ever of old. O say not of this land, Thou hast no pleasure in it; but return, we beseech Thee, O GOD of hosts; look down from heaven, behold and visit this vineyard, and the branch which thou madest so strong for thyself. Be thou as a wall of fire about our Church, to protect it against all that would invade its peace, corrupt its purity, or destroy its prosperity. Be thou as a refiner's fire, and like fuller's soap, to purge away our dross, and to purify us yet more from all remaining errors and corruptions. Give us grace that shall be sufficient for us,

and that shall constrain us to walk worthy of the calling wherewith we are called. Cast not out our prayer; but hear and answer us, O GOD of our salvation, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST thy Son our Lord.

Let

Pour out, O Lord, thy blessings upon those who are yet in darkness and the shadow of death; make bare thine arm, and exert thy power, that all the ends of the earth may remember themselves, and turn to the Lord, and that all flesh may see the salvation of God. Call home to Thee again thy once-favoured people, the Jews; and take the veil from their hearts, that they may see and own their Messiah. the blood of CHRIST, which they so profanely imprecated upon their own heads, cleanse them from the guilt of shedding it; yea, let it cleanse them from all their sins. Bring in, O GOD, the fulness of the Gentiles; and give thy Son the heathen for His inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for His possession. O give thy Gospel a free and effectual course throughout the

world; let it be propagated where it has not yet reached; and let the joyful sound be heard, even where CHRIST is not yet named. Give success to it where it shines already; let all who have received it sincerely obey it cause every one that names the name of CHRIST to depart from iniquity; and grant that all who make a profession of godliness may be constrained by the love of CHRIST to live unto thee, and to adorn the doctrine of GOD our Saviour in all things.

Hear us, O Lord, in these our humble supplications, for the sake of JESUS CHRIST, our only Saviour and Redeemer.

Our Father, &c.

The Grace of our Lord, &c.

ASH WEDNESDAY.

MORNING.

ALMIGHTY GOD, we thank Thee for protecting us during the past night, and for all the undeserved mercies and great forbearance with which Thou has favoured.us throughout our past lives. And now that Thou hast mercifully brought us unto this season of humiliation, wherein we commemorate the miraculous abstinence of our Blessed Saviour, who for our sakes fasted forty days and forty nights, give us grace to use such abstinence, that our flesh being subdued to the Spirit, we may ever obey thy godly motions in righteousness and true holiness.

But we know, O Lord, that Thou regardest not mere bodily abstinence, neither wilt Thou accept the profession of humiliation, while the heart secretly loves sin, or foolishly strives to

hide it from