come a pleasing sacrifice of thankfulness to thee, and a sweet savour of eternal rest to his departing soul.

O thou that art God of power, protect him from the fury of that roaring lion, who is now seeking to devour him: O thou that art the blessed Saviour of the sinful world, compassionate his frailties, commiserate his infirmities, forgive his iniquities; Lord, purge him by thy precious blood, cloath him with thine own righteousness, enrich him with thy blessed merits, and plead them to thy Father for him.

O thou holy and for ever blessed spirit, who art the pure fountain of eternal love, be present with him, relieve and comfort him in all these bitter pangs of his last hour, endue him with a willingness and cheerfulness to leave this transitory life, and crown him with eternity of joys in that to come.

And now, O Lord, we come unto thee for ourselves, who are here at this time upon our sinful knees before thee, Lord, open our eyes, that we may seriously consider of that last and solemn hour of our departure: Lord, sanctify our hearts, that while we are encompassed with sinful flesh, we may lament our often failings, and infirmities, and every day be more and more desirous to go home to thee, who art the God of spirits.

Lord give us grace, that we may walk soberly, and righteously, and holily, as becometh thy children; that at the resurrection of the just, our souls and bodies may enjoy the blessed consummatson of their endless happiness. Lord, hear our prayers, and let our cries come unto thee, for thy name's sake, for thy promise sake, for thy blessed Son's sake.AMEN.

THE

DYING CONFESSION

OF A MINISTER OF GOD'S WORD, LALE OF WESTTHOROCK, IN ESSEX.

THE Lord hath laid a gracious and

a gentle visitation on me; I do acknowledge (with a thankful heart) that this weakness of body, this languishing of nature, these painful days and nights are from him: for misery cometh not out of the dust, neither doth affliction spring out of the earth, Job 5. 6. Ah (my friends) little do men think how much the great disturbances of sickness, how much the pains and infirmities of a decaying body, distract these blessed thoughts, those sweet and happy meditations, which the troubled soul desires; the spirit is willing, but the

flesh is weak; Lord Jesus strengthen the inward man, and lay no more upon this sinful body than thou (in mercy) shalt enable it to bear.

I am now verily persuaded, that God hath purposed to determine my days, his blessed will be done, even so, Lord Jesus come quickly..

He that looketh into his life past, that ransacketh his soul, and calleth to mind the sinful failings of his youth, will find it very hard and difficult to make his calling and election sure: I have earnestly desired to leave no corner of my soul unsearched, and I find myself to be a very great and wretched sinner, I have committed grievous sins, very grievous sins, such sins as are not fit to be named before God's saints; I have examined my soul by each particular commandment, and I find my self guilty of the breach of all, and that in an high manner, especially considering

that weighty function God's providence hath called me unto: I have not only sinned against mine own soul, but against the souls of others too, when I have corrupted by my ill example, and that very often.

And now, when I look upon the glass of the law, and there see mine own vileness, I find God's justice, and mine own deserts, even ready to surprize and cast me down into the nethermost hell, and that most righteously.

But O see the goodness of a gracious God! I now come to lay hold upon the promises, but how? not without repentance, not presumingly; I apply them not in a general, but a particular "way; I I. do not only believe that Christ Jesus. came into the world to save sinners, hut I believe also that he died for my sins, and rose again for justification.God hath promised (and all his promises are yea and amen) that he will not forsake those which