صور الصفحة
PDF
النشر الإلكتروني

My temporal concerns I alfo beg to refign into thy hands: May it please thee, O Lord! to direct me in all my affairs, to beftow upon me fuch things as thou feeft will be profitable, and to give me an heart to be be therewith content. In my intercourse with mankind, enable me, I befeech thee, to conduct myself with the ftricteft regard to integrity; and fuffer me not to lofe fight of that awful day, when I must render an account of all my actions to thee, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity.

Extend, O God! thy fatherly protection to all my benefactors, friends, and relations, to mine enemies, and to the whole human race: Illuminate them with thy gospel, guide them in the paths of thy righteousness, and finally conduct them to thofe heavenly regi ons where is fulness of joy for evermore.

Accept, O Lord! I beseech thee, of these mine humble praifes and fupplications, in the name, and through the mediation of my bleffed Redeemer, Jefus Christ, in whose comprehenfive words I fum up all my wants: Cur Father, &c.

An Evening Prayer for a Perfon in private.

ALMIGHTY God, who hast called the

universe into existence, and did ft breathe thro❜ all nature the breath of life! deeply impreffed with a fenfe of my own unworthiness, yet encouraged by thy goodness, I present myfelf before thee, my Creator, my Preserver, and my Hope!

Lord! I confefs myself a miferable finner ; my heart is the feat of depravity; I am continually tranfgreffing thy holy laws, and it is of thy mercy alone that I am not confumed: But thou art a Being infinite in goodness as in power; Thou knoweft whereof I am made, and remembereft that I am but duft: Par don, then, I moft humbly befeech thee, my manifold tranfgreffions; for the fake of thy dear Son, Jefus Chrift, be thou merciful unto me, who am altogether unworthy of thy forgiveness. And thou, O God! who art acquainted with all my wants, and perceiveft the dangers and temptations with which I am encompaffed, affift me, I befeech thee,

with thy Holy Spirit; that I, who of myself cannot do any thing that is good, may, through thy grace, be enabled to live according to thy will. Enable me, O Lord! to reform whatever thou feeft amifs in my conduct; root out of my heart every vicious propenfity, and wean me from the vanities of this tranfitory world: Suffer me not to forget that the prefent life is but a state of probation; the path only which leads to an eternity of happiness or mifery; and fo condu&t me through this vale of tears, that finally I may be received into thofe heavenly manfions, where is fulness of joy for ever

more.

May thy watchful Providence, O Lord! take me this night under its protection, and fuffer not any evil to approach either my foul or body; but grant that in the morning I may arife refreshed, and cheerfully perform the duties of the ftation in which thou hast been pleafed to place me.

Unto thee, O Lord! I would prefent my petitions for all my benefactors, friends and relations, and even for my very enemies; Let thy paternal hand be ever over them,

let thy Holy Spirit be ever with them, and fo guide them in the paths of truth and righ teousness, that in the end they may obtain everlasting life. May it pleafe thee to purify and defend thy church, to bestow thy bleffing upon all who are in authority either as ministers of thy gofpel or as officers of the government of these States, that in their feveral ftations they may be inftrumental to thy glory and the public good. Look with an eye of compaffion upon the afflicted and diftreffed of every defcription; and may it please thee to fupport them under their troubles, to fhorten their duration, and to give them a happy issue out of all their afflictions. Extend thy goodness, O Lord! to the whole race of mankind : Have mercy upon the heathen world, and upon unbelievers of every denomination; make thyfelf known unto their hearts, bring them acquainted with the gofpel of peace, and fo gather them into thy flock, that there may be but one fold under one fhepherd.

And now, O Lord! accept I beseech thee my most grateful thanks for the innumerable

PRAYERS.

313

bleffings I have hitherto enjoyed; for my creation and prefervation, for the comforts and conveniences as well as the neceffaries of life; but above all I adore thy goodness in accepting, as an atonement for the fins of mankind, the facrifice of thy beloved Son Jefus

Chrift For our falvation he con defcended to be made man, and to fuffer a cruel and ignominious death upon the cross-he was wounded for our tranfgreffions, he was bruised for our iniquities, and with his ftripes we are healed! For which ineftimable love teach me O Lord! to express my thankfulness by obeying his precepts, and studying to ferve thee in holinefs and righteounefs to the end of my days. Grant thefe my humble petitions, O Merciful Father! for the fake of thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, who hath taught me thus to pray :

Our Father, &c.

THE END.

« السابقةمتابعة »