us not as the beasts that perish, but with reasonable, immortal souls, to know, and seek, and serve thee here, and then to live, with all the blessed, in the everlasting sight of thy heavenly glory, and the pleasures of thy perfect love and praise. But we are ashamed to think how foolishly and sinfully we have forgotten and neglected our God and our souls, and our hopes of blessed immortality; and have overmuch minded the things of this visible, transitory world, and the prosperity and pleasure of this corruptible flesh, which we know must turn to rottenness and dust. Thou gavest us a law which was just and good, to guide us in the only way to life; and when by sin we had undone ourselves thou gavest us a Savior, even thy eternal Word made man, who by his holy life and bitter sufferings reconciled us to thee, and both purchased salvation for us, and revealed it to us, better than an angel from heaven could have done, if thou hadst sent him to us sinners on such a message. But, alas! how light have we set by our Redeemer, and by all that love which thou hast manifested by him, and how little have we studied and understood, and less obeyed that covenant of grace which thou hast made by him to lost mankind.

But, O God be merciful to us, vile and miserable sinners; Forgive the sins of our natural pravity, and the follies of our youth, and all the ignorance, negligence, omissions, and commissions of our lives; and give us true repentance for them, or else we know that thou wilt not forgive them. Our life is but as a shadow that passeth away; and it is a moment till we must leave this world, and appear before thee to give up our account, and to speed for ever as here we have prepared. Should we die, before thou hast turned our hearts from this sinful flesh and world to thee, by true faith and repentance, we shall be lost for evermore. O, wo to us, that ever we were born, if thou forgive not our sins, and make us not holy before this short, uncertain life be at an end! Had we all the riches and pleasures of this world, they would shortly leave us in the greater sorrows. We know that all our life is but the time which thy mercy allotteth us to prepare for death; therefore we should not put off our repentance and preparation to a sick bed. But now, Lord, as if it were our last and dying words, we earnestly beg thy pardoning and sanctifying grace, through the merits and intercession of our Redeemer. O thou that hast pitied and

saved so many millions of miserable sinners, pity and save us also, that we may glorify thy grace for ever. Surely thou delightest not in the death of sinners, but rather that they return and live: hadst thou been unwilling to show mercy, thou wouldest not have ransomed us by so precious a price, and still entreat us to be reconciled unto thee. We have no cause to distrust thy truth or goodness; but we are afraid lest unbelief, and pride, and hypocrisy, and a worldly, fleshly mind, should be our ruin. O save us from Satan and this tempting world, but especially from ourselves! Teach us to deny all ungodliness and fleshly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world. Let it be our chiefest daily work to please thee and to lay up a treasure in heaven, and to make sure of a blessed life with Christ, and quietly to trust thee with soul and body. Make us faithful in our callings, and our duties to one another, and to all men; to our superiors, equals, and inferiors; bless the king, and all in authority, that we may live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Give wise, holy, and peaceable pastors to all the churches of Christ, and holy and peaceable minds to the people. Convert the heathen and infidel nations of the world; and cause us and all thy people to seek, first, the hallowing of thy name, the coming of thy kingdom, and the doing of thy will on earth as it is done in heaven. Give us our daily bread, even all things necessary to life and godliness, and let us be therewith content. Forgive us our daily sins, and let thy love and mercy constrain us to love thee above all; and for thy sake to love our neighbors as ourselves, and in all our dealings to do justly and mercifully, as we would have others do by us. Keep us from hurtful temptations, from sin, and from thy judgments, and from the malice of our spiritual and coporeal enemies; and let all our thoughts, affections, passions, words, and actions, be governed by thy word and Spirit, to thy glory. Make all our religion and obedience pleasant to us, and let our souls be so delighted in the praises of thy kingdom, thy power, and thy glory that it may secure and sweeten our labor by day, and our rest by night, and keep us in a longing and joyful hope of the heavenly glory and let the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God our Father, and the communion of the Holy Spirit, be with us now and for ever.

Amen.

598

FROM THE POOR MAN'S FAMILY BOOK.

A Psalm of Praise to the Tune of Psalm cxlviii.

1. YE holy ANGELS bright,

Which stand before God's throne,

And dwell in glorious light,

Praise ye the Lord each one!

You there so nigh, fitter than we
Dark sinners be, for things so high.

2. You BLESSED SOULS at rest,

Who see your Savior's face,
Whose glory, ev'n the least,
Is far above our grace,

God's praises sound, as in his sight
With sweet delight, you do abound.

3. All NATIONS of the earth

Extol the world's great King:

With melody and mirth

His glorious praises sing;

For he still reigns, and will bring low
The proudest foe that him disdains.

4. Sing forth Jehovah's praise,
Ye SAINTS that on him call!
Magnify him always

His holy churches all!

In him rejoice, and there proclaim
His holy name with sounding voice.

5. MY SOUL, bear thou thy part,
Triumph in God above;
And with a well-tuned heart,

Sing thou the songs of love.

Thou art his own, whose precious blood

Shed for thy good, his love made known.

6. He did in love begin,

Renewing thee by grace;
Forgiving all thy sin,

Showed thee his pleased face.

He did thee heal, by his own merit;
And by his Spirit, he did thee seal.

7. In saddest thoughts and grief,
In sickness, fears, and pain,

I cried for his relief,

And did not cry in vain.

He heard with speed, and still I found Mercy abound in time of need.

8. Let not his praises grow,

On prosp❜rous heights alone;
But in the vales below

Let his great love be known!

Let no distress curb and control

My winged soul, and praise suppress.

9. Let not the fear or smart
Of his chastising rod,

Take off my fervent heart

From praising my dear God.

Still let me kneel, and to him bring
This offering, whate'er I feel.

10. Though I lose friends and wealth, And bear reproach and shame ;

Though I lose ease and health,

Still let me praise God's name :

That fear and pain, which would destroy My thanks and joy, do thou restrain.

11. Though human health depart And flesh draw near to dust,

Let faith keep up my heart

To love God, true and just;

And all my days, let no disease

Cause me to cease his joyful praise.

12. Though sin would make me doubt,
And fill my soul with fears;
Though God seem to shut out
My daily cries and tears:

By no such frost of sad delays
Let thy sweet praise be nipp'd and lost.

13. Away distrustful care!

I have thy promise, Lord :
To banish all despair,

I have thy oath and word:

And therefore I shall see thy face,
And there thy grace shall magnify.

14. Though sin and death conspire To rob thee of thy praise, Still tow'rds thee I'll aspire ;

And thou dull hearts canst raise.

Open thy door; and when grim death
Shall stop this breath, I'll praise thee more.

15. With thy triumphant flock,

Then shall I numb'red be;

Built on th' eternal rock,

His glory we shall see.

The heavens so high with praise shall ring,

And all shall sing in harmony.

16. The sun is but a spark
From the eternal light;
Its brightest beams are dark

To that most glorious sight.

There the whole choir, with one accord, Shall praise the Lord for evermore.