all thy dealings; and be led to persevere in faith and prayer, until the vision of hope be exchanged for thine open presence, where there is fulness of joy and pleasures for evermore !"

ANGEL S.

Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments; hearkening unto the voice of his word! Great God, do thou exalt my intellect and purify my heart by meditations on the nature, character, and employments of the angels in heaven. Lo! they are an innumerable company of pure spirits; to whom thou hast given an endless life; endowing them richly with knowledge, power, holiness, and love. They dwell forever in thy presence; where their eyes are never dim with tears, nor their minds clouded by ignorance; where their affections are never wounded by grief, nor their hopes broken by disappointment, nor their hearts stained with guilt. And there they do thy holy pleasure with all the heart, and without delay, and continually.

I thank thee that thou hast revealed to us that these exalted beings sympathize deeply in the welfare of the children of men. The incarnate Son of God was proclaimed to the shepherds of Bethlehem by the angel of the Lord, with the message of glad tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people: and a multitude of the heavenly host, that sang together over man's creation, and mourned over his fall, praised God in an anthem of good-will to man. And now, though it is their privilege to scan widely the wonders of creation, and search deeply into the mysteries of providence; though they find ample employment and delight in the reciprocal joys of

their own blessed fraternity of wisdom, holiness, and love-though they dwell in the absorbing and vivifying transports of the open vision of the Most High-yet there is joy in their presence over one sinner that repenteth!

Lord, teach me the value of that scheme of redemption which the angels desire to look into. There they learn the dignity of thy law, the rigour of thy justice, the immutability of thy truth, the depravity of man, the peril of his guilt, and the glory of thy mercy. O God, suffuse my heart with shame, that the plan of repentance and salvation, in which thou hast condensed the perfections of thy character, for the adoring wonder and excited love of perfect spirits, should be so often to my soul only as a dream when one awaketh!

Gracious Lord, I praise thy mercy which sends forth these messengers of thy power and grace, to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation. Grant, I beseech thee, in the name of Jesus, that I may belong to those children of adoption, whose beds they watch, whose hearts they comfort, and whose ways they protect.

Heavenly Father, prepare me for fellowship with that blessed throng, when the season of my earthly probation shall close. Enable me now, according to the feebleness of human nature, to do thy will as it is done in heaven. And when, at the end of the world, the reapers shall come forth to gather the tares in bundles, to burn them, but the wheat into the barn, grant that I may be garnered with thy saints; and that I may have my spirit made perfect in the everlasting communion of the sons of God!

God of Justice, admonish my fear of the guilt and punishment of sin by the awful example of those

rebel angels, who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, and are reserved in everlasting chains, under darkness, until the judgment of the great day. Preserve me, I pray thee, from the power of that spirit that now worketh in the hearts of the children of disobedience. Help me to wrestle against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and to bruise Satan under my feet, in the strength of the God of peace.

ANGER.

Lord, strengthen me by thy grace, that I may restrain and conquer my propensities to unholy anger. Let it not cloud my brow, nor envenom my tongue, nor vex my heart. Let gentleness, courtesy, and kindness spread themselves, like the green covering of earth, over my character and conduct. Teach me that he who ruleth his own spirit is greater than he who taketh a city; and that he who is hasty of spirit exalteth folly, and shall suffer punishment. Show me that a soft answer turneth away wrath, but grievous words stir up strife. He that soweth to the wind shall reap the whirlwind; but the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace. May I consider him who endured the contradiction of sinners, and seek not to avenge myself, but rather give place to wrath. Let me do nothing in rashness and strife. Enable me, in the exercise of candour, forbearance, meekness, and forgiveness, to disarm every temptation to sinful passion, and to cause the wrath of my adversaries to praise thee.

Source of Wisdom, instruct me how I may be angry and sin not. Let me not be indignant without cause and above cause. Give me a holy dis

pleasure against transgression; but let it be mingled with a reclaiming pity towards the transgressor; and be exercised for his good and thy glory.

APPRENTICES.

O thou, who art Lord and Master over all, bless thou our youth who are held at service as apprentices. Instead of the apathy that prevails respecting them, do thou excite in the community, and especially in the church, a strong solicitude for this class of our population; who, in the lapse of a few years, will become the muscles and sinews of society; and who are now moulding their own characters for time and eternity. Lord, bring such influences to bear on them, that they may be fitted, in mind and in morals, for usefulness to society; and that they may be prepared for thy favour both on earth and in heaven.

Heavenly Father, teach them the duties of their station. Make them contented with their circumstances; industrious in their callings; faithful, in all things, to the interests of their masters; and obedient to every requisition of lawful service. And may they be persuaded that the discharge of all these duties is demanded as much by their own welfare, as by the interests of those whom they serve.

Lord, secure for them the kindness of their masters. Let their personal comforts, their instruction in business, their mental culture, their social habits, their moral character, and their religious opportunities, be objects of constant and conscientious attention.

Set before them, I pray thee, the dangers to which they are liable, by absence from the scrutiny and protection of the parental home; by frequent

exposure to the seductions of ungodly associates, and by the tendencies to corruption in their own hearts. O do thou throw wholesome restraints If sinners entice them, let them not

around them.

consent to their persuasions. Make them flee youthful lusts, that war against the soul. Preserve them from every form and degree of temptation. Dispose and qualify them to discharge their present duties incline and prepare them to fill with honour to themselves, and advantage to the public, their future positions in life: and, more than all else, give them the indenture of thine own service, in which thou makest the servant an heir, and the bondman a freeman of the Lord.

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ASSURANCE.

Lord, grant me a well-grounded assurance of a personal interest in thy favour. Comfort me by the persuasion, that my many offences have been remitted. Enable me to gather satisfactory evidence from my feelings and conduct, that I have passed from death unto life; and may thy Spirit bear witness with mine, that I am numbered with thy childGive me the spirit of wisdom and revelation, in the knowledge of Christ, that I may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints. Cause me to feel that it is my duty to aim at the attainment of this grace, and my privilege to enjoy it, in the exercise of faith, prayer, and zeal. Enable me to say "Though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away; and thou comfortest me."

Blessed God, grant me the full assurance of hope unto the end:-a hope that I am accepted before thee, for the merits of Christ; that through his grace