CONDESCENSION OF GOD.

Lord, what is man, that thou art mindful of him; or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou art infinite in all thy perfections, and needest not our praises nor services to increase thy happiness and glory. If our guilty race had continued even as thou didst create it, (but a little lower than the angels,) we must have praised thee for thy condescension in nourishing and governing us; but now, that we have lifted the arm of rebellion against thee, and have steeped our souls in transgression, how greatly is thy condescension magnified, in pursuing us with thy mercies, in providing for our wants, in protecting and delivering us from evil; and above all, in offering to redeem us from our lost estate by the sacrifice of thy Son. He, who knew no sin, was made sin for us, that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. He, who was rich, yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. He, who from eternity knew no pain, sweat great drops of blood, and suffered unspeakable agony, that we might escape the wrath to come-the worm that never dieth, and the fire that is never quenched. O help me, God of Grace, to acknowledge thine undeserved and astonishing mercy. May it draw me closer to thee in the bonds of love and confidence, and seal me for thy service, in a covenant never to be forsaken.

CONFESSION.

Holy One of Israel, help me, I beseech thee, to confess before thee my unworthiness and ill-desert. To whom but to thee should I go with the recital of my transgressions; for it is against thee, thee

only, I have sinned. Thou hast said that he who covereth his sins shall not prosper; while he who confesseth and forsaketh them shall find mercy. If I say, "I have no sin," I deceive myself, and the truth is not in me; but if I confess my sins, thou art faithful and just to forgive them, and to cleanse me from all unrighteousness.

O Lord, I have sinned against thee in doing what thou hast forbidden, and in leaving undone what thou hast commanded. I have transgressed thy law and gospel, in thought, word, and deed. I have sinned in childhood, in youth, and in riper years. I would acknowledge with shame and sorrow, my vanity and selfishness, my pride and hypocrisy, my impatience and unbelief, my self-indulgence and self-righteousness, my neglect of thy service and glory, and my living to myself, and not unto thee. How often has my heart rebelled against thy wholesome discipline in affliction, or impiously forgotten thy dispensing hand in the enjoyment of mercies. O, I have in countless instances, backslidden from thy love, broken my covenants with thee, and brought dishonour on thy name. I have rolled that as a sweet morsel under my tongue, which has filled heaven with solicitude, earth with desolation, and hell with anguish. And yet such has been the hardness of my heart, that I have mourned but little over such transgressions.

O Lord, these my sins have been protracted through long years which thou hast crowned with forbearance and mercy. They are heavy and black with enormous guilt, because they were committed in the midst of light and knowledge. My transgressions are more numerous than the hairs of my head; and if thou wert strict to mark one in a thou

sand of them, I could not stand before thee. My iniquities are increased over my head, and my trespasses are grown up to the heavens. Thou mightest justly cause that dark cloud to shut out the light of thy countenance; and gather there the thunders of thy wrath, and break them on my guilty head, with an overwhelming vengeance. Lord, I am vile; what shall I answer thee? I will lay my hand upon my mouth, and put my mouth in the dust, if so be there may be hope. God be merciful to me a sinner.

O Lord, Jehovah, thou art the strength of all that put their trust in thee. Thou art boundless in wisdom, omnipotent in power, and infinite in goodness. Thou dost not withhold any good thing from him that walketh uprightly. Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth in thee. He shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water; that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither. Whatsoever he doth shall prosper; and the end of that man is peace.

Lord, if thou art my light and salvation, whom shall I fear? If thou art my strength, of whom shall I be afraid? Enable me, I pray thee, to trust in thee with all my heart; and keep me from leaning on my own understanding. May I cast all my cares upon thee, in perils, in wants, in losses, in griefs, in sickness, and in death. Cause me to hear thy voice, in every variety of tribulation, saying unto me, "What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter." I would remember that oft when I said, "My foot slippeth," thy mercy,

O Lord, held me up. In the day when I cried, thou didst answer and strengthen me. May the memory of thy past goodness, the possession of present joys, and the testimonies of thy promises persuade me, that though the mountains depart, and the hills be removed, thy kindness doth not depart from thee; neither is the covenant of thy peace removed.

Heavenly Father, give me confidence towards thee in the duty of prayer. May I come to thee as to a forgiving, a bountiful, a compassionate, a wise, and a powerful God-for thou only hast an eye of pardon, a hand of plenty, a heart of pity, a judgment of knowledge, and an arm of might. Assure me that whosoever cometh unto thee, thou wilt in no wise cast out. Help me to ask in faith, nothing wavering.

God of Israel, inspire thy people with unlimited and unwavering reliance on thy character, dealings, and purposes. May they learn that the word of the Lord endureth for ever. Let them not cast away their confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. As thou didst not withhold thine own Son, but didst deliver him up for them, O cause them to hope that, with him, thou wilt freely give them all things. Lord, let them never forget that thou makest all things work together for good to them that love thee. Although the fig-tree may not blossom, neither fruit be in the vines; the labour of the olive fail, and the fields yield no meat; the flock be cut off from the fold, and there be no herd in the stalls-yet may they rejoice in the Lord, and joy in the God of their salvation. Thou canst make even the bed of death a couch of down; and the gloomy grave the cradle of immortality.

CONSCIENCE.

God of Judgment, I thank thee that thou hast given me an inward monitor, to warn me against iniquity, and to smite me when I transgress. May I regard its testimony as a proof of a future judgment; when the righteous shall receive the recompense of reward, and the wicked the retribution of Wo. Enable me, I pray thee, to nourish and culture this plant of thy hand. Show me that my happiness and welfare, and the enjoyment of thy life-giving countenance, will depend on the activity, strength, and purity of my conscience. If the light that is in me be darkness, how great is that darkness! May thy will, as exhibited in thy word, be the supreme rule of its actings. May thy Spirit cleanse it from error and sin, and animate it with right knowledge and holy power. Lord, give it peace through the justifying merits of Jesus Christ, and purge it from dead works to serve the living God. Make it tender and watchful, and a faithful index of thy sovereign will; that it may be void of offence towards God and man.

Lord, stimulate and give a wholesome vigour to the conscience of all men. May it exercise a controlling and righteous influence over their inmost thoughts and their outward actions. Teach them that though they may turn away from its testimonies, and stifle its chidings, yet there is a day coming when, if they continue impenitent, it will rise up in judgment against them; when he that sitteth upon the throne will confirm its testimony, by pronouncing the verdict "Depart, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels."