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29.

a constant, tender sense of the great obligations I lie under of serving thee faithfully all my days; make me every day more and more zealous in promoting thy glory, and the good of my brethren; in studying to please thee better than I have ever yet done; and in devoting the remainder of that life, which thou hast given me, to the service of thee, my gracious Benefactor.

I humbly offer and present unto thee my soul and body, which thou hast so mercifully preserved, beseeching thee to take them into thy custody. O let not the return of my health be accompanied with a return to my former sins and follies; but let the experience I have had, how little any thing will profit in the time of trouble besides a good conscience, so effectually convince me of the necessity of a good life; so powerfully persuade me to the practice of religion; that I may make it the great study and endeavour, the constant business and employment of my whole life, to love, adore, and serve thee, and in all things to become such as thou wouldst have me to be.

But, O Lord, forasmuch as without thee I am not able to please thee, mercifully grant unto me such a measure of thy grace as may

never more be led away by the deceitful pro-
mises of the world, the flesh, or the devil; but
grant, O my God, that my hopes and affections
may be unalterably fixed upon that eternal
and unchangeable happiness which thou hast
prepared for them that love thee. Let the
thoughts and expectations of death and judg-
ment be so constantly, so powerfully present
to my soul, as effectually to work upon my
mind, and to bring forth in me the fruits of a
holy and religious life. Let the pains and
troubles I have lately felt, inspire we with a
tender pity and compassion for the miseries
and calamities of others, and make me ready,
upon all occasions, to contribute what I can to
the wants and necessities of my brethren; and
oh! let those talents which thou hast afresh
committed to my trust, be so faithfully im-
proved for thy glory, the good of others, and
the benefit of my own soul, that whenever
thou shalt call me to give an account of my
stewardship, I may not be condemned as an
unprofitable servant, but may be found such a
one as thou shalt then pronounce faithful, and
bid to enter into the joy of
my Lord.

་

Grant this, O merciful Father, through the merits, and for the sake of thy dear Son, Jesus Christ our Lord; to whom with thee and the ever-blessed Spirit, be ascribed, as is most due, by me, and every creature, all honour, glory,

power, dominion, thanksgiving, and praise, throughout all ages. Amen.

A Prayer for a Man that has lost his Wife, or for any other Person that has lost a Relation or Friend.

O MOST mighty God, the sovereign Lord of heaven and earth, thou art righteous in all thy ways, and holy in all thy works, and doest every thing with minute wisdom, goodness, and love. I acknowledge thy justice, O Lord, in taking from me my dear wife, (or friend) and depriving me of the comforts I received from her (or his) precious life; for I am not worthy, I confess, of the least of all thy mercies, having so ungratefully behaved myself under the many blessings thou hast bestowed upon me. O. be thou pleased, for thy dear Son's sake, to pardon my ingratitude, and deal not with me according to the desert of my sins.

Sanctify, O Lord, this affliction to me, and give me grace to bring my will to a meek and quiet submission to thine, that I may receive this loss, without murmuring or repining at the dispositions of thy providence.

Let not my grief, O Lord, exceed the bounds of reason and religion; but temper it, I beseech thee, with the consolations of thy Holy

forts, I may find made up to me by the inward joys of a good conscience. O let this loss, which thou hast now been pleased should befall me, bring me home to thyself, and possess my mind with such a thorough sense and conviction of the uncertainty of all worldly blessings, that I may fix my heart, my hopes, and my desires, upon those joys that will never fade ; upon those pleasures which are at thy right hand for evermore.

And grant, O merciful Father, that every one of those who are sharers with me in this affliction, may be partakers likewise of thy support and comfort; teach us all so to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto true wisdom; and so to fit and prepare ourselves for that great account which we must one day give, that when the time of our ap pointed change shall come, we may look up to thee with joy and comfort, and may at last be received into that place of rest and peace, where all tears shall be wiped from our eyes, and all our troubles and sorrows shall have an end; through the merits and for the sake of our blessed Saviour and Redeemer, Jesus Christ. Amen.