Saturday Morning. Holy Scriptures; may it be so grafted in our hearts as to bring forth in us the fruit of good living. Thy statutes, O Lord, are right, and should rejoice the heart; thy judgments are true and righteous altogether. By them are thy servants taught, and in keeping of them there is great reward. Give us understanding, that we may keep thy law with our whole heart. Make us to go in the path of thy commandments, and to have a delight therein. Enlighten our minds with the truths of thy gospel and the doctrines of life, and help us to receive with meekness the ingrafted word, which is able to save our souls. We are here assembled, O Lord, in thy name and presence, waiting upon thee at the footstool of thy grace. Cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit: blot out our offences, and wash away our sins. Who can tell how oft he offendeth? O cleanse thou us from our secret faults. Keep us back, also, from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over us. May we never so presume upon thy mercy as lightly to esteem the riches of thy goodness, or neglect the work of our salvation. Knowing that the righteous are scarcely saved, may we give all diligence to make our calling and election sure. Cause us to be humble, and devoutly given to serve thee by good works. Keep alive in us a true spirit of devotion, that while we draw nigh to thee with our lips, our heart may not be far from thee. Quicken us in the pursuit of spiritual things. May we never be so cumbered with worldly serving, as to neglect those things which are truly needful to our eternal good. Dispose us, O Lord, we beseech thee, rightly to discharge the duties of this day. Watch over our paths; compass us about with thy favor; preserve us in our going out and coming in; and Saturday Evening. direct all our steps in the way of thy commandments. In all our dealings may we be honest and conscientious; diligent in the works of our calling, godly in our conversation; meek in our deportment; charitable and forgiving towards others; watchful over ourselves, and never forgetful of thee. Sanctify to us such pains and sorrows, and other afflictions, as thou mayest see it fitting to lay upon us; make us patient in suffering, and in all things resigned to thy holy will. Make us diligent in using all the means of grace. Give us ears to hear the truth as it is in Jesus Christ, and hearts to be doers of the word, and not hearers only. May we be faithful in searching the Scriptures; and never go beyond the word of the Lord our God to do less or more. May we abound in that love which is not in word and tongue, but in deed and truth; and show forth thy praise, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by letting our light so shine before men, that they may see our good works, and glorify thee, our heavenly Father. And when we shall have served thee in our generation, may we be gathered unto our fathers, having the testimony of a good conscience; in communion with thy church; in the confidence of a certain faith; in the comfort of a reasonable, religious, and holy hope, and in perfect charity with all mankind. We ask it, O heavenly Father, through the merits of Jesus Christ, our blessed Lord and Savior. Amen. Saturday Evening. O GOD, our Father who art in heaven; who dost from thy throne behold all that dwell upon the earth, and hast the hearts and the wants of all thy Saturday Evening. creatures before thee, we, the most unworthy of them, desire, this evening, to come before thee in prayer and supplication. But wherewith shall we come before thee, O Lord, or bow ourselves in thy presence, O thou Most High? We would come in the only prevailing name of thy blessed Son, in whom thou hast declared thyself well pleased. In the plenitude of thy mercy, thou hast sent him into. the world, not to condemn the world, but to save it, and hast made him unto us wisdom and righteousness, and sanctification and redemption. In his name, O thou Father of our spirits, and trusting in his merits, do we present ourselves before thee, beseeching thee to have respect unto the prayer of thy servants. Hear thou in heaven, thy dwelling-place, and when thou hearest, for Christ's sake, forgive. Assist us mercifully, O Lord, in these our supplications and prayers, that we may approach thee with reverence, and obtain our requests. Dispose our hearts and direct our ways towards the attainment of everlasting salvation. In all the changes, temptations, and other trials of this mortal state, may we ever be defended by thy most gracious and ready help. May we be of the number of thy peculiar people, zealous of good works, doing justly, loving mercy, walking humbly with thee, and adorning the doctrine of God our Savior in all things. Make us thankful, O God, for all the blessings which we enjoy, both temporal and spiritual. Help us to discern the hand of thy providence in all that befalls us. In prosperity and adversity; whether we abound or suffer need; may we never forget that the Lord rules; that thou art righteous in all thy ways, and good to all thy creatures. We desire of thee, O Lord God, our heavenly Father, who art the Giver of all goodness, to send thy grace unto us and to all people, that we may F Saturday Evening. worship thee, serve thee, and obey thee as we ought to do. And we beseech thee to send us all things that are needful, both for our souls and bodies: and that thou wilt be merciful unto us, and forgive us our sins; and be pleased to save and defend us in all dangers, both of soul and body: and that thou wilt keep us from all sin and wickedness, from our spiritual enemies, and from everlasting death. During the week which is now near its close, many of our fellow-men have departed this life, and entered into their eternal state: we yet survive, monuments of thy forbearing mercy. While our life is continued, may we live to thee. Prepare us for the duties, and for the right observance of the Lord's day which is approaching, that we may sanctify it as holy unto thee, and a season sacred to thy worship. Be with the assemblies of thy worshipping people; meet them in mercy, and visit them with thy salvation. May all who seek thee be joyful and glad in thee, and find by happy experience, that one day in thy courts is better than a thousand spent in vanity and sin. May the close of each day remind us of that night near at hand, in which no man can work; and stimulate us to do, with all our might, what thou hast appointed our hand to do. Protect us, O Lord, this night, that no evil may befall us, nor plague come nigh our dwelling; watch over us for good, and keep us in safety. May we go to our rest in charity with all men; and may we rise refreshed, disposed and strengthened to do thy will. We ask this for Christ's sake. And unto thee, O God, who art able to do for us abundantly more than we can ask or think, be glory in the church, by Jesus Christ, throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Second Week. Sunday Morning. Second Week. Sunday Morning. O LORD God, who art glorious in holiness and power, and whose goodness is infinite, thou art worthy of all adoration and praise. The heavens and the earth are full of the majesty of thy glory. The holy church throughout all the world doth acknowledge thee as the Father of our spirits, the Redeemer of the world, and the Sanctifier of the faithful. And with thy saints on earth, and with all the company of heaven, we would laud and magnify thy glorious name. Wonderful art thou, O God, in thy adorable perfections. When we consider the heavens, the works of thy fingers,—the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him! or the sons of men, that thou visitest them with unnumbered mercies! We are vile and sinful; it is of thy mercy that we are not consumed; that our lives, unprofitable to thee, are continued from day to day, and from one week to another. We thank thee, O God, for the comforts continually bestowed upon us, thy unworthy creatures: and chiefly for thy mercy in Jesus Christ. We bless thy holy name that thou didst so love the world as to give thine only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. We bless thee for the means and ordinances which are mercifully appointed for our benefit, as the channels of thy grace, and for building us up in a holy religious faith. Make us duly thankful that the Son of man is Lord of the Sabbath, and that we are brought to see again its weekly return. This is the day which the Lord hath made, which he hath sanctified to himself, by rising from the dead: may we rejoice |