But, O God, thou knowest that we too often fail to do even what we have most sincerely desired, and that many errors and sins remain in us to make us afflicted and ashamed before thy holy eyes. O, may thy mercy pardon what we have done amiss. Make us truly contrite in view of all our transgressions. Let thy Holy Spirit help our infirmities, purify our affections, and give new moral force to our best purposes and desires. May our souls be led to him who alone can feed them, so that they will hunger no more. To him may we go who will in no wise reject those who seek him, but will give them everlasting life, and raise them up with him at the last day.

And now may we lie down upon our beds in peace. Be thou our guardian and deliverer. Keep far from us and our habitation every evil; and grant us, in thy mercy, the joy of a happy reunion around this family altar in the morning, if it be thy will that we open our eyes to the light of another day. Amen.

XXXIV.

Mental Rest.

Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek ;) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

ALMIGHTY GOD, we draw nigh to thee in faith and humility to offer our evening worship. How great the privilege to look up to thee and call thee Father! How blessed are they who have him for their friend who made heaven and earth, and orders all things therein! We pray that we may abide in thy favor; may be kept in thy family; may always find thee near. Having sought first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, may all other things be added unto us. Thou knowest what we have need of. May thy bounty supply our wants. May thine arm be stretched out to protect us. May thy Holy Spirit sustain and strengthen us. seems good unto thy wisdom to visit us with trials and afflictions, may thy grace sanctify all our sorrows, and make them instrumental to our eternal benefit.

And when it

To thy grace and care we commend our friends and relations. We beseech thee to guard them from evil, and grant them all things convenient to them; and when they shall have finished their appointed course on earth, to bring them to thine everlasting kingdom.

Bless the old and the young. May children be blessed in their parents, and parents in their children. Bless those who are coming on, and those who are in

the midst of their work, and those who are passing away. Be thou the God and the Guide of all.

Let us go to rest, this night, secure in thy gracious protection. Keep us from distrustful thoughts. May our minds have rest in thee. Let us rise in the morning prepared for the duties of the day. And when at last we are called to sleep the sleep of death, may we fear no evil, but rejoice in the sure hope of a brighter morning, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.

XXXV.

For the True Riches.

And he spake a parable to them, saying, The ground of a certain rich man brought forth plentifully :

And he thought within himself, saying, What shall I do, because I have no room where to bestow my

fruits?

And he said, This will I do : I will pull down my barns, and build greater; and there will I bestow all my fruits and my goods.

And 1 will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thy ease, eat, drink, and be merry. But God said to him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be which thou hast provided?

So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.

ETERNAL GOD, thou only Source of all good, we admire the wisdom and mercy which are displayed in

thy ordinances, whereby it is provided that seasons of thoughtful reflection and needful rest should constantly follow hours of busy toil. The day is thine; the night also is thine; and in their regular succession may we ever acknowledge the love of Him who careth for us.

For what we have enjoyed in the day that is now ended, we offer the tribute of our hearts. For what we have left undone that we should have done, or have done that we ought not to have done, we implore pardon. Erase from our souls, O God, the impression of evil we may have thoughtlessly incurred. Print deeper there the mark of every truth which has moved us, of every virtue which has drawn forth our esteem and love. Let all the experience we meet with from day to day leave some profitable lessons for our future warning and instruction. We would not live in vain: we would not be cumberers of our Lord's ground. We desire to increase in knowledge and virtue continually. We would be wiser and better with every added day.

Great God, how solemn and momentous is the end for which thou givest us a day more of life! May we seriously ponder it. May we feel that we are living for a purpose whose importance eternity alone can fully show. Wilt thou, who didst give thy dearlybeloved Son for our salvation, fulfil in us the design of his divine mission. Help us with unfeigned faith

to embrace the Gospel which he has sealed with his blood. May the love of Christ constrain us to devote ourselves unreservedly to his service. Let all hardness and impenitence be removed from our hearts. Let our whole natures be brought into harmony with thy perfections, and be transformed by the renewing influences of thy truth and grace into the likeness of Jesus Christ.

Almighty Father, we pray that the blessed example and the solemn instruction of thy dear Son may never pass from our minds. gentleness and purity, be ours. bear and to do thy will, even as he did.

May we live to

May we make

Suffer us not

May his meekness, May we learn to In him may we find peace to our souls. Let no sin have dominion over us. Let all selfishness, and pride, and anger, and malice, be banished from our hearts. do good and be useful in the world. timely Christian preparation for death. to wander in unbelief and guilt from the only way that leadeth to eternal life. Keep us from that love of this world which may make us forget the world that is to come. Save us from that bondage to uncertain riches through which we may lose the true riches that fade not away. In the midst of all thy bounties help us so to live that the summons may not find us unprepared or unwilling, if this night our soul should be required of us.

Father, through the darkness that now encompasses us wilt thou protect us from all evil. Safely conduct