upon me; at no hand murmuring against government, lest the spirit of pride and mutiny, of murmur and disorder, enter into me, and consign me to the portion of the disobedient and rebellious, of the despisers of dominion, and revilers of dignity. Grant this, O holy God, for his sake who for his obedience to the Father hath obtained the glorification of eternal ages, our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen.

XIII.

A Prayer to be said by Parents for their Children.

O ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father, who hast promised children as a reward to the righteous, and hast given them to me as a testimony of thy mercy, and an engagement of my duty; be pleased to be a father unto them, and give them healthful bodies, understanding souls, and sanctified spirits, that they may be thy servants and children all their days. Let a great mercy and providence lead them through the dangers and temptations and ignorances of their youth, that they may never run into folly, and the evils of an unbridled appetite. So order the events of their lives, that, by good education, careful tutors, holy example, innocent company, prudent counsel, and thy restraining grace, their duty to thee may be secured in the midst of a crooked and untoward

generation; and if it seem good in thy eyes, let me be enabled to provide conveniently for the support of their persons, that they may not be destitute and miserable in my death; or, if thou shalt call me off from this world by an early summons, let their portion be, thy care, mercy, providence, over their bodies and souls; and may they never live vicious lives, nor die violent or untimely deaths; but let them glorify thee here with a free obedience, and the duties of a whole life; that, when they have served thee in their generations, and have profited the Christian commonwealth, they may be co-heirs with Jesus in the glories of thy eternal kingdom, through our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

XIV.

A Prayer to be said on the Feast of Christmas.

O HOLY and almighty God, Father of mercies, Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Son of thy love and eternal mercies, I adore and praise and glorify thy infinite and unspeakable love and wisdom, who hast sent thy Son from the bosom of felicities to take upon him our nature, and our misery, and our trials; and hast made the Son of God to become the son of man, that we might become the sons of God, and

partakers of the divine nature: since thou hast so exalted human nature, be pleased also to sanctify my person, that, by a conformity to the humility and laws and sufferings of my dearest Saviour, I may be united to his spirit, and be made all one with the most holy Jesus. Amen.

XV.

A Prayer of Preparation for the Holy Sacrament.

O MOST gracious and eternal God, the helper of the helpless, the comforter of the comfortless, the hope of the afflicted, the bread of the hungry, the drink of the thirsty, and the Saviour of all them that wait upon thee; I bless and glorify thy name, and adore thy goodness, and delight in thy love, that thou hast once more given me the opportunity of receiving the greatest favor which I can receive in this world, even the body and blood of my dearest Saviour. O take from me all love for sin or vanity; let not my affections dwell below, but soar upwards to the element of love, to the seat of God, to the regions of glory, and the inheritance of Jesus: that I may hunger and thirst for the bread of life, and the wine of elect souls, and may know no loves but the love of God and the most merciful Jesus.

Grant therefore, O God, that he who is my Saviour, whose body is my food, whose righteousness is my robe, who is the priest and the sacrifice, the master of the feast and the feast itself, the physician of my soul, the light of mine eyes, the purifier of my stains; that he may enter into my heart and cast out from thence all impurities, all the remains of the old man; and grant I may partake of this holy sacrament with much reverence, and holy relish, and great effect, receiving hence the communication of the holy body and blood, for the establishment of an unreprovable faith, of an unfeigned love, for the fulness of wisdom, for the healing my soul, for the blessing and preservation of my body, for the taking out the sting of temporal death, and for the assurance of a holy resurrection, for the ejection of all evil from. within me, and the fulfilling all thy righteous commandments, and to procure for me a mercy and a fair reception at the day of judgment, through thy mercies, O holy and ever-blessed God. Amen.

XVI.

Prayer before the Sacrament of the
Lord's Supper.

THIS day, O our Creator, Preserver and Redeemer, thou invitest me to review here in an especial

manner all thy benefits. Let me be grateful that thou didst hallow one day of seven, in memory of the great work of creation; and that now, each Christian Lord's day, while it celebrates this first of miracles, commemorates that other expression of thy love, the resurrection of the Saviour of the world. Thanks be to thee that on this Lord's day we, and multitudes of those who name his name and trust in his salvation, may keep the feast which shows forth the Lord's death until he come.

Let me adore thee, O my God, for that sacred and mysterious offering which procures our pardon; for the solemn burial, which, with all its attendant circumstances, proved the reality of the Lord's death; and for that glorious resurrection and ascension which sealed the acceptance and efficacy of the one great sacrifice. Incline and quicken and strengthen me this day to remember and review these great events believingly, devoutly, and joyfully. O let the sorrows of life around me, and the sure prospect of infirmity and dissolution before me, and the deep sense of manifold sin within me, endear exceedingly and above all price the assurances of a Saviour's love, and work, and purpose. O grant to me, and those who shall commune with me, and all throughout the world who shall engage in this sacred ordinance, rightly to discern the Lord's body; his sufferings, his grace, his life-giving power. By a living and effectual faith may we become one body in him; with him to die to