waters, to hew to myself the broken cistern that can hold no water; disquieting myself in vain, seeking rest and finding none; because I have sought where the precious treasure is not to be found. And so thou mightest, Lord, leave me to inherit my own wretched choice; to eat of the fruit of my own way, and to be filled with my own devices; giving me all my portion in this life, which I have so brutishly preferred before an infinitely better; and shutting me out of that heavenly kingdom, which I have despised for the sake of this present world.

But, O thou Father of mercies! forgive me all the defects of my love to thee, and all the excesses of my love to earthly things; and so moderate my desires after these inferior goods, that instead of doating upon the world, I may covet earnestly the best gifts, and seek first thy kingdom and its righteousness; esteem. ing godliness the greatest gain, and all things else but loss and dung, for the love of Christ, and the glories of heaven. O shew me so much of those great and glorious things of the world to come, as may dull and deaden my affections to the things of this present world, and crucify the world to me, and me to the world; that it may lose the great force which it has had upon me; that I may be more disengaged and loosened from it, and more enamoured with, and intent upon the things above, where Christ sitteth at the right hand of God, which will fully satisfy and never fail me. O let me not debase my heavenly soul, to lie grovelling and rooting in the earth, and licking the dust, as if I were all flesh, and had nothing to do, but to trudge for the vile body. O may I less mind earthly things, and despise the most tempting enjoyments of this world, for the love of my Lord, and the hope of his glory. May my heart be with my treasure in the heaven, looking for the

blessed hope, and the glorious appearance of the great God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ; not cov eting great things of the world, nor to continue long in it; but rather in care to get safe out of it, and desirous to be dissolved, and to be ever with the Lord. Even so, come Lord Jesus. Amen, Amen,

A Prayer for Perseverance and Grace to endure to the end.

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TERNAL God, with whom is everlasting strength! thou art able to keep us from falling, and to perform the good work begun in us, till the day of Jesus Christ. But Lord thou knowest how weak and mutable I am; how wavering and bent to backsliding; how apt to decline and fall off after I have been set up, and put in a good hopeful way heavenward; and in what danger still to undo myself, after all the great things which thou hast done for me. O Lord of love, have pity on my infirmities, and strengthen me in my weakness. Preserve me, thou blessed Guardian of thy people, who keep. est the feet of thy saints; O preserve me from the danger of apostacy, and falling away from any good beginnings, to which thy grace has ever wrought me; and put thy fear in my heart, that I may not depart from thee. Make me so firmly thine, that nothing which befals me in the world may ever part betwixt thee and my soul; and make me so resolute for thy service, that nothing which any can say or do, may interrupt me in, or take me off that way of life which is above to the wise, to depart from hell beneath. O let me not be of the number of those that draw back to perdition; but of that happy number who do believe, to the saving of the soul.

wate Lord God! thou hast begun to show thy ser ant thy greatness; and thy mighty hand; go on, I pray thee, to work for the glory of thy name, and perfect that which concerns me. Thou hast been my help, leave me not, nor forsake me, O God of my salvation; but hold thou me up, and I shall be safe, and I will have respect to thy statutes continually. Stablish, O Lord, strengthen and settle me, and leave me no will nor power to resist the gracious designs and methods of thy love and mercy, for the healing and saving of my soul. And as I, by my frailty, still do renew my sins, gracious Lord, through thy mercy, renew me to repentance; and though I fall let me not be utterly cast down; but uphold me with thy Almighty hand; preserve me to thy heavenly kingdom; and keep me by the power of God, through faith to salvation. O make me so faithful until death, that thou mayest give to me the crown of life; so to endure to the end, that I may be saved; that in the end of my life I may receive the glorious consummation of all my hopes, that blessed end of my faith, the eternal salvation of my soul. Amen, Amen.

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A Prayer in Prosperity.

LESSED God, rich in goodness and mercy! thou art the portion of my inheritance and of my cup; thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places, and I have a goodly heritage. I abound and am full of thy good things and surrounded on every side with thy mercies. And so thou makest my affairs succeed to my mind, that I cannot but be pleased and satisfied with my condition, and desire with all the soul to acknowledge, and bless and praise thee, for all thy special favours,

wherein thou hast made me to differ. Glory be to thee, O Lord, who hast dealt so well with thy unworthy servant, and signalized me with such great and sundry blessings. But when thou hast made my mountain to stand strong, I must not say in my prosperity, I shall never be moved; whereas, I know not what shall be on the morrow, nor how soon the sun may be hid that now shines upon me. Lord! in the time of my health and peace and prosperity, help me to remember, and provide for the time of trouble and sickness and death; when the world's enjoyments will shrink away from me, and prove utterly unable to support and relieve me.Yea, because the prosperity of fools destroys them; and the gaining the world is the loss of so many souls; and that men of the world have all their portion in this life, grant, O heavenly Father, that this may not be my portion; that I may not abuse the world's good to my dishonour, and my own undo. ing, nor turn the gifts of thy bounty into weapons of rebellion against thee, but use them in humility and sobriety, and thy holy fear; doing the better service to thee, the greater obligations thou lay est upon me; yea, making many others to fare the better for such thy bounty to thy servant. O make me as willing, as thou hast made me able, to refresh the bowels of such as want what I do enjoy; and as freely to give as I have received; that riches may not be kept to my hurt, but laid out to do myself and others real good. As I have opportunity, let me do good to all, especially to them who are of the household of faith.

O gracious Lord! take the snare out of my worldly enjoyments, and preserve me from the dan. ger and destruction that so commonly attends a full and prosperous condition; and rather turn me out

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of all my earthly possessions, than that they should lie in my way, to stop me out of thy heavenly kingdom. O let me not want the affliction which thou knowest needful to my salvation; and though thou makest me poor or givest me trouble, let me be contented and bless thy name; even taking away from me as well as giving to me. But whatever 1 have here to enjoy, O let me never set my heart upon it, nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the everliving God, who alone can be to my immortal soul, a never failing portion. O preserve me from the pride and forgetfulness of God, and love of the world, and all the vices and corruptions incident to a high and plentiful estate and let none of my abundance or success in the world, ever puff me up with a proud conceit of myself, or a scornful disdain of others, or wanton kicking against the Lord. O let it not pullme from thee; but with the cords of love do thou draw me nearer to thee; and with all my other plenty, my God, let me have the fulness of thy grace, and be rich in good works, and with all my other successes, O that my soul may prosper, and be well in thy blessed favour, and make glad with saving mercy, and thy good acceptance of me in Jesus Christ. Amen.

A Prayer for the Enlargement and Prosperity of

the Church.

GOD of all grace, who hast called out of this present evil world a chosen generation, to know thy will, to seek thy face, to follow thy ways, and to inherit thy glory; bless all thy people every where, and cause thy face to shine upon them; and so add to their number, that all the ends of the earth may remember themselves, and turn to the Lord, and see the salvation of our God. Call home