together as heirs of the grace of life, in favour with God and man. And do thou make gracious provision for the supply of their wants. Continue their health, and bring me at a proper time to see them again with mutual cause of satisfaction and joy. May the unhappy wanderer from God, and his duty, be reclaimed by the influence of thy power, and taught to behave with sobriety and decency, and in a manner that will give some encouragement to hope that he will be happy for time and for eternity. May all my dear friends in this family be remembered by thee. And particularly may thine handmaid at the head of it, be spared to many years of usefulness and of comfort. And may every one of her children be brought into the bonds of thy covenant, and be a comfort to her, and a blessing to the world. So far as I am concerned in their education, do thou give a blessing to my care, that I may repay some part of that debt which I owe to the friendship of their pious mother, and to the memory of thy dear and excellent servant, whom for wise, though unknown reasons, thou wert pleased to remove by so early and so lamentable a stroke.

Remember all those of my generous benefactors, who are now within the reach of prayer; and may all that they have imparted to me be repaid into their bosoms a hundred fold, in the bounties of thy providence, the influences of thy grace, and the consolations of God, that are not small.

May the dear flock, that is committed to my care, be happy with the influences of thy spirit, as well as the instructions of thy word. May unconverted sinners be awakened and regenerated; and may the many among them, whom, through thy great goodness, we have reason to look upon as sincere christians, be carried on in their way, rejoicing. May those that are declining be restored. May those that are mourning be comforted. And may those that are going on with cheerfulness and vigour be still supported, and carried forward in new attainments.

And may every opportunity that we have of worshiping thee together, concur to the improvement both of minister and of people; that they may have reason to bless God upon my account; and thus may be a foundation laid of an eternal friendship.

May all that are in affliction be mercifully remembered. Relieve the necessitous; heal the sick; succour the tempted; be a father to the fatherless, and a husband to the widow, O God, in thy holy habitation. And give me a heart tenderly touched with the sorrows of my fellow creatures, and make me solicitous to do my utmost for their relief.

May thy priests, O God, be clothed with righteousness, that thy chosen people may be joyful. May those that appear under the character of ministers answer the obligation of such a relation by zeal, fidelity, and exemplary holiness. And do thou add efficacy to their pious care, that there may be a revival of thy work in the midst of these years.

May our national tranquillity and happiness be continued, our health, our peace, and our plenty. May those that govern us be directed by thee, to the most proper administration, and animated with a concern to contribute their utmost to the happiness and prosperity of their country. In particular, do thou bless the sacred person of our King. May he act under the influence of piety, as well as of generosity and honour. And may he have the pleasure to see that thou art making him a glorious Prince over a happy people. May the Queen be long continued, as an ornament to the throne, and a blessing to the kingdom. And may their lovely branches be the defence and the glory of future generations, as they are the ornaments and delight of this. And do thou, O God, pour out more and more, of a spirit and holiness, and of a spirit of peace, upon all professing orders of christians among us, that animosity and wickedness may not involve us in a common destruction.

May all Christian Churches be protected by thee, so far

as they are built upon the apostolical model. And may all the corrupt additions of weak, or of wicked men, be taken out of the way. May anti-christ be dethroned, that Christ's religion may shine forth in its native purity and glory; and so may it charm the eyes of those who are now its avowed enemies. May the Jews be recalled, and may pagans and mahometans be convinced of their errors, and engaged to embrace the truth as it is in Jesus, that the Lord may be one, and his name one; that a religion so glorious to God, and beneficial to mankind, may be universally known, embraced, and obeyed. Hasten, O God, that happy time, and engage us all in our respective places, to do our utmost to subserve a work so glorious and so happy. Hear these, my weak and imperfect intercessions, for the sake of that great Intercessor, into whose hand I would humbly commend my person and my services; and to whom, with thee and the Holy Spirit, be everlasting glory. Amen.

A serious recollection of my sacramental engagements. O GOD, I am thine by ten thousand obligations; and I would now particularly set myself to recollect how frequently I have sworn to observe thy covenant by the solemn memorial of a blessed Redeemer. It is my crime and my shame, that I have remembered it no more. And I own, thou mightest punish me with a destruction answerable to the dignity of that blood which I have trampled under my feet, and the awful solemnity of that oath which I have violated. But as I humbly entreat the pardon of my former prevarications, and as I am well aware, that the obligations of each do still remain in their full force, I now seriously renew them; and I charge it upon my soul in the most solemn manner. I declare by that body that was broken, and that blood which was shed for the satisfaction of thy justice and the redemption of my soul, that I will renounce every sin, and that I will make thy service the

business of my life; depending upon it, that thou wilt, with regard to that great atonement, forgive all my numberless and aggravated offences; that thou wilt take me under the conduct of thy spirit now, and receive me, at length, to thine heavenly kingdom. Amen, for Jesus' sake.

A MODEL OF DEVOTION FOR THE EVENING.

1. General praise for the mercies of the day, and humiliation for the sins of it. To follow immediately after self

examination.

O MY GOD, thou art ever merciful and gracious. Thou causest the outgoing of the morning, and the return of the evening to rejoice with me. I now offer thee my repeated tribute of praise. May my prayer come before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice.

I heartily thank thee, that my forfeited life hath been lengthened out another day; and that every period, and every moment of it, has been crowned with the instances of thy care, and thy bounty. I thank thee for my food and raiment. I thank thee for my health, for the enjoyment of my friends, for the success of my studies; and, above all, for opportunities of conversing with thee, and of offering thee my humble services, though I acknowledge them infinitely beneath thy regard.

I earnestly entreat thy gracious forgiveness with regard to all the sins which I have this day been chargeable with. Innumerable evils compass me about. And in the most innocent, and most faithful days of my life, I see abundant need to forfeit thy favour, and to awaken thy displeasure. May the blood of Christ Jesus be sprinkled upon my soul, to cleanse me from this new guilt which I have contracted, as well as from all I have formerly contracted. For his sake continue thy gracious protection this night. Deliver me from all dangers and temptations. Give me speedy, sound, and refreshing sleep; and awake me in due time, fitted and

determined for the duties of the day. And never leave me nor forsake me till thou hast brought me to that happy world, where these revolutions of nature shall be known no more; but where there shall be one everlasting day of glory and of joy, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

2. A deep humiliation from the recollection of former guilt. O MOST holy, holy, holy, Lord God, the reflections I have been making upon the irregularities and follies of this day may naturally lead me to reflect upon those innumerable evils, which have compassed me about in the former part of my foolish, wicked, and abused life: and though I have humbled myself in thy presence upon the account of them, and humbly hope that I have obtained forgiveness, yet would I remember them to my shame and confusion, and renew my lamentations and my prayers for forgiveness.

It is with amazement and astonishment, as well as with regret, that I seriously think what I have been doing for so many years in life. Thou hast given me the knowledge of thy word, and hast made it my peculiar business to study it: so that few have had more clear notions of duty, and of the obligations to the performance of it. Thou hast surrounded me with innumerable mercies, both of a temporal and a spiritual nature. Thou hast sometimes visited me with afflictive providences. Thou hast striven with me by the operations of my conscience, and of thy blessed spirit.*

ON THE FINAL DETERMINATION OF THE AFFAIR AT NOTTINGHAM, AND THE FIRST PROPOSAL OF MY IMMEDIATE ENTRANCE ON THE EMPLOYMENT OF A TUTOR.

LAST night I wrote a letter to my dear and most obliging friends at the castle-gate meeting at Nottingham, in which gave them my final answer in the negative. There were many delightful and recommending circumstances in the

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* This article appears to have been left in an imperfect state.