torments; either to take away life from us, or make it less desirable than death to us.

We fall down and kneel before the Lord our Maker, in humble submission to thy correction, acknowledging the heavy desert of our sins, and the perfect justice of thy judgments. Humble us, O good Lord, under thy hand; and forgive us the heinous guilt that provokes thee so to stretch it out against us. Thou that takest away the sins of the world, have mercy upon us, and turn us from our sins, and deliver us from evil and turn away thy wrath, and all such plagues from us. O let thy boundless compassion cover the multitude of our transgressions! and remember thy poor miserable creatures in mercy; even such mercy as may relieve and help us in our need and distress; and save and free us from our fears and dangers, and from our griefs and pressures; that we may comfortably spend our days, and glorify thy holy name for everAmen.

more.

Under any great Difficulties and arduous Affairs.

LORD, thou art a God of knowledge, whose understanding is infinite; and thou art never at a loss to effect what we would have: though the Lord knows the thoughts of man, that they are vanity and our wisdom is so often at a stand, that we know not what to do for ourselves; and at this time, our affairs are so entangled, and such a labyrinth now involves us, that we are perplexed in our counsels, and even the heads of the wise are puzzled, in contriving how to extricate and help us out. There are many devices in a man's heart, but the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand. Yea, man's goings are of the Lord; how can man then understand his own

way? His heart may advise his way, but the Lord directs his steps. If we lean not to our own understandings, but in all our ways acknowledge thee, O Lord; thou hast promised to direct our paths: and when we commit our way to thee, and trust in thee, we have thy word that thou wilt bring it to pass. But thou hast pronounced woe to them that take counsel, but not of thee: that cover with a covering, but not of thy Spirit, and have not asked at thy mouth.

Our eyes therefore are upon our God; and to thee we seek now for wisdom from above: that we may learn to know the right, and to choose the best. For without thee, O Lord, our wisdom is folly, and our debates are madness. O be thou graciously present in our councils. and teach thou our senators wisdom, that they may find out the true expedients to heal our breaches, and redress our grievances; and to keep us safe, and do us good, and make us holy and happy. O may we all be taught of God which way to take, and how to determine and act, consonant and agreeable to thy blessed will, and for our own peace and welfare, both here and for ever. Amen.

A Prayer for Temporal Blessings.

LORD our God, thou knowest that while we are in this life, we stand in need of its supplies and hath both promised to such as seek thy kingdom, and the righteousness thereof, the addition of all other necessaries; and also hast commanded us to ask of thee our daily bread, and to cast our care upon thee, my heavenly Father, for such a child's portion as thy wisdom sees to be convenient,

and agreeable to my condition. O give me such health and wealth, and so much of the world's good, as shall be for my good. And while I have a life to be nourished, let me not want the supports and comforts of it. Give me skill and ability to provide for myself: and still add thy blessing to my endeavours. Where I cannot supply all my own necessities, O do thou raise up friends and means to help me, that I may never be destitute of what is sufficient to sustain me and be it ever so poor and mean, yet let me acquiesce in the distributions of thy good providence; and having food and raiment, be therewith content. In prosperity, keep me from forgetting thee and in adversity, keep me from concluding myself to be forgotten of thee: O keep me from all unnecessary cares, and unprofitable dejections; and teach me how to want, as well as how to abound. Add to me, O my Father, what thou knowest me further to need; and bless to me what already I have. That the bodily comforts may not be to my soul occasions of falling, but encouragements to my duty, and engagements on my heart, to abound in thy love and praise, and in the work of the Lord. And in the want of all other supplies and succours, be thou, O God, my all in all, in life and death, and evermore. Amen.

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For Rain.

E confess, O Lord, that we have so greatly abused the comforts of thy good creatures, that thou mightest justly withdraw them from us, and make the heavens over us as brass, and the rain of our land dust; and the land itself to mourn, and all that grows upon it to wither. But thou Father of mercies, who in judgment rememberest mer

cy, consult not now our merits, but thy own mercies, how to use us. Thou that hast the bottles and treasures of heaven at thy command, be pleased now to open the windows of heaven, and cause the rain to come down in its season; making grass to grow for the cattle, and herbs and fruits of the earth for the service of men. And however thou art pleased to deal with us, O suppress all our repinings at any of thy dealings; and let them all amend and better us; and make us a people prepared to receive the mercies which we want, and wait and beg for, at thy gracious hands, upon the account of Jesus Christ. Amen.

For Fair Weather.

ORD, if thou shouldst turn a fruitful land into barrenness, for the wickedness of them that dwell therein; yet righteous wert thou, and just would be thy judgments: and we must not open our mouths to reply against God; but bear the indignation of the Lord which our sins have so much deserved; when our iniquities have turned away the blessings, and withholden the good things from us. But, O Father of mercies, spare us, and forgive us, for thy own mercy's sake: and put a stop to the calamity that threatens destruction to the works of thy hands; that the rain which is thy blessing may not be turned into a curse; nor descend from heaven to corrupt and spoil the fruits of the earth. cause the overflowing showers to cease, which damp the joy of the harvest, and endanger the blasting of our blessings. And as thou hast given us plenty, and caused our land to yield its increase, so give us, we pray thee, a seasonable time to gather in the fruits which thy bounty has provided for us; that in the use of them we may joyfully and cheerfully

serve thee; and not consume them upon our lusts, but live to thy glory, as we do upon thy bounty. And when thy judgments are in the land, O that we, who inhabit it, may learn righteousness! nor let our concernments be so great for our bodies as for our souls that however we fare here, it may go well with us for ever. O let us not labour so for the meat that perisheth as for that which endures to everlasting life which everlasting provision for our unchangeable condition, above all we beg at thy hands, O Lord God our heavenly Father, for the sake of Jesus Christ our only Saviour. Amen.

Prayer and Praise for a Public ThanksgivingDay.

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LESSED Lord, the only living and true God, who art of thyself, and givest being and preservation to us, and to all things else that are in the world! we live by thee; our whole dependence is upon thee, for all the good that ever we have or hope for. And above all thy mercies, have we cause to admire and bless, and praise thee our God, for those mercies, which in so large a measure, and especial manner, thou hast been pleased still to vouchsafe unto us, who are the work of thy hands, and the purchase of the blood of thy Son: whom thou hast made and redeemed to shew forth thy praise, and to glorify thy name. And we desire to pay unto thee that tribute of homage, and service and prayer, and praise, which thou hast made us capable of, and so many ways obliged us to: we desire to perform the same in such a manner, that thou mayest mercifully accept us, at the hands of Jesus Christ.

Worthy art thou, O Lord our God, to receive all honour and glory, all thanks and praise, and love and