PRAYERS POR CHILDREN. 351 abetter life to Come? Let us never abuse our present mercies, but shew our sincere thankfulness, by improving them to thy honour, and our eternal comfort, through the intercession of thy on Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. A shorter Grace before Meat. Bless us, O Lord, and bless the provisions of the table to our use, that whether we eat or drink, or whatsoever we do, all may turn to thy glory, and.our good, for Christ's sake. Amen. 1lshorter Graceafter Meat. Let God be praised, for all our supports and enjoymentson earth, and for all our hopes of heaven, through Jesus Christ bur blessed Saviour. Amen. Though the foregoing prayers composed for youth and youngpersons, in the morning or edening, are cast into a plain and easy method, so as to include the chief parts of prayer in a natural order, for the information of learners, yet, as 1 intimated in the preface, so I would repeat it here, that prayers are not al- ways to be framed in thesame method, and indeedit is seldom, that such an exact order shouldbe observed. There is too much con- finement and restraint laid upon the freedom, the fervency and the spirit of devotion, by too strict an observance of such a rule. It is better generally to intermix these distinctparts of prayer, as in tite following examples: Adoration and =thanksgiving. Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to thy holy naine be honour and praise : Thou art great in power, beyond all our thoughts, and thou hast done great things for us, above all our praises. Thy heart is full of compassion and Jove, and we bless thee, that thou hest shewu thy love and compassion to us, in raising us from our lost estate, and leading us into the way of salvation. Adoration and con - fession. Then art a great God, and glorious in thy holiness, but we are guilty and unholy creatures ; how shall we lift up our faces to thee, or appear in thy presence ? Adoration and peti- tion. Thy mercies, O Lord, are exceeding great, pity us in our sinful state, and raise us from our guilt and wretchedness. Or thus: There is rich grace and forgiveness with thee, and plen- teous redemption with thy Son Jesus ; O let our iniquities bealb forgiven, and let us be partakers of that rich grace, through the death and intercession of our blessed Redeemer. Confession and .thanksgiving. Ilow are our souls covered withguilt, and our natures defiled with sin ? How unworthy are we to come before a holy God ? But blessedbe that grace, that has provided a way, both for our pardon and our purification. Blessed be our God, who has opened the fountain of the blood of Christ his Son, to wash away our defilements, and hasappointed his own Spirit to renew out natures in holiness.
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