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take them up, and follow our dear Lord with a temper like that which he manifested when he ascended Calvary for our sakes. Like him may we say, in the circumstances of trial, The cup which my heavenly Father hath given me, shall I not drink it? Keep us, O Lord, we pray thee, from the temptations to which we are daily exposed: or, if thou sufferest us to enter into temptation, do thou deliver us from evil: make us sensible of our own weakness, that our hearts may be raised to thee for needful supplies of strength. When we are in society may we watch the door of our lips, that we speak not unadvisedly with our tongue. O enable us to keep down pride, and to say to passion-Peace, be still! May all around us be the better for us; may we be solicitous daily to be answering the great purposes of life, by honouring thee, and diffusing knowledge and happiness in the world. Like our blessed Master may we often retire to pray; and do thou, our heavenly Father, meet us and strengthen us, with all might, by thy Spirit in the inner man; may we enjoy the pleasure of thy presence, and feel the animating power of it awakening our souls to an earnest desire to follow Jesus, and, in our little measure, to fulfil all righteousness! Thus may this day, and all our days be spent. And, O Lord, dispose us seriously to review

the actions of every day, and judge ourselves as we expect to be judged at last by thee, who searchest all hearts; that when our Lord shall come, we may hear that joyful sentence, "Come ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you. Enter into the joy of thy Lord." Amen.

HYMN.

Jesus root and fix in me

All the mind that was in thee
;
Settled peace we then shall find,
Jesu's is a quiet mind.

When it doth in me appear,
I shall nothing covet here,
I shall cast the world behind;
Jesu's is a heavenly mind.

Then the fatal thirst of praise,
Shall in me no more have place,
Pride no more my soul shall bind,'
Jesu's is an humble mind.

PRAYER

For Friday Evening.

How excellent is thy mercy, O God! and what encouragement dost thou give us to put our trust under the shadow of thy wings !Thou art the bountiful giver of the good that

our souls desire, and the merciful withholder of the evil that our'sins deserve. From thee comes all our help; and in thee make us repose all our hope. We acknowledge thy great and daily goodness to us; and our own absolute unworthiness of the least of all thy mercies. We desire to take shame and confusion to ourselves, that we have so little improved, and so greatly abused, thy patience with us, and the various instances of thy bounty towards us. Thy very mercies help to aggravate the heavy reckoning of our offences; because we have done so much against thee, after all the great things thou hast done, and art continually doing, for us. We would, O Lord, be penitent and humbled for our sins; and intreat thy gracious favour in Jesus Christ for the pardon of them. And, being justified by faith, grant us peace with God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. And, as we pray, that thou wilt be to us a Father of mercies, and a God of consolation; so also that thou wouldest make us followers of thee, as dear children. Work in us, by thy Holy Spirit, that which is well-pleasing in thy sight. Lord, thou knowest our weakness, and the temptations to which we are exposed; our danger from the enemy of souls, and from the present world, which is full of snares; and, above all, from the enemy

within, our vile flesh and deceitful hearts, so apt to betray us into sin. We pray, therefore, that thou wilt arm us with the whole armour of God, and uphold us with thy free grace, and watch over us for good evermore.

And seeing, O Lord, that thou art yet pleased to hold our souls in life, and to make us find and feel, by every day's experience, how gracious and merciful thou art, give us hearts more sensible of thy love to us, more inflamed with love to thee, and more thankful for the blessings which thou art pleased to multiply upon us. And cause us to shew forth thy praise, not only by speaking good of thy name, but by ordering our conversation as becomes the gospel of Christ. To thy mercy do we humbly commend ourselves and ours this night; beseeching thee to visit us with thy salvation, and to preserve us in soul and body from all evils and dangers, to which the weakness of our frame, and the greatness of our sins expose us. May our. repose be safe and refreshing, that we may rise better fitted and enabled to serve thee according to thy will. And as thou addest days and mercies, add repentance and amendment to our days; that, in proportion as we draw nearer to the grave, our souls may grow fitter for heaven. For which we hope only

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through the mediation and intercession of Jesus Christ our Lord, who is the same yesterday, and to-day, and for ever. Amen.

Meditation for Saturday Morning.

CHRIST'S TEMPTATION.

Temptations are fiery darts, thorns in the flesh, buffetings, fightings, combats, hardships, and sufferings: Christ submitted to them, because he would humble himself in all things, to be made like unto his brethren.

There is no conquest without a combat. Christ was tempted that he might overcome the tempter. Satan tempted the first Adam, and triumphed over him; but he shall not ever triumph. The second Adam shall triumph over him, and lead captivity captive. Let saints remember, though their enemy is subtle and spiteful, yet he is not invincible: though he is a strong man armed, yet the Captain of our salvation is stronger than he. Our High Priest knows, by experience, what it is to be tempted, and is therefore more tenderly touched with the feeling of our infirmities in an hour of temptation. But it is still more comfort to think that Christ conquered, being tempted, and conquering for us-not only the enemy we grapple with is a conquered, baffled, disarmed enemy, but

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