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set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, even the kingdom of the Redeemer.a And whatever counsels there are in men's hearts, Lord let thy counsel stand, and do thou fulfil the thoughts of thy heart unto all generations.c

12. For our own land and nation, the happy islands of Great Britain and Ireland, which we ought in a special manner to seek the welfare of, that in the peace thereof we may have peace.

1. We must be thankful to God for his mercies to our land.

We bless thee that thou hast planted us in a very fruitful hill,d and hast not made the wilderness our habitation,e or the barren land our dwelling, but our land yields her increase.g

Lord, thou hast dealt favourably with our land; we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us, what work thou didst for us in their days, and in the times of old;i and as we have heard, so have we seen; for we have thought of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.k

Thou hast given us a pleasant land,/ 'tis Immanuel's land,m 'tis a valley of vision, thou hast set up thy tabernacle among us,n and thy sanctuary is in the midst of

us.o

We dwell safely under our own vines and fig-trees,p and there is peace to him that goeth out, and to him that comes in.q

And because the Lord loved our people, therefore he hath set a good government over us, to do judgment and justice ;r to be a terror to evil doers, and a protection and praise of them that do well.s

2. We must be humbled before God for our national · sins and provocations.

But we are a sinful people, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil doers :t and a great deal of reason

a Dan: 2. 44.
d Isa. 5. 1.
h Psalm 85. 1.
/ Jer. 3. 19.
o Ezek. 37. 26, 27.
7 1 Kings 10. 9.

b Prov. 19.21.

e Job 39. 6,

¿ Psalm 44. 1.
m. Isa. 8.8.
p 1 Kings 4. 25:
Rom. 13. 3.

c Psalm 33.11.
g Psalm 85. 12.
k Psalm 48. 8, 9.
n Isa. 22. 1.
g 2 Chron. 15. 5.
i Isa. 1. 4.

we have to sigh and cry for the abominations that are committed among us.a

Iniquity abounds among us, and the love of many is waxen cold.b

We have not been forsaken, nor forgotten of our God, though our land be full of sin against the Holy One of Israel.c

3. We must pray earnestly for national mercies.

1. For the favours of God to us, and the tokens of his presence among us, as that in which the happiness of our nation is bound up.

O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble: be not thou a stranger in our land, or a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry but for a night; but be thou always in the midst of us; we are called by thy name, O leave us not: though our, iniquities testify against us, yet do thou not for thy name's sake; tho' our backslidings are many, and we have sinned against thee.d

Turn us to thee, O Lord God of hosts, and then cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved. O stir up thy strength, and come and save us.e

Show us thy mercy, O Lord, and grant us thy salvation, yea, let that salvation be nigh them that fear thee, that glory may dwell in our land. Let mercy and truth' meet together, righteousness and peace kiss each other: Let truth spring out of the earth, and righteousness look down from heaven; yea, let the Lord give that which is good: let righteousness go before him, and set us in the way of his steps.g

2. For the continuance of the gospel among us, and the means of grace, and a national profession of Christ's holy religion.

Ŏlet the throne of Christ endure for ever among us, even the place of thy sanctuary, that glorious high throne from the beginning.¿

Let our candlestick never be removed out of his place, though we have deserved it should, because we have left our first love.k Never do to us as thou didst to thy a Ezek. 9. 4.

d Jer. 14.7, 8, 9. h Psalm 45. 6.

b Matt. 24. 12.

e Psalm 80, 2, 3.
i Jer. 17. 12.

c Jer. 51. 5. g Ps.85.7,9,10,11,12,13, * Rev. 2. 4, 5.

J

set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed, even the kingdom of the Redeemer.a And whatever counsels there are in men's hearts, Lord let thy counsel stand, and do thou fulfil the thoughts of thy heart unto all generations.c

12. For our own land and nation, the happy islands of Great Britain and Ireland, which we ought in a special manner to seek the welfare of, that in the peace thereof we may have peace.

1. We must be thankful to God for his mercies to our land.

We bless thee that thou hast planted us in a very fruitful hill,d and hast not made the wilderness our habitation,e or the barren land our dwelling, but our land yields her increase.g

Lord, thou hast dealt favourably with our land ;h we have heard with our ears, and our fathers have told us, what work thou didst for us in their days, and in the times of old ;i and as we have heard, so have we seen; for we have thought of thy loving kindness, O God, in the midst of thy temple.k

Thou hast given us a pleasant land,/ 'tis Immanuel's land,m 'tis a valley of vision, thou hast set up thy tabernacle among us,n and thy sanctuary is in the midst of

us.o

We dwell safely under our own vines and fig-trees,p and there is peace to him that goeth out, and to him that comes in.q

And because the Lord loved our people, the hath set a good government over us, to do and justice ;r to be a terror to evil doers, a tion and praise of them that do well.s

2. We must be humbled before God for t sins and provocations.

But we are a sinful people, a

quity, a seed of evil doers :t and

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a Dan: 2. 44. d Isa. 5. 1. h Psalm 85. 1. / Jer. 3. 19.

o Ezek. 37. 26, 27. ? 1 Kings 10. 9.

b Prov. 19.21.

e Job 39. 6.
¿ Psalm 44. 1.
m. Isa. 8.8.

1 Kings 4. 25:
Rom. 13. 3.

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we have to sigh and cry for the abominations that are committed among us.a

Iniquity abounds among us, and the love of many is waxen cold.b

We have not been forsaken, nor forgotten of our God, though our land be full of sin against the Holy One of Israel.c

3. We must pray earnestly for national mercies.

1. For the favours of God to us, and the tokens of his presence among us, as that in which the happiness of our nation is bound up.

O the hope of Israel, the Saviour thereof in time of trouble: be not thou a stranger in our land, or a wayfaring man that turns aside to tarry but for a night; but be thou always in the midst of us; we are called by thy name, O leave us not: though our iniquities testify against us, yet do thou not for thy name's sake; tho' our backslidings are many, and we have sinned against thee.de

[graphic]

place which was in Shiloh, where thou didst set thy name at the first.a

Let us never know what a famine of the word means; nor ever be put to wander from sea to sea, and from the river to the ends of the earth, to seek the word of God.b

Let wisdom and knowledge be the stability of our times, and strength of salvation, and let the fear of the Lord be our treasure :c let the righteous flourish among us, and let there be those that shall fear thee in our land,d as long as the sun and moon endure, throughout all generations, that there may be abundance of peace, and the children which shall be created may praise the Lord.e

3. For the continuance of our outward peace and tranquility, our liberty and plenty, for the prosperity of our trade, and blessing upon the fruits of the earth.

Let God himself be a wall of fire round about us, and the glory in the midst of us,g yea, let his gospel be our glory, and upon all that glory let there be a defence; and create upon every dwelling place of Mount Zion, and upon her assemblies, a cloud and smoke by day, and the shining of a flaming fire by night.h

Peace be within our borders, and prosperity within our palaces, the prosperity both of merchandise and husbandry, that Zebulun may rejoice in his going out, and Issachar in his tents.

Appoint salvation to us for walls and bulwarks, and in order to that let the gates be opened, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in./

Make our officers peace, and our exactors righteousness; let violence never be heard in our gates, wasting or destruction in our borders, but let our walls be called Salvation, and our gates Praise : Never let our land be termed forsaken and desolate, but let the Lord delight in us, and let our land be married to him.n

Let our peace be as a river, and in order to that, our righteousness as the waves of the sea :o let that righteous

a Jer. 7. 12.41! d Psalm 72.5.7. hla. 4. 5.

Isa. 27. 1. 2. o Isa. 48.18.

b Amos 8, 11. 12.
e Psalm 102. 18,
i Psalm 122. 7.
27 isa. 60. 17, 18.

c Isa. 33. 6.
g Zech. 2. 5.
k Deut. 33. 18,
" Isa. 62, 4.

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