DEVOTIONAL EXERCISES.

SUNDAY MORNING.

Reflections.

UNDER the protection and blessing of that Almighty Power, to which I at first owed my being, I have lain down and slept in peace, and have arisen in health and safety. It is right, therefore, that my gracious and unceasing Protector should have my first thoughts,, and my ardent gratitude. He alone it is who preserves me in life, and from his bounty I derive all the advantages and comforts I enjoy. Parents, and friends, and instructers; all the powers of my body and all the faculties of my mind, are bestowed by God, continued by him, and depend entirely upon his will. To him, therefore, be given my most grateful praise.

One blessing which I receive from him, is this day most forcibly brought to my mind; and for this I cannot be sufficiently thankful. I have the power of knowing, loving, and serving Him who

created, and who preserves me.

He has "taught

me more than the beasts of the earth, and made me wiser than the fowls of heaven." They owe their existence, and all their enjoyments, to the same Almighty Power and boundless goodness; but they know not the hand that formed them, and are incapable of the sentiments of religious gratitude, and of the expression of religious praise. But to the children of men it is given to trace their Creator in his works; and to be still more fully instructed concerning Him, by his revealed word. Young as I am, I am not ignorant of the existence and the perfections of God; I know that he made me; that he takes care of me now, and will never lose sight of me even in the grave. I can love and fear, I can praise and obey him; and for my own present and everlasting benefit, he requires from me the homage of my heart and the obedience of my life. Religion constitutes one of the most important privileges that God has conferred upon human nature: it is a most decisive mark of the superiority of man to all the other orders of beings in this world; and it qualifies him to seek after, and to obtain a heavenly and immortal inheritance. Never may I be insensible of the value of this privilege, or neglect to use and to improve it. Whatever may be my future lot in life, religion will enable me to sustain it with a becoming temper; and

to render it conducive to my eternal welfare. Acknowledging God in all my ways, and desiring above all things to stand approved in his sight, I shall pass through every scene with propriety and comfort. And so far from casting a gloom over the morning of my days, it will add much to its brightness, by enabling me to look up continually to the great Creator and Ruler of the universe, as to my Almighty Parent and my best friend, and by guarding me from all those youthful follies, which are ever attended with pain, disquietude, and disgrace. The ways of wisdom are "ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace." The more assiduously I cultivate a love of religion now, the more steadily shall I adhere to the practice of it, when engaged in the more active concerns of the world; the fewer and the weaker will be the temptations to sinful conduct, with which I shall be assailed; and the more easily and the more comfortably shall I proceed through life, to the attainment of its great end, a world of ever-growing virtue and happiness. Whatever others do, therefore, let it be my firm resolution, now, in my younger days, to serve the Lord; to live under a constant sense of his presence with me; to avoid whatever he has forbidden; to do whatever he has commanded; and in every thought, word, and deed, to seek to please him. And since the religious services of this day

are designed to aid my improvement in the knowledge and the practice of whatever is holy and good, let me endeavour so to engage in them, that this design may be accomplished. Let me join in the worship of God, so that I may be more devoted to his fear; and listen to the instructions that shall be imparted, so that they may be impressed deeply upon my mind, and their beneficial influence be visible in my future conduct. Thus shall I be better prepared for either life or death; for the discharge of those duties to which the Providence of God may call me; or the recompense which he has graciously promised, and will faithfully bestow on those who have sincerely sought to know and to do his will

PRAYER.

O ALMIGHTY GOD, the great Creator, Governor, and Supporter of all men; thankful for the existence which thou hast given me, and which by thy care has been preserved from the dangers of the past night, I humbly and gratefully bow myself before thee. Young and weak as I am, thou wilt not disdain my praises. Great and powerful as

thou art, the prayers of the meanest of thy creatures may, with acceptance, ascend to thy throne.

Heavenly Father, all I have is thine; thou hast made me, and thy providence has supported me in life to the present moment; and there is not one of all the blessings I enjoy, which thy goodness did not bestow. To thy kindness I owe parents and friends, and all the means of knowledge and happiness and while others less advanced in life than myself, have been called to an early tomb, and cut off in childhood from all the objects of the present scene, I am still preserved, and surrounded with sources of the purest enjoyment. For these blessings, my heart adores thee; and may all my conduct prove the sincerity of my gratitude. To thee would I devote my youthful powers: in thy service would I spend these, and all my days. Carefully avoiding the follies and vices to which I may be exposed, I would make it my most earnest endeavour to be blameless in thy sight. Help me, O merciful Father, to form those habits of virtue, and to cherish those pious dispositions, which will best prepare me for the proper discharge of the important duties of advancing years, and fit me for a happy immortality, whenever thou shalt see fit to call me out of this life. Not presuming upon length of days, because I am now in health and vigour; but aware from the many proofs which are daily