for us, through the veil of thy own flesh, enable us to draw near humbly trusting in thee.

Where thou hast begun the good work of grace in any of our souls, we beseech thee, O Lord, to continue the same, and make it perfect to the praise and glory of thy grace: may we all discover through infinite mercy, that the God of all grace worketh in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure. Let us not like the world, search for earthly good, but let the cry of our souls ever be "Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us."

Preserve, we beseech thee, the light of the glorious gospel in our land: bless all thy ministers who faithfully preach the truth as it is in Jesus: add to their number and increase their usefulness to the awakening of the dead in sin, and the comforting and edifying of thy people in their most holy faith.

Accept our imperfect praises and thanksgivings for all the mercies of this day. O keep us in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

Now unto him that is able to keep us from falling, and to present us faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Saviour be glory

and majesty, dominion and power, now and for ever and ever.

Amen.

Meditation for Saturday Morning.

"Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal. For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also."-Matt. vi. 19-21.

Christ designs not to deprive us of our treasure, but to direct us in the choice of it. We must not say to the gold, thou art my hope; riches make themselves wings, thieves break through and steal; every hand of violence will be aiming at the house where the treasure is laid up. These things must not be made our consolation, or good things; it concerns us to choose wisely, for we are 'choosing for ourselves, and shall have as we choose. If we consider what we are, what we are made for, how large our capacities are, and that our souls are ourselves, we shall see it to be folly indeed to lay up our treasure on earth: "lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven."

1

There are treasures in heaven as sure as

there are on this earth, riches, and glories, and pleasures that are at God's right-hand. It is our wisdom to make our title to eternal life sure through Jesus Christ, and to depend upon that as our happiness, and look upon all things here below with a holy contempt, as not worthy to be compared with it. We must firmly believe there is such a happiness, and resolve to be content with that, and to be content with nothing short of it. If we thus make those treasures ours they are laid up, and we may trust God to keep them safe for us; thither then let us refer all our designs, and let out all our desires; thither let us send before our best effects and best affections. Let us not burden ourselves with the cash of this world, which will but load us, and defile us, and be in danger to sink us, but lay up in store good securities. The promises are bills of exchange, by which all true believers return their treasure to heaven, payable in a future state. It is a happiness above, and beyond the changes and chances of time; an inheritance incorruptible, undefiled, and that fadeth not away. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

HYMN.

My soul, with all thy waken'd powers
Survey the heavenly prize;
Nor let these glittering toys of earth,
Allure thy wand'ring eyes.

The joys and treasures of a day,
I cheerfully resign;

Rich in that large immortal store,
Secur'd by grace divine.

Let fools my wiser choice deride,
Angels and God approve;
Nor scorn of men, nor rage of hell
My steadfast soul shall move.

With ardent eye that bright reward,
I daily will survey;
And in the blooming prospect lose
The sorrows of the way.

PRAYER

For Saturday Morning.

O Lord our God, how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, which thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee before the sons of men! How precious are thy thoughts unto us, O God, how great is the sum of them! If we should count them, they are more in number than

the sands. It is thou that hast made us and not we ourselves, thou art the former of our bodies, and the father of our spirits. Thou hast given us a tongue to speak, and therefore it should shew forth thy praise thou hast given us a soul capable of love and joy; O let us love thee, and rejoice in thee. Bless the Lord, O our souls, and all that is within us bless his holy name: bless the Lord, O our souls, and forget not all his benefits. We have been cast upon thee from the womb, and have hung upon thee from the breast. How many unknown and deserved evils have we been preserved from! How many undeserved mercies have been showered down upon us!

Thou sendest fruitful seasons and fillest our hearts with food and gladness: thou crownest the year with thy goodness, and thy paths drop fatness. Above all, we bless thee, for the joyful sound of the Gospel; and that the day-spring from on high hath visited us to guide our feet in the way of peace. Thou callest upon us to return and live, and we can say we trust our hearts will, through thy grace, obey this call. We were sometimes darkness, but we now desire to be light in the Lord. We were strangers, but we now desire to be thy children. We were dead, but our prayer now is, that God, who is rich in mercy for the great love wherewith he loved