we may obtain the remiflion of fin, acccording to the riches of thy grace ;" and by the fanctifying influences of thy Good Spirit deliver us from the power, as well as from the guilt and punishment, of fim," and replenish our hearts by thy grace.

O thou God of our lives, give us grace that we may live, in this world of fenfe, a life of faith and holy obedience; and, while we pass this vale of tears, may we have as much of this world's goods as we may use well—most for the honour of God, for the good of fociety, and our own final happiness.

May we realize the fhortness of time; the uncertainty of all worldly good; and feel the importance of eternity: and behave at all times in fuch a manner, that, should we be summoned away ever so fuddenly, death may not be a dreadful but a joyful furprise to us.

Father of the univerfe, pity and relieve the fons and daughters of affliction every where. Blefs all our dear and absent friends, and make them share with us in all the bleffings we ask for ourselves, as far as their circumftances and ours may agree.

Blefs the civil government over us, and may all its offices be filled with men after thine own heart, that they may be minifters of God for good to the people of thefe United States.

May the glorious gofpel of the Bleffed God be fpread abroad in all the earth, that all nations may know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast-sent; for which purpose we pray that the minifters of the gofpel, of every denomination, may with united affection, and pious zeal, tempered with the meeknefs of wisdom, be come eminently fuccessful in carrying on the work of the Lord, until knowledge, peace and truth fhall blefs the whole family of mankind.

Blefs,

Blefs, we beseech thee, our family,, that both we who prefide over it, and they who belong to it, may belong to the household of faith, and be bleffed in him in whom the families of the earth are bleffed.

Moft Merciful Father, we thank thee for all thy goodnefs which thou haft manifefted to us, or conferred upon the whole human race. We thank thee for the ineftimable privilege we enjoy, in having free access to the throne of grace through a Mediator, for the ample provifion thou haft made for the forgiveness of our daily fins, and for the future fupplies of grace which we may need while we pass this vale of tears.

We particularly thank thee for the falvations of the day [or night] paft, and humbly commit ourfelves to the care of thy kind providence. Protect us from all evil through the day, [or night] and bring us fafe to another morning, [or evening] when we may meet again at the throne of grace to prefent our morning [or evening] facrifice; and may we be perpetually advancing in our preparations for heaven, where we hope to pay thee acts of homage and praife more worthy of thine accep tance, through Jefus Chrift, our great high priest, in whose exalted name we prefent our focial addrefs; to whom, with the Father and the Holy Ghoft, be afcribed immortal praifes. Amen.

Or you may close in the words of the Lord's Prayer; thus- In whofe exalted name and words we present our focial address, calling upon thee-"Our Father," &c.

For the fake of those whofe minds are not fufficiently tenacious eafily to commit the above to memory, I have added the following:

O THOU God of the morning [or evening] in the morning [or evening] fhalt thou hear our voice, for we direct our prayer to God Moft High.

In the name of our Lord Jefus, we pray for the pardon of all our fins, the juftification of our perfons, and the fanctification of our natures; and blefs our family, in him in whom the families of the earth are blessed.

We humbly thank thee, O Lord, for the day [or night] past, and defire to commit ourselves, and all we have, to thy future protection. Shed down, O theu Father of light and grace, upon us the influence of thy good Spirit, and implant and cultivate in us every christian grace and moral virtue, and thereby advance us in our daily preparations for heaven.

O merciful Father, pity and relieve the fons and daughters of affliction every where, and do good in thy good pleasure to Zion, and to the whole family of mankind.

Blefs the government over us, and the ministry of the gofpel which we enjoy, and spread the knowledge of thyfelf, the only true God, and Jefus Christ whom thou haft fent, and fill the whole earth with thy glory and may thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on the earth as it is done in heaven; for thine is the kingdom, the and the glory, forever. Amen.

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66

DISCOURSE

Difcourfe IX.

On the religious Education of Children and Servants.

EPH. vi. 4.

And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath; but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.

T

HE Apostle, in the clofe of this epiftle, fet himself purposely to treat on relative duties; the mutual duties of husbands and wives, of parents and children, and of masters and fervants: for this great apostle (as every good minifter will) inculcated focial virtue, as well as the doctrines of grace. He thought it not beneath his office, or befide the beneficent defign of his commiffion, to defcend into the private walks of life, to give directions, and address exhortations, to every clafs of mankind; for he would not fhun to declare the whole counfel of God; warning every man, teaching every man, in all wisdom, that he might prefent every man perfect in Chrift Jefus. And indeed every goodnatured man, who is not a ftranger to benevolence, or who wishes well to the whole family of mankind, will be defirous of promoting focial virtue and domestic happinefs; fince the public good, the well-ordering of the ftate, depends very much upon the well-ordering of private families.

In our text the Apostle addresses parents and heads of families on the fubject of a religious education of their children and fervants, and fays, And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord: which addrefs we shall endeavour to explain, and apply to the fubject of the religious education of families. When the Apostle fays, And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to wrath, but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, we are to understand him as addreffing heads of families in general; and it is as if he had faid, I advise and exhort heads of families to make use of no fuch fevere or tyrannical difcipline, among or with their children or fervants, as may have a tendency to break their young and tender spirits, and fo difcourage and fupprefs a laudable ambition in them to excel in those things for which they have a natural genius. And he gives the fame caution and advice in that parallel place in Coloffians iii. 21: And ye, fathers, provoke not your children to anger, left they be discouraged. And heads of families fhould be upon their guard against a too fe vere difcipline, left, the angry paffions of their children, being often provoked, fhould be exafperated to fuch a degree as to break out into indecent expreffions about their parents, mafters and guardians, and, from fecret indignation, and fuppreffed anger, may be led to wifh ill to them, which is a very great fin, and big with all manner of ill confequences. Prejudicing the children and fervants of such families against religion is not one of the least.

Children receive their firft impreffions from their parents, or from those who have the direction of their childhood. If they observe, or are led to think, that their conduct is is not such as the rules of christianity allow or require, or is not agreeable to the benevolent genius of the gospel, their exafperated minds will be foured against

the