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FIRST EVENING.

OST merciful God, who art of purer eyes than to behold iniquity, and hast promised forgiveness to all those who confess and forsake their sins, we come before Thee in an humble sense of our own unworthiness, acknowledging our manifold transgressions of Thy righteous laws. But, O gracious Father, who desirest not the death of a sinner, look upon us, we beseech Thee, in mercy, and forgive us all our transgressions. Make us deeply sensible of the great evil of them, and work in us a hearty contrition, that we may obtain forgiveness at Thy hands, who art ever ready to receive humble and penitent sinners, for the sake of Thy Son Jesus Christ.

And lest, through our own frailty, or the temptations which encompass us, we be drawn again into sin, vouchsafe us, we beseech Thee, the direc tion and assistance of Thy Holy Spirit. Reform whatever is amiss in the temper and disposition of our souls, that no unclean thoughts, unlawful designs, or inordinate desires, may rest there. Purge our hearts from envy, hatred, and malice, that we may never suffer the sun to go down upon our wrath, but may always go to our rest in peace, charity, and good-will, with a conscience void of offence towards Thee and towards men; that so we may be preserved pure and blameless unto the coming of our Lord.

And accept, O Lord, our intercessions for all mankind. Let the light of Thy gospel shine upon all nations; and may as many as have received it, live as becomes it. Be gracious unto Thy Church, and grant that every member of the same, in his vocation and ministry, may serve Thee faithfully. Bless all in authority over us, and so rule their hearts and strengthen their hands, that they may punish wickedness and vice, and maintain Thy true religion and virtue. Send down Thy blessings, temporal and spiritual, upon all our relations, friends, and neighbors. Reward all who have done us good, and pardon all those who have done or wish us evil, and give them repentance and better minds. Be merciful to all who are in any trouble; and do Thou, the God of pity, administer to them according to their several necessities, for His sake who went about doing good, Thy Son our Saviour Jesus Christ. Continue to us Thy gracious protection this night. Defend us from all dangers and mischiefs and from the fear of them, that we may enjoy such refreshing sleep as may fit us for the duties of the following day. Make us ever mindful of the time when we shall lie down in the dust; and grant us grace always to live in such a state that we may never be afraid to die; so that, living and dying, we may be Thine, through Jesus Christ our Lord, in whose name we offer up our prayers. Amen.

Our Father, etc. The grace, etc.

SECOND EVENING.

LORD our God, who, though Thou art infinitely great and holy, yet humblest Thyself to receive the petitions of Thy needy creatures, be pleased graciously to accept this our evening sacrifice of prayer and praise. Enable us always to draw near to Thee with reverence and godly fear.

Thou hast encouraged us by many exceeding great and precious promises to make known our wants unto Thee. Thou hast said, "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find." O Lord, remember this Thy word unto Thy servants, upon which Thou hast caused us to hope.

We come to Thee to ask for the pardon of our many sins. When we look back upon the events of a single day, how much is there to confess and to mourn over! what neglect of duty, what indulgence of secret sins, how many foolish and impatient words spoken, how many vows and promises unfulfilled and forgotten! O Lord, blot out as a thick cloud our transgressions, and as a cloud our sins. Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously. Say unto our souls, "I am Thy salvation." Ere we lie down on our beds this night, grant us to feel the comforting assurance that the blood of Jesus Christ cleanseth us from all sin.

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And do Thou, O Lord, break the power of sin within us. more and more to hate all that is evil, and strengthen us more resolutely to fight against it. Show to us more of the deep corruption and deceitfulness of our own hearts, that we may be truly humbled before Thee, and may come to Thee continually for sanctifying and strengthening grace. Order our steps in Thy word, and let no iniquity have dominion over us. Make us willing to be wholly Thine. May our eye be single, and our desire sincere. And quicken us, O Lord, in Thy way. Warm our cold hearts with love, strengthen our faith, and confirm our hope.

And now that we are about to lie down to sleep, be pleased to guard us from all evil, and to keep us in peace and safety. Grant us the blessing of refreshing rest; or if we should lie wakeful upon our beds, fill our minds with thoughts of Thee. When we draw near to Thee in private prayer, assist us by Thy Holy Spirit to hold real communion with Thee. Make us to feel that Thou art nigh unto us, waiting to be gracious, and able and willing to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think. Make us earnestly to long for those blessings which come from above, and then do Thou satisfy the desires which Thou Thyself hast awakened. O Lord, graciously hear us, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. Our Father, etc.

The grace of our Lord, etc.

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THIRD EVENING.

LMIGHTY Father, we humbly draw near to Thee this evening in the name of Jesus Christ our Redeemer. We praise Thee that through Him Thou hast opened a way by which we may approach Thee with acceptance. We bless Thee that we have been kept this day in safety by Thy watchful care. Thanks be unto Thee for the supply of our bodily wants, and our preservation from danger. O God, suffer us not to think little of our daily blessings, because they are continually renewed to us. Make us ever mindful of our own unworthiness, that we may be more truly thankful for all Thy loving-kindness and tender mercy. We praise Thee for Thy love to Enable us to show our thankfulness by endeavoring to please Thee. And, O Thou who art the God of grace, as well as the God of providence, as Thou hast supplied our temporal wants, supply also our spiritual necessities. We thank Thee for Thine unspeakable gift, the gift of Thine own dear Son. By Thy Holy Spirit convince us of our sinfulness, and thus make us to see our need of a Saviour. Make us to feel that we are spiritually diseased, so that we may hasten to the great Physician of souls.

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Implant in us, O Lord, a true and lively faith in Christ. Let us not be satisfied with knowing that He is the Saviour of others; enable us to feel, each one of us, that He is our Saviour. May our whole trust be in Him, and all our hopes drawn from Him. May His name be precious to us, and His service delightful. May we love His voice, and meekly follow Him.

Lord, Thou knowest our foolishness, and our faults are not hid from Thee. O pity our weakness, and strengthen us with might by Thy Spirit in the inner man. Have compassion on our ignorance, and give us heavenly wisdom. Of Thy great mercy pardon our many sins and shortcomings, and incline us to walk more humbly and more diligently in Thy ways. Whatever holy purposes Thy Spirit may awaken in our hearts, enable us to carry them into practice. Preserve us from the guilt of knowing what is right and doing what is wrong. We acknowledge that we are often dull and cold, and disposed to wander from Thee. O Thou, who camest that we might have life, give new life and warmth to our souls.

And now that we are about once more to lie down to sleep, O Lord, graciously watch over us and protect us. Preserve our frail bodies from harm, and keep our minds in peace. Raise up, O Lord, our hearts and hopes to Thyself, scatter every anxious thought that disturbs us, and keep us simply trusting in Thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. Our Father, etc.

The grace of our Lord, etc.

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FOURTH EVENING.

THOU that hearest prayer, to Thee do we come. Look down upon us in mercy, O God, and for Thy dear Son's sake hearken unto our cry. We thank Thee for the blessings of another day. Thou art good, and doest good; Thou daily loadest us with benefits. But we acknowledge with shame that we have made but poor returns for all the kindness which Thou hast so mercifully shown towards us. Whilst Thou hast been blessing us, we have too often been grieving Thee by our waywardness and hardness of heart. O Lord, pardon our ingratitude and rebellion. Forgive our pride, and self-sufficiency, and worldliness of mind. Forgive our unbelief and unprofitableness. Forgive us that we have had so little delight in Thy holy Word, and have so little valued the precious privilege of prayer. To us, O Lord, belong shame and confusion of face, but to Thee, blessed be Thy name, belong mercies and forgiveness, though we have rebelled against Thee. O God, subdue the power of sin within us. Grant unto us a sincere hatred of what is evil, and fill us with earnest desires after holiness.

Suffer us not, gracious Lord, to be satisfied with that cold and formal service which we have so often rendered Thee. Incline us by Thy grace to yield up our hearts and to consecrate our lives wholly to Thee. Make Thy Word quick and powerful for our guidance. Let its precious promises cheer us, and its wholesome precepts guide us continually.

O God, grant that Thy Holy Spirit may in all things direct and rule our hearts. May He enlighten our understandings, and sanctify our affections, and show us more and more of the love, and power, and mercy of Christ our Saviour.

Look with Thy favor upon our country. Give wisdom to our Rulers, and incline them to seek above all things Thy glory and the spiritual welfare of the people of this land.

And now that we are about to lie down to rest, take us, we beseech Thee, under Thy protecting care. Keep far from us all evil desires and imaginations. Let not the wicked one breathe unholy thoughts into our minds. If we should lie wakeful upon our beds, bring to our recollection some precious truth of Thy Word, and fill us with peaceful thoughts of Thee and of heaven.

Most merciful Father, bless and watch over all who are near and dear to us. May we and they walk humbly with Thee here, and at last rest with Thee above, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

The grace of our Lord, etc.

FIFTH EVENING.

THOU high and lofty One that inhabitest eternity, whose name is Holy, we desire now to draw near to Thy mercy-seat with reverence and godly fear. We are not worthy to lift up our hearts and our voices unto Thee, but He is worthy in whose holy name we come, even Jesus our Mediator and Redeemer. For His sake incline Thine ear and hearken to this our evening prayer.

Thou, Lord, art kind even to the unthankful and the evil; and, notwithstanding our unprofitableness and sin, Thou hast been good and kind to us this day. Thou hast graciously watched over us and kept us from hour to hour. We thank Thee for health and strength, for food and clothing, for deliverance from the evils and sorrows which so many of our fellow-creatures have this day suffered, and for the many comforts and blessings which we enjoy.

But, O God, whilst Thou dost so mercifully provide for our bodily comfort and our temporal necessities, we need and we ask blessings also for our souls. We pray that we may be strengthened with might by Thy Spirit in the inner man. We pray that the eyes of our understanding may be enlightened, so that we may know more clearly the great and precious truths of Thy Word. We pray that Christ may dwell in our hearts by faith; and that, being rooted and grounded in love, we may know more and more of the love of Christ which passeth knowledge.

Pardon our iniquities, we beseech Thee; and whilst we confess our sins, give us grace to bate them, and strength to fight against them.

Grant, O God, that the close of another day may remind us of the close of our earthly pilgrimage. Give us every day an increasing meetness for our heavenly inheritance. Enable us to walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, redeeming the time, because the days are evil.

We pray for our Government, that under it we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. Make peace in all our borders, and grant that true religion may flourish in our land.

And now, O Lord, be about our bed through the hours of darkness. Keep our bodies in safety, and our minds in peace. Let our last thoughts ere we sleep be of Thee, and let our first desires when we wake be towards Thee. Make us to feel that both by day and by night Thou art our everwatchful Guardian. And do Thou pardon, guide, and bless us, henceforth and for ever, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

The grace of our Lord, etc.