PRAYERS TO BE USED AT SEA.

1. A PRAYER AT THE COMMENCEMENT OF A VOYAGE.

O thou glorious God, who hast made the sea and the dry land, and whose kingdom ruleth over all! Thou bast created us, and hitherto upheld us; and many are the favours which we have received from thy bountiful hand. And now, O Lord, while we are leaving these shores, and launching forth into the deep, we humbly commit ourselves to thy gracious care. Thou knowest, that we are unworthy of the least of thy mercies; for we have sinned against thee times without number, and have oft abused thy richest benefits: yet, O thou God of salvation! we would beg thy blessing on our intended voyage, for the sake of Jesus thy dear Son, in whom thou art well pleased. For his sake, blot out our iniquities, and shew us thy loving-kindness. We are now removed from the company of our dearest friends and relations; be thou our Friend, our Father, and our God. O let thy presence attend us, in every sea, and on every shore! May thy blessing rest also on those dear relations whom we have left behind. While we are far from them, be thou near them, to enrich them with thy grace; and, if it be thy will, grant that we may meet them again, in peace and comfort.

We commit unto thee, O God, the care of our Souls, as well as of our bodies. Preserve us not only from danger, but from sin; and when temptations come in our way, help us to resist them in the strength

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of thy grace. O that in every place, and at every time, we may fear thy name, and live as in thy sight! O that each of us may earnestly seek thy great salvation; trusting in the merits of Christ's atoning blood for the pardon of our sins, and relying on the riches of thy grace manifested in his cross! O thou kind redeeming God! unto thy mercy we desire to flee; unto thee we betake ourselves for refuge. Glorify thyself in our salvation; make us the monuments of thy rich grace: that we may praise thee for the wouders of thy love; both in time and through eternity. Lord, we would dedicate ourselves unto thee; we would embark in that blessed voyage which leads to everlasting life. Obreathe upon our souls the refreshing gales of thy Holy Spirit! And now, Lord, we commend ourselves to thee, and to the word of thy grace. Thou only knowest, whether we shall again see our native shores; or return no more. But, O Father of mercies; we resign ourselves into thy hands; and humbly beg that we may be thine through life, thine at death, and thine for evermore. Hear these our unworthy supplications; and forgive, and accept us; for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

2. A MORNING PRAYER AT SEA.

O Lord! thou art a great God, and a great King above all gods. In thine hand are the deep places of the earth the strength of the hills is thine also. The sea is thine; for thou madest it; and thine hands formed the dry land. The day is thine; the night also is thine thou hast prepared the light and the sun; and makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Thy mercies are new unto us every morning,

We bless thee, O our God! that thou hast watched over us through the night; that thou hast protected both those who were asleep, and those who were awake; and that we have not run into any fatal dangers, during the hours of darkness. O that we may this day live unto the Lord, the God of our mercies! May thy grace so govern us, that our hands may not commit iniquity, that our lips may not utter perverse things, and that our hearts may not cherish wicked passions. Forgive, O God, the sins of the past night and morning: for alas! we are daily offending thee. Wash our souls in the blood of Christ, the fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness. For his sake, grant us thy blessing this day. Carry us safely on in our course, if it be thy will: and whatever difficulties and dangers may be before us, help us to meet them with patience and fortitude, with humility and faith, May we be in the fear of the Lord all the day long; living continually under the guidance of thy holy word, and spending each day as if it were our last; as becomes those whose life is

so precarious. And since thou art daily loading us with thy benefits, O may we daily grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ! To whom be glory now and for ever. Amen.

3. EVENING PRAYER AT SEA.

O thou God of majesty and glory, who art exalted above all blessing and praise! we thank thee, that we thine unworthy creatures, are permitted to approach thy throne, and are encouraged to send up our prayer unto thee from the face of the waters. Lord, when we consider thy wonders in the heaven above, and

in the deep beneath, we may well cry out in astonishinent," What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?” We praise thee, O Lord God! for thy condescending love, in opening to us a new and living way, by which we may draw near unto thee. And now, Lord, we plead, that, through the merits and intercession of our dear Redeemer, our prayer may come before thee as incense, the lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice. Pardon, we beseech thee, the many sins of the past day; whether in thought, in word, or in action. Blot them all out through Christ's atoning blood. Accept, for his sake, our humble thanks for all the mercies of the day. We bless thee, that thou hast added another day to our life, and hast brought us thus far on our voyage in safety. O take us this night under thy fatherly care. Thou art the Keeper of Israel, who slumberest not, nor sleepest: thine eye beholds us in the darkness, as much as in the light. We would therefore humbly trust in the shadow of thy wings. Shield us through the watches of the night, and cause us to see thy loving-kindness in the morning. give us grace, O Lord, to live by faith in thy Son: that when the night of death approaches, we may rejoice in hope of an everlasting day: through Jesus Christ. Amen.

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4. A PRAYER FOR THE MORNING OF THE LORD'S DAY. This Prayer may be used before the public reading of the Scriptures, or of a Discourse; & the following Prayer may be used after.

O God, the heavens declare thy glory, and the firmament sheweth the work of thy hands: day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night teacheth know

ledge, concerning thee. All thy works praise thee, in every part of the earth, and of the ocean. At thy command, the sun goes forth to enlighten the world : his morning beams tinge the clouds, and gleam upon the waves. We bless thee for his returning light. But, Lord, we bless thee still more for the brighter light of the gospel, which displays thy glory with a richer lustre. All praise be to thy name, that through thy tender mercy, the day-spring from on high hath visited us; to give light to them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death, and to guide our feet into the way of peace. Through thy rich grace to our lost world, the Sun of righteousness hath arisen upon us, with healing in his wings. O maydis refreshing beams, even the enlivening influences of his grace, shine into our hearts; to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God, in the face of Jesus Christ; and to warm and cheer our souls with thy transcendent love! We bless thee for sparing us unto another sabbath. O that, on this day of the resurrection of Christ, our affections may rise towards the things above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God! Thou seest, Lord, that we are now far from thy house of prayer: yet, glory be to thy name, we have access to the throne of grace; and possess thy blessed word, with other means of spiritual improvement. O help us to worship thee in spirit and in truth, in faith and love; and grant us sweet communion with thee, in all our devotions! Lord, be present with us this day, as well as with all thy worshipping assemblies on shore, and with our brethren, who, like us, are upon the face of the waters. The Lord hear the prayers of his people this day;