O LORD our God, thou art infinitely good, and thou hast shewed us what is good. Thou sendest out thy light and thy truth, that they may guide us, and makest plain thy way before our face. Thou givest us many opportunities and advantages, to quicken and further us in thy service. We have _line upon line_, and _precept upon precept_; thy messengers early and late, to open and apply thy word, to call and warn, to direct and exhort us with all long-suffering. But how little have we improved all the precious talents, which thou hast put into our hands! O Lord, thou mightest justly take away the gospel of thy kingdom from us, and give it unto another people, who would bring forth the fruits thereof. Because thou hast called and we refused, thou hast stretched forth thy hands, and we have not regarded, thou mightest leave us to our own perverseness and impenitence, till our iniquities became our ruin.
But, O Lord God, enter not thus into judgment with thy servants. Pardon all our contempt of thy word, and our not profiting thereby. And help us for the time to come, better to improve the blessed opportunities set before us. _As the rain descends from heaven and returns not thither, but waters the earth and maketh it fruitful: so let not thy word return unto thee void, but prosper in the work whereunto thou sendest it._ O make it effectual to build us all up, in the true fear and love of God, and in the right knowledge and faith of our Lord Jesus Christ.
O gracious God, may thy Spirit cause thy word to work thoroughly and successfully in all our hearts. And as we daily _receive, how we ought to walk and to please thee_ our God; so help us to _walk worthy of the Lord, unto all well-pleasing_: increasing in the knowledge and love of thee, and abounding more and more in every good work, which is pleasing in thy sight, through Jesus Christ.
At his hands, O Lord our God, we beg thy gracious acceptance, of our humble praise and thanksgiving, for all thy blessings, spiritual and temporal, so freely conferred upon us. We praise thee for all the comforts and conveniencies of this life, and for all the means and hopes of a better: particularly for what we have received this day; the food of our souls set before us; the word of salvation sounding in our ears, and the Spirit of God striving with our hearts. O withdraw not thy tender mercies from us, but still continue thy accustomed goodness, and increase thy grace and heavenly blessings upon us, and rejoice over us to do us good.
In mercy pass by all which thy most pure and holy eyes have seen amiss in us this day. Forgive the iniquities of our holy things; overlook all our sins and failings, through our great Mediator and Redeemer, who ever lives at thy right-hand to make intercession for us. And for Jesus Christ, and all which thou art pleased to give us together with him; _not unto us, O Lord, but unto thy name_ be all the praise and honour and glory, humbly ascribed by us, and all thy church, now and for evermore!
“Our Father, &c.”
An ADDRESS to the CLERGY.
_Brethren and Fathers_,
LET it not be imputed to forwardness, vanity or presumption, that one who is of little esteem in the church, takes upon him thus to address a body of people, to many of whom he owes the highest reverence. I owe a still higher regard to him who I believe requires this at my hands; to the great bishop of our souls; before whom both you and I must shortly give an account of our stewardship. It is a debt I owe to love, to real, disinterested affection, to declare what has long been the burden of my soul. And may the God of love enable you to read these lines, in the same spirit wherewith they were wrote! It will easily appear to an unprejudiced reader, that I do not speak from a spirit of anger or resentment. I know well, _the wrath of man worketh not the righteousness of God_. Much less would I utter one word out of _contempt_; a spirit justly abhorred by God and man. Neither of these can consist with that earnest, tender love, which is the motive of my present undertaking. In this spirit I desire to _cast_ my _bread upon the waters_; it is enough, if I _find it again after many days_.
Meantime you are sensible, love does not forbid, but rather require plainness of speech. Has it not often constrained you as well as me, to lay aside not only disguise, but reserve also? And _by manifestation of the truth to commend ourselves to every man’s conscience in the sight of God_? And while I endeavour to do this, let me earnestly entreat you, for the love of God, for the love of your own soul, for the love of the souls committed to your charge, yea, and of the whole church of _Christ_, do not bias your mind, by thinking _who_ it is that speaks; but impartially consider, _what_ is spoken. And if it be false or foolish, reject it: but do not reject _the words of truth and soberness_.