APPENDIX, No. III.

Bristol, June, 1776.

A SUPPLICATION FOR A BELOVED RELATIVE.

My heart has been rather bowed down to-day, and through the prevalence of unbelief, I have a hard struggle to keep from sinking. My dear aunt's extreme weakness makes me truly apprehensive on her account; and O, my stubborn will, it can hardly bear the thoughts of letting her outstrip me, and get to heaven first! O, if it should please the Lord to remove her hence, what a severe stroke will it be to my loving heart! may he give me grace, if such is his good pleasure, to lie down in humble submission at his feet. But, O my God! if I may plead with thee, and if the earnest wish of my soul is not contradictory to thy all wise and gracious providence, which I would not for ten thousand worlds desire to subvert, spare, O! spare her; direct the physicians, herself, and attendants; and in mercy hear the supplications of her friends, of me, thine unworthy supplicant. Bless the waters, the change of air, or whatever

she shall be ordered; without thy blessing, nothing will avail; therefore by humble and diligent prayer, would I seek it, in the name and for the merits of my dear Redeemer. In thy hands are the issues of life and death; thou canst bring back again from the gates of the grave; canst say to the violence of disease, hitherto shalt thou go, and no further; and with one powerful word, canst recruit exhausted nature, and give new strength and vigour. I well know that thou art able, and as fully am I convinced that thou art willing to grant this petition, if it will be for the good of thine handmaid, and of us her affectionate friends; therefore, with the most steady faith, I desire to pray, and without wavering to come unto the throne of grace. If thou doest for me this thing, I will adore and praise thy love for ever, and for ever: if not, in the deepest affliction will I sing unto thee, and amidst surrounding distress will proclaim thy goodness. O my Lord, be thou with my dear friend; place thine everlasting arms beneath her; give her strength and confidence in thee under all her trials; manifest thy presence unto her in so sweet and delightful a manner, that she may forget all her pains, and lose all her sorrows in the enjoyment of thy love; revive her drooping spirits with the cordials of thy grace; wean her more than ever from the world, and engage to thee the chief and choicest of her affections.

Teach me, I pray thee, the way in which I ought to go; direct me to every tender, kind, and christian action; and assist me now to shew my gratitude for her unparalleled goodness to me for so many years, by doing every thing in my power to serve and comfort her. Bless also my beloved uncle; sustain his mind in every time of trouble, and let not the sight of his dear sickly wife prejudice his own health and increase his disorder; but let all his care be cast on thee.

A RELIGIOUS EXERCISE AT HOME, WHEN PROVIDENTIALLY DISAPPOINTED OF AN OPPOR

TUNITY FOR PUBLIC COMMUNION.

In the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost; O Lord, I am thine by every tie of nature and of grace; thine by a daily surrender; and I desire at this time particularly to acknowledge and rejoice in my dependence on thee. I have tasted such an abundance of comfort in thy paths, and have found them so peaceful and so pleasant, that it does not appear to me, that any thing in the world could tempt me to leave them; but instead of being high minded, O! my God, I would fear and watch over myself with a godly jealousy, lest through

the abundance of that consolation which thou hast vouchsafed me, I should be filled with vain confidence, slide into carnal security, and feel sooner than I am aware of, a declension from the ways of grace. Behold, therefore, O Lord! I come as a beginner in religion, a babe in Christ, humbly beseeching thee to forgive all my sins; to pour into my heart the gift of the Holy Ghost; and to enable me to abide steadfast in my calling, till thou shalt deliver me from all danger, and fix me as an immovable pillar in thy eternal kingdom. Bind me to thyself more strongly, Lord, than ever; ratify my vows in heaven, and seal my pardon there; this day I hoped to have publicly commemorated thy love, O sweetest Jesus! and professed myself the disciple of thy cross; but since thy providence hath otherwise ordained, condescend to accept from this, my retired chamber, the utmost desire of my heart to praise thee, and devote itself for ever to thy will, Satisfy the longings of my soul with that bread of God which is the life of all who eat it, and let there be such a spiritual participation of thy blessed body and blood, that I may dwell in thee, and thou in me, and that having life, I may have it more abundantly.

Show me that thou art an all-powerful God, and that where thou art pleased savingly to ma-' nifest thyself, there is leaven, there is a Temple, there an Altar, there Divine Communion; and

while thy servant in a humble dependence on thy promises, with a bended knee and with a contrite heart waits upon thee, reveal thy mercy and thy loving kindness, and overflow her soul with the cleansing and reviving streams of thy redeeming grace. Say unto me, "I am thy salvation." Drive doubt and unbelief away, and banish all my fear; make me to know that I am thine, and that nothing shall ever separate me from thy love; divert me from thy service, or finally prevent my admission into the realms of unchangeable felicity.

Teignmouth, July 6, 1777,

MARTHA LAURENS.