“The Sabbath was appointed to commemorate the triumphs of redeeming love: And shall not we hail it with delight, whose earliest infancy was hallowed in the name of Jesus; on whose opening minds the doctrines of his faith were poured; who, even in this remote abode, are permitted to call upon thy holy name in prayer,--to read the Oracles of everlasting truth,--to speak one to another of the God who hath loved and blessed us! “Our souls do magnify the Lord, our spirits rejoice in God our Saviour; for he that is mighty hath done great things for his people, and his mercy is on them that fear him. We bless thee for the doctrines which our Master taught,--for the example which he set before us,--for the atonement by which he relieves us from the load of guilt,--for the hope which he hath restored of grace and glory. We bless thee for the institutions which thou hast appointed for enlightening thy people in religious knowledge, and for training them to lives of usefulness and purity. With shame we remember how often we have abused our Christian privileges,--how often we have neglected the exercises of private devotion,--how often we have failed to study thy holy word,--how often, while yet it was in our power to go up to the house of God, we have forsaken the assembling of ourselves together,--how often we have worshipped thee with our lips, while our hearts were far from thee. Visit us not, O God! in anger, for our transgression; but do thou enable us to lament and forsake it. Let not the circumstances in which we now are placed, be permitted to wean our affections from thy worship. But, while the service of humanity calls us to labour even on this day of rest, save us,--O thou, who wilt have mercy and not sacrifice!--save us from the temptation which might lead us to forget our God, and the duties which we owe to him. Rather, while we are deprived of thine ordinances for a season, do thou give us grace, through prayer and holy meditation, to compensate the loss; that we may, with delight, look forward to the time when the courts of thy sanctuary shall be opened to us again; when we, and those whom we love and value, shall again take sweet counsel together, and walk in company to the house of God. Give to us, even now, O God of our salvation! those pious and holy dispositions which will prepare us for the nobler worship, offered to thee by the Angels of Heaven, and by the Spirits of just men made perfect. “We pray to our common Father in behalf of all mankind. May the day-spring from on high arise on those who now sit in darkness; and, where the light of the Gospel already shines, may its influences be felt reviving and purifying.