“No external providence will touch our hard, our deceitful hearts.  All that goes under the name of misfortune will but drive us from thee, never to thee, till thou teach us to profit, and lead us by the way that we should go.  Thou callest, ’Return, ye backsliding children, and I will heal your backslidings;’ but we have been foolish, sottish children, without understanding, wise to do evil, but to do good having no knowledge.

“Let the days come when the children of America—­the earth is the Lord’s—­shall ‘come with weeping, and seek the Lord their God;’ when ‘they shall ask the way to Zion, with their faces thitherward;’ when they shall come, saying, ’Let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, never to be forgotten.’  O the Hope of Israel and Saviour thereof, is not that day and that time come?  Hast thou not been working on the right hand and on the left?  Thou hast given us pastors according to thine own heart, who feed us with knowledge and understanding:  and thou art here and there proving thy gospel thy power and thy wisdom, to the salvation of sinners; casting down the imaginations of pride, and bringing all into subjection to thy Son Jesus.

“O pour out the spirit of grace and supplication, upon thy living members, that they may wrestle with thee, and not let thee go until thou bless us, until thou make this ‘cloud like a man’s hand’ cover our heavens with blackness, and issue in a plentiful rain.  O pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods on the dry ground; thy Spirit upon our seed, and thy blessing upon our offspring.  O Lord, hast thou not said that thou wilt do it, and that they shall spring up as among the grass, and as willows by the water-courses.  One shall say, I am the Lord’s, another shall call himself by the name of Jacob, and another shall subscribe with his hand unto the Lord, and surname himself by the name of Israel.  Amen, O our God, Amen.

“Last week the Lord’s young servant, Mr. R——­, received to the communion of the church seven adults, Mrs. B——­ and her two daughters, Dr. H——­ and sister, Mr. C——­, and a black woman, servant to Mr. H——.  It was a glorious sight, and revived the hearts of God’s people who witnessed it.  O God of grace, grant that the fruits of righteousness may prove that they are broken off from the wild olive-tree, and grafted into thee, thou living and life-giving olive-tree; from thee must their fruit be found.  O cause them to bring forth much fruit.  Herein is the Father glorified, that they bear much fruit; so shall they be Christ’s disciples, and attain to the assurance of that happy state.  Father, glorify thy name.  Amen.”