of death, to the possession of all the eternal blessings of heavenly wisdom, power, purity, and life, which result from conjunction with the Divine Source of every good.
Adored, then, 0 merciful Lord, be Thy Most Holy Name, who hast been pleased thus to let down from heaven a golden ladder, on which man may ascend continually from the temporal world to the eternal,—from the abodes of men to those of angels,—from the gross external objects of time and sense to the pure internal things of spirit and of everlasting duration! May Thy divine grace and mercy ever dispose the hearts of Thy creatures to make the proper and profitable “use of this Thine unmerited favour! May they, for this purpose, be wise to regard all science as the offspring of Thy bounty; and to apply it accordingly, by sufi'ering it to raise their thoughts and affections from themselves to Thee,—from the perishable goods of this lower world to the durable and everlasting realities of Thy kingdom! May this admirable talent which Thou hast committed to their care be thus ever glorified in the accomplishment of Thy gracious purposes, until it returns back to Thyself, the Divine Giver, bringing along with it its purified, renovated, and regenerated possessor, who, having attained to this happy and of science, will be enabled to praise and glorify Thy Holy Name to all eternity! Amen.
