tihvaxy of Che theological ^tminaxy PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY PRESENTED BY The Estate of Rev* Robert 0. Kirkwood BV 198 .F672 1911 Fosdick, Harry Emerson, 1878 -1969. Responsive readings IReeponsipc IReaM FROM THE AMERICAN STANDARD EDITION OF THE REVISED VERSION OF THE BIBLE SELECTED AND ARRANGED BY HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK ZTbe Century Co. 1911 The text used in this volume is taken from the American Standard Edition of the Revised Bible, copyright, 1901, by Thomas Nelson & Sons and is used by permission. Ifntrobuctlon npHESE responsive readings are an attempt to adapt for the public worship of Christian congregations those noble pas- sages of both Old and New Testaments which are suited to the purpose. In general all didactic scriptures have been avoided, and those chosen which, like the Psalms, present to God the united prayer and praise of the congregation, or, like the great chapters in Isaiah, represent the people as meditating upon and exalted by their common faith. The rendering is that of the American Standard Revised Version, with this exception : that wherever the name Jehovah appears, the general term Lord has been used. This is done in answer to the widespread and reasonable demand that our Christian services of devotion shall not be unnecessarily encumbered by outgrown Hebraisms. In&icea I. SUBJECTS 1. A Call to Worship 2. Morning Prayer 3. Evening Prayer 4. Praise on the Lord's Day 5. The Privilege of Worship 6. Christian Worship 7. Delight in Worship 8. Joy in Praising God 9. True Worship 10. Prayer for the Church 11. The Majesty of God 12. The Lord's Care for His Works 13. God in Nature 14. The Glory of God 15. God's Wisdom 16. The Grace of God 17. The Shepherd God 18. God Our Deliverer 19. The Safety of God's People 20. Praise for God's Good- ness 21. Confidence in God 22. The Christian's Refuge 23. Hope in God's Help 24. Peace in Believing 25. Comfort in God's Power 26. Prayer for Protection 27. Prayer for Deliverance 28. Prayer in Trouble 29. Praise for Deliverance 30. The Mystery of Life 31. Thanks for Material Blessings 32. Thanks for Public Bless- ings 33. National Thanksgiving 34. Prayer for Godliness 35. Delight in the Law of the Lord 36. The Joy of Obedience 37. The Contrite Heart 38. The Joy of Forgiveness 39. The Joy of Salvation 40. Gratitude to Christ 41. The Righteous and the Wicked 42. The Greatness of Love 43. Fatherhood and Brother- hood 44. The duty of Brotherly Love 45. Prayer for Social Justice 46. Social Sin and Penitence 47. National Penitence 48. True Religion 49. Prayer for the People 50. The Glorious Future 51. God's Certain Victory 52. The Hope of the King- dom 53. The World-wide Gospel 54. The Great Mission 55. The Hope of Immortality 56. The Great King 57. The Nativity 58. The Glory of the Cross 59. Children's Day 60. The New Year II. SCRIPTURE PASSAGES Deuteronomy 8 — 33 I. Chronicles 29—33 II. Chronicles 6—10 Ezra 9—37 Job 11—30 31—44 37—30 Psalm 1—35 5— 2 8—13 9—45 10—45 15—46 16—55 19—13, 35 23—17 24—51 25—37 27—26 31—23 32—38 34—18 37—41 40—27 42—28 43—28 44—59 46—25 51—34 61—24 62— 2 63— 3 65—8. 31 67—49 69—27 78—59 79—47 84— 5 90—60 91—21 95— 1 96— 7 98— 8 100—10 102—60 103—20 104—12 105—33 107—29 113—53 116—16 117—53 118— 4 119—36 121— 3 122— 6 124—19 125—19 126—19 130— 2 136—31 139—15 145—14 147—32 148—59 iv Proverbs 3—30 Isaiah 1 — 48 2—53 9—56 11—56 12—24 25— 1 40—11, 17, 25 43—22, 50 49—54 51—52 52—51 53—58 54—50 55—16 57— 9 58—44 61—54 62—49 63—43 Jeremiah 7 — 48 Lamentations 3 — 24 Ezekiel 18—36 Daniel 9—46 Hosea 4 — 47 6—38 Joel 2—38 Amos 5 — 47 Micah 6— 9 7—22 Habakkuk 2— 9 Luke 1—57 John 4— 9 10—17 Romans 5 — 58 8—22, 39 I.Corinthians 13—42 II. Corinthians 4 — 55 5—55 Ephesians 1 — 40 2—40 5— 6 Hebrews 10— 6 12— 6 13—17 James 1 — 44 I. Peter 1—55 I. John 3—43 4—42 m. SPECIAL OCCASIONS Christmas, 51, 56, 57. Lent, 10, 26, 27. 28, 34, 37. Good Friday, 58. Easter, 39. 50, 51, 55. Thanksgiving Day, 31,32, 33, 49. The New Year, 21, 22, 60. Patriotic Services, 44, 45, 46, 47, 48. 49. Missionary Services, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54. The Lord's Supper, 6, 39, 40, 42 58 Children's Services, 17, 18, 20, 35, 36, 59. o IResponsive IReabinos FROM THE AMERICAN STANDARD EDITION OF THE REVISED VERSION OF THE BIBLE SELECTION 1 A CALL TO WORSHIP Psalm xcx COME, let lis sing unto the Lord. Let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, And a great King above all gods. In his hand are the deep places of the earth ; The heights of the mountains are his also. The sea is his and he made it ; and his hands formed the dry land. O come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our Maker : For he is our Grod, And we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. Isaiah xxv LORD thou art my Grod; I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; For thou hast done wonderful things, in faithfulness and truth, 5 6 IRcBponeive 1?eabing9 Lo, this is our God ; we have waited for him, and he will save us : this is the Lord ; We have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice in his salvation. SELECTION 2 MORNING PRAYER Psalm V GIVE ear to my words, O Lord, consider my meditation. Harken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God; For unto thee do I pray. Lord, in the morning shalt thou hear my voice ; In the morning will I order my prayer unto thee, and will keep watch. Psalm cxxx OUT of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord. Lord, hear my voice : let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications. If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who could stand ? But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou may est be feared. 1 wait for the Lord, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope. My soul waiteth for the Lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning ; Yea, more than watchmen for the morning. Israel, hope in the Lord ; for with the Lord there is loving- kindness. With him is plenteous redemption. And he will redeem Israel from all his iniquities. Psalm Ixii MY soul, wait thou in silence for God only ; For my expectation is from him. He only is my rock and my salvation: he is my high tower- 1 shall not be moved. IReaponeive IReaMngs 7 With God is my salvation and my glory: the rock of my strength, and my refuge, is in God. Trust in him at all times, ye people; Pour out your heart before him : God is a refuge for us. SELECTION 3 EVENINa PRAYER Psaim ixiii OGOD, thou art my God ; earnestly will I seek thee : My soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee, in a dry and weary land, where no water is. So have I looked upon thee in the sanctuary, to see thy power and thy glory. Because thy lovingkindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee. So will I bless thee while I live : I will lift up my hands in thy name. My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness ; And my mouth shall praise thee with joyful lips; when I re- member thee upon my bed. And meditate on thee in the night-watches. For thou hast been my help, and in the shadow of thy wings will I rejoice. My soul followeth hard after thee ; Thy right hand upholdeth me. Psalm cxxi I WILL lift up mine eyes unto the mountains ; From whence shall my help come ? My help cometh from the Lord, who made heaven and earth. He will not suffer thy foot to be moved : He that keepeth thee will not slumber. Behold, he that keepeth Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand. The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night. The Lord will keep thee from all evil ; he will keep thy soul. IReeponsive IReaMnge The Lord will keep thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth and for evermore. SELECTION 4 PRAISE ON THE LORD'S DAY o Psalm cxviii GIVE thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good ; for his loving- kindness endureth for ever. Let Israel now say, that his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Let them now that fear the Lord say, that his lovingkindness en- dureth for ever. Out of my distress I called upon the Lord. The Lord answered me and set me m a large place. The Lord is on my side ; I will not fear : what can man do unto me ? The Lord is my strength and song ; and he is become my salva- tion. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tents of the righteous : The riglit hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted : the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore ; but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness : I will enter into them, I will give thanks unto the Lord. This is the gate of the Lord, the righteous shall enter into it. I will give thanks unto thee ; for thou hast answered me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made ; We will rejoice and be glad in it. IReeponsiPC IRea&inga 9 Thou art my God, and I will give thanks unto thee: Thou art my God, I will exalt thee. O give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good ; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. SELECTION 5 THE PEIVILEGE OF WOESHIP Psalm Ixxxiv HOW amiable are thy tabernacles, Lord of hosts ! My sotil longeth, yea, even fainteth for the courts of the Lord; My heart and my flesh cry out unto the living God. Yea, the sparrow hath found her a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young. Even thine altars, O Lord of hosts, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in thy house : they will be still praising thee. Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee ; in whose heart are the highways to Zion. Passing through the valley of Weeping they make it a place of springs ; Yea, the early rain covereth it with blessings. They go from strength to strength ; every one of them appeareth before God in Zion. O Lord God of hosts, hear my prayer ; give ear, God of Jacob. Behold, O God our shield, and look upon the face of thine anointed. For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand. I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord God is a sun and a shield : The Lord will give grace and glory; No good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. O Lord of hosts, blessed is the man that trusteth in thee. 10 IResponeive IReaMnge SELECTION 6 CHRISTIAN WORSHIP Psalm cxxii 1WAS glad when they said unto me, Let us go unto the house of the Lord. Our feet are standing within thy gates, O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that art builded as a city that is compact together ; Whither the tribes go up, even the tribes of the Lord, for an ordinance for Israel, To give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there are set thrones for judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee. Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity within thy palaces. For my brethren and companions' sakes, I will now say. Peace be within thee. For the sake of the house of the Lord our God I will seek thy good. Hebrews xii, x BUT ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, And to innumerable hosts of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven. And to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to Jesus the mediator of a new convenant, And to the blood of sprinkling that speaketh better than that of Abel. Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holy place by the blood of Jesus, by the way which he dedicated for us, A new and living way, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having a great priest over the house of God, Let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience. And having our body washed with pure water. Let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not, IReeponeive IRea&inQe ii For lie is faithful that promised : And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works ; not forsaking our own assembling together. Ephesians V BE filled with the Spirit : Speaking one to another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, SingiDg and making melody with your heart to the Lord ; Giving thanks always for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father. SELECTION 7 DELIGHT IN WOESHIP Psalm xcvi O SING unto the Lord a new song: sing unto the Lord, all the earth. Sing unto the Lord, bless his name ; show forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the nations, his marvellous works among all the peoples. For great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised : He is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the peoples are idols; but the Lord made the heavens. Honor and majesty are before him : Strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Ascribe unto the Lord, ye kindreds of the peoples, ascribe unto the Lord glory and strength. Ascribe unto the Lord the glory due unto his name : Bring an offering, and come into his courts. Oh worship the Lord in holy array : Tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigneth : The world also is established that it cannot be moved : He will judge the peoples with equity. Let the heavens be glad, and let the earth rejoice ; 12 IReeponeive IRea&inQa Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof ; Let the field exult, and all that is therein ; Tiien shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy before the Lord; For he cometh, for he cometh to judge the earth : He will judge the world with righteousness, And the peoples with his truth. SELECTION 8 JOY IN PKAISING GOD Psalm xcviii OSING unto the Lord a new song ; for he hath done marvellous things : His right hand, and his holy arm, hath wrought salvation for him. The Lord hath made known his salvation : His righteousness hath he openly showed in the sight of the nations. He hath remembered his lovingkindness and his faithfulness toward the house of Israel : All the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all the earth : Break forth and sing for joy, yea, sing praises. Sing praises unto the Lord with the harp ; With the harp and the voice of melody, with trumpets and sound of cornet. Make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord. Let the sea roar, and the fulness thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein ; Let the floods clap their hands ; Let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord ; For he cometh to judge the earth : He will judge the world with righteousness, and the peoples with equity. Psalm Ixv PRAISE waiteth for thee, God, in Zion ; And unto thee shall the vow be performed. IReeponeive IReabinge is O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come. Iniquities prevail against me; as for our transgressions, thou wilt forgive them. Blessed is the man whom thou choosest, and causest to approach unto thee, that he may dwell in thy courts : We shall be satisfied with the goodness of thy house, thy holy temple. SELECTION 9 TRUE WORSHIP Habakkuk ii THE Lord is in his holy temple : Let all the earth keep silence before him. Isaiah Ivii THUS saith the Lord, Heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, And that trembleth at my word. For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy : I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit. To revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite. Micah vi WHEREWITH shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God ? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves a year old ? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil ? Shall I give my first-born for my transgression, the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul? He hath showed thee, O man, what is good ; and what doth the Lord require of thee. i4 TReeponeiPC IReaMnge But to do justly, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with thy God ? John iv FOR the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth : for such doth the Father seek to be his worshippers. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship in spirit and truth. SELECTION 10 PRAYER FOR THE CHURCH Psalm c ly /TAKE a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands. -^^-*- Serve the Lord with gladness : come before his presence with singing. Know ye that the Lord, he is God : it is he that hath made us, and we are his ; We are his people, and the sheep of his pasture. Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise : Give thanks unto him, and bless his name. For the Lord is good : His lovingkindness endureth for ever. And his faithfulness unto all generations. II Chronicles vi BUT will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth ? be- hold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain thee ; how much less this house which I have builded ! Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O Lord my God, To hearken unto the cry and to the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee ; That thine eyes may be open toward this house day and night, even toward the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there : And hearken thou to the supplications of thy servant, and of thy people, when they shall pray toward this place ; IRcaponeive IRea&inga is Yea, hear thou from thy dwelling-place, even from heaven; and when thou hearest, forgive. If there be in the land famine, if there be pestilence, if there be blasting or mildew, locust or caterpillar. If their enemies besiege them in the land of their cities ; what- soever plague or whatsoever sickness there be ; What prayer and supplication soever be made by any man, or by all thy people, who shall know every man his own plague and his own sorrow, and shall spread forth his hands toward this house : Then hear thou from heaven thy dwelling-place, and forgive, and render unto every man according to all his ways, whose heart thou knowest (For thou, even thou only, knowest the hearts of the children of men); That they may fear thee, to walk in thy ways, so long as they live in the land which thou gavest unto our fathers. Now, O my Grod, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and let thine ears be attent, unto the prayer that is made in this place. Now therefore arise, O Lord God, into thy resting-place, thou, and the ark of thy strength : Let thy priests, Lord God, be clothed with salvation, And let thy saints rejoice in goodness. SELECTION 11 THE MAJESTY OF GOD Isaiah xl WHO hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, And comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counsellor hath taught him ? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of justice. 16 IRe^poneive IReabinge And taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of un- derstanding ? Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are accounted as the small dust of the balance: Behold he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-ofifering. All the nations are as nothing before him ; They are accounted by him as less than nothing, and vanity. To whom then will ye liken God ? Or what likeness will ye compare unto him ? Have ye not known ? have ye not heard ? hath it not been told you from the beginning ? Have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth ? It is he that sitteth above the circle of the earth, and the inhabit- ants thereof are as grasshoppers. That stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in ; That bringeth princes to nothing ; that maketh the judges of the earth as vanity. Lift up your eyes on high, and see who hath created these, that bringeth out their host by number: He calleth them all by name ; By the greatness of his might, and for that he is strong in power, not one is lacking. Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the Lord, and the justice due to me is passed away from my God? Hast thou not known ? hast thou not heard ? The everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, f ainteth not, neither is weary ; There is no searching of his understanding. He giveth power to the faint; and to him that hath no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall : But they that wait for the Lord shall renew their strength ; 1Re0pon6ive IReabinga i7 Thej shall mount up witli wings as eagles ; They shall run, and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint. SELECTION 12 THE LOED'S CARE FOR HIS WORKS Psalm civ BLESS the Lord, my soul. O Lord my God, thou art very great ; Thou art clothed with honor and majesty : Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment ; who stretch- est out the heavens like a curtain ; Who layeth the beams of his chambers in the waters; who maketh the clouds his chariot ; Who walketh upon the wings of the wind ; Who maketh winds his messengers; flames of fire his min- isters ; Who laid the foundations of the earth, that it should not be moved for ever. Thou coveredst it with the deep as with a vesture ; the waters stood above the mountains. At thy rebuke they fled ; at the voice of thy thunder they hasted away, Unto the place which thou hadst founded for them. He appointed the moon for seasons : the sun knoweth his going down. Thou makest darkness, and it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forest creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their food from God. The sun ariseth, they get them away, and lay them down in their dens. Man goeth forth unto his work and to his labor until the evening. O Lord, how manifold are thy works ! In wisdom hast thou made them all : the earth is full of thy riches. 18 IReeponeive IReaMnge I will sing unto the Lord, as long as I live : I will sing praise to my God while I have any being. Let my meditation be sweet unto him : I will rejoice in tlie Lord. Bless the Lord, O my soul. Praise ye the Lord. SELECTION 13 GOD m NATURE Psalm xix THE heavens declare the glory of God ; And the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language ; their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, And their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bride- groom coming out of his chamber, And rejoiceth as a strong man to run his course. His going forth is from the end of the heavens. And his circuit unto the ends of it; and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof. Psalm viii O LORD, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth, Who hast set thy glory upon the heavens ! Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou established strength, because of thine adversaries, That thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained ; What is man, that thou art mindful of him? And the son of man, that thou visitest him? For thou hast made him but little lower than God, and crownest him with glory and honor. Thou makest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; IReeponeive IReabinge 19 Thou hast put all tilings under liis feet : all sheep and oxen, Yea, and the beasts of the field, the birds of the heavens, and the fish of the sea. Whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas„ O Lord, our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth ! SELECTION 14 THE GLOKY OF GOD Psalm cxlv I WILL extol thee, my God, King ; And I will bless thy name for ever and ever. Every day will I bless thee ; and I will praise thy name for ever and ever. Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his great- ness is unsearchable. One generation shall laud thy works to another, and shall declare thy mighty acts. They shall utter the memory of thy great goodness, and shall sing of thy righteousness. The Lord is gracious, and merciful ; Slow to anger, and of great lovingkindness. The Lord is good to all ; and his tender mercies are over all his works. All thy works shall give thanks unto thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations. The Lord upholdeth all that fall. And raiseth up all those that are bowed down. The eyes of all wait for thee ; and thou givest them their food in due season. Thou openest thy hand, and satisfieth the desire of every living thing. 20 IReeponeive IReablnge The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and gracious in all his works. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth. The Lord preserveth all them that love him ; but all the wicked will he destroy. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever. SELECTION 15 GOD'S WISDOM Psalm cxxxix OLORD, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising; thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou searchest out my path and my lying down, and art ac- quainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thy hand upon me. SucL knowledge is too wonderful for me ; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there : If I make my bed in Sheol, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea ; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall overwhelm me, and the light about me shall be night ; Even the darkness hideth not from thee, But the night shineth as the day : The darkness and the light are both alike to thee. How precious also are thy thoughts unto me, O Grod ! How great is the sum of them ! If I should count them, they are more in number than the sand : When I awake, I am still with thee. IReaponeive IReabinge 21 Searcli me, O Grod, and know my heart : Try me, and know my thoughts ; And see if there be any wicked way in me, And lead me in the way everlasting. SELECTION 16 THE GRACE OF GOD Isaiah Iv HO, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, And he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; Yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread ? And your labor for that which satisfieth not ? Hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me ; hear and your soul shall live : And I will make an everlasting covenant with you. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found ; call ye upon him while he is near : Let the wicked forsake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts ; And let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him ; And to our God, for he will abundantly pardon. Psalm cxvi GRACIOUS is the Lord, and righteous ; yea, our God is merciful. The Lord preserveth the simple: I was brought low, and he saved me. Return unto thy rest, my soul ; For the Lord hath dealt bountifully with thee. For thou hast delivered my soul from death, Mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. What shall I render unto the Lord for all his benefits toward me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord. 22 1Re0pon6i\>e 1Rea6ing6 I will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanksgiving, and will call upon the name of the Lord. I will pay my vows unto the Lord, yea, in the presence of all his people, In the courts of the Lord's house, In the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye the Lord. SELECTION 17 THE SHEPHERD GOD Isaiah xl OTHOU that tellest good tidings to Zion, get thee up on a high mountain ; O thou that tellest good tidings to Jerusalem, lift up thy voice with strength; Lift it up, be not afraid ; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold, your God ! Behold, the Lord will come as a mighty one, and his arm will rule for him : Behold, his reward is with him, and his recompense before him. He will feed his flock like a shepherd. He will gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and will gently lead those that have their young. Psalm xxiii THE Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; he leadeth me beside still waters. He restoreth my soul : He guideth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil For thou art with me ; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me. Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies : Thou hast anointed my head with oil ; my cup runneth over. Surely goodness and lovmgkindness shall follow me all the days of my life ; And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. TReaponeive "KeaDinee 23 John X JESUS said unto them, I am the good shepherd : the good shep- herd layeth down his life for the sheep. He that is a hireling, and not a shepherd, whose own the sheep are not, beholdeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth. And the wolf snatcheth them, and scattereth them : he fleeth because he is a hireling, and careth not for the sheep. I am the good shepherd ; and I know mine own, and mine own know me, Even as the Father knoweth me, and I know the Father ; and I lay down my life for the sheep. And other sheep I have, which are not of this fold : them also I must bring. And they shall hear my voice ; And they shall become one flock, one shepherd. Hebrewrs xiii NOW the God of peace, who brought again from the dead the great shepherd of the sheep with the blood of an eternal covenant, even our Lord Jesus, Make you perfect in every good thing to do his will. Working in us that which is well-pleasing in his sight, Through Jesus Christ; to whom be the glory for ever and ever. Amen. SELECTION 18 GOD OUR DELIVERER Psalm xxTiv I WILL bless the Lord at all times : his praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord : The meek shall hear thereof, and be glad. Oh magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name to- gether. I sought the Lord, and he answered me, And delivered me from all my fears. They looked unto him, and were radiant; and their faces shall never be confounded. 24 IReeponaive IReaMnge This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them. Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good : blessed is the man that taketh refuge in him. Oh fear the Lord, ye his saints ; for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger ; But they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing. Come, ye children, hearken unto me : I will teach you the fear of the Lord. What man is he that desireth life, and loveth many days, that he may see good ? Keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. Depart from evil, and do good ; seek peace, and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and his ears are open unto their cry. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil. To cut off the remembrance of them from the earth. The righteous cried and the Lord heard, and delivered them out of all their troubles. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart. And saveth such as are of a contrite spirit. Many are the afflictions of the righteous; but the Lord de- livereth him out of them all. He keepeth all his bones : not one of them is broken. Evil shall slay the wicked; and they that hate the righteous shall be condemned. The Lord redeemeth the soul of his servants ; And none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned. SELECTION 19 THE SAFETY OF GOD'S PEOPLE Psalm cxxiv F it had not been the Lord who was on our side, let Israel now say, I IReepouBive IReabinga 25 If it had not been the Lord who was on our side, when men rose up against us ; Then they had swallowed us up alive, when their wrath was kindled against us : Then the waters had overwhelmed us, The stream had gone over our soul; Then the proud waters had gone over our soul. Blessed be the Lord, who hath not given us as a prey to their teeth. Our soul is escaped as a bird out of the snare of the fowlers : The snare is broken, and we are escaped. Our help is in the name of the Lord, who made heaven and earth. Psalm cxxvi WHEN the Lord brought back those that returned to Zion, we were like unto them that dream. Then was our mouth filled with laughter, and our tongue with singing : The Lord hath done great things for us, whereof we are glad. They that sow in tears shall reap in joy. He that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. Psalm cxxv THEY that trust in the Lord are as mount Zion, which cannot be moved, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from this time forth and for evermore. SELECTION 20 PRAISE FOE GOD'S GOODNESS Psalm ciii BLESS the Lord, O my soul ; and all that is within me, bless his holy name. Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits : Who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases; Who redeemeth thy life from destruction; Who crowneth thee with loviufj-kindness and tender mercies: 26 IResponeive IReaMnge Who satisfieth thy desire with good things, so that thy youth is renewed like the eagle. The Lord executeth righteous acts, and judgments for all that are oppressed. He made known his ways unto Moses, his doings unto the children of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness. He will not always chide ; neither will he keep his anger for «ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins, nor rewarded us after our iniquities. For as the heavens are high above the earth, so great is his lovingkindness toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our transgressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, So the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame ; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass ; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone ; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the lovingkindness of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him. And his righteousness unto children's children ; To such as keep his covenant, and to those that remember his precepts to do them. SELECTION 21 ) ^ CONFIDENCE IN GOD Psalm xci HE that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress ; my God, in whom I trust. For he will deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the deadly pestilence. IReeponsive IReaMnga 27 He will cover thee with his pinions, and under his wings shalt thou take refuge : His truth is a shield and a buckler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, Nor for the arrow that flieth by day ; For the pestilence that walketh in darkness, Nor for the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; But it shall not come nigh thee. Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see the reward of the wicked, For thou, O Lord, art my refuge ! thou hast made the Most High thy habitation ; There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy tent. For he will give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread upon the lion and adder: The young lion and the serpent shalt thou trample under foot. Because he hath set his love upon me, therefoi-e will I deliver him : I will set him on high, because he hath known my name. He shall call upon me, and I will answer him; I will be with him in trouble : I will deliver him, and honor him. With long life will I satisfy him, and show him my salvation. SELECTION 22 THE CHRISTIAN'S REFUGE Isaiah xliii BUT now thus saith the Lord that created thee, Jacob, and he that formed thee, Israel : Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. 28 IReaponsive TReabinge When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, Neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. Fear thou not, for I am with thee ; be not dismayed, for I am thy God; I will strengthen thee ; yea, I will help thee ; Yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteous- ness. Micah vii BUT as for me, I will look unto the Lord ; I will wait for the God of my salvation : My God will hear me. Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy : When I fall, I shall arise ; when I sit in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto me. I will bear the indignation of the Lord, because I have sinned against him. Until he plead my cause, and execute judgment for me ; He will bring me forth to the light, and I shall behold his righteousness. Romans viii FOK I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared With the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities. Nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, Shall be able to separate us from the love of God, Which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. SELECTION 23 HOPE IN GOD'S HELP Psalm xxxi IN thee, O Lord, do I take refuge ; let me never be put to shame : Deliver me in thy righteousness. Bow down thine ear unto me ; deliver me speedily : Be thou to me a strong rock, a house of defence to save me. For thou art my rock and my fortress ; Therefore for thy name's sake lead me and guide me. Pluck me out of the net that they have laid privily for me ; For thou art my stronghold. Into thy hand I commend my spirit : Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord, thou God of truth. Thou hast set my feet in a large place. Have mercy upon me, Lord, for T am in distress : Mine eye wasteth away with grief, yea, my soul and my body. But I trusted in thee, Lord : I said, Thou art my God. My times are in thy hand : deliver me from the hand of mine enemies, and from them that persecute me. Make thy face to shine upon thy servant : save me in thy loving- kindness. Oh how great is thy goodness, which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee, Which thou hast wrought for them that take refuge in thee, be- fore the sons of men ! In the covert of thy presence wilt thou hide them from the plottings of man: Tliou wilt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues. Oh love the Lord, all ye his saints: the Lord preserveth the faithful. And plentifully rewardeth him that dealeth proudly. Be strong, and let your heart take courage, all ye that hope in the Lord. SELECTION 24 PEACE IN BELIEVma Psalm Ixi EAR my cry, God ; attend unto my prayer. From the end of the earth will I call unto thee, when my heart is overwhelmed : H 30 IReeponeive IReaMnga Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For thou hast been a refuge for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will dwell in thy tabernacle for ever : I will take refuge in the covert of thy wings. Lamentations iii IT is of the Lord's lovingkindnesses that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning; great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul ; therefore will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seeketh him. It is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salva- tion of the Lord. t • u •• Isaiah zii I WILL give thanks unto thee, O Lord ; For though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and thou comfortest me. Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid : For the Lord, even the Lord, is my strength and song ; and he is become my salvation. Therefore with joy shall ye draw water out of the wells of salvation. Give thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings among the peoples, make mention that his name is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath done excellent things: let this be known in all the earth. Cry aloud and shout, thou inhabitant of Zion ; For great in the midst of thee is the Holy One of Israel. SELECTION 25 COMFORT IN GOD'S POWER Isaiah xl COMFORT ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem; and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished. IRespoHBive IReabings 3i That her iniquity is pardoned, that she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all her sins. The voice of one that crieth, Prepare ye in the wilderness the way of the Lord ; Make level in the desert a highway for our God. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low; And the uneven shall be made level, and the rough places a plain. And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together ; For the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. The voice of one saying. Cry. And one said, What shall I cry ? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth, because the breath of the Lord bloweth upon it ; Surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth ; But the word of our God shall stand for ever. Pss^m xlvi GOD is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will we not fear, though the earth do change, and though the mountains be shaken into the heart of the seas ; Though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains tremble with the swelling thereof. There is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of God, The holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High. God is in the midst of her ; she shall not be moved : God will help her, and that right early. The nations raged, the kingdoms were moved : he uttered his voice, the earth melted. The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge. Come, behold the works of the Lord, what desolations he hath made in the earth. He maketh wars to cease unto the end of the earth ; he break- eth the bow, and cutteth the spear in sunder ; 32 1Re0pon0ive IReabinge He burneth the chariots in the lire. Be still, and know that I am God : I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us ; the God of Jacob is our refuge. SELECTION 26 PEAYEE FOE PEOTECTION Psalm xxvii THE Lord is mj light and my salvation ; whom shall I fear ? The Lord is the strength of my life ; of whom shall I be afraid? When evil-doers came upon me to eat up my flesh, Even mine adversaries and my foes, they stumbled and fell. Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear : Though war should rise against me, even then will I be confident. One thing have I asked of the Lord, that will I seek after : That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, To behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, For in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion : In the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me ; He will lift me up upon a rock. And now shall my head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me; And I will offer in his tabernacle sacrifices of joy ; I will sing, yea, I will sing praises unto the Lord. Hear, Lord, when I cry with my voice : have mercy also upon me, and answer me. When thou saidst. Seek ye my face ; my heart said unto thee. Thy face. Lord, will I seek. Hide not thy face from me ; put not thy servant away in anger : Thou hast been my help; cast me not ofif, neither forsake me, O God of my salvation. When my father and my mother forsake me, then the Lord will take me up. IResponeive IReabinga 33 Teach me thy way, O Lord; and lead me in a plain path, be- cause of mine enemies. Deliver me not over unto the will of mine adversaries : For false witnesses are risen up against me, and such as breathe out cruelty. I had fainted, unless 1 had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait for the Lord : be strong, and let thy heart take courage ; yea, wait thou for the Lord. SELECTION 27 PEAYEE FOE DELIVEEANCE Psalm Ixix SAYE me, God ; for the waters are come in unto mv soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing : I am come mto deep waters, where the floods overflow me. I am weary with my crying ; my throat is dried : Mine eyes fail while I wait for my God. But as for me, my prayer is unto thee, O Lord, in an acceptable time ; God, in the abundance of thy lovingkindness, answer me in the truth of thy salvation. Deliver me out of the mire, and let me not sink: Let me be delivered from them that hate me, and out of the deep waters. Let not the waterflood overwhelm me, neither let the deep swallow me up ; And let not the pit shut its mouth upon me. Answer me, O Lord; for thy lovingkindness is good: according to the multitude of thy tender mercies turn thou unto me. And hide not thy face from thy servant ; For I am in distress ; answer me speedily. Psalm xl 1 WAITED patiently for the Lord ; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; 34 1Re0pon6ive IRea&inga And he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God : Many shall see it, and fear, and shall trust in the Lord. Blessed is the man that maketh the Lord his trust. Let all those that seek thee rejoice and be glad in thee : Let such as love thy salvation say continually, The Lord be magnified. SELECTION 28 PEAYEE IN TEOUBLB Psalm xlii AS the heart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God : when shall I come and appear before God ? My tears have been my food day and night, While they continually say unto me. Where is thy God ? These things I remember, and pour out my soul within me. How I went with the throng, and led them to the house of God, With the voice of joy and praise, a multitude keeping holyday. Why art thou cast down, O my soul ? And why art thou dis- quieted within me ? Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him For the help of his countenance. my God, my soul is cast down within me : Deep calleth unto deep at the noise of thy waterfalls: all thy waves and thy billows are gone over me. Yet the Lord will command his lovingkindness in the day-time ; And in the night his song shall be with me, even a prayer unto the God of my life. 1 will say unto God my rock. Why hast thou forgotten me ? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? As with a sword in my bones, mine adversaries reproach me. While they continually say unto me, Where is thy God? IResponeive IReabintje 35 Why art thou cast down, my soul ? And why art thou dis- quieted within me? Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him, Who is the help of my countenance, and my God. Psalm xl ii JUDGE me, O God, and plead my cause against an ungodly nation : Oh deliver me from the deceitful and unjust man, For thou art the God of my strength; why hast thou cast me off? Why go I mourning because of the oppression of the enemy? Oh send out thy light and thy truth ; let them lead me : let them bring me unto thy holy hill, And to thy tabernacles. Then will I go unto the altar of God, Unto God my exceeding joy; and upon the harp will I praise thee, O God, my God. Why art thou cast down, my soul ? And why art thou dis- quieted within me? Hope thou in God ; for I shall yet praise him, who is the help of my countenance, and my God. SELECTION 29 PKAISE FOR DELIVERANCE Psalm cvii OGIYE thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good ; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Let the redeemed of the Lord say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the adversary, And gathered out of the lands, from the east and from the west, from the north and from the south. They wandered in the wilderness in a desert way ; They found no city of habitation. Himgry and thirsty, their soul fainted in them. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble, And he delivered them out of their distresses. 36 IReeponeive IReabinge He led them also by a straight way, that they might go to a city of habitation. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his lovingkindness, And for his wonderful works to the children of men ! For he satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul he filleth with good. Such as sat in darkness and in the shadow of death, being bound in affliction and iron, Because they rebelled against the words of God, and con- temned the counsel of the Most High: Therefore he brought down their heart with labor ; they fell down, and there was none to help. Then they cried unto the Lord in their trouble. And he saved them out of their distresses. He brought them out of darkness and the shadow of death, and brake their bonds in sunder. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his lovingkindness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men I For he hath broken the gates of brass, and cut the bars of iron in sunder. They that go down to the sea in ships, that do business in great waters ; These see the works of the Lord, and his wonders in the deep. For he commandeth, and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth up the waves thereof. They mount up to the heavens, they go down again to the depths : Their soul melteth away because of trouble. They reel to and fro, and stagger like a drunken man, and are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still. Then are they glad because they are quiet ; so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. Oh that men would praise the Lord for his lovingkindness, and for his wonderful works to the children of men ! IReeponeive IRea&inga 37 SELECTION 30 THE MYSTEKY OF LIFE Job xi, xxxvii GAKST thou by searching find out God ? Canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection ? It is high as heaven ; what canst thou do ? deeper than Sheol ; what canst thou know ? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea. God thundereth marvellously with his voice ; Great things doeth he, which we cannot comprehend. Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Dost thou know how God layeth his charge upon them, and causeth the lightning of his cloud to shine? Dost thou know the balancings of the clouds, the wondrous works of him who is perfect in knowledge ? Canst thou with him spread out the sky, which is strong as a molten mirror ? Teach us what we shall say unto him ; For we cannot set our speech in order by reason of darkness. God hath upon him terrible majesty. Touching the Almighty, we cannot find him out : He is excellent in power; and in justice and plenteous right- eousness he will not afflict. Proverbs iii TRUST in the Lord with all thy heart, And lean not upon thine own understanding: In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths. Then shalt thou walk in thy way securely, and thy foot shall not stumble. When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid : Yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet. Be not afraid of sudden fear, neither of the desolation of the wicked, when it cometh : For the Lord will be thy confidence, and will keep thy foot from being taken. 38 IReeponeive IRea&ings SELECTION 31 o THANKS FOR MATERIAL BLESSINGS Psalm cxxxvi GIVE thanks unto the Lord ; for he is good ; for his loving- kindness endureth for ever. To him who alone doeth great wonders ; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever : To him that by understanding made the heavens ; for his loving- kindness endureth for ever : To him that spread forth the earth above the waters; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever : To him that made great lights ; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever : The sun to rule by day; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever; The moon and stars to rule by night ; For his lovingkindness endureth for ever. Psalm Ixv THOU makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice. Thou visitest the earth, and waterest it, thou greatly enrichest it; The river of God is full of water : Thou providest them grain, when thou hast so prepared the earth. Thou waterest its furrows abundantly ; thou settlest the ridges thereof : thou makest it soft with showers ; Thou blessest the springing thereof. Thou crownest the year with thy goodness ; and thy paths drop fatness. They drop upon the pastures of the wilderness ; and the hills are girded with joy. The pastures are clothed with flocks; the valleys also are covered over with grain; they shout for joy, they also sing. Deuteronomy xxxiii FOR the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath, IRcaponsive 1Rea&inG6 39 And for the precious things of the fruits of the sun, and for the precious things of the growth of the moons, And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, And for the precious things of the everlasting hills, A nd for the precious things of the earth and the fulness thereof, Praise ye the Lord. SELECTION 32 THANKS FOE PUBLIC BLESSINGS Psalm cxlvii PRAISE ye the Lord ; for it is good to sing praises unto our God; For it is pleasant, and praise is comely. The Lord doth build up Jerusalem; he gathereth together the outcasts of Israel. He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He counteth the number of the stars ; he calleth them all by their names. Great is our Lord, and mighty in power ; his understanding is infinite. The Lord upholdeth the meek : he bringeth the wicked down to the ground. Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving ; Sing praises upon the harp unto our God, Who covereth the heavens with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth. Who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem ; praise thy God, O Zion. For he hath strengthened the bars of thy gates ; he hath blessed thy children within thee. He maketh peace in thy borders ; he filleth thee with the finest of the wheat. He sendeth out his commandment upon earth ; his word runneth very swiftly. He giveth snow like wool; he scattereth the hoar-frost like ashes. 40 IReeponeive IReabinge He casteth forth his ice like morsels : who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow. He showeth his word unto Jacob, his statutes and his ordinances unto Israel. He hath not dealt so with any nation ; praise ye the Lord. SELECTION 33 NATIONAL THANKSGIYINO Psalm cv OGIYE thanks unto the Lord, call upon his name ; Make known among the peoples his doings. Sing unto him, sing praises unto him ; Talk ye of all his marvellous works. Deuteronomy viii FOR the Lord thy God bringeth thee into a good land, a land of brooks of water, of fountains and springs, flowing forth in valleys and hills ; A land of wheat and barley, and vines and fig-trees and pome- granates ; A land of olive trees and honey ; a land wherein thou shalt eat bread without scarceness, thou shalt not lack anything in it; A land whose stones are iron, and out of whose hills thou mayest dig copper. And thou shalt eat and be full, and thou shalt bless the Lord thy God For the good land which he hath given thee. Beware lest thou forget the Lord thy God, in not keeping his commandments, Lest, when thou hast eaten and art full, and hast built goodly houses, and dwelt therein; And when thy herds and thy flocks multiply, and thy silver and thy gold is multiplied, and all that thou hast is multiplied ; Then thy heart be lifted up, and thou forget the Lord thy God, IResponeive IReaMnga 4i Lest thoii say in thy heart, My power and the might of my hand hath gotten me this Avealth. But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. I Chronicles xxix BLESSED be thou, O Lord, our Father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: For all that is in the heavens and in the earth is thine ; Thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honor come of thee, and thou rulest over all ; And in thy hand is power and might ; and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name ; For all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. SELECTION 34 PRAYER FOR GODLINESS Psalm li HAYE mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkind- ness : According to the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thorouglily from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me. Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done that which is evil in thy sight ; That thou mayest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest. Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity ; and in sin did my mother conceive me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts ; And in the hidden part thou wilt make me to know wisdom. 42 lRe0pon0lve IReabinge Purify me with hyssop, and I shall be clean : Wash me, and I sliall be whiter than snow. Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence ; and take not thy holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways ; And sinners shall be converted unto thee. Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation ; And my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness. O Lord, open thou my lips ; And my mouth shall show forth thy praise. For thou delightest not in sacrifice ; else would I give it ; Thou hast no pleasure in burnt-offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit : A broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise. SELECTION 35 DELIGHT IN THE LAW OF THE LORD Psalm i BLESSED is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the wicked, Nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of scoffers : But his delight is in the law of the Lord ; And on his law doth he meditate day and night. And he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, That bringeth forth its fruit in its season. Whose leaf also doth not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. IReaponeive IReaMnga 43 The wicked are not so, but are like the chaff which the wind driveth away. Therefore the wicked shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous. For the Lord knoweth the way of the righteous ; but the way of the wicked shall perish. Psalm xix THE law of the Lord is perfect, restoring the soul : The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The precepts of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart : The commandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring for ever : The ordinances of the Lord are true, and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold ; Sweeter also than honey and the droppings of the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned : in keeping them there is great reward. Who can discern his errors? Clear thou me from hidden faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins ; let them not have dominion over me : Then shall I be upright, and I shall be clear from great trans- gression. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart Be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my rock, and my redeemer. SELECTION 36 THE JOY OF OBEDIENCE Psalm cxix LESSED are they that are perfect in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord. Blessed are they that keep his testimonies, that seek him with the whole heart. Yea, they do no unrighteousness ; they walk in his ways. Thou hast commanded us thy precepts, that we should observe them diligently. B 44 IReeponeive IReaMnge Oh tbat my ways were established to observe thy statutes I Then shall I not be put to shame. Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his way ? By taking heed thereto according to thy word. With my whole heart have I sought thee : Oh let me not wander from thy commandments. Thy word have I laid up in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Blessed art thou, O Lord : Teach me thy statutes. With my lips have I declared all the ordinances of thy mouth. I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies, as much as in all riches. I will meditate on thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. I will delight myself in thy statues : I will not forget thy word. Ezekiel xviii I WILL judge you ; every one according to his ways, saith the Lord. Return ye, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions ; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. Cast away from you all your transgressions, wherein ye have transgressed ; And make you a new heart and a new spirit : for why will ye die ; For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord, Wherefore turn yourselves, and live. SELECTION 37 THE CONTEITE HEART Ezra ix OMY God, I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God ; For our iniquities are increased over our head, and our guilti- ness is grown up unto the heavens. Since the days of our fathers we have been exceeding guilty unto this day For we are bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, IReeponaive IReabmga 45 But hatli extended lovingkindness unto us. And after all that is come upon us for our evil deeds, and for our great guilt, Seeing that thou our Grod hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve, Shall we again break thy commandments? O Lord, the God of Israel, thou art righteous ; Behold, we are before thee in our guiltiness; for none can stand before thee because of this. Psalm XXV UNTO thee, Lord, do I lift up my soul. O my God, in thee have I trusted, let me not be put to shame ; Show me thy ways, Lord ; teach me thy paths. Guide me in thy truth, and teach me ; for thou art the God of my salvation ; For thee do I wait all the day. Kemember, Lord, thy tender mercies and thy lovingkindnesses ; For they have been ever of old. Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions : According to thy lovingkindness remember thou me, for thy goodness* sake, O Lord. Grood and upright is the Lord ; therefore will he instruct sinners in the way. The meek will he guide in justice ; and the meek will he teach his way. All the paths of the Lord are lovingkindness and truth Unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies. For thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniquity, for it is great. Oh keep my soul, and deliver me : Let me not be put to shame, for I take refuge in thee. Let integrity and uprightness preserve me, for I wait for thee. SELECTION 38 THE JOY OF FOEGIYENESS Joel ii ET even now, saith the Lord, turn ye unto me with all your heart. Y 46 IRcBponeive IReaMnge And with fasting, and with weeping, and with mourning : And rend your heart, and not your garments, and turn unto the Lord your God ; For he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abundant in lovingkindness, and repenteth him of the evil. Blow the trumpet in Zion, sanctify a fast, call a solemn assembly ; Gather the people, sanctify the assembly, assemble the old men, gather the children. Let the priests, the ministers of the Lord, weep between the porch and the altar, And let them say. Spare thy people, O Lord, and give not thy heritage to reproach. Wherefore should they say among the peoples, Where is their God? Then was the Lord jealous for his land, and had pity on his people. Psalm xxxii BLESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not in- iquity. And in whose spirit there is no guile. When I kept silence, my bones wasted away through my groaning all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy upon me : My moisture was changed as with the drought of summer. I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity did I not hide: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord ; And thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin. Hosea vi COME, and let us return unto the Lord ; for he hath torn, and he will heal us ; he hath smitten, and he will bind us up. SELECTION 39 . THE JOY OF SALVATION Romans viii ^HERE is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus. TReeponeivjc IRea^inge 47 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus made me free from the law of sin and of death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God, sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh and for sin, condemned sin in the flesh : That the ordinance of the law might be fulfilled in us. who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For they that are after the flesh mind the things of the flesh ; But they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death ; but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace : Because the mind of the flesh is enmity against God ; For it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can it be : And they that are in the flesh cannot please God. But ye are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you. But if any man hath not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his. And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin; but the spirit is life because of righteousness. But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall give life also to your mortal bodies through his Spirit that dwelleth in you. So then, brethren, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live after the flesh : For if ye live after the flesh, ye must die ; but if by the Spirit ye put to death the deeds of the body, ye shall live. For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. For ye received not the spirit of bondage again unto fear ; But ye received the spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father. The Spirit himself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are children of God : And if children, then heirs ; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ ; If so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified with him. 48 IResponeive IReabings SELECTION 40 GRATITUDE TO CHRIST Ephesians i, ii BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ : Even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, That we should be holy and without blemish before him in love : Having foreordained us unto adoption as sons through Jesus Christ unto himself, According to the good pleasure of his will, to the praise of the glory of his grace, which he fully bestowed on us in the Beloved : In whom we have our redemption through his blood, the for- giveness of our trespasses ! God, being rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, Even when we were dead through our trespasses, Made us alive together with Christ (by grace luive ye been saved). And raised us up with him, and made us to sit with him in the heavenly places, in Christ Jesus : That in the ages to come he might show the exceeding riches of his grace in kindness toward us in Clirist Jesus : For by grace have ye been saved through faith ; and that not of yourselves, it is the gift of God ; Not of works, that no man should glory. For we are his work- manship, Created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God afore prepared that we should walk in them. Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be the glory in the church arid in Christ Jesus unto all generations for ever and ever. Amen. SELECTION 41 THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE WICKED Psalm xxxvii TTRET not thyself because of evil-doers, ^ Neither be thou envious against them that work unright- eousness. IResponeive IReabinQS 49 For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust in the Lord, and do good ; Dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he will give thee the desires of thy heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord ; trust also in him, and he will bring it to pass. And he will make thy righteousness to go forth as the light, And thy justice as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him : Fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way. Because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath : Fret not thyself, it tendeth only to evil-doing. For evil-doers shall be cut off; But those that wait for the Lord, they shall inherit the land. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be : Yea, thou shalt dili,Li-ently consider his place, and he shall not be. But the meek shall inherit the land, and shall delight them- selves in the abundance of peace. Better is a little that the righteous hath than the abundance of many wicked. A man's goings are established of the Lord ; and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down ; For the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have seen the wicked in great power, and spreading himself like a green tree in its native soil. But one passed by, and, lo, he was not: yea, I sought him, but he could not be found. Mark the perfect man, and behold tlie upright; For there is a happy end to the man of peace. As for transgressors, they shall be destroyed together : the end of the wicked shall be cut off. But the salvation of the righteous is of the Lord: he is their stronghold in the time of trouble. 50 1i?e6pon0ive IReabinge And the Lord helpetli them, and rescueth them : He rescueth them from the wicked, and saveth them, because they have taken refuge in him. SELECTION 42 THE GREATNESS OF LOVE I John iv BELOYED, let us love one another : for love is of God And every one that loveth is begotten of God and knoweth God. He that loveth not knoweth not God ; for God is love. Herein was the love of God manifested in us, That God hath sent his only begotten Son into the world that we might live througli him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, And sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins. Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. No man hath beheld God at any time : If we love one another, God abideth in us, and his love is perfected in us : God is love ; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God abideth in him. If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: For he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, cannot love God whom he hath not seen. And this commandment have we from him, that he who. loveth God love his brother also. I Corinthians xiii IF I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not love, I am become sounding brass, or a clanging cymbal. And if I have the gift of prophecy, and know all mysteries and all knowledge ; And if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. And if I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, IReeponeive IReabinge 5i And if I give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me notWng. Love suffereth long, and is kind ; love envieth not ; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up, Doth not behave itself unseemly, seeketh not its own, is not provoked, taketh not account of evil; Eejoiceth not in unrighteousness, but rejoiceth with the truth ; Beareth all things, believeth all things, hopeth all things, endureth all things. Love never faileth : but whether there be prophecies, they shall be done away; Whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall be done away. For we know in part, and we prophesy in part ; but when that which is perfect is come, that which is in part shall be done away. When I was a child, I spake as a child, I felt as a child, I thought as a child : Now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, darkly ; but then face to face : Now I know in part ; but then shall I know fully even as also I was fully known. But now abideth faith, hope, love, these three; and the great- est of these is love. SELECTION 43 FATHEEHOOD AND BEOTHERHOOD Isaiah Ixiii 1WILL make mention of the lovingkindnesses of the Lord, and the praises of the Lord. According to all that the Lord hath bestowed on us. And the great goodness toward the house of Israel, which he hath bestowed on them According to his mercies, and according to the multitude of his lovingkindnesses. For he said, Surely, they are my people, children that will not deal falsely : so he was their Saviour. 52 IReaponeive IReabinge In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: In his love and in his pitj lie redeemed them ; And he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. For thoa art our Father, though Abraham knoweth us not, and Israel doth not acknowledge us ; Thou, O Lord, art our Father; our Redeemer from ever- lasting is thy name. I John iii BEHOLD what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, That we should be called children of God; Beloved, now are we children of God, and it is not yet made manifest what we shall be. We know that, if he shall be manifested, we shall be like him ; For we shall see him even as he is. And every one that hath this hope set on him purifieth himself, even as he is pure. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil : Whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message which ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another : We know that we have passed out of death into life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer ; And ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him. Hereby know we love, because he laid down his life for us : and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren. But whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, And shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of God abide in him ? My little children, let us not love in word, neither with the tongue; but in deed and truth. I^eeponeive TReabinge 53 And this is his commandment, That we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ, and love one another. SELECTION 44 THE DUTY OF BROTHEELY LOYE Isaiah Iviii CRY aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, And declare unto my people their transgression, and to the house of Jacob their sins. Wherefore have we fasted, sav they, and thou seest not? Wherefore have we afflicted our soul, and thou takest no knowledge? Is such the fast that I have chosen ? Is it to bow down his head as a rush, and to spread sackcloth and ashes under him ? Wilt thou call this a fast, and an acceptable day to the Lord? Is not this the fast that I have chosen : to loose the bonds of wickedness, To undo the bands of the yoke, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? Is it not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house ? When thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh? Then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily ; And thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of the Lord shall be thy rearward. Then shalt thou call, and the Lord will answer ; Thou shalt cry, and he will say. Here I am. Job xxxi IF I have withheld the poor from their desire, or have caused the eyes of the widow to fail, Or have eaten my morsel alone, and the fatherless hath not eateii thereof. 54 IResponaive IReaMng^J If I have seen any perish for want of clothing, or that the needy had no covering ; If his loins have not blessed me, and if he hath not been warmed with the fleece of my sheep ; If I have lifted up my hand against the fatherless, because I saw my help in the gate : Then let my shoulder fall from the shoulder-blade, and mine arm be broken from the bone. James i PURE religion and undefiled before our God and Father is this. To visit the fatherless and widows in their aflliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. SELECTION 45 PRAYER FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE Psalm X WHY standest thou afar off, O Lord ? In the pride of the wicked the poor is hotly pursued; For the wicked boasteth of his heart's desire, and the covetous renounceth, yea, contemneth the Lord. The wicked, in the pride of his countenance, saith. He will not require it. All his thoughts are, There is no God. He sitteth in the lurking-places of the villages ; in the secret places doth he murder the innocent ; His eyes are privily set against the helpless. He lurketh in secret as a lion in his covert ; he lieth in wait to catch the poor : He doth catch the poor, when he draweth him in his net. He saith in his heart : God hath forgotten, he hideth his face, he will never see it. Arise, O Lord ; O God, lift up thy hand : Forget not the poor. Psalm ix I WILL give thanks unto the Lord with my whole heart ; I will show forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and exult in thee ; I will sing praise to thy name, O thou Most High. IReeponaivc IRcabings 55 When mine enemies turn back, they stumble and perish at thy presence. For thou hast maintained my right and my cause ; Thou sittest in the throne judging rigliteously. The Lord also will be a high tower for the oppressed, a high tower in times of trouble ; And they that know thy name will put their trust in thee ; For thou, O Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee. Sing praises to the Lord, who dwelleth in Zion : Declare among the people his doings. For he that maketh inquisition for blood remembereth them ; He forgetteth not the cry of the poor. SELECTION 46 SOCIAL SIN AND PENITENCE o Psalm XV LORD who shall sojourn in thy tabernacle ? Who shall dwell in thy holy hill ? He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh truth in his heart ; He that slandereth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his friend, Nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor ; In whose eyes a reprobate is despised, but who honoreth them that fear the Lord ; He that sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not ; He that putteth not out his money to interest, nor taketh reward ao-ainst the innocent. o He that doeth these things shall never be moved. Daniel ix O LORD, our God, we have sinned, we have done wickedly. O Lord, according to all thy righteousness, let thine anger and thy wrath, I pray thee, be turned away from thy city ; Because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers. Thy people are become a reproach to all that are round about us. I 56 IResponeive IReabinge Now therefore, our God, hearken unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplications, And cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is deso- late, for the Lord's sake. my God, incline thine ear, and hear ; Open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name : For we do not present our supplications before thee for our right- eousnesses. But for thy great mercies' sake. Lord, hear; Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, For thine own sake, O my God, because thy city and thy people are called by thy name. SELECTION 47 NATIONAL PENITENCE Rosea iv HEAR the v/ord of the Lord, ye children of Israel ; for the Lord hath a controversy with the inhabitants of the land, Because there is no truth, nor goodness, nor knowledge of God in the land. There is nought but swearing and breaking faith. And killing, and stealing, and committing adultery. Amos V FORASMUCH therefore as ye trample upon the poor, and take exactions from him of wheat : Ye have built houses of hewn stone, but ye shall not dwell in them; Ye have planted pleasant vineyards, but ye shall not drink the wine thereof. For I know how manifold are your transgressions, and how mighty are your sins — Ye that afHict the just, that take a bribe, And that turn aside the needy in the gate from their right. 1 hate, I despise your feasts, and I will take no delight in your solemn assemblies. Yea, though ye offer me your burnt-offerings and meat- offerings, I will not accept them ; IReeponeive IReabinge 67 [N'either will I regard the peace-offerings of your fat beasts. Take thou away from me the noise of thy songs ; For I will not hear the melody of thy viols. But let justice roll down as waters, and righteousness as a mighty stream. Psalm Ixxix KEMEMBER not against us the iniquities of our forefathers : Let thy tender mercies speedily meet us; for we are brought very low. Help us, God of our salvation, for the glory of thy name ; And deliver us, and forgive our sins, for thy name's sake. So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture Will give thee thanks for ever ; we will show forth thy praise to all generations. SELECTION 48 TRUE RELIGION Jeremiah vii THUS saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel, Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Trust ye not in lying words, saying. The temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, the temple of the Lord, are these. For if ye thoroughly amend your ways and your doings ; If ye thoroughly execute justice between a man and his neighbor; If ye oppress not the sojourner, the fatherless, and the widow, and shed not innocent blood. Neither walk after other gods to your own hurt: Then will I cause you to dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, even for evermore. Behold, ye trust in lying words, that cannot profit. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely, and burn incense unto Baal, xind walk after other gods that ye have not known. And come and stand before me in this house, which is called by my name, and say. We are delivered ? Is this house, which is called by my name, become a den of robbers in your eyes ? 58 IResponeive IReabing^ Behold, I, even I, have seen it, saith the Lord. Isaiah i WHAT unto me is the multitude of your sacrifices ? saith the Lord: I have had enough of the burnt-ofiferings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts ; And I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he -goats. When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to trample my courts ? Bring no more vain oblations ; incense is an abomination unto me ; New moon and sabbath, the calling of assemblies, — I cannot away with iniquity and the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth ; They are a trouble unto me ; I am weary of bearing them. And when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; Yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear : Your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean; put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes ; Cease to do evil ; learn to do well ; seek justice, relieve the op- pressed. Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow. Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord : though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snovv^ ; Though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool. SELECTION 49 PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE ^^ Isaiah Ixii FOR Zion's sake will I not hold my peace, and for Jerusalem's sake I will not rest. Until her righteousness go forth as brightness, and her sal- vation as a lamp that burneth. And the nations shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory; 1Re6pon0i\)e IReaMnge 59 And thou shalt be called by a new name, which the mouth of the Lord shall name. Thou shalt also be a crown of beauty in the hand of the Lord, And a royal diadem in the hand of thy God. I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem ; They shall never hold their peace day nor night : Ye that are the Lord's remembrancers, take ye no rest, and give him no rest, Till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a praise in the earth. Go through, go through the gates ; prepare ye the way of the people ; Cast up, cast up the highway; gather out the stones; lift up an ensign for the peoples. Behold, the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the earth, Say ye to the daughter of Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh ! Psaltn Ixvii GOD be merciful unto us, and bless us, and cause his face to shine upon us ; That thy way may be known upon earth, thy salvation among all nations. Let the peoples praise thee, God ; let all the peoples praise thee. Oh let the nations be glad and sing for joy; For thou wilt judge the peoples with equity, and govern the nations U2)on earth. Let the peoples praise thee, O God; let all the peoples praise thee. The earth hath yielded its increase : God, even our own God, will bless us. God will bless us ; And all the ends of the earth shall fear him. SELECTION 50 ^^ THE GLORIOUS FUTURE Isaiah zliii UT now thus saith the Lord that created thee, Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel : B 60 IReeponeive TReaMnge Fear not, for I have redeemed thee ; I have called thee by thy name, thou art mine. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; And through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : When thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned, neither shall the flame kindle upon thee. For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel, thy Saviour. Isaiah liv FOR a small moment have I forsaken thee ; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In overflowing wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment ; But with everlasting lovingkindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For this is as the waters of Noah unto me ; For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah shall no more go over the earth, So have I sworn that I will not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains may depart, and the hills be removed ; But my lovingkindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall my covenant of peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee. O thou afilicted, tossed with tempest, and not comforted, Behold, I will set thy stones in fair colors, and lay thy foun- dations with sapphires. And T will make thy pinnacles of rubies, and thy gates of car- buncles, and all thy border of precious stones. And all thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children. Enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the cur- tains of thy habitations ; Spare not : lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. For thou shalt spread abroad on the right hand and on the left ; And thy seed shall possess the nations, and make the desolate cities to be inhabited. For thy Maker is thy husband ; the Lord of hosts is his name : and the Holy One of Israel is thy Redeemer ; The God of the whole earth shall he be called. IRceponsive IRea&inga 61 SELECTION 51 GOD'S CERTAm VICTORY Isaiah lii AWAKE, awake, put on thy strength, O Zion ; put on thy beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city : For henceforth there shall no more come into thee the uncir- cumcised and the unclean. Shake thyself from the dust ; arise, sit on thy throne, O Jerusalem : Loose thyself from the bonds of thy neck, O captive daughter of Zion. How beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings, that publisheth peace. That bringeth good tidings of good, that pubHsheth salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth ! The voice of thy watchmen ! they lift up the voice, together do they sing ; For they shall see eye to eye, when the Lord returneth to Zion. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste places of Jerusalem ; For the Lord hath comforted his people, he hath redeemed Jerusalem. The Lord hath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations ; And all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God. Psalm xxiv L1¥T up your heads, ye gates ; And be ye lifted up, ye everlasting doors: And the King of glory will come in. Who is the King of glory ? The Lord strong and mighty, the Lord mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates ; Yea, lift them up, ye everlasting doors : And the King of glory will come in. Who is this King of glory ? The Lord of hosts, he is the King of glory. 62 IReaponsive IReaMnga SELECTION 52 THE HOPE OF THE KINGDOM Isaiah li ATTEND unto me, mj people; and give ear unto me, O my nation : For a law shall go forth from me, and I will establish my jus- tice for a light of the peoples. My righteousness is near, my salvation is gone forth, and mine arms shall judge the peoples ; The isles shall wait for me, and on mine arm shall they trust. Lift up your eyes to the heavens, and look upon the earth be- neath ; For the heavens shall vanish away like smoke, and the earth shall wax old like a garment ; And they that dwell therein shall die in like manner : But my salvation shall be for ever, and my righteousness shall not be abolished. Hearken unto me, ye that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law ; Fear ye not the reproach of men, neither be ye dismayed at their revilings. For the moth shall eat them up like a garment, and the worm shall eat them like wool ; But my righteousness shall be for ever, and my salvation unto all generations. Awake, awake, put on strength, O arm of the Lord ; Awake, as in the days of old, the generations of ancient times. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come with sing- ing unto Zion ; And everlasting joy shall be upon their heads : They shall obtain gladness and joy ; and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. I, even I, am he that comf orteth you : who art thou, that thou art afraid of man that shall die, And of the son of man that shall be made as grass ; And hast forgotten the Lord thy Maker, that stretched forth the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth; IReaponelve IReaMnge 63 And fearest continually all the day because of the fury of thr oppressor, And where is the fury of the oppressor? The captive exile shall speedily be loosed ; and he shall not die and go down into the pit, neither shall his bread fail. For I am the Lord thy God, who stirreth up the sea, so that the waves thereof roar : The Lord of hosts is his name. And I have put my words in thy mouth, and have covered thee in the shadow of my hand, That I may plant the heavens, and lay the foundations of the earth, And say unto Zion, Thou art my people. SELECTION 53 THE WORLD-WIDE GOSPEL Psalm cxiii PRAISE ye the Lord. Praise, ye servants of the Lord. Praise the name of the Lord. Blessed be the name of the Lord From this time forth and for evermore. From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same the Lord*s name is to be praised. The Lord is high above all nations, and his glory above the heavens. Who is Hke unto the Lord our God, that hath his seat on high, That humbleth himself to behold the things that are in heaven and in the earth? He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, And lifteth up the needy from the dunghill ; that he may set him with princes. Even with the princes of his people. Isaiah ii AND it shall come to pass in the latter days, that the mountain of tlie Lord's house shall be established on the top of the mountains, And shall be exalted above the hills; and all nations shall flow unto it. 64 IResponaive IReabinge And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord ; And he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths : And he will jndge between the nations, and will decide concern- ing many peoples ; And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks ; Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, Neither shall they learn war any more. Psalm cxvii OH praise the Lord, all ye nations ; Laud him, all ye peoples. For his lovingkindness is great toward us ; And the truth of the Lord endureth for ever. Praise ye the Lord. SELECTION 54 THE GEEAT MISSION Isaiah Ix THE Spirit of the Lord is upon me ; because the Lord hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek ; He hath sent me to bind up the broken-hearted. To proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound ; To proclaim the year of the Lord's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God ; To comfort all that mourn ; to appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them a garland for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness. The planting of the Lord, that he may be glorified. Isaiah xlix YEA, saith the Lord, It is too light a thing that thou shouldest be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob, and to restore the pre- served of Israel : IReeponeive IReaMngs 65 I will also give thee for a light to the Gentiles, that thou mayest be my salvation unto the end of the earth. Thus saitli the Lord, In an acceptable time have I answered thee, and in a day of salvation, have I helped thee ; And I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, Saying to them that are bound, Go forth ; to them that are in darkness, Show yourselves. They shall feed in the ways, and on all bare heights shall be their pasture. They shall not hunger nor thirst ; neither shall the heat nor sun smite them : For he that hath mercy on them will lead them, even by springs of water will he guide them. And I will make all my mountains a way, and my highways shall be exalted. Lo, these shall come from far; and, lo, these from the north and from the west ; and these from the land of Sinim. Sing, heavens ; and be joyful, O earth ; and break forth into singing, mountains : For the Lord hath comforted his people, and will have com- passion upon his afflicted. SELECTION 55 THE HOPE OF IMMORTALITY Psalm xvi THE Lord is the portion of mine inheritance and of my cup : thou maintainest my lot. The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. I have set the Lord always before me ; because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth : My flesh also shall dwell in safety. For thou wilt not leave my soul to Sheol; neither wilt thou suffer thy holy one to see corruption. 5 66 IReaponaipe TReabinga Thou wilt show rne the path of life : in thy presence is fulness of joy; In thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. BLESSED be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who according to his great mercy begat us again unto a living hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, Unto an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, Who by the power of God are guarded through faith Unto a salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a little while, if need be, ye have been put to grief in manifold trials, That the proof of your faith, being more precious than gold tliat perisheth though it is proved by fii-e. May be found unto praise and glory and honor at the revela- tion of Jesus Christ ; Whom not having seen ye love : On whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing. Ye rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory : Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. II Corinthians iv, v WHEREFOEE we faint not; but though our outward man is decaying, yet our inward man is renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is for the moment, Worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory ; While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen : For the things which are seen are temporal ; But the things which are not seen are eternal. For we know that if the earthly house of our tabernacle be dissolved, , We have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal, in the heavens. IRcaponsive IReabiuQe eT SELECTION 56 THE GREAT KING Isaiah iz THE people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: They that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given ; and the government shall be upon his shoukler : And his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace, Of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end, Upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to establish it, And to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from hence- forth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this. Isaiah xi AND there shall come forth a shoot out of the stock of Jesse, and a branch out of his roots shall bear fruit And the Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him, the spirit of wisdom and understanding, The spirit of counsel and might, the spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the Lord. And his delight shall be in the fear of the Lord; and he shall not judge after the sight of his eyes, Neither decide after the hearing of his ears ; but with righteous- ness shall he judge the poor, And decide with equity for the meek of the earth ; And he shall smite the earth with the rod of his mouth ; and with the breath of his lips shall he slay the wicked. And righteousness shall be the girdle of his waist, and faith- fulness the girdle of his loins. And the wolf shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid ; And the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; And a little child shall lead them. 68 IReaponaive TReabinge And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; And the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder^s den. They shall not hurt nor desti'oy in all my holy mountain ; For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea. SELECTION 57 THE NATIVITY MAGNIFICAT Lukei MY soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath looked upon the low estate of his handmaid : P'or behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things ; and holy is his name. .\]\d his mercy is unto generations and generations on them that fear him. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their heart. He hath put down princes from their thrones, and hath exalted them of low degree. The hungry he hath filled with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away. He hath given help to Israel his servant, that he might remember mercy, As he spake unto our fathers, toward Abraham and his seed for ever, BENEDICTUS Lukei BLESSED be the Lord, the God of Israel ; for he hath visited and wrought redemption for his people, IReeponaipe IReaMngs 69 And hath raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets that have been from of old, Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; To show mercy towards our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant ; The oath which he sware unto Abraham our father, to grant unto us that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies Should serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all our days. Yea and thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Most High: For thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to make ready his ways; To give knowledge of salvation unto his people in the re- mission of their sins, Because of the tender mercy of our God, Whereby the dayspring from on high shall visit us, To shine upon them that sit in darkness and the shadow of death ; To guide our feet into the way of peace. SELECTION 58 THE eLOEY OF THE CROSS Romans v BEING- therefore justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ ; Through whom also we have had our access by faith into this grace wherein we stand ; And we rejoice in hope of the glory of God. For while we were yet weak, in due season Christ died for the ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man will one die : For peradventure for the good man some one would even dare to die. 70 IReeponeive IReabinge But God commendetli his own love toward us, In that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Isaiah liiS WHO hath believed our message ? and to whom hath the arm of the Lord been revealed? For he grew up before him as a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground : He hath no form nor comeliness ; and when we see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him. He was despised, and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: And as one from whom men hide their face he was despised ; and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows ; Yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of Grod, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities : The chastisement of our peace was upon him ; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray ; we have turned every one to his own way , And the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; Because he poured out his soul unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors : Yet he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors. SELECTION 59 CHILDREN S DAY Psalms xliv, Ixxviii WE have heard witli our ears, God, our fathers have told us. What work thou didst in their days, in the days of old. We will not hide them from their children, Telling to the generation to come the praises of the Lord, IReaponaive IReablngs 7i And his strength, and his wondrous works that he hath done. That the generation to come might know them, even the children that should be born ; Who should arise and tell them to their children, That they might set their hope in God and not forget the works of God. Psalm cxlviii PRAISE ye the Lord. Praise ye the Lord from the heavens : Praise him in the heights. Praise ye him, all his angels : Praise ye him, all his host. Praise ye him, sun and moon : Praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens. And ye waters that are above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord ; For he commanded, and they were created. He hath also estab- lished them for ever and ever : He hath made a decree which shall not pass away. Praise the Lord from the earth, ye sea-monsters, and all deeps ; Fire and hail, snow and vapor; stormy wind, fulfilling his word; Mountains and all hills ; fruitful trees and all cedars ; Beasts and all cattle ; creeping things and flying birds ; Kings of the earth and all peoples ; princes and all judges of the earth ; Both young men and maidens. Old men and children: Let them praise the nam_e of the Lord ; for his name alone is exalted ; His glory is above the earth and the heavens. SELECTION 60 THE NEW YEAR Psalm cii MY days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, wilt abide for ever; and thy memorial name unto all generations. 72 lRe0pon0it)e IReaoinaa Of old didst thou lay the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the work of thy hands. They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; Yea, all of them shall wax old like a garment ; as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed ; But thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end. Psalm xc LOKD, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations. Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, Even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God. Thou turnest man to destruction, and sayest, Return, ye children of men. For a thousand years in thy sight are but as yesterday when it is past, and as a watch in the night. Thou carriest them away as with a flood ; they are as a sleep : In the morning they are like grass which groweth up. In the morning it flourisheth, and groweth up ; in the evening it is cut down, and withereth. So teach us to number our days, that we may get us a heart of wisdom. Return, O Lord ; how long ? And let it repent thee concern- ing thy servants. Oh satisfy us in the morning with thy lovingkindness, that w§ may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad according to the days wherein thou hast afficted us. And the years wherein we have seen evil. Let thy work appear unto thy servants, and thy glory upon their children, And let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us ; And establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it. Date Due ^ -r^-r^ ^ ^^^ . ' f