LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. 
 
 — w^ 
 
 Shelf.- 
 
AID AND GUIDE 
 
 TO FAMILY WORSHIP. 
 
 CONSISTING OF 
 
 Scripture Lessons, Songs, and Prayers. 
 
 COLLECTED AND jLRE.YNGED BY 
 
 L. D/FALMER. 
 
 nashville, tenn. : 
 
 Southern Methodist Publishing House. 
 
 1886. 
 

 Entered, according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, 
 
 By the Book Agents of the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, 
 
 in the Office of tbe Librarian of Congress, at Washington. 
 
 
 I,1B*A** 
 
 «&' 
 
 s hisgto« 
 
THE PURPOSE OF THIS BOOK. 
 
 No religious duty is more emphatically urged by evan- 
 gelical Churches upon their members, arid perhaps no one 
 is more generally neglected, than family worship. Kelig- 
 ious parents recognize it as a duty, and many of them 
 have an inclination to discharge it. Some commence it, 
 and in a short time leave it off in violation of their con- 
 victions. 
 
 It is well to consider what leads to such a common neglect 
 of a duty recommended by the Church and admitted by 
 the member. The case is generally about as follows: At a 
 regular or revival service the preacher presents the duty 
 of family worship, and impresses the average layman that 
 he should read the Scriptures and pray with his family 
 night and morning. With the encouragement of his wife, 
 he determines to begin it.. After the day's work is over, 
 she gets the family together and hands him the Bible. 
 With so much material before him, he scarcely knows how 
 to select a suitable lesson. He finds many of the chapters 
 too long, and is at a loss where to begin or where to stop 
 no that his family may be impressed and benefited by the 
 lesson. Perhaps the time is short, and not being as famil- 
 iar as he ought to be with the Scriptures, he stumbles upon 
 some part not appropriate to such an occasion, and finds 
 himself embarrassed. He feels the need of a list of selec- 
 tions made by older Christians, which they have found well 
 suited to such a service. Perhaps he or his family are in- 
 clined to sing, but the hymn-book may be out of place, and 
 if in place he does not know what to select from such a 
 mass, and so this beautiful part of the worship is usually 
 omitted. He is not accustomed to extemporaneous speech, 
 hut with a heart full of gratitude he kneels with his fapiilv, 
 
 (3) 
 
The Purpose of This Book. 
 
 and thanks God for the blessings of daily life, and asks for 
 their continuance ; remembers the absent loved ones ; prays 
 for his Church and for all classes of men. In twelve hours 
 another service comes on, and, surrounded by the same 
 conditions, his devotions run in the same channel; but he 
 changes his forms of expression, and remembers some things 
 omitted in the former prayer. These services occur twice 
 a day, and erelong he finds his ingenuity at work for a va- 
 riety of words and thoughts. After a few days, he feels ex- 
 hausted, and repeats his prayers almost word for word. 
 At this point perhaps Satan tempts him with the thought 
 that his wife and children are tired of his " vain repeti- 
 tions." He becomes discouraged with his own efforts. His 
 grace fails him. He begins to evade the duty, and direct- 
 ly is openly neglecting it. This condition of things ought 
 not to exist; but it doe& exist, and perhaps always will exist, 
 among a very large class of parents who really desire to 
 worship God at the family altar, but find the cross greater 
 than they can bear. They see no way to overcome the dif- 
 ficulty, and try to excuse themselves from a duty which 
 they recognize and would be glad to perform. This leads 
 to backsliding, and perhaps to apostasy. 
 
 This little book has been prepared for the convenience 
 and assistance of those who feel the need of an "aid and 
 guide" in taking up this important exercise. It contains 
 four services for every morning and evening of a week, 
 each one consisting of a Scripture lesson, a verse or two of 
 song, and a prayer. By this arrangement the same serv- 
 ice need not be repeated oftener than once in four weeks. 
 They are all short, requiring not more than from three 
 to five minutes for each one. 
 
 In order to have variety, the selections have been made 
 and the prayers have been written by different persons. 
 Those who wrote these prayers were requested to make 
 
The Purpose of This Book. 
 
 them simple, earnest, and spiritual, suited to the ordinary 
 occasions of life in a family, and to close them so that they 
 may be supplemented with the Lord's Prayer, or with such 
 additions as may be appropriate to the peculiar conditions 
 of joy or sorrow which often exist, and which properly call 
 for special petitions and thanksgivings. 
 
 With such an aid and guide, the mother may conduct the 
 worship in the absence of the father, and the children may 
 be led into a service which will fortify them against the 
 temptations of youth and qualify them for a more respon- 
 sible period in life. 
 
 These forms are not recommended to those who do not 
 need them. Heading them in private may be suggestive 
 to some young Christians who are not familiar with the 
 language of devotion, but who do not approve the use of 
 written prayers. They should be used like a crutch for the 
 lame, or like a support for one learning to swim. They 
 may help the weak until strength comes to go alone. The 
 Ten Commandments, with some parallel passages suitable 
 for family reading on special occasions, are inserted to 
 complete the last form. These parallel selections might 
 be indefinitely increased, but this book is intended for pop- 
 ular use and to be sold at a popular price, and therefore 
 cannot be made larger. 
 
 As an humble layman, and with thanks to my brethren 
 of different denominations who have kindly furnished the 
 material here collected together, and with a prayer that 
 these forms may never be read formally, but in the Spirit, 
 this little volume is sent forth with the hope that it may 
 be an instrument under God in establishing many family 
 altars, and in rebuilding many which have been broken 
 down. L. D. Palmer. 
 
 Southern Mfthodist Publishing House, 
 Nashville, Janunry, 188G. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 — PAGE 
 
 Services for Sunday Morning 7 
 
 Sunday Evening'. . . > 22 
 
 Monday Morning 36 
 
 Monday Evening 50 
 
 Tuesday Morning 62 
 
 Tuesday Evening 76 
 
 Wednesday Morning 89 " 
 
 Wednesday Evening 100 
 
 Thursday Morning 114 
 
 Thursday Evening 125 
 
 Friday Morning . 137 
 
 Friday Evening 1 50 
 
 Saturday Morning 162 
 
 Saturday Evening 174 
 
 Prayer for Opening Sunday-school 185 
 
 Prayer for Closing Sunday-school 185 
 
 Prayer for Opening Woman's Missionary Meeting . . . 186 
 
 Child's Prayer 189 
 
 Child's Morning Prayers 189 
 
 Child's Evening Prayers 190 
 
 The Lord's Prayer 190 
 
 Bible Prayers 191 
 
 Benedictions 197 
 
 Graces Before Meat 200 
 
 Graces After Meat 200 
 
 The Ten Commandments, with Parallel Headings. . . . 201 
 
 Scriptural Headings — Covetousness 221 
 
 Headings for Special Occasions 224 
 
 (6) 
 
AID AND GUIDE TO FAMILY WORSHIP, 
 
 Services for Sunflay ]V[orning. 
 
 I. LESSON. 1 John iii. 14-24. 
 
 We know that we have passed from death 
 unto life, because we love the brethren. He 
 that loveth not his brother abideth in death. 
 Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; 
 and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life 
 abiding in him. Hereby perceive we the love 
 of God, because he laid down his life for us; 
 and we ought to lay down our lives for the 
 brethren. But whoso hath this world's good, 
 and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth 
 up his bowels of compassion from him, how 
 dwelleth the love of God in him ? My little 
 children, let us not love in word, neither in 
 tongue; but in deed and in truth. And here- 
 by we know that we are of the truth, and shall 
 assure our hearts before him. For if our heart 
 condemn us, God is greater than our heart, 
 and kno^veth all things. Beloved, if our heart 
 condemn us not, then have we confidence to- 
 ward God. And whatsoever we ask, we receive 
 
 (") 
 
8 Sunday Moening. 
 
 of him, because we keep his commandments, 
 and do those things that are pleasing in his 
 sight. And this is his commandment, That 
 we should believe on the name of his Son Je- 
 sus Christ, and love one another, as he gave us 
 commandment. And he that keepeth his com- 
 mandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. 
 And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by 
 the Spirit which he hath given us. 
 
 L. M. 
 Another six days' work is done; 
 Another Sabbath is begun : 
 Return, my soul, enjoy thy rest, 
 Improve the day thy God hath blest. 
 
 O that our thoughts and thanks may rise, 
 As grateful incense, to the skies; 
 And draw from Christ that sweet repose 
 Which none but he that feels it knows ! 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We praise thee, O Lord, for the return of 
 this day; for the relief it brings to body and 
 mind, the respite it gives from worldly business, 
 its perplexities and temptations; for the quiet 
 it brings to our home, the warmth with which 
 it suffuses our hearts; for the many reunions 
 it secures to parents and children ; for the op- 
 portunity it offers of going up to the house of 
 
Aid and Guide. 9 
 
 God in company with our loved ones and neigh- 
 bors; for the instruction it affords through thy 
 ministry, in thy word, and by thy Spirit; and 
 for the gospel of thy grace that is made free to 
 us and to all through the atonement of thy Son 
 and the institution of thy Church. Help us, 
 O God, to manifest our gratitude for these 
 blessings by personally using them; by a fuller 
 self -surrender to thy service; by a heartier co- 
 working with all agents and agencies of good; 
 by a more intimate knowledge of our own wants 
 and the needs of our fellow-men; by a closer 
 sympathy with sinners, and a greater abhor- 
 rence of sin itself. And to this end we pray 
 thee to pardon and restore us, to inform us 
 with thy truth, and make us devout by thy 
 Spirit; so that at home and in thy sanctuary 
 we may be ready for any sacrifice, and contrib- 
 ute to the volume of thy praise, the strengthen- 
 ing of thy kingdom in Christian lands and its 
 coming in heathen countries. O holy Father, 
 by thy Spirit qualify our pastor for his office 
 and duty this day, the officers and pupils of the 
 Sunday-school for their work, and get to thy- 
 self glory by building up believers in their most 
 holy faith, and by saving the people from their 
 sins; and thine shall be the glory now and for- 
 ever. Amen. 
 
10 Sunday Morning. 
 
 II. LESSON. Jeremiah xvii. 19-27. 
 
 Thus said the Lord unto me: Go and stand 
 in the gate of the children o£ the people, where- 
 by the kings of Judah come in, and by the which 
 they go out, and in all the gates of Jerusalem; 
 and say unto them, Hear ye the word of the 
 Lord, ye kings of Judah, and all Judah, and all 
 the inhabitants of Jerusalem, that enter in by 
 these gates; thus saith the Lord: Take heed 
 to yourselves, and bear no burden on the Sab- 
 bath-day, nor bring it in by the gates of Jeru- 
 salem; neither carry forth a burden out of your 
 houses on the Sabbath-day, neither do ye any 
 work, but hallow ye the Sabbath-day, as I com- 
 manded your fathers. But they obeyed not, 
 neither inclined their ear, but made their neck 
 stiff, that they might not hear, nor receive in- 
 struction. And it shall come to pass, if ye dili- 
 gently hearken unto me, saith the Lord, to bring 
 in no burden through the gates of this city on 
 the Sabbath-day, but hallow the Sabbath-day, 
 to do no work therein; then shall there enter 
 into the gates of this city kings and princes sit- 
 ting upon the throne of David, riding in char- 
 iots and on horses, they, and their princes, the 
 men of Judah, and the inhabitants of Jerusa- 
 lem; and this city shall remain forever. And 
 they shall come' from the cities of Judah, and 
 
Aid and Guide. 11 
 
 from the places about Jerusalem, and from the 
 land of Benjamin, and from the plain and from 
 the mountains, and from the south, bringing 
 burnt-offerings, and sacrifices, and meat-offer- 
 ings, and incense, and bringing sacrifices of 
 praise, unto the house of the Lord. But if ye 
 will not hearken unto me to hallow the Sab- 
 bath-day, and not to bear a burden, even en- 
 tering in at the gates of Jerusalem on the Sab- 
 bath-day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates 
 thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Je- 
 rusalem, and it shall not be quenched. 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and 
 lean not unto thine own understanding. In 
 all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall 
 direct thy paths. Honor the Lord with thy 
 substance, and with the first-fruits of all thine 
 increase. So shall thy barns be filled with 
 plenty, and thy presses shall burst out with 
 new wine. My son, despise not the chastening 
 of the Lord; neither be weary of his correc- 
 tion; for whom the Lord loveth he correcteth; 
 even as a father the son in whom he delight- 
 eth. Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, 
 and the man that getteth understanding. For 
 the merchandise of it is better than the mer- 
 chandise of silver, and the gain thereof than 
 
12 Sunday Morning. 
 
 fine gold. She is more precious than rubies; 
 and all the things thou canst desire are not to 
 be compared unto her. Length of days is in 
 her right-hand; and in her left-hand riches and 
 honor. Her ways are ways of pleasantness, 
 and all her paths are peace. She is a tree of 
 life to them that lay hold upon her; and happy 
 is every one that retaineth her. Prov. m. 5, 6, 9-18. 
 
 cm. 
 
 This is the clay the Lord hath made, 
 
 He calls the hours his own; 
 Let heaven rejoice, let earth be glad, 
 
 And praise surround the throne. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we 
 thank thee for setting apart and sanctifying one 
 day in seven for rest and worship. We grate- 
 fully commemorate the resurrection of thy Son, 
 our Saviour, from the dead, whereby he led 
 captivity captive, and brought life and immor- 
 tality to light. O give us thy quickening Spir- 
 it, that we may be prepared for thy worship 
 and praise, both at our homes and in thy 
 house; that the words of our mouths and the 
 meditations of our hearts may be acceptable 
 in thy sight, and that this may be as one of the 
 days of heaven upon earth to our souls. Go 
 with us to thy sanctuary, and make us to real- 
 
Aid and Guide. 13 
 
 ize that thou art in the midst of the congre- 
 gation. Let thy word be light and life and 
 heavenly news to our hearts and to the hearts 
 of all that shall hear it this day. May thy 
 gospel be attended with convicting and con- 
 verting power, wherever preached. Make the 
 kingdom of thy Son to prosper in all the earth. 
 Give him the heathen for his inheritance and 
 the uttermost parts of the earth for his pos- 
 session. Give power and prevalence to thy 
 Church, and make the nations to know them- 
 selves to be but men. May we remember this 
 thy day to keep it holy. Teach us to exam- 
 ine ourselves and turn from every sinful way. 
 Forgive our sins, and help us to walk in the 
 future more worthy of our high vocation. Suit 
 thy blessings to our personal needs; prepare 
 us to sympathize with the distressed, to aid 
 the needy, and at all times to do and suffer 
 thy will. Hear us in behalf of the sick and 
 the suffering. Give peace to the troubled soul, 
 and graciously pardon the penitent sinnei. 
 May all thy children be faithful, and constant- 
 ly grow in grace. Hasten the spread of thy 
 kingdom till it shall fill the whole earth. Em- 
 power us each to do our part, and help us to 
 be faithful unto death, that we may receive 
 the crown of life. Amen. 
 
14 Sunday Morning. 
 
 III. LESSON. Mark xvi. 1-16. 
 
 And when the Sabbath was past, Mary Mag- 
 dalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Sa- 
 lome, had bought sweet spices, that they might 
 come and anoint him. And very early in the 
 morning, the first day of the week, they came 
 unto the sepulcher at the rising of the sun. And 
 they said among themselves, Who shall roll 
 us away the stone from the door of the sepul- 
 cher? And when they looked, they saw that 
 the stone was rolled away; for it was very 
 great. And entering into the sepulcher, they 
 saw A young man sitting on the right side, 
 clothed in a long white garment; and they 
 were affrighted. And he saith unto them, Be 
 not affrighted; ye seek Jesus of Nazareth, 
 which was crucified; he is risen; he is not 
 here; behold the place where they laid him. 
 But go your way, tell his disciples and Peter, 
 that he goeth before you into Galilee; there 
 shall ye see him, as he said unto you. And 
 they went out quickly, and fled from the sep- 
 ulcher; for they trembled, - and were amazed; 
 neither said they any thing to any man ; for they 
 were afraid. Now when Jesus was risen early, 
 the first day of the week, he appeared first to 
 Mary Magdalene, out of whom he had cast seven 
 
Aid and Guide. 15 
 
 devils. And she went and told them that had 
 been with him, as they mourned and wept. 
 And they, when they had heard that he was 
 alive, and had been seen of her, believed not. 
 After that, he appeared in another form unto 
 two of them, as they walked, and went into 
 the country. And they went and told it unto 
 the residue; neither believed they them. Aft- 
 erward he appeared unto the eleven, as they 
 sat at meat, and upbraided them with their 
 unbelief, and hardness of heart, because they 
 believed not them which had seen him after 
 he was risen. And he said unto them, Go 
 ye into all the world, and preach the gospel 
 to every creature. He that believeth and is 
 baptized, shall be saved; but he that believ- 
 eth not, shall be damned. 
 
 10, 9. 
 
 We would praise thee and bless thee, our Father, 
 For the Sabbath of rest thou hast given ; 
 
 'T is the emblem of rapture immortal, 
 'T is the foretaste of pleasure in heaven. 
 
 Refrain: Sweet Sabbath of rest, sweet Sabbath of rest! 
 Sweet, sweet rest ! 
 We would laud thee and thank thee, our Fa- 
 ther, 
 For the gift of this Sabbath of rest. 
 
16 Sunday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, our Heavenly Father, we praise thee 
 for the privilege of calling thee our Father, 
 and would realize that we are indeed thy chil- 
 dren. Thy parental care has been over us 
 through the duties, toils, and vicissitudes of 
 another week. Thy goodness has followed us 
 every moment, and thy mercy attended every 
 step. O give us hearts of gratitude this morn- 
 ing for all these thy favors conferred upon us. 
 Poor, unworthy creatures, may we not only ex- 
 press our gratitude with our lips, but may we, 
 as dutiful and appreciative children, honor 
 thee, our gracious Father, by the deepest feel- 
 ings of our hearts and the undivided service of 
 our lives. This blessed day brings to us spe- 
 cial privileges and duties. O God, our Heav- 
 enly Father, prepare us, by the influence of 
 the Holy Spirit, to improve its privileges and 
 perform its duties. O may the hearts of thy 
 people everywhere leap for joy in contemplat- 
 ing the great blessings of this hallowed day, 
 the first day of the week, when Christ arose 
 from the dead, and gave to a dying world the 
 hope of everlasting life. O may thine earthly 
 courts everywhere be crowded to-day with anx- 
 ious multitudes worshiping thee in spirit and 
 in truth. O Lord, hasten the day when all the 
 
Aid and Guide. 17 
 
 people shall say, "I was glad when the}' said 
 unto me, Let us go up to the house of the 
 Lord to-day." Pour thy Spirit upon all con- 
 gregations that meet to worship in thy name 
 to-day. Bless every soul that worships thee 
 in sincerity. Fill all thy people with love to 
 thee and one another. Bless all who minister 
 before thee to-day with all the fullness of an 
 unction from on high. Grant that their words 
 may be powerful words, through thy power, 
 sanctifying thy people and converting sin- 
 ners. O Lord, help us to spend this Sabbath- 
 day in reference to that one that shall have no 
 end. And may we so worship together here, 
 and so live, that we may all meet in that con- 
 gregation that shall never break up. Now, 
 Lord, hear our poor prayers, forgive our sins, 
 bless our souls, and save us with the power of 
 an endless life, through riches of grace in 
 Christ Jesus. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Mark ii. 2S-2S. 
 
 And it came to pass, that he went through 
 the corn-fields on the Sabbath-day; and his 
 disciples began, as they went, to pluck the ears 
 of corn. And the Pharisees said unto him, Be- 
 hold, why do they on the Sabbath-day that which 
 is not lawful ? And he said unto them, Have ye 
 
18 Sunday Morning. 
 
 never read what David did, when he had need, 
 and was a-h lingered, he, and they that were 
 with him ? how he went into the house of God 
 in the days of Abiathar the high-priest, and did 
 eat the shew-bread, which is not lawful to eat 
 but for the priests, and gave also to them which 
 were with him ? And he said unto them, The 
 Sabbath was made for man, and not man for the 
 Sabbath ; therefore the Son of man is Lord also 
 
 of the Sabbath. 
 
 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? 
 who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that 
 walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, 
 and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that 
 backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil 
 to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach 
 against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile 
 person is contemned; but he honoreth them 
 that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his 
 own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth 
 not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward 
 against the innocent. He that doeth these 
 things shall never be moved. Psaim xy. 
 
 L. M. 
 Thine earthly Sabbaths, Lord, we love; 
 But there 's a nobler rest above; 
 To that our laboring souls aspire, 
 With ardent pangs of strong desire. 
 
Aid and Guide. 19 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, that we are spared 
 to see the light of this thy holy day, with health 
 and reason and desire to worship thee. We 
 present ourselves before thee, as we enter on 
 the day, to offer thee our Sunday morning's 
 sacrifice of praise and prayer through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. For his sake, we pray thee, 
 accept our praises, hear our prayers, forgive 
 our sins, and bless and sanctify and save our 
 sin-sick souls. Grant us thy grace, that we 
 may use this day to profit; that we may learn 
 to love thee more and serve thee better; that 
 we may make a full day's journey toward our 
 heavenly home. If we attend the public 
 preaching of thy word, may we be blessed in 
 listening to the message of thy truth, and may 
 the Holy Ghost apply the word to all our 
 hearts, and make us wise unto salvation. Bless 
 all thy servants who may stand this day to pub- 
 lish to their fellow-men the gospel of thy grace. 
 May thy word have free course, and be glori- 
 fied in the conviction of sinners, in the com- 
 fort of those who seek thee sorrowing, and in 
 the building up of thy people on their most 
 holy faith. May many be induced to-day to 
 turn away from sin, and come to thee for mercy; 
 and may thy people everywhere be furthered 
 
20 Sunday Morning. 
 
 * * 
 
 in the way which leads to everlasting life. Es- 
 pecially be with those whom thou hast sent 
 to distant lands to preach the gospel to the 
 heathen. May they this day be all encour- 
 aged in their work, by seeing men renounce 
 their idols and embrace the worship of our 
 Saviour Jesus Christ. And do thou speed the 
 happy day when thou wilt give the heathen to 
 thy Son for his inheritance, and the utter- 
 most parts of the earth for his possession. 
 And O employ each one of us in spreading thy 
 kingdom in the earth. Smile with especial 
 tenderness upon the children of the Church 
 and of the world at large. Give to all parents 
 true views of their duty and their privilege; 
 and enable and induce them, by precept and 
 example, to bring up their children in thy 
 nurture and admonition. Bless the Sunday- 
 school cause. Give zeal and wisdom to all 
 those in charge of the spiritual training of 
 the young, and give them eminent success in 
 inducing the children to engage in thy service 
 in the days of their youth. Thus may those 
 soon to come upon the stage of active life be 
 better fitted and disposed for all their duties 
 than those who occupy it now; and may the 
 world soon reach the blissful time when every 
 knee shall bow and every tongue confess that 
 
Aid and Guide. 21 
 
 Jesus Christ is Lord, to thy glory as the all- 
 Father. And now, O Heavenly King, look with 
 tender interest upon all thine earthly creatures. 
 Be merciful to the sick, the poor, and all who 
 are distressed in any way. Bless all our 
 friends; and do thou good to those who do us 
 harm; and let us live in peace with all man- 
 kind, so that our earthly lives may be a con- 
 stant foretaste of the heavenly Sabbath which 
 shall have no end. And when we reach our 
 happy home above, the praise of our salvation 
 shall be ever thine, through Jesus Christ the 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 The Lord is my shepherd ; I shall not w'ant. 
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; 
 he leadeth me beside the still waters. He re- 
 storeth my soul; he leadeth 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 pres- 
 ence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head 
 with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely good- 
 ness and mercy shall follow me all the days of 
 my life; and I will dwell in the house of the 
 Lord forever. Psaim xxiu. 
 
22 Sunday Evening. 
 
 ^E^Yices lm\ ^unflcry Evening. 
 
 I. LESSON. 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 him 
 will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee 
 from the snare of the fowler, and from the 
 noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with 
 his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou 
 trust; his truth shall be thy shield and buck- 
 ler. Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror 
 by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 
 nor for the pestilence that walketh in dark- 
 ness; 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. Because thou hast made the Lord, 
 which is my refuge, even the Most High, thy 
 habitation; there shall no evil befall thee, nei- 
 ther shall any plague come nigh thy dwell- 
 ing. For he shall give his angels charge over 
 thee, to keep thee in all thy ways. They shall 
 bear thee up in their hands, lest thou dash 
 
Aid and Guide. 23 
 
 thy foot against a stone. Thou shalt tread 
 upon the lion and adder: the young lion and 
 the dragon shalt thou trample under feet. Be- 
 cause he hath set his love upon me, therefore 
 will I deliver him: I will set him on high, be- 
 cause 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. AYith long life will I satisfy him, 
 and show him my salvation. 
 
 Thus saith the Lord, Keep ye judgment, and 
 do justice; for my salvation is near to come, 
 and my righteousness to be revealed. Blessed 
 is the man that doeth this, and the son of man 
 that layeth hold on it; that keepeth the Sab- 
 bath from polluting it, and keepeth his hand 
 from doing any evil. isaiah wt i, % 
 
 a bl 
 
 The power to bless my house 
 
 Belongs to God alone ; 
 Yet, rend'ring him my constant vows, 
 
 He sends his blessings down. 
 Shall I not then engage 
 
 My boose to serve the Lord, 
 To search the soul-converting page, 
 
 And feed upon his word? 
 
24 Sunday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, our God, excellent is thy name in 
 all the earth. We would give thee humble and 
 sincere thanks for all the blessings of this day. 
 Thou hast blessed our going out and our com- 
 ing in. O fill our hearts with gratitude for 
 all thy mercies, and with penitence for all our 
 sins. May the remembrance of our short-com- 
 ings and misdoings be grievous unto us; and 
 may we by the guidance of thy word and the 
 aid of thy Spirit turn from all unrighteousness. 
 Help us to love thee with all our heart, and 
 serve thee with all our strength. We confess 
 and lament our unfaithfulness before thee. 
 Increase our faith, O Lord, and so warm our 
 hearts by a sense of thy love shed abroad there- 
 in that we may more devoutly worship and 
 more earnestly serve thee all our days. We 
 mourn over the hardness of our hearts, the 
 waywardness of our lives, and the inconstancy 
 of our zeal. Help thou the infirmities of our 
 fallen natures, and strengthen us for every good 
 word and work. We would humbly serve thy 
 purpose in creating us and placing us in the 
 world. Prepare us to do and suffer thy will 
 with cheerfulness and patience. Bring the 
 best results from all that we have striven to do; 
 and bless us in our earthly fortunes and in our 
 
Aid and Guide. 25 
 
 hopes of heaven. Let thy kingdom come in all 
 the earth, and move us to do our duty in bring- 
 ing men to Christ. Preserve us from all harm 
 this night; refresh us with sleep; be with us 
 when we wake, and guide us through this 
 life unto everlasting life in heaven, for Christ's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. Hebrews xii. 18-29, 
 
 For ye are not come unto the mount that 
 might be touched, and that burned with fire, 
 nor unto blackness, and darkness, and tempest, 
 and the sound of a trumpet, and the voice of 
 words; which voice they that heard entreated 
 that the word should not be spoken to them 
 any more (for they could not endure that 
 which was commanded: And if so much as a 
 beast touch the mountain, it shall be stoned, 
 or thrust through with a dart; and so terrible 
 was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly 
 fear and quake); but ye are come unto mount 
 Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the 
 heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable 
 company of angels, to the general assembly 
 and church of the first-born, which are writ- 
 ten in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and 
 to the spirits of just men made perfect, and to 
 Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and 
 
26 Sunday Evening. 
 
 to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh bet- 
 ter things than that of Abel. See that ye re- 
 fuse not him that speaketh; for if they escaped 
 not who refused him that spake on earth, much 
 more shall not we escape, if we turn away from 
 him that speaketh from heaven; whose voice 
 then shook the earth; but now he hath prom- 
 ised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the 
 earth only, but also heaven. And this word, 
 Yet once more, signifieth the removing of 
 those things that are shaken, as of things that 
 are made, that those things which cannot be 
 shaken may remain. Wherefore we receiving 
 a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have 
 grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably 
 with reverence and godly fear; for our God is 
 a consuming fire. 
 
 CM. 
 
 Come, let us who in Christ believe, 
 
 Our common Saviour praise : 
 To him, with joyful voices, give 
 
 The glory of his grace. 
 Through grace we hearken to thy voice, 
 
 Yield to be saved from sin ; 
 In sure and certain hope rejoice, 
 
 That thou wilt enter in. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, for the holy Sab- 
 bath, so full of blessings for thy children. We 
 
Aid and Guide. 27 
 
 adore thee for this memorial of the precious 
 work of our redemption, and type of the rest 
 that remains for the people of God. Help us 
 to keep the day holy. May we be richly blessed 
 in reading thy word, in listening to thy gospel, 
 and in all the services of the holy day. Be 
 with all ministers of the gospel, and especially 
 with those who have preached thy word to-day. 
 Bless our children, at home and in the Sab- 
 bath-school. Give to the teachers the power 
 to mold character and to guide the children 
 along the path of the just. Comfort all that 
 mourn, especially such as have not been al- 
 lowed to attend thy house on this thy holy day. 
 Give us grace not merely to hear the word, 
 but to help in the spread of light and life 
 over the world. Make us spiritual. Fill us 
 with gratitude. Enable us to live nearer to 
 thee. May each Sabbath be a spiritual bene- 
 diction to all thy people. Look upon those who 
 are yet sitting in darkness and in the shadow 
 of death. Send abroad thy light and thy truth 
 into the benighted portions of our globe. Turn 
 the nations from idols to serve the living God. 
 Let the people praise thee, let all the people 
 praise thee; and blessed be thy glorious name 
 forever and ever. Amen. 
 
28 Sunday Evening. 
 
 III. LESSON. Isaiah Iv. 1-11. 
 
 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 spenchnoiiey 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, even 
 the sure mercies of David. Behold, I have 
 given him for a witness to the people, a leader 
 and commander to the people. Behold, thou 
 shalt call a nation that thou knowest not, and 
 nations that knew not thee shall run unto thee, 
 because of the Lord thy God, and for the Holy 
 One of Israel; for he hath glorified thee. Seek 
 ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye 
 upon him while he is near; let the wicked for- 
 sake 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. For my 
 thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are 
 your w T ays my ways, saith the Lord. For as 
 the heavens are higher than the earth, so are 
 
Aid and Guide. 29 
 
 my ways higher than your ways, and my 
 thoughts than your thoughts. For as the*crain 
 cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and 
 returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, 
 and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may 
 give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: 
 so shall my word be that goeth forth out of my 
 mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it 
 shall accomplish that which I please, and it 
 shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it. 
 
 A soft answer turneth away wrath; but 
 grievous words stir up anger. The eyes of the 
 Lord are in every place,, beholding the evil and 
 the good. Better is little with the fear of the 
 Lord than great treasure and trouble there- 
 with. The Lord is far from the wicked; but 
 he heareth the prayer of the righteous. 
 
 Proverbs xv. 1, 3, 16, 29. 
 
 lis. 
 
 How firm a foundation, ye saints of the Lord, 
 Is laid for your faith in his excellent word! 
 What more can he say than to you he hath said, 
 You who unto Jesus for refuge have fled? 
 
 "The soul that on Jesus still leans for repose, 
 I will not, I will not, desert to his foes ; 
 That soul, though all hell should endeavor to shake, 
 I'll never, no, never, no, never forsake." 
 
30 Sunday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We give thee praise, holy Father, for this 
 thy day. AVe would honor and magnify thy 
 great and glorious name for the gift of this 
 precious day, and all the holy privileges which 
 attended its coming, and which we have en- 
 joyed. We feel our unworthiness to take upon 
 our lips thy great name, and the coming of thy 
 blessed Sabbath renews our sense of unworthi- 
 ness and impurity. We dare not approach thy 
 name or thy day in our own strength, but in 
 the name and strength of our Lord Jesus 
 Christ we have ventured into thy presence and 
 worshiped thy matchless name, and have en- 
 deavored to remember the Sabbath-day to keep 
 it holy. Wherein we have failed in these du- 
 ties, O Lord, grant us full forgiveness for the 
 sake of thy blessed Son. Put thy Spirit, 
 blessed Father, upon the seed thy servants have 
 this day sown. May they have spoken as the 
 oracles of God, and may thy word run and be 
 glorified, and accomplish that whereto thou 
 hast sent it. May the sorrowing and bereaved 
 be comforted, and souls be saved from sin and 
 death, by the ministrations of thy servants. 
 And now, in meekness of spirit, with love un- 
 feigned and with child-like faith, may we com- 
 mit all we have and are into thy hands. Pro- 
 
Aid and Guide. 31 
 
 tect us during the hours of sleep. Keep far 
 from us all danger. And may we be refreshed 
 and strengthened by the rest of the night fo.r 
 the duties of the coming day. Grant this, we 
 beseech thee, for the sake of thy Son our Sav- 
 iour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Gen. xxviii. 10-22. 
 
 And Jacob went out from Beer-sheba, and 
 went toward Haran. And he lighted upon a 
 certain place, and tarried there all night, be- 
 cause the sun was set; and he took of the 
 stones of that place, and put them for his pil- 
 lows, and lay down in that place to sleep. And 
 he dreamed, and bejiold, a ladder set up on the 
 earth, and the top of it reached to heaven; and 
 behold, the angels of God ascending and de- 
 scending on it. And behold, the Lord stood 
 above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abra- 
 ham thy father, and the God of Isaac; the land 
 whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and 
 to thy seed; and thy seed shall be as the 
 dust of the earth; and thou shalt spread abroad 
 to the west, and to the east, and to the north, 
 and to the south; and in thee and in thy seed 
 shall all the families of the earth be blessed. 
 And behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee 
 
32 Sunday Evening. 
 
 in all places whither thou goest, and will bring 
 thee again into this land; for I will not leave 
 thee, until I have done that which I have 
 spoken to thee of. And Jacob awaked oat of 
 his sleep, and he said, Surely the Lord is in 
 this place; and I knew it not. And he was 
 afraid, and said, How dreadful is this place! 
 this is none other but the house of God, and 
 this is the gate of heaven. And Jacob rose 
 up early in the morning, and took the stone 
 that he had put for his pillows, and set it up 
 for a pillar, and poured oil upon the top of it. 
 And he called the name of that place Bethel; 
 but the name of that city was called Luz at 
 the first. And Jacob vowed a vow, saying, If 
 God will be with me, and will keep me in this 
 way that I go, and will give me bread to eat, 
 and raiment to put on, so that I come again to 
 my father's house in peace; then shall the Lord 
 be my God; and this stone, which I have set 
 for a pillar, shall be God's house; and of all 
 that thou shalt give me, I will surely give the 
 tenth unto thee. _ 
 
 L. M. 
 This, this is the God we adore, 
 
 Our faithful, unchangeable Friend, 
 Whose love is as great as his power, 
 
 And neither knows measure nor end. 
 
Aid and Guide. 33 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Y\E come before thee, Heavenly Father, at 
 the close of the Sabbath-day, to thank thee for 
 allowing us one day in seven to rest our bodies 
 and our minds from worldly labor, and to lean 
 our spirits specially on thee, our Father and 
 our God. AVe bless thee for thy Holy Word, 
 with all its precious lessons of divine instruc- 
 tion, designed to guide us in the way which 
 leads from earth to heaven. We adore thee 
 for the Christian Church, for the means of 
 grace, and for the hope of glory which fills our 
 hearts to-night. We worship thee that thou 
 hast sent the Holy Ghost, the Comforter, to 
 impress upon our souls the lessons of thy word, 
 to stir our consciences to do their work, and to 
 assure us of our adoption into the family above. 
 All these and all thy other mercies come to us 
 through Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord, 
 through whom Ave offer thee our homage now 
 and evermore. Fill us with gratitude to thee, 
 and grant that we may show our love, not with 
 our lips alone, but in our daily lives. May this 
 day's x^rivileges make us wiser, humbler, purer, 
 better than we were before. May we hereafter 
 love thee more and serve thee better than we 
 have ever done; and may we love each other 
 also, and our neighbors too, with purer andmoie 
 
34 Sunday Evening. 
 
 ardent affection. May we delight in doing 
 good to others in every way, but especially in 
 inducing them to devote themselves to thee. 
 make us instruments in extending thy king- 
 dom, and blessing and saving our dying fellow- 
 men. Look tenderly, O Lord, on all thy serv- 
 ants who are striving to extend the borders 
 of thy Zion. Wherever this day the good seed 
 of the kingdom has been sown, in mercy send 
 the sunshine of thy love, and showers of grace 
 divine, that it may spring up and bring forth 
 fruit to thy glory, in the welfare and salvation 
 of the people. Be very gracious unto all who 
 have to-day been made to feel their lost con- 
 dition and to long for freedom from the slav- 
 ery of sin. May they find no rest until they 
 turn away from all their wickedness, and hum- 
 bly trust the precious merits of our Saviour 
 Jesus Christ. And unto all who seek thee sor- 
 rowing appear in all thy loveliness, and let 
 them feel the kindlings of thy love and the 
 joys of thy great salvation. Remember still in 
 tender pity those who have resisted all thy 
 merciful appeals, and seem determined to per- 
 sist in sin until they bring themselves to ruin. 
 Leave them not, O gracious Father, to them- 
 selves; but by thy Spirit and thy Word, by 
 dealings of thy providence, both pleasant and 
 
Aid and Guide. 35 
 
 severe, by efforts of their pious f ellow-raen, or 
 by such other means as it may please thee to 
 adopt, continue unto them the offer of salva- 
 tion, if perchance they may repent of their 
 misdeeds, and turn to thee, and live. We now 
 commend to thy protecting care ourselves and 
 all for whom we ought to pray. Throughout 
 the watches of the night defend our absent 
 dear ones from every evil thing. Let no alarm 
 of fire, or serious sickness, or sudden death in- 
 vade their homes; but n^ay they rest safe and 
 secure within thy hollow hand; and, rising in 
 the morning, go about their work, to spend the 
 strength thou givest them in serving thee. May 
 they and we be guided by thy counsels through 
 the pilgrimage of life, and receive at last an 
 entrance abundantly into the everlasting king- 
 dom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 
 Amen. 
 
 Even so every good tree bringeth forth good 
 fruit, but a corrupt tree bringeth forth evil 
 fruit. A good tree cannot bring forth evil 
 fruit, neither can a corrupt tree bring forth 
 good fruit. Every tree that bringeth not forth 
 good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the 
 fire. Wherefore by their fruits ye shall know 
 
 them. Matthew vii, 17-20. 
 
Monday Morning. 
 
 §5eipricEs \m\ JVfonfey ]V[oipiiiig. 
 
 I. LESSON. Romans xii. 9-21. 
 
 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor 
 that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. 
 Be kindly affectioned one to another with broth- 
 erly love; in honor preferring one another; not 
 slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving 
 the Lord; rejoicing in hope; patient in tribula- 
 tion; continuing instant in prayer; distributing 
 to the necessity of saints; given to hospital- 
 ity. Bless them which persecute you; bless, 
 and curse not. Bejoice with them that do re- 
 joice, and weep with them that weep. Be of 
 the same mind one toward another. Mind not 
 high things, but condescend to men of low es- 
 tate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Rec- 
 ompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things 
 honest in the sight of all men. If it be possi- 
 ble, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with 
 all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not your- 
 selves, but rather give place unto wrath; for it 
 is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, 
 saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hun- 
 ger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink; for 
 in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his 
 head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome 
 evil with good. 
 
Aid and Guid£. 37 
 
 O Loed our Lord, how excellent is thy name 
 in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above 
 the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and 
 sucklings hast thou ordained strength because 
 of thine enemies, 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 a little lower than the angels, 
 and hast crowned him with glory and honor. 
 Thou maclest him to have dominion over the 
 works of thy hands; thou hast put all things 
 under his feet; all sheep and oxen, yea, and 
 the beasts of the field; the fowl of the air, and 
 the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth 
 through the paths of the seas. O Lord our 
 Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth ! 
 
 P^alm viii. 
 
 C. M. 
 "When all thy mercies, O my God, 
 
 My rising soul surveys, 
 Transported with the view, I'm lost 
 
 In wonder, love, and praise ! 
 
 O how can words with equal warmth 
 
 The gratitude declare 
 That glows within my ravished heart? 
 
 But thou canst read it there! 
 
38 MSnday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, Father, for the refreshing 
 sleep and the felt security of the past night; 
 for the health of body and sonl we enjoy; for 
 the hopes of usefulness and happiness that in- 
 spire and the Christian faith that sustains us. 
 Lead us, we pray thee, to godly repentance for 
 any want of filial love or obedience, any willful 
 breaking of thy law, of which we may be guilty; 
 and assure us, by the Holy Spirit, of our for- 
 giveness and of thy continued favor. As the 
 Father of this family as well as of the whole fam- 
 ily "in heaven and earth," we would take coun- 
 sel of thee for this day's work. Suggest to us 
 the wisest plans; save us from errors of judg- 
 ment; stimulate us to diligence, and yet deliver 
 us from a mere selfish industry; help us t.o look 
 on the things of others as well as upon our own; 
 and above all, cause us to be momently conscious 
 of thy approval. Make our home busy in good 
 works and beautiful in blessed charities. May 
 a cheerful sanctity characterize us here and 
 wherever duty may place us. As parents, may 
 we be holy and discreet; as children, dutiful 
 and docile; as servants, faithful and obedient. 
 Bless each and all of us in such manner that 
 we shall be kept from sin and furthered in the 
 knowledge and grace of thy Son our Saviour, 
 the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 39 
 
 II. LESSON. Psalm xxxvii. 1-11. 
 
 Feet not thyself because of evil-doers, nei- 
 ther be thou envious against the workers of 
 iniquity. For they shall soon be cut down like 
 the grass, and wither as the green herb. Trust 
 in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell 
 in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. De- 
 light thyself also in the Lord; and he shall 
 give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit 
 thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and 
 he shall bring it to pass. And he shall bring 
 forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy 
 judgment as the noonday. Rest in the Lord, 
 and wait patiently for him ; fret not thyself be- 
 cause of him who prospereth in his way, be- 
 cause of the man who bringeth wicked devices 
 to pass. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath; 
 fret not thyself in any wise to do evil. For 
 evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait 
 upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth. 
 For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not 
 be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his 
 place, and it shall not be. But the meek shall 
 inherit the earth ; and shall delight themselves 
 in the abundance of peace. 
 
 Keep me as the apple of the eye; hide me 
 under the shadow of thy wings. Psaim xvii. 8. 
 
40 Monday Morning. 
 
 l. M-. 
 
 Forth in thy name, O Lord, I go, 
 
 My daily labor to pursue; 
 Thee, only thee, resolved to know 
 
 In all I think, or speak, or do. 
 
 Thee may I set at my right-hand, 
 Whose eyes my inmost substance see; 
 
 And labor on at thy command, 
 And offer all my works to thee. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Our Heavenly Father, we come this morn- 
 ing to renew our expressions of gratitude to 
 thee for thy continued goodness and mercy to 
 us. We thank thee, we trust from the depths 
 of our hearts, for the repose of the night 
 whereby our bodies have been refreshed, and 
 our minds temporarily relieved from anxious 
 cares, and both the spiritual and physical man 
 the better prepared for the business and duties 
 of another day. And now, Lord, as the duties, 
 obligations, and it may be dangers, of this new 
 day are upon ns, we humbly pray the guidance 
 of the Holy Spirit in all things. Grant us 
 grace for all the duties, trials, and obligations 
 of the day. May we take our religion into 
 every business transaction of this day, and 
 thereby convince every one with whom we 
 come in contact of the reality of our profes- 
 
Aid and Guide. 41 
 
 sion, and that we are deeply in earnest about 
 doing right and getting to heaven. O forgive 
 us our sins, and keep us from doing wrong to- 
 day. May we not engage in any thing upon 
 which we may not in confidence ask thy bless- 
 ing. And may we always remember, O Lord, 
 that the ability to keep thy commandments and 
 do thy will comes from thee. And as thou 
 hast instructed us by thy servant to commit 
 our ways unto thee, and promised to direct our 
 paths, so we pray thee, our Heavenly Father, 
 for the sake of Jesus our dear Saviour, to di- 
 rect us always in the way in which we should 
 go, and help us continue therein to the final 
 end. Then, when life's toils are over, give us 
 the Christian's triumph in death, and in heav- 
 en's beautiful land, where it will be so " sweet 
 to meet one another again," save us all, for 
 Christ our Redeemer's sake. Amen. 
 
 Be not deceived; God is not mocked; for 
 whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also 
 reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall of 
 the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth 
 to the Sjnrit shall of the Spirit reap life ever- 
 lasting. And let us not be weary in well-doing, 
 for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. 
 
 Galatiana vi. 7-0. 
 
42 Monday Morning. 
 
 III. LESSON. 1 Corinthians xiii. 
 
 Though I speak with the tongues of men 
 and of angels, and have not charity, I am be- 
 come as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal. 
 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and 
 understand all mysteries, and all knowledge; 
 and though I have all faith, so that I could 
 remove mountains, and have not charity, I am 
 nothing. And though I bestow all my goods 
 to feed the poor, and though I give my body 
 to be burned, and have not charity, it profiteth 
 me nothing. Charity suffer eth long, and is 
 kind; charity envieth not; charity vaunteth 
 not itself, is not puffed up, doth not behave it- 
 self unseemly, seeketh not her own, is not 
 easily provoked, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not 
 in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth; beareth 
 all things, belie veth all things, hopeth all 
 things, endureth all things. Charity never 
 f aileth ; but whether there be prophecies, they 
 shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall 
 cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall 
 vanish away. For we know in part, and we 
 prophesy in part. But when that which is 
 perfect is come, then that which is in part shall 
 be done away. When I was a child, I spake 
 as a child, I understood as a child, I thought 
 as a child; but when I became a man, I put 
 
Aid and Guide. 43 
 
 away childish things. For now we see through 
 a glass, darkly; but then face to face; now I 
 know in part; but then shall I know even as 
 also I am known. And now abideth faith, 
 hope, charity, these three; but the greatest of 
 these is charity. 
 
 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore 
 get wisdom; and with all thy getting get un- 
 derstanding. Exalt her, and she shall promote 
 thee; she shall bring thee to honor, when thou 
 dost embrace her. But the path of the just is 
 as the shining light, that shineth more and 
 more unto the perfect day. The way of the 
 wicked is as darkness; they know not at what 
 they stumble. Keep thy heart with all dili- 
 gence; for out of it are the issues of life. Put 
 away from thee a froward mouth, and perverse 
 
 lips put far from thee. Proverbs iv. 7, 8, 18, 19, 23, 24. 
 
 L. M. No. 951, Hymn-book. 
 Awake, my soul, and with the sun 
 Thy daily stage of duty run; 
 Shake off' dull sloth, and early rise 
 To pay thy morning sacrifice. 
 Glory to Thee, who safe hast kept, 
 And hast refreshed me while I slept: 
 Grant, Lord, when I from death shall wake, 
 I may of endless life partake. 
 
44 Monday Morning. 
 
 PRAYEE. 
 Almighty and everlasting God, thou art the 
 author, preserver, and benefactor of our lives; 
 and we esteem it a good thing to give thanks 
 unto thee, to* show forth thy loving-kindness 
 every morning and thy faithfulness every 
 night. Especially are we called upon at 
 this time to recognize thy providential favor 
 through the past night. For our preservation 
 from danger, disease, and death; for the re- 
 freshment derived from sleep; and for all the 
 opening mercies of another day, we render 
 thee devout and hearty thanks. We acknowl- 
 edge ourselves wholly unworthy of the least of 
 all thy mercies, for we have sinned and come 
 short of thy glory. But we rejoice that thy 
 Son, Jesus Christ, was manifested to take away 
 our sins. Through his name, in humble de- 
 pendence upon his merits, we approach thee, 
 imploring forgiveness for all past offenses, and 
 grace whereby for the time to come w^e may 
 serve thee acceptably, with reverence and god- 
 ly fear, in holiness and righteousness, all the 
 days of our lives. Let thy blessing be upon 
 us this day. Preserve us from all temporal 
 and spiritual harm. Strengthen us for the re- 
 sistance of every temptation and the perform- 
 ance of every duty. We know not what a day 
 
Aid and Guide. 45 
 
 may bring forth. Prepare us for whatever thy 
 providence may appoint. In all the changing 
 scenes of life may Ave trustfully recognize thy 
 hand and patiently submit to thy holy will, 
 saying: "It is the Lord; let him do as seemeth 
 him good." Bless us as a family. Unite us, 
 not only in the bonds of natural affection, but 
 in the faith and fellowship and hope of the 
 gospel. Regard with thy special favor our 
 dear kindred and friends. Do for them exceed- 
 ing abundantly above all that we can either ask 
 or think. Be very merciful to those who are 
 in affliction and trouble. May the wants of 
 the needy be supplied. Comfort the sorrow- 
 ing. Heal the sick, or prepare them for ap- 
 proaching death. Look compassionately upon 
 those who are yet strangers to thee. Bring all 
 men everywhere to a knowledge of thyself, the 
 only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou 
 hast sent. All of which we ask in the name 
 of Christ, our adorable Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 Seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? 
 there is more hope of a fool than of him. 
 Where no wood is, there the fire goeth out; so 
 where there is no tale-bearer, the strife ceas- 
 
 etll. Proverbs xxvi. 12, 20. 
 
46 Monday Morning. 
 
 IV. LESSON". Philippians ii. 1-16. 
 
 If there be therefore any consolation in 
 Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellow- 
 ship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies, 
 fulfill ye my joy, that ye be like-minded, hav- 
 ing the same love, being of one accord, of one 
 mind. Let nothing be done through strife or 
 vainglory; but in lowliness df mind let each 
 esteem other better than themselves. Look 
 not every man on his own things, but every 
 man also on the things of others. Let this 
 mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus; 
 who, being in the form of God, thought it not 
 robbery to be equal with God; but made him- 
 self of no reputation, and took upon him the 
 form of a servant, and was made in the like- 
 ness of men; and being found in fashion as a 
 man, he humbled himself, and became obedi- 
 ent unto death, even the death of the cross. 
 Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, 
 and given him a name which is above every 
 name; that at the name of Jesus every knee 
 should bow, of things in heaven, and things in 
 earth, and things under the earth; and that 
 every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ 
 is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Where- 
 fore, my beloved, as ye have always obeyed, 
 not as in my presence only, but now much 
 
Aid and Guide. 47 
 
 more in my absence, work out your own salva- 
 tion with fear and trembling; for it is God 
 which worketh in you both to will and to do 
 of his good pleasure. Do all things without 
 murmurings and disputings; that ye may be 
 blameless and harmless, the sons of God, with- 
 out rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and per- 
 verse nation, among whom ye shine as lights 
 .in the world; holding forth the word of life; 
 that I may rejoice in the day of Christ, that I 
 have not run in vain, neither labored in vain. 
 
 7j. 
 Loving Jesus, gentle Lamb, 
 In thy gracious hands I am : 
 Make me, Saviour, what thou art, 
 Live thyself within my heart. 
 
 I shall then show forth thy praise, 
 Serve thee all my happy days, 
 Then the world shall always see 
 Christ, the holy Child, in me. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Spared by thy mercy through the night, we 
 come together now, O Lord, to bring to thee 
 our Monday morning's offering of prayer and 
 praise through Jesus Christ our Saviour. For 
 his sake, grant us now the Holy Spirit, to 
 quicken our gratitude and to inspire our 
 
48 Monday Morning. 
 
 prayers, that our devotions may be acceptable 
 to thee, and result in blessings large and free 
 to every one of us. For his sake accept our 
 thanks for all the mercies of the night and 
 for the benefits and blessings which have fallen 
 to our lot from infancy till now. Surely thy 
 goodness and mercy have followed us all the 
 days of our lives; and we would show forth our 
 gratitude to thee by walking in constant obe- 
 dience to thy holy laws. Impress us afresh this 
 morning with the great value of the Christian 
 Sabbath, and with the debt of gratitude we owe 
 thee for giving us its benefits again. May the 
 spirit of the holy day be with each one of us 
 in all the labors and business of the week on 
 which we enter; so that, whether we eat or 
 drink, or whatsoever we do, we may do all to 
 the glory of thy name. Enable us to feel that we 
 are not our own, bat that we are bought with a 
 price, and that we should therefore glorify thee 
 in our bodies and in our spirits, which are thine. 
 We know not what this day may bring forth. 
 We pray thee to prepare us for all that may be- 
 fall us as it passes by. Without thy help and 
 blessing, we can not prosper in any thing. 
 Give us such success in all our proper efforts 
 as may be best for us and most conducive to 
 thy glory; and, if it please thee to blast our 
 
Aid and Guide. 49 
 
 highest hopes, give us a spirit of submission 
 to thy will, and satisfaction that thou doest for 
 us all things well. May we not look for high- 
 est happiness from earthly objects or pursuits; 
 but, ever mindful of our heavenly origin and 
 destiny, may we regard thee as the only source 
 of pure and perfect bliss. Confine not thy 
 blessings, Heavenly Father, unto us. Smile 
 graciously on all who are connected with us by 
 the ties of kindred or the cords of love. May 
 all their interests for this life and the life to 
 come be precious in thy sight, and may they 
 all devote themselves to thee. We pray for 
 those who are confined this day to beds of sick- 
 ness, unable to engage in the duties of active 
 life. Give them patience in their affliction; 
 and, if it please thee, restore them soon to 
 health and soundness. Command thy blessing, 
 Heavenly Teacher, source of all true wisdom, 
 upon all instructors of youth and all young 
 persons at school, that, through their mutual 
 labors, the cause of sanctified learning may be 
 advanced, and ignorance and vice be driven from 
 our land. And now, O Father, our prayer is 
 before thee. Hear us and bless us, and sancti- 
 fy and save us; for all we ask is in the precious 
 name of Jesus Christ the Lord. Amen. 
 
50 Monday Evening. 
 
 ^Bxtrices \m\ ]V[aii3ay Evening. 
 
 I. LESSON. l Peter v. 1-11 
 
 The elders which are among you I exhort, 
 who am also an elder, and a witness of the suf- 
 ferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the 
 glory that shall be revealed: feed the flock of 
 God which is among you, taking the oversight 
 thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not 
 for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither 
 as being lords over God's heritage, but being 
 ensamples to the flock. And when the chief 
 Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown 
 of glory that fadeth not away. Likewise, ye 
 younger, submit yourselves unto the elder. 
 Yea, all of you be subject one to another, and 
 be clothed with humility; for God resisteth 
 the proud, and giveth grace to the humble. 
 Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty 
 hand of God, that he may exhalt you in due 
 time; casting all your care upon him; for he 
 careth for you. Be sober, be vigilant; because 
 your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, 
 walketh about, seeking whom he may devour: 
 whom resist steadfast in the faith, knowing 
 that the same afflictions are accomplished in 
 your brethren that are in the world. But the 
 God of all grace, who hath called us unto his 
 
Aid and Guide. 51 
 
 eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye 
 have suffered awhile, make you perfect, stab- 
 lish, strengthen, settle you. To him be glory 
 and dominion forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye 
 shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 
 you; for every one that asketh receiveth; and 
 he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knock- 
 eth it shall be opened. Or what man is there 
 of you, Avhom if his son ask bread, will he give 
 him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he give 
 him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know 
 how to give good gifts unto your children, how 
 much more shall your Father which is in 
 heaven give good things to them that ask him? 
 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that 
 men should do to you, do ye even so to them; 
 for this is the law T and the prophets. 
 
 Matthew vi. 7-12. 
 
 CM. 
 
 Now from the altar of our hearts 
 
 Let warmest thanks arise; 
 Assist us, Lord, to oflfer up 
 
 Our evening sacrifice. 
 
 This day God was our sun and shield, 
 
 Our keeper and our guide; 
 His care was on our weakness shown, 
 
 His mercies multiplied. 
 
52 Monday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, our loving Creator, for the in- 
 stitution of the family, for the beautiful rela- 
 tions of husband and wife, parents and children. 
 We thank thee for our home, with all its com- 
 forts and blessings. We pray thee, O Father, 
 make our home a model of Christian virtues: 
 let love, pure and sweet, bind heart to heart; let 
 mutual confidence reign in our midst; make us 
 a harmonious, happy Christian family. Bring 
 us closer to thee and closer to each other. Give 
 to us as parents, gentleness and firmness, that 
 we may properly rule our household. Give to 
 our dear children love for each other, and help 
 them to be both loving and obedient to their 
 parents. Save us from sickness and all over- 
 whelming calamities. Bless dear absent loved 
 ones. Bless the Church to which we belong. 
 Give to our pastor wisdom and grace, and make 
 him abundantly useful. Bless the sick, com- 
 fort the sorrowing, raise up the bowed down, 
 and save all the people from their sins. Take 
 care of us this night. Let our sleep be sweet 
 and refreshing. May we arise in the morning 
 full of gratitude, and with high purpose to do 
 thy will. Sustain us through all our trials, and 
 guide us through all our difficulties, and at last 
 save us in heaven, for Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 53 
 
 II. LESSON. Psalm iv. 
 
 Hear me when I call, O God of my right- 
 eousness : thou hast enlarged me when I was in 
 distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my 
 prayer. ye sons of men, how long will ye 
 turn my glory into shame? how long will ye 
 love vanity, and seek after leasing? Selah. 
 But know that the Lord hath set apart him 
 that is godly for himself: the Lord will hear 
 when I call unto him. Stand in awe, and sin 
 not: commune with your own heart upon your 
 bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices 
 of righteousness, and put your trust in the 
 Lord. There be many that say, Who will show 
 us any good? Lord, lift thou up the light of 
 thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put glad- 
 ness in my heart, more than in the time that 
 their corn and their wine increased. I will 
 both lay me down in peace and sleep ; for thou, 
 Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 
 
 8, 7s. 
 
 Saviour, breathe an evening blessing, 
 
 Ere repose our spirits seal ; 
 Sin and want we come confessing; 
 
 Thou canst save and thou canst heal. 
 
 Though destruction walk around us, 
 
 Though the arrow past us fly, 
 Angel guards from thee surround us; 
 
 We are safe if thou art nigh. 
 
54: Monday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, O God, for the strength and 
 the will to work during the day; that thou hast 
 given us our daily bread; that we are gathered 
 under roof for the night; that no harm has 
 come to us; that our fears have been disap- 
 pointed; that we have been delivered from un- 
 reasonable men; and that thy providence and 
 thy grace have been our help and our safety. 
 We confess, our Father, that we have failed to 
 be as true to ourselves, as just toward others, 
 and as lovingly trustful of thee as we should 
 have been; but hitherto thou hast helped us, 
 and we would that thy loving-kindness should 
 lead us to repentance and amendment. We 
 pray thee to strengthen us in our convictions 
 of right, of duty, and of love, and rid us of per- 
 sonal weakness, of suspicion of our fellows, 
 and distrust of thee. Help us to make a bet- 
 ter record to-morrow. May the shame of our 
 short-comings and sins restrain us from further 
 neglects and transgressions. May we begin 
 the morrow with a larger capital of purpose 
 and grace than ever, and may it be so put out 
 to usury that greater good may come to us and 
 greater glory to thy name. Bless the hearts 
 and the homes of our community. Make each 
 family a center of Christian influence; and as 
 
Aid and Guide. 55 
 
 new homes are made, let new altars arise and 
 thy worship continue to the last generation. 
 That this Christian succession may go on, con- 
 vert our sons and daughters, and early number 
 them among thy spiritual children. And thine 
 shall be the glory of our and their salvation 
 through Christ the Lord. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Psalm cxxi. 
 
 I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from 
 whence cometh my help. My help cometh 
 from the Lord, which made heaven and earth. 
 He will not suffer thy foot to be moved; he 
 that keepe.th thee will not slumber. Behold, 
 he that keepeth Israel shall 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 shall preserve thee from all 
 evil; he shall preserve thy soul. The Lord 
 shall preserve thy going out and thy coming 
 in from this time forth, and even for evermore. 
 
 How much better is it to get wisdom than 
 gold? and to get understanding rather to be 
 chosen than silver? Pride goeth before de- 
 struction, and a haughty spirit before a fall. 
 
 Proverbs xvi. 16, 18 
 
56 Monday Evening. 
 
 S. M, 
 
 Lord, in the strength of grace, 
 
 With a glad heart and free, 
 
 Myself, my residue of days, 
 
 I consecrate to thee. 
 * 
 
 Thy ransomed servant, I 
 
 Eestore to thee thy own; 
 
 And, from this moment, live or die, 
 
 To serve my God alone. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Most merciful and ever blessed God, thou 
 art the fountain of life; in thee all good is 
 treasured, and from thee all good proceeds. 
 We come to thee for life, for strength, for 
 wisdom, grace, and peace. We come before 
 thee asking these blessings, and that each day 
 they may be renewed to us. Thou hast said, 
 "I am come that ye might have life, and have 
 it more abundantly." O Lord of life, increase 
 thy life in us, and make it abundant. Fill us 
 with thyself, stimulate our growth, sustain our 
 spiritual affections, refresh our zeal, and mold 
 us to thy pure likeness. Endow us with the 
 gift of life— life for worship, and life for work. 
 Give us thy abiding peace, and may it rule in 
 our hearts and harmonize all our feelings; may 
 its presence and influence never be lessened 
 in us. When temptations arise, may thy Spirit 
 
Aid and Guide. 57 
 
 calm us by its sweet constraint, so that our en- 
 ergies shall move freely in thy service, and our 
 hearts be ready for every duty. O Father, 
 hear this prayer, and grant us, for Jesus' sake, 
 its rich and ceaseless answer as long as life 
 shall last. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Psalm cxix. 07-112. 
 
 O how love I thy law! it is my meditation 
 all the day. Thou through thy commandments 
 hast made me wiser than mine enemies; for 
 they are ever with me. I have more under- 
 standing than all my teachers; for thy testimo- 
 nies are my meditation. I understand more 
 than the ancients, because I keep thy precepts. 
 I have refrained my feet from every evil way, 
 that I might keep thy word. I have not de- 
 parted from thy judgments; for thou hast 
 taught me. How sweet are thy words unto 
 my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. 
 Through thy precepts I get understanding; 
 therefore I hate every false way. Thy word is 
 a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path. 
 I have sworn, and I will perform it, that I will 
 keep thy righteous judgments. I am afflicted 
 very much; quicken me, O Lord, according 
 unto thy word. Accept, I beseech thee, the 
 free-will offerings of my mouth, O Lord, and 
 
58 Monday Evening. 
 
 teach me thy judgments. My soul is continu- 
 ally in my hand; yet do I not forget thy law. 
 The wicked have laid a snare for me; yet I 
 erred not from thy precepts. Thy testimonies 
 have I taken as a heritage forever; for they 
 are the rejoicing of my heart. I have inclined 
 mine heart to perform thy statutes always, even 
 unto the end. 
 
 7s. 
 
 Children of the Heavenly King, 
 As we journey, let us sing; 
 Sing our Saviour's worthy praise, 
 Glorious in his works and ways. 
 
 We are trav'ling home to God, 
 In the way our fathers trod ; 
 They are happy now, and we 
 Soon their happiness shall see. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lokd, our Lord, how excellent is thy name 
 in all the earth! who hath set thy glory above 
 the heavens. When we 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? So teach us to num- 
 ber our days that we may apply our hearts unto 
 wisdom. Let thy work appear unto thy serv- 
 
Aid and Guide. 59 
 
 ants, and thy glory unto our children; and 
 establish thou the work of our hands upon us; 
 yea, the work of our hands, establish thou it. 
 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, 
 but unto us confusion of faces, because we 
 have sinned against thee. We know that in 
 us dwelleth no good thing; for to will is pres- 
 ent with us; but how to perform that which is 
 good, we find not. For, though we delight in 
 thy law, after the inward man, w T e see another 
 law in our members, warring against the law 
 of our mind, and bringing us into captivity 
 to the law of sin which is in our members. 
 Purge us with hyssop, and we shall be clean; 
 wash us, and we shall be whiter than snow. 
 Hide thy face from our sins, and blot out all 
 our iniquities. Create in us clean hearts, O 
 God; and renew right spirits within us. Cast 
 us not away from thy presence; and take not 
 thy Holy Spirit from as. Restore unto us the 
 joy of thy salvation; and uphold us with thy 
 Spirit. So shall we teach transgressors thy free 
 ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee. 
 We bless thy name, O Lord, that thou art mer- 
 ciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plenteous 
 in mercy. Thou hast not dealt with us after 
 our sins, nor rewarded us according to our in- 
 iquities. For, as the heaven is high above the 
 
60 Monday Evening. 
 
 earth, so great is thy mercy toward them that 
 fear thee. For thou knowest our frame; thou 
 rememberest that we are dust. As we assem- 
 ble now r around the family altar, we worship 
 thee as our Father and our God. From thee 
 alone have come to us the blessings we enjoy; 
 and we desire to dedicate afresh to thee our- 
 selves, with all we have and are. And though 
 we be unworthy of thy notice, we beseech thee 
 for thy Son our Saviour's sake accept and 
 own us as thy children. Use us in thy vine- 
 yard as humble laborers, by whom thy cause 
 may be extended and our fellow- men be blessed. 
 May it be our constant aim to set before our 
 neighbors examples worthy of their imitation, 
 and by every possible means to show forth the 
 principles of our holy religion. Look tenderly 
 to-night, we pray thee, on all who suffer. As 
 through the weary watches they long for the 
 morning, may the light of thy countenance 
 cheer and bless them, and enable them to trust 
 thee, even though thou slay them. Be ever 
 present with all who labor for the welfare of 
 mankind. Bless every proper effort made to 
 check intemperance and vice, and to establish 
 peace and order among men. Cause wars to 
 cease in the earth, that harmony and happiness 
 may reign in all lands. And now, O Father, 
 
Aid and Guide. 61 
 
 we commend ourselves to thy care for the night. 
 Give us sweet sleep and quiet rest, that we 
 may rise refreshed and ready for the duties of 
 the morrow. Direct us through the remnant 
 of our lives in all our goings; and afterward 
 receive us to thyself on high, for Jesus' sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting 
 the soul; the testimony of the Lord is sure, 
 making wise the simple. The statutes of the 
 Lord are right, rejoicing the heart; the com- 
 mandment of the Lord is pure, enlightening 
 the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, en- 
 during forever; the judgments of the Lord are 
 true and righteous altogether. More to be de- 
 sired are they than gold, yea, than much fine 
 gold; sweeter also than honey and the honey- 
 comb. Moreover by them is thy servant 
 warned; and in keeping of them there is great 
 reward. AVho can understand his errors? 
 cleanse thou me from secret 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 innocent from the 
 great transgression. Let the words of my 
 mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be ac- 
 ceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, 
 and my i-edeemer. rsaim xix. 7-14. 
 
62 Tuesday Mokning. 
 
 ^ei^Yices \m\ Muesflay ]V[ciining. 
 
 I. LESSON. Luke xii. 22-37. 
 
 And he said unto his disciples, Therefore I 
 say unto you, Take no thought for your life, 
 what ye shall eat; neither for the body, what 
 ye shall put on. The life is more than meat, 
 and the body is more than raiment. Consider 
 the ravens: for they neither sow nor reap: 
 which neither have store-house nor barn; and 
 God feedeth them. How much more are ye 
 better than the fowls? And which of you with 
 taking thought can add to his stature one 
 cubit? If ye then be not able to do that thing 
 which is least, why take ye thought for the 
 rest? Consider the lilies how they grow: they 
 toil not, they spin not; and yet I say unto 
 you, that Solomon in all his glory was not 
 arrayed like one of these. If then God so 
 clothe the grass, which is to-day in the field, 
 and to-morrow is cast into the oven; how much 
 more will he clothe you, O ye of little faith? 
 And seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what 
 ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind. 
 For all these things do the nations of the world 
 seek after; and your Father knoweth that ye 
 have need of these things. But rather seek ye 
 the kingdom of God, and all these things shall 
 
Aid and Guide. 63 
 
 be added unto you. Fear not, little flock; for 
 it is your Father's good pleasure to give you 
 the kingdom. Sell that ye have, and give alms : 
 provide yourselves bags which wax not old. a 
 treasure in the heavens that faileth not, where 
 no thief approacheth, neither moth corrupt- 
 etJi. For where your treasure is, there will 
 your heart be also. Let your loins be girded 
 about, and your lights burning; and ye your- 
 selves like unto men that wait for their lord, 
 when he will return from the wedding; that, 
 when he cometh and knocketh, they may open 
 unto him immediately. Blessed are those serv- 
 ants, whom the lord when he cometh shall 
 find watching: verily I say unto you, that he 
 shall gird himself, and make them to sit down 
 to meat, and will come forth and serve them. 
 
 God is our refuge and strength, a very pres- 
 ent help in trouble. Psalm xivi. 1. 
 
 Ta 
 
 Day by day the manna fell : 
 O to learn this lesson well ! 
 Still by constant mercy fed, 
 Give me, Lord, my daily bread. 
 " Day by day," the promise reads, 
 Daily strength for daily needs; 
 Cast foreboding fears away; 
 Take the manna of to-day. 
 
64 Tuesday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O God, our Heavenly Father, we thank thee 
 for thy preserving care during the night, and 
 for the use of our minds and bodies this morn- 
 ing. May we employ all our powers this day 
 in accordance with thy holy will. We thank 
 thee for thy word, and for thy Son, Jesus 
 Christ, who died to redeem us from sin and 
 death. For his sake, we pray thee, forgive us 
 our sins, and guide us this day by thy good 
 Spirit, that we may do justly, love mercy, and 
 walk humbly with thee. Give us the wit- 
 ness of thy Spirit with ours that our sins are 
 forgiven. Incline and strengthen us unto all 
 good, and restrain us from all evil. Comfort 
 us, we beseech thee, O our Father, in our sor- 
 rows, heal us of our afflictions, enlighten us in 
 darkness, and guide and keep lis in times of 
 doubt and trial. Lord, we would commit into 
 thy hands all we have and are'. Sanctify our 
 hearts, purify our thoughts, and make us alto- 
 gether well-pleasing in thy sight. Bless our 
 friends, our neighbors, and our enemies. May 
 thy Church prosper, and thy kingdom prevail 
 in all the earth. Give the consolations of thy 
 grace unto all who call upon thee in any dis- 
 tress. Mightily aid every good cause, and 
 thwart and overthrow every agency of evil. 
 
Aid and Guide. 65 
 
 Help ns to do our duty in the furtherance of 
 truth and righteousness in the earth, and save 
 us at last, for Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. Proverbs iii. .5-18. 
 
 Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and 
 lean not unto thine own understanding. In 
 all thy ways, acknowledge him, and he shall 
 direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own 
 eyes; fear the Lord, and depart from evil. It 
 shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy 
 bones. Honor the Lord with thy substance, 
 and with the first-fruits of all thine increase : 
 so shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and 
 thy presses shall burst out with new wine. My 
 son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; 
 neither be weary of his correction; for whom 
 the Lord loveth he correcteth; even as a father 
 the son in whom he delighteth. Happy is the 
 man that findeth wisdom, and the man that 
 getteth understanding; for the merchandise 
 of it is better than the merchandise of silver, 
 and the gain thereof than fine gold. She is 
 more precious than rubies; and all the things 
 thou canst desire are not to be compared unto 
 her. Length of days is in her right-hand; 
 and in her left-hand riches and honor. Her 
 ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her 
 
66 Tuesday Morning. 
 
 paths are peace. She is a tree o£ life to them 
 that lay hold upon her; and happy is every 
 one that retaineth her. 
 
 S. M. 
 Commit thou all thy griefs 
 
 And ways into His hands, 
 To His sure trust and tender care. 
 
 Who earth and heaven commands: 
 Who points the clouds their course, 
 
 Whom winds and seas obey, 
 He shall direct thy wandering feet, 
 
 He shall prepare thy way. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Help us, O our God, to feel in our hearts 
 what we utter in our prayers. May we justly 
 prize the precious privilege of worshiping thee. 
 May it always be our chief delight to do thy 
 will. As we remember thy amazing goodness 
 and love, may we truly repent of all our sins 
 against thee. Pardon all our unfaithfulness, 
 and fill us with the peace and joy of the sons 
 and daughters of God. As we enter upon the 
 duties of this day, reveal unto us what it is 
 thy will that we shall do. In all our thoughts 
 and plans, in all our labors and pleasures, may 
 we be guided by thy wisdom, supplied by thy 
 providence, and kept humble and righteous by 
 thy grace. Keep us mindful that thine eye is 
 
Aid and Guide. 67 
 
 always upon us, and that thou knowest the 
 very secrets of our souls. Lead us to compare 
 all our thoughts and desires, and habits and 
 examples, and labors and amusements, and 
 hopes and fears, with thy plain and faithful 
 word. Accept our fervent thanks for all thy 
 mercies unto us, unto all we love, unto all 
 mankind. Bless all who need thee, according 
 to thy righteousness and love in Jesus Christ. 
 Sanctify all our experience this day, and 
 through all our future life, to the good of our 
 souls, the happiness of our fellow-men, and 
 the glory of thy name. We give our all to 
 thee, and pray thy blessing for time and eter- 
 nity through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and 
 Redeemer. Amen. 
 
 Wisdom is better than rubies; and all the 
 things that may be desired are not to be 
 compared to it. The fear of the Lord is to 
 hate evil; pride, and arrogancy, and the evil 
 way, and the froward mouth do I hate. I love 
 them that love me; and those that seek me 
 early shall find me. Riches and honor are 
 with me; yea, durable riches and righteous- 
 ness. My fruit is better than gold, yea, than 
 fine gold; and my revenue than choice silver. 
 
 Proverbs ¥iii, II, 13, 17-10. 
 
Tuesday Morning. 
 
 III. LESSON. Isaiah xxxv. 
 
 The wilderness and the solitary place shall 
 be glad for them; and the desert shall rejoice, 
 and blossom as the rose. It shall blossom 
 abundantly, and rejoice even with joy and sing- 
 ing; the glory of Lebanon shall be given unto 
 it, the excellency of Carmel and Sharon; they 
 shall see the glory of the Lord, and the excel- 
 lency of our God. Strengthen ye the weak 
 hands, and confirm the feeble knees. Say to 
 them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, 
 fear not; behold, your God will come with 
 vengeance, even God with a recompense; he 
 will come and save you. Then the eyes of the 
 blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf 
 shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man 
 leap as a hart, and the tongue of the dumb 
 sing; for in the wilderness shall waters break 
 out, and streams in the desert. And the parched 
 ground shall become a pool, and the thirsty 
 land springs of water; in the habitation of 
 dragons, where each lay, shall be grass with 
 reeds and rushes. And a highway shall be 
 there, and a way, and it shall be called the 
 way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass 
 over it; but it shall be for those; the wayfar- 
 ing men, though fools, shall not err therein. 
 No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast 
 
Aid and Guide. 69 
 
 shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; 
 but the redeemed shall walk there; and the 
 ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come 
 to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon 
 their heads; they shall obtain joy and glad- 
 ness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away. 
 
 O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us 
 make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salva- 
 tion. Let us come before his presence with 
 thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto 
 him with psalms. For the Lord is a great God, 
 and a great King above all gods, fn his hand 
 are the deep places of the earth; the strength 
 of the hills is 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 God ; and we are the people of his pasture, 
 and the sheep of his hand. Psaim xcv. 1-7. 
 
 CM. 
 Jesus, united by thy grace, 
 
 And each to each endeared, 
 With confidence we seek thy face, 
 
 And know our prayer is heard. 
 Still let us own our common Lord, 
 
 And bear thine easy yoke; 
 A band of love, a threefold cord, 
 
 Which never can be broke. 
 
70 Tuesday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 "We thank thee, O Lord, for the beautiful and 
 instructive and comforting lesson which has 
 just been read out of the Holy Book. Thou 
 art our Father, and. we approach thee as thy 
 needy children, most humbly praying that 
 thou wouldst now verify the precious prom- 
 ises contained in thy Book. Help us to cast 
 our burdens on thee, with the assurance that 
 thou wilt sustain us. Guide us into all truth, 
 strengthen us with might in the inner man. 
 Help us to embrace in all its fullness the love 
 of God. Lead us by the still waters of thy 
 grace. Impart to us the mind of the blessed 
 Master. Fill us with all the fullness of God. 
 Bless our family. May we live together accord- 
 ing to thy holy ordinances, obeying thy com- 
 mandments, and glorifying thy holy name. Suc- 
 cor us when we are tempted, and give us power 
 to overcome every assault of the enemy. Save 
 us from pride and vanity, from impatience, 
 envy, and jealousy, from fretfulness, anger, 
 wrath, and malice, and from all unholy associ- 
 ations and evil influences. Deliver us, O Lord, 
 from every habit that tends to enslave us, and 
 from every spirit which can involve us in sin 
 or lead us away from thee. Thus may the day 
 pass in the love and fear of God. These bless- 
 
Aid and Guide. 71 
 
 ings we ask in the name of Jesus Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. 2 Peter i, 1-11. 
 
 Simon Peter, a servant and an apostle of 
 Jesus Christ, to them that have obtained like 
 precious faith with us through the righteous- 
 ness of God and our Saviour Jesus Christ: 
 Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through 
 the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord, 
 according as his divine power hath given unto 
 us all things that pertain unto life and godli- 
 ness, through the knowledge of him that hath 
 called us to glory and virtue; whereby are giv- 
 en unto us exceeding great and precious prom- 
 ises; that by these ye might be partakers of 
 the divine nature, having escaped the corrup- 
 tion that is in the world through lust. And 
 besides this, giving all diligence, add to your 
 faith virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to 
 knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, 
 patience; and to patience, godliness; and to 
 godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly 
 kindness, charity. For if these things be in 
 you, and abound, they make you that ye shall 
 neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowl- 
 edge of our Lord Jesus Christ. But he that 
 lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see 
 
72 Tuesday Mokning. 
 
 afar off, and hath forgotten that he was purged 
 from his old sins. Wherefore the rather, 
 brethren, give diligence to make your calling 
 and election sure; for if ye do these things, ye 
 shall never fall; for so an entrance shall be 
 ministered unto you abundantly into the ever- 
 lasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 CM. 
 My Saviour, my almighty Friend, 
 
 When I begin thy praise, 
 Where will the growing numbers end, 
 
 The numbers of thy grace? 
 
 Thou art my everlasting trust; 
 
 Thy goodness I adore: 
 Send down thy grace, O blessed Lord, 
 
 That I may love thee more. 
 
 PEAYER. 
 
 Once more we come before thee, our Father 
 a^d our God, to praise thy name for all thy 
 loving-kindnesses continued to us still. We 
 have risen from our beds, refreshed by quiet 
 sleep, and are ready to begin the labors of an- 
 other day. Thou still suppliest us with food 
 and every thing we need for life and duty. 
 Thou blessest us with mutual sympathy and 
 love, by which we enjoy each other's presence, 
 
Aid and Guide. 73 
 
 and delight to labor for our common good. 
 We worship thee as the Author of concord and 
 the Prince of Peace; and we pray thee to im- 
 plant in us more and more the peaceful prin- 
 ciples of the gospel, that we may love thee 
 supremely, and love our neighbors as ourselves. 
 May we also love our enemies, bless them that 
 curse us, do good to them that hate us, and 
 pray for them which despitefully use us and 
 persecute us, that we may be thy children in 
 deed and in truth. As now we enter on the 
 duties of the day, we would deeply feel our 
 constant need of thy blessing and help in all 
 our efforts. We would do nothing inconsistent 
 with thy will, nothing on which thy blessing 
 may not rest. Wean us, we pray thee, from 
 every improper object of affection. Turn us 
 away from every unworthy undertaking. Save 
 us also from undue attachment even to the 
 proper things of earth, which might divert our 
 highest love from thee. May we use this world 
 as not abusing it. May we remember that it 
 is not our home. May we expect not here our 
 highest joy, but look away to thee and heaven 
 for perfect bliss. Yet grant us, Heavenly 
 Father, God of love, O grant us every day 
 some foretaste of the heavenly joy, as in the 
 beamings of thy smiling face, and with good 
 
74 Tuesday Morning. 
 
 evidence of thine approval, we go about our 
 daily work, trusting in thee. And grant to us 
 this day such measure of success as may seem 
 best to thee, withholding from us even what 
 we most desire, if it would be injurious to us 
 or to thy cause. But, whatsoever else thou 
 givest or deniest, give us grace to yield to thee 
 without a murmur, and to feel that all things 
 work together for our good. We invoke thy 
 blessings upon all classes of men: upon the 
 rich, that they may be poor in spirit, trusting 
 not in earthly good, but using their wealth for 
 the promotion of thy glory; upon the poor, 
 that they may be rich in faith, and may lay up 
 their treasure in heaven; upon the sick, that 
 they may intrust themselves to thee, as the 
 Divine Physician, able to heal both body and 
 soul; upon the bereaved, that they may find 
 thee more than a substitute for their loved and 
 lost ones; upon all in authority in Church and 
 State, that they may rule in righteousness and 
 in thy fear; upon the penitent, that they may 
 be directed to the exercise of saving faith in 
 Jesus Christ, thy Son, our Lord; upon the un- 
 godly, that they may cease to do evil, and learn 
 to do well; and upon thy people of every name, 
 that they may live together in holy harmony, 
 showing forth thy praise, and inducing others 
 
Aid and Guide. 75 
 
 to devote themselves to tliee. These things, 
 Father, and whatever else we need for this 
 life or for the life to come, Ave humbly ask in 
 the name and for the sake of Jesus Christ, our 
 Lord, to whom, with thee and the Holy Ghost, 
 be all praise and glory, both now and forever. 
 Amen. 
 
 And he gave some, apostles; and some, 
 prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, 
 pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the 
 saints, for the work of the ministry, for the 
 edifying of the body of Christ; till we all come 
 in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge 
 of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto 
 the measure of the stature of the fullness of 
 Christ; that we henceforth be no more chil- 
 dren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with 
 every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, 
 and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in 
 wait to deceive; but speaking the truth in love, 
 may grow up into him in all things, which is 
 the head, even Christ; from whom the whole 
 body fitly joined together and compacted by 
 that which every joint supplieth, according to 
 the effectual working in the measure of every 
 part, maketh increase of the body unto the 
 edifying of itself in love. Ephewans i*. n-ie. 
 
76 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 §5ei[Yices i[cxt Muesflay ^verting. 
 
 I. LESSON. Matthew vi. 19-34. 
 
 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
 earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and 
 where thieves break through and steal; but lay 
 up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 
 neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
 thieves do not break through nor steal; for 
 where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. The light of the body is the eye ; if 
 therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body 
 shall be full of light. But if thine eye be evil, 
 thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If 
 therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, 
 how great is that darkness! No man can serve 
 two masters; for either he will hate the one, 
 and love the other; or else he will hold to the 
 one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve 
 God and mammon. Therefore I say unto you, 
 Take no thought for your life, what ye shall 
 eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your 
 body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life 
 more than meat, and the body more than rai- 
 ment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they 
 sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into 
 barns ; yet your Heavenly Father f eedeth them. 
 Are ye not much better than they? Which of 
 
Aid and Guide. 77 
 
 you by taking thought can add one cubit unto 
 his stature? And why take ye thought for 
 raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how 
 they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; 
 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in 
 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the 
 field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast 
 into the oven, shall he not much more clothe 
 you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no 
 thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What 
 shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be 
 clothed? (for after all these things do the Gen- 
 tiles seek) for your Heavenly Father knoweth 
 that ye have need of all these things. But 
 seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
 righteousness, and all these things shall be 
 added unto you. Take therefore no thought 
 for the morrow; for the morrow shall take 
 thought for the things of itself. Sufficient 
 unto the day is the evil thereof. 
 
 P.M. 
 The day is past and gone, 
 
 The evening shades appear: 
 O may we all remember well, 
 
 The night of death draws near! 
 Lord, keep us safe this night, 
 
 Secure from all our fears; 
 May angels guard us, while we sleep, 
 
 Till morning light appears. 
 
78 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord our God, thou makest the outgoings 
 of the morning and the evening to rejoice. 
 Thy merciful kindness has been over us dur- 
 ing another day. We have had health and 
 strength for the prosecution of our respective 
 callings in life; and we gather to-night around 
 the family altar to commemorate thy loving- 
 kindness and to call upon thy name. We 
 praise thee for all thy kind remembrance of 
 us in the past; and constrained by thy mercies, 
 would present our souls and bodies unto thee 
 as a living sacrifice, which is our reasonable 
 service. Forgive us if during this day we have 
 been guilty of any impurity of thought, affec- 
 tion, or desire, any hastiness of temper, any 
 improper word or act. Assure us, ere we retire 
 to rest, that we have peace with God through 
 our Lord Jesus Christ. As our days swiftly 
 succeed one another, may we be reminded 
 how brief and uncertain is our stay upon the 
 earth, how soon our days will all be numbered. 
 And as here we have no abiding-place, no con- 
 tinuing city, may we seek one to come — a city 
 which hath foundations, whose maker and 
 builder is God. May we lay up our treasures 
 in heaven, and set our affections upon things 
 above, and labor not for the meat that perish- 
 
Aid and Guide. 79 
 
 eth but for that which endure th unto eternal life. 
 Have us under thy guardian care through this 
 night season. Thou Shepherd of Israel, who 
 neither sluinberest nor sleepest, through the 
 shades and slumbers of this night let thine 
 ever- wakeful eye be upon us, and thy protect- 
 ing arm round about us. May no evil befall 
 us, nor any plague come nigh our dwelling. 
 Bring us in health and safety to another day, 
 and may we rise on the morrow prepared 
 to consecrate ourselves anew to thy service. 
 When the day of life shall close, as this day 
 is about to close, and the shades of death's 
 dark night gather around us, give us thy sus- 
 taining grace in that eventful hour. May we 
 fall sweetly asleep in Jesus, and in the morn- 
 ing of the resurrection awake in his likeness, 
 to the vision of his glory and the fruition of 
 his presence forever. Amen. 
 
 I love the Lord, because he hath heard my 
 voice and my supplications. Because he hath 
 inclined his ear unto me, therefore will I call 
 upon him as long as I live. What shall I ren- 
 der unto the Lord for all his benefits toward 
 me? I will take the cup of salvation, and call 
 upon the name of the Lord. 
 
 Psnlm <-xvi. 1, 2, 12, 13 
 
80 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 II. LESSON. Deut. vi. 1-9, 20-25. 
 
 Now these are the commandments, the stat- 
 utes, and the judgments, which the Lord your 
 God commanded to teach you, that ye might 
 do them in the land whither ye go to possess 
 it: That thou mightest fear the Lord thy God, 
 to keep all his statutes and his commandments, 
 which I command thee, thou, and thy son, and 
 thy son's son, all the days of thy life; and that 
 thy days may be prolonged. Hear therefore, 
 O Israel, and observe to do it; that it may be 
 well with thee, and that ye may increase might- 
 ily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath prom- 
 ised thee, in the land that floweth with milk 
 and honey. Hear, O Israel: The Lord our 
 God is one Lord; and thou shalt love the Lord 
 thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy 
 soul, and with all thy might. And these words, 
 which I command thee this day, shall be in 
 thine heart; and thou shalt teach them dili- 
 gently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them 
 when thou sittest in thine house, and when 
 thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest 
 down, and when thpu risest up. And thou 
 shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, 
 and they shall be as frontlets between thine 
 eyes. And thou shalt w T rite them upon the 
 posts of thy house, and on thy gates. And 
 
Aid and Guide. 81 
 
 when thy son asketh thee in time to come, say- 
 ing, What mean the testimonies, and the stat- 
 utes, and the judgments, which the Lord our 
 God hath commanded you? then thou shalt 
 say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh's bondmen 
 in Egypt; and the Lord brought us out of 
 Egypt with a mighty hand; and the Lord 
 shewed signs and wonders, great and sore, upon 
 Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his house- 
 hold, before our eyes; and he brought us out 
 from thence, that he might bring us in, to give 
 us the land which he sware unto our fathers. 
 And the Lord commanded us to do all these 
 statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good 
 always, that he might preserve us alive, as it 
 is at this day. And it shall be our righteous- 
 ness, if we observe to do all these command- 
 ments before the Lord our God, as he hath 
 commanded- us. 
 
 C. M, 
 
 Through many dangers, toils, and snares, 
 
 I have already come; 
 'Tis grace has brought me safe thus far, 
 
 And grace will lead me home. 
 
 The Lord has promised good to me — 
 
 His word my hope secures: 
 He will my shield and portion be 
 
 As long as life endures. 
 
82 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lokd, our gracious Heavenly Father, we 
 bow in thy solemn presence at the close of this 
 another day of our short life, in token of our 
 dependence upon thee and submission to thy 
 blessed will. We acknowledge thy manifold 
 blessings and tender mercies in all past life, 
 and especially during the day just now clos- 
 ing. But in considering thy goodness to us 
 in the past, we would not forget that thou art 
 present with us now. At this very moment 
 thou, God, seest us. O may a sense of thy 
 presence inspire our devotions and spiritualize 
 our worship. And in view of thy great good- 
 ness to us, and our unfaithfulness to thee, may 
 we be humbled in dust at thy feet; and real- 
 izing our utter helplessness and entire depend- 
 ence, may we be enabled to rely upon the 
 merits of our blessed Saviour, in whose name 
 only we come. O grant that through him we 
 may receive forgiveness of all that is past, and 
 realize in our own consciousness that we are 
 at peace with thee. With us, bless all the 
 subjects of our prayers, especially all that have 
 asked us to pray for them, or that desire an in- 
 terest in our devotions. Bind up the hearts 
 that sorrow has broken; be tender to the aged 
 and feeble, the sick and dying, and all that are 
 
Aid and Guide. 83 
 
 in any way distressed; and may all remember 
 with joy that " earth has no sorrows that heav- 
 en cannot heal." Bless our friends, and have 
 mercy upon our enemies (if we have them). 
 And now, Lord, we commit us unto thee — all 
 that we have and are. Be very near us to- 
 night, guide us through life, make us useful in 
 the world, comfort us with thy presence in 
 death, and in heaven save us all, with all for 
 whom we may pray, we humbly ask for the 
 great Redeemer's sake. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Psalm xxv. 1-14. 
 
 Unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul. 
 O my God, I trust in thee; let me not be 
 ashamed, let not mine enemies triumph over 
 me. Yea, let none that wait on thee be 
 ashamed; let them be ashamed which trans- 
 gress without cause. Shew me thy ways, O 
 Lord; teach me thy paths. Lead me in thy 
 truth, and teach me; for thou art the God of 
 my salvation; on thee do I wait all the day. 
 Remember, O Lord, thy tender mercies and 
 thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever 
 of old. Piemember not the sins of my youth, 
 nor my transgressions; according to thy mercy 
 remember thou me for thy goodness' sake, O 
 Lord. Good and upright is the Lord; there- 
 
84 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 fore will lie teach sinners in the way. The 
 meek will he guide in judgment; and the 
 meek will he teach his way. All the paths of 
 the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as 
 keep his covenant and his testimonies. For 
 thy name's sake, O Lord, pardon mine iniq- 
 uity; for it is great. What man is he that 
 feareth the Lord? him shall he teach in the 
 way that he shall choose. His soul shall dwell 
 at ease; and his seed shall inherit the earth. 
 The secret of the Lord is with them that fear 
 him ; and he will shew them his covenant. 
 
 c. M. 
 Once more we come before our God; 
 
 Once more his blessings ask : 
 O may not duty seem a load, 
 
 Nor worship prove a task ! 
 Father, thy quick' ning Spirit send 
 
 From heaven in Jesus' name, 
 To make our waiting minds attend, 
 
 And put our souls in frame. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Most merciful and ever blessed God, every 
 day's experience proves that we can only be 
 happy with thy love in our hearts. The nearer 
 we get to thee the stronger we are. O then, 
 merciful Father, let nothing come between 
 thee and us. Cleanse our hearts daily, give us 
 
Aid and Guide. 85 
 
 power over all sin, hallow our minds, sweeten 
 our spirits, make us Christ-like, and supply in 
 us all that is needed to effect entire conformity 
 to all thy righteous will. Let no mental taste 
 rise into rivalry with thy authority, but sanc- 
 tify all tastes and all thoughts, and may thy 
 glory be the end of all our works and the 
 guardian angel of all our pleasures. Fill our 
 souls with thy love, and strengthen our yearn- 
 ings after purity. Thou knowest what we need 
 to qualify us for the demands and duties of 
 life. Ceaselessly shine on our minds and 
 hearts, strengthen and sustain our bodily 
 health, and quicken our spiritual natures faith- 
 fully to serve thee. Grant us repose and rest- 
 ful sleep during the darkness, and may no evil 
 come nigh oar dwelling. May all our inter- 
 ests be precious in thy sight. Bless our loved 
 ones and kindred, and bring our common hu- 
 manity throughout the wide world to thee. 
 AVe offer these prayers through thee, our 
 blessed Saviour and Mediator. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Prov. i. :, 10, 21-31. 
 The fear of the Lord is the beginning of 
 knowledge; but fools despise wisdom and in- 
 struction. My son, if sinners entice thee, con- 
 sent thou not. Because I have called, and ye 
 
80 Tuesday Evening. 
 
 refused; I have stretched out my hand, and no 
 man regarded; but ye have set at naught all 
 my counsel, and would none of my reproof; I 
 also will laugh at your calamity; I will mock 
 when your fear cometh; when your fear com- 
 eth as desolation, and your destruction cometh 
 as a whirlwind; when distress and anguish 
 cometh upon you. Then shall they call upon 
 me, but I will not answer; they shall seek me 
 early, but they shall not find me; for that they 
 hated knowledge, and did not choose the fear 
 of the Lord; they would none of my counsel; 
 they despised all my reproof. Therefore shall 
 they eat of the fruit of their own way, and be 
 filled with their own devices. 
 
 L.M. / 
 
 My God, how endless is thy love ! 
 
 Thy gifts are every evening new; 
 And morning mercies from above 
 
 Gently distill like early dew. 
 I yield myself to thy command; 
 
 To thee devote my nights and days: 
 Perpetual blessings from thy hand 
 
 Demand perpetual songs of praise. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 At the close of another day, O Lord, we 
 come together before thee, desiring to present 
 ourselves and our prayers and praises in the 
 
Aid and Guide. 87 
 
 name of our Saviour Jesus Christ, praising thee 
 most of all that we have access to thee through 
 him. We bless thee for the perfect atonement 
 made for our sins by his sufferings and death; 
 that he was wounded for our transgressions, 
 he was bruised for our iniquities, he was deliv- 
 ered for our offenses, and was raised again for 
 our justification. Truly thou commendest thy 
 love toward us, in that, while we were yet sin- 
 ners, Christ died for us. We praise thy name 
 also that through him thou hast given us all 
 the blessings of thy providence that have fallen 
 to our happy lot. Throughout the day now 
 closing we have had food and clothing, health 
 and reason, strength to labor, and useful work 
 to do. Thou hast given us neither poverty nor 
 riches, but enough of the good things of this 
 life to secure our comfort without destroying 
 our sense of dependence upon thee. Help us 
 to commit ourselves to thy fatherly care for 
 the night which is upon us, and to feel sure 
 that thou wilt ward off from our dwelling every 
 evil thing. Give us refreshing rest and quiet 
 sleep, and power to rise in the morning pre- 
 pared for all the cares and duties of the day. 
 And so, from day to day, go with us all along the 
 journey of our lives, causing thy face to shine 
 upon us, and ever granting us thy peace. Be- 
 
Tuesday Evening. 
 
 sides ourselves, we would intrust to thee our 
 absent friends and kindred. Thou knowest 
 their several wants; thou knowest how great 
 a debt of gratitude we owe them for their kind- 
 ness to us, and how our hearts go out in ear- 
 nest longing for their welfare. Repay them, 
 Heavenly Father, as we cannot, for all their 
 kindly services to us; and pour thy blessings 
 on them as they need, both for this life and 
 for the life to come. Be very gracious, merci- 
 ful Father, to all who suffer, whether in mind, 
 in body, or in estate. May they have grace to 
 feel that their affliction is but for a moment, 
 and worketh for them a far more exceeding and 
 eternal weight of glory. And grant them such 
 relief from their distresses as shall be really 
 best for them, and most conducive through 
 them to the glory of thy name. Look with 
 favor on all proper efforts which are made for 
 the improvement of the rising race. Bless all 
 teachers in our colleges and schools, and those 
 engaged in Sunday-school w T ork. May they 
 succeed in training the young for stations of 
 useful labor here below, and for endless bliss 
 on high. And now unto Him that loved us, and 
 washed us from our sins in his own blood, to 
 him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 
 Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 89 
 
 Serrires For 5^e3nesflay ^X or . n * n 3- 
 
 I. LESSON. Luke xii. 32-40. 
 
 Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father's 
 good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell 
 that ye have, and give alms; provide yourselves 
 bags which wax not old, a treasure in the heav- 
 ens that faileth not, where no thief approach- 
 eth, neither moth corrupteth. For where your 
 treasure is, there will your heart be also. Let 
 your loins be girded about, and your lights 
 burning; and ye yourselves like unto men that 
 wait for their lord, when he will return from 
 the wedding; that, when he cometh and knock- 
 eth, they may open unto him immediately. 
 Blessed are those servants, whom the lord 
 when he cometh shall find watching; verily I 
 say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and 
 make them to sit down to meat, and will come 
 forth and serve them. And if he shall come 
 in the second watch, or come in the third watch, 
 and find them so, blessed are those servants. 
 And this know, that if the good man of the 
 house had known what hour the thief would 
 come, he would have watched, and not have 
 suffered his house to be broken through. Be 
 ye therefore ready also; for the Son of man 
 cometh at an hour when ye think not. 
 
90 WednesdAt Moening. 
 
 S. M. 
 
 Jesus, my truth, my way, 
 
 My sure, unerring light, 
 On thee my feeble steps I stay, 
 
 Which thou wilt guide aright. 
 
 My wisdom and my guide, 
 
 My counselor thou art ; 
 O never let me leave thy side, 
 
 Or from thy paths depart. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Our Heavenly Father, help us, as we come 
 to thee, to trust only in the blood of Jesus. In 
 thy great mercy prepare us to worship thee. 
 May we feel our unworthiness and our utter 
 dependence upon thee. Show us our sins in 
 their true character, and enable us humbly 
 and sorrowfully to confess them unto thee. 
 Pardon us for all forgetfulness of thy will, 
 for all indifference toward thy blessed cause, 
 for all unrighteous love of the things of this 
 world, for all our ingratitude to thee, for all 
 our abuses of the gifts of thy kind providence, 
 and for any other violation of our duty to thee. 
 Give us now the testimony that thy loving 
 favor is resting upon us. We thank thee that 
 thou hast prolonged our lives; and that, with so 
 many precious mercies, thou hast given us so 
 much power to enjoy and improve them. "VVe 
 
Aid and Guide. 91 
 
 bless thee for all that has given us strength and 
 comfort and hope and joy. T\ r e thank thee for 
 the assurance that thy grace shall be sufficient 
 for as, and that, if we be faithful, all shall work 
 together for good to us. To thee we commit 
 all our interests for this life and for the life 
 to come. O guide us so that we may safely 
 pass the dangers and temptations that may be- 
 set us, and may willingly perform all the duties 
 thou mayest require of us, until it is thy good 
 pleasure to receive us into thy "house not 
 made with hands, eternal in the heavens;" 
 where at last we may meet, to dwell together in 
 endless happiness, and to praise thee for ever- 
 more. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. Psalm lxxxiv. 
 
 How amiable are thy tabernacles, O Lord of 
 hosts ! My soul longeth, yea, even f ainteth for 
 the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh 
 crieth out for the living God. Yea, the spar- 
 row hath found 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. Selah. 
 Blessed is the man whose strength is in thee; 
 in whose heart are the wave of them. Who 
 
92 "Wednesday Morning. 
 
 passing through the valley of Baca make it a 
 well; the rain also filleth the pools. They go 
 from strength to strength, every one of them 
 in Zion appeareth before God. O Lord God 
 of hosts, hear my prayer; give ear, O God of 
 Jacob. Selah. 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 door-keeper in the house of 
 my God, than to dwell in the tents of wicked- 
 ness. For the Lord God is a sun and 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. 
 
 L. M. 
 God of my life whose gracious power 
 
 Through various deaths my soul hath led, 
 Or turned aside the fatal hour, 
 
 Or lifted up my sinking head ! 
 
 In all my ways thy hand I own, 
 
 Thy ruling providence I see ; 
 Assist me still my course to run, 
 
 And still direct my paths to thee. 
 
 PHAYEH. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, for the coming of 
 the morning, and all the mercies it brings us. 
 
Aid and Guide. 93 
 
 We feel our weakness and dependence upon 
 thee, and now we come seeking grace for this 
 day's duties and trials. Forgive our sins, and 
 grant us grace to run with patience the race 
 that is set before us, that we may glorify thee 
 in our bodies and spirits, which are thine. 
 May we have no other gods before thee, but 
 may we love thee with our whole heart, soul, 
 mind, and strength, and our neighbor as our- 
 selves. Be thou our arm every morning, our 
 salvation also in the time of trouble. May 
 each of us go forth to duty conscious of thy 
 presence, and may we be able to pass this day 
 in the love and fear and service of our God, in 
 the comfort of the Holy Spirit, and in imita- 
 tion of thy Son our Saviour. Extend thy light 
 and thy salvation to all the homes of our land 
 and to all lands, till the world shall come to the 
 saving knowledge of the one and only true 
 God, and of his Son Jesus Christ; and thy 
 name shall have the praise evermore. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Luke vi. 27-36. 
 
 But I say unto you which hear, Love your 
 enemies, do good to them which hate you, bless 
 them that curse you, and pray for them which 
 despitefully use you. And unto him that 
 smiteth thee on the one cheek offer also the 
 
94 Wednesday Morning. 
 
 other; and him that taketh away thy cloak for- 
 bid not to take thy coat also. Give to every 
 man that asketh of thee ; and of him that tak- 
 eth away thy goods ask them not again. And 
 as ye would that men should do to you, do ye 
 also to them likewise. For if ye love them 
 which love you, what thank have ye? for sin- 
 ners also love those that love them. And if ye 
 do good to them which do good to you, what 
 thank have ye? for sinners also do even the 
 same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye 
 hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sin- 
 ners also lend to sinners, to receive as much 
 again. But love ye your enemies, and do good, 
 and lend, hoping for nothing again; and your 
 reward shall be great, and ye shall be the chil- 
 dren of the Highest; for he is kind unto the 
 unthankful and to the evil. Be ye therefore 
 merciful, as your Father also is merciful. 
 
 CM. 
 Giver and guardian of my sleep, 
 
 To praise thy name I wake : 
 Still, Lord, thy helpless servant keep, 
 
 For thine own mercy's sake. 
 
 The blessing of another day 
 
 I thankfully receive: 
 O may I only thee obey, 
 
 And to thy glory live. 
 
Aid and Guide. 95 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, our Heavenly Father, as we begin 
 thy worship, may we draw nigh to thee, that 
 thou mayest draw nigh to us. Teach us to un- 
 derstand those words of Jesus, "No man com- 
 eth unto the Father but by me." May our 
 faith be consistent with thy promises, thy pow- 
 er, and thy love. In Jesus' name we pray 
 thee to prepare us for this day. Cleanse us 
 from all sin, receive our loving praises for 
 all thy mercy, and kindle within us sincere de- 
 sires for communion with thee. Save us from 
 cold formality in using the means of grace. 
 May we read thy word to learn thy will. Let 
 our prayers and songs be full of fervor, faith, 
 and love. Inspire and guide our thoughts 
 and feelings, and enable us to receive with 
 thankfulness and improve w r ith devotion all 
 the lessons thou wouldst teach us. May we 
 to-day enjoy sweet peace in thee, and be per- 
 mitted at last, as one by one we pass from 
 earth, to enter and enjoy together the rest 
 that remaineth for the people of God. Bless 
 our kindred and loved ones, and let thy good 
 providence and grace reach and save all man- 
 kind; and thine shall be the glory forever, 
 through Jesus Christ our Kedeemer. Amen. 
 
96 Wednesday Mobning. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Psalm xci. 
 
 He that dwelletli 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 him 
 will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from 
 the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome 
 pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feath- 
 ers, and under his wings shalt thou trust; his 
 truth shall be thy shield and buckler. Thou 
 shalt not be afraid for the terror by night; nor 
 for the arrow that flieth by day; nor for the 
 pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for 
 the destruction that wasteth at noonday. A 
 thousand shall fall at thy side, and ten thou- . 
 sand 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. Be- 
 cause thou hast made the Lord, which is my 
 refuge, even the Most High, thy habitation; 
 there shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any 
 plague come nigh thy dwelling. For he shall 
 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 dragon shalt 
 thou trample under feet. Because he hath set 
 
Aid and Guide. 97 
 
 his love upon- me, therefore will I deliver him; 
 I will set him on high, because he hath known 
 my name. H: shah 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 shew him my salvation. 
 
 Give us help from trouble; for vain is the 
 
 help of man. P<alm eviii. 11 
 
 8. M. 
 
 See hew tlie rooming sun 
 
 Pursues his shining way. 
 And wide proclaims his Maker's praise, 
 
 With every bright' mug ray. 
 
 Thus would my rising s:>ul 
 
 Its heavenly Parent sing; 
 And to its great Original 
 
 The humble tribute bring. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Loed, thou hast searched us and known us. 
 Thou corapassest our path and our lying down, 
 and art acquainted with all our ways. For 
 there is not a word in our tongue, but lo, O 
 Lord, thcu knowest it altogether. Whither 
 shall we go from thy Spirit? or whither shall 
 we flee from thy presence? If we ascend up 
 into heaven, thou art there; if we make our 
 
98 Wednesday Morning. 
 
 bed in hell, behold, thou art there; if we take 
 the wings of the morning, and dwell in the 
 uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall 
 thy hand lead us, and thy right-hand shall 
 hold us. If we say, " Surely the darkness 
 shall cover us," even the night shall be light 
 about us. Yea, the darkness hideth not from 
 thee; but the night shine th as the day; the 
 darkness and the light are both alike to thee. 
 How precious also are thy thoughts unto us, 
 O God; how great is the sum of them. If we 
 should count them, they are more in number 
 than the sand; when we awake, we are still 
 with thee. Search us, O God, and know our 
 hearts; try us, and know our thoughts; and 
 see if there be any wicked way in us, and lead 
 us in the way everlasting. And now, as thou 
 hast spared us through the shades of night, be 
 with us also in our waking hours, and bless us 
 as thou seest best throughout the day. If 
 thou wilt help us, we cannot fail in any thing 
 we undertake; and we can do nothing good 
 without thy smile. Turn our hearts away from 
 every thing that is wrong, and give us earnest 
 interest in every good word and work. What- 
 soever our hands find to do, may we do it with 
 our might. May we exercise ourselves to have 
 always consciences void of offense toward thoe 
 
Aid and Guide. 99 
 
 and toward men. We pray thee to make each 
 one of us this day in some way useful to our 
 fellow-men. May we bear one another's bur- 
 dens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. May 
 we imitate our Saviour's example, as he went 
 about doing good. Let all bitterness and 
 wrath and anger and clamor and evil-speak- 
 ing be put away from us, with all malice; and 
 may we be kind to one another, tender-hearted, 
 forgiving one another, as thou for Christ's sake 
 hast forgiven us. Heavenly Father, bless with 
 us all thine earthly creatures. Thou knowest 
 their hearts, their circumstances, their needs. 
 O suit thy blessings to their cases, according 
 to thy perfect knowledge of their wants, and 
 according to thy tender compassion toward 
 them. Pour thy Spirit richly upon all thy 
 children, that they may show forth thy praise 
 in their daily lives, and may induce many of 
 their ungodly fellows to embrace the truth as 
 it is in Jesus. O let the wickedness of the 
 wicked come to an end, but establish the 
 just; for thou, the righteous God, triest the 
 hearts and reins. And now, O Lord, hear 
 thou our prayer and our supplication in heav- 
 en, thy dwelling-place, and maintain our cause, 
 and forgive our sins, and bless us, and save us, 
 for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
100 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 ^SeilYices \ui[ ^eflnesrlcry Evening. 
 
 I. LESSON. Matt. vi. 5-15, 24-33. 
 
 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be 
 as the hypocrites are; for they love to pray 
 standing in the synagogues and in the corners 
 of the streets, that they may be seen of men. 
 Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 
 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy 
 closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray 
 to thy Father .which is in secret; and thy 
 Father which seeth in secret shall reward 
 thee openly. But when ye pray, use not vain 
 repetitions, as the heathen do; for they think 
 that they shall be heard for their much speak- 
 ing. Be not ye therefore like unto them; for 
 your Father knoweth what things ye have need 
 of, before ye ask him. After this manner 
 therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in 
 heaven, hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom 
 come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is heav- 
 en. Give us this day our daily bread. And 
 forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 
 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver 
 us from evil ; for thine is the kingdom, and the 
 power, and the glory, forever. Amen. For if 
 ye forgive men their trespasses, your Heavenly 
 Father will also forgive you; but if ye forgive 
 
Aid and Guide. 101 
 
 not men their trespasses, neither will your 
 Father forgive your trespasses. No man can 
 serve two masters; for either he will hate the 
 one, and love the other; or else he will hold to 
 the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot 
 serve God and mammon. Therefore I say 
 unto you, Take no thought for your life, what 
 ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for 
 your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the 
 life more than meat, and the body than rai- 
 ment? Behold the fowls of the air; for they 
 sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into 
 barns ; yet your Heavenly Father f eedetli them. 
 Are ye not much better than they? Which of 
 you by taking thought can add one cubit unto 
 his stature? And why take ye thought for 
 raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how 
 they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin; 
 and yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in 
 all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. 
 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the 
 field, which to-day is, and to-morrow is cast 
 into the oven, shall he not much more clothe 
 you, O ye of little faith? Therefore take no 
 thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What 
 shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be 
 clothed? (for after all these things do the 
 Gentiles seek); for your Heavenly Father 
 
102 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 knoweth that ye have need of all these things. 
 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his 
 righteousness; and all these things shall be 
 added unto you. 
 
 L. M. 
 All praise to thee, my God, this night, 
 For all the blessings of the light: 
 Keep me, O keep me, King of kings, 
 Under thine own almighty wings. 
 
 Forgive me, Lord, for thy dear Son, 
 The ills that I this day have done ; 
 That with the world, myself, and thee, 
 I, ere I sleep, at peace may be. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 How rich are thy mercies, O Lord, our 
 strength and our Redeemer. Our hearts would 
 praise thee for thy goodness; our lips would 
 sing forth thy praises. Thou crownest every- 
 day with thy goodness. Accept, we beseech 
 thee, in the name of thy Son Jesus Christ, our 
 tribute of gratitude and praise for thy love and 
 blessing during this day. Pardon whatsoever 
 thou hast beheld amiss in our words, thoughts, 
 and acts, and sanctify by thy Spirit this day's 
 labor to thy glory and our spiritual good. May 
 we evermore render to thee and thee alone the 
 homage of our hearts. May our souls delight 
 
Aid and Guide. 103 
 
 to bow down to thee and serve thee, and may 
 our lives show forth in rich fruitage thy love 
 shed abroad in our hearts. May we grow day 
 by day in grace and in the knowledge of our 
 Lord Jesus Christ, til] we all come in the unity 
 of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son 
 of God, unto perfect men, unto the measure of 
 the stature of the fullness of Christ. May we 
 retire to-night with consciences void of offense 
 toward God and men. Let thy healing pres- 
 ence be felt at this hour by the hearts over 
 which shades of sorrow have settled, and to 
 whom this may be a night of pain and weari- 
 ness of spirit. Give to them beauty for ashes, 
 the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment 
 of praise for the spirit of heaviness. Hear 
 us, we beseech thee, in the name of thy Son 
 and our Saviour Jesus Christ, to whom be glo- 
 ry forever. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. Psalm ciii. 1-18. 
 
 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 bene- 
 fits; who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who 
 healeth all thy diseases; who redeemeth thy 
 Jife from destruction; who crown eth thee with 
 
104 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 loving-kindness and tender mercies; who satis- 
 fieth thy mouth with good things; so that thy 
 youth is renewed like the eagle's. The Lord 
 executeth righteousness and judgment for all 
 that are oppressed. He made known his ways 
 unto Moses, his aots unto the children of Isra- 
 el. The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow 
 to anger, and plenteous in mercy. He will not 
 always chide; neither will he keep his anger 
 forever. He hath not dealt with us after our 
 sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniqui- 
 ties. For as .the heaven is high above the 
 earth, so great is his mercy 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 mercy 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 remem- 
 ber his commandments to do 'them. 
 
Aid and Guide. 105 
 
 8, 7. 
 
 Should swift death this night o'ertake us, 
 And our conch become our tomb, 
 
 May the morn in heaven awake us, 
 Clad in light, and deathless bloom. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, that them hast re- 
 vealed thyself as our keeper. Since thou art 
 for us, we have no fear of enemies, for thou 
 art omnipotent. Our bodies need repose, but 
 he who keepeth us needeth not to slumber. 
 Thy faithfulness in the past is our hope for 
 the future; therefore will we lay us to sleep in 
 peace. Forgive our sins, and let them not be 
 remembered in judgment against us. Wash 
 our hearts from all stains of guilt so that they 
 may be clean in thy sight. May thy love dwell 
 in our hearts, that we may love all men and ever 
 abide in peace and charity with all thy children. 
 Bless all whom we love, and let thy mercies be 
 upon all men, especially those who are afflict- 
 ed; may their sorrows lead them to thee for 
 comfort and salvation. Bless our home, and 
 grant that it may ever be to us a type of that 
 land where darkness and death come not. 
 And when our course is ended here, may our 
 whole family be reunited around thy throne in 
 heaven. These mercies and blessings we ask in 
 the name of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen. 
 
106 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 III. LESSON. Isaiah liii. 
 
 Who hath believed our report? and to whom 
 is the arm of the Lord revealed ? For he shall 
 grow 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 shall see him, 
 there is no beauty that we should desire him. 
 He is despised and rejected of men; a man of 
 sorrows, and acquainted with grief; and we 
 hid as it were our faces from him ; he was de- 
 spised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he 
 hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows; 
 yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of 
 God, aiid afflicted. But he was wounded for 
 our transgressions, he was bruised for our in- 
 iquities; 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 everyone to his own way; and the Lord 
 hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He 
 w T as oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he 
 opened not his mouth; he is brought as a lamb 
 to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her 
 shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. 
 He was taken from prison and from judgment; 
 and who shall declare his generation? for he 
 was cut off out of the land of the living; for 
 the transgression of my people was he strick- 
 
Aid and Guide. 107 
 
 en. And lie made his grave with the wicked, 
 and with the rich in his death; because he had 
 done no violence, neither was any deceit in 
 his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise 
 him; he hath put him to grief; when thou 
 shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall 
 see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and 
 the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his 
 hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, 
 and shall be satisfied; by his knowledge shall 
 my righteous servant justify many; for he shall 
 bear their iniquities. Therefore will I divide 
 him a portion with the great, and he shall di- 
 vide the spoil with the strong; because he hath 
 poured out his soul unto death; and he was 
 numbered with the transgressors; and he bare 
 the sin of many, and made intercession for the 
 transgressors. 
 
 CM. 
 Hosanxa, with a cheerful sound, 
 
 To God's upholding hand! 
 Ten thousand snares attend us round, 
 
 And yet secure we stand. 
 God is our Sun, whose daily light 
 
 Our joy and safety brings; 
 Our feeble flesh lies safe at night 
 
 Beneath his shady wings. 
 
108 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Oue Father, we come to thee once more in 
 thy appointed way. Breathe on us the Holy 
 Spirit, that we may worship thee aright and 
 bring thee an acceptable offering. Thy love 
 has been shown unto us in very many ways. 
 Not a moment to-day has failed to bring us 
 blessings from thee, and thy unfailing good- 
 ness emboldens us to ask still greater bless- 
 ings — even such blessings as only the all-pow- 
 erful, all-wise, and all-loving God can give. 
 Renewing our vows and reconsecrating our- 
 selves to thy service, we pray that thou wilt par- 
 don all that thou hast seen wrong in us to-day, 
 and to make those wrongs so manifest unto us 
 that we shall shun them in the days to come. 
 Take care of us to-night, and defend us from 
 every danger. Keep us in peace, whether we 
 behold to-morrow's sun on earth or awake in 
 heaven before the dawn. Bless the houseless 
 and homeless to-night, and those who have no 
 loving ones to pray for them. Bless those who 
 are in the darkness and death of heathenism; 
 and bless the missionaries whom thou hast 
 sent to bear unto them the light and the life 
 of the gospel of Christ. Bless the Board of 
 Missions, and all thy people who are aiding in 
 the extension of our Redeemer's kingdom. 
 
Aid and Guide. 109 
 
 Hasten the time when there shall be no more 
 curse, and no night, and no death, and Christ 
 shall be all and in all. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Deut. xxviii. 1-12. 
 
 And it shall come to pass, if thou shalt 
 hearken diligently unto the voice of the Lord 
 thy God, to observe and to do all his command- 
 ments which I command thee this day, that 
 the Lord thy God will set thee on high above 
 all nations of the earth; and all these blessings 
 shall come on thee, and overtake thee, if thou 
 shalt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy 
 God. Blessed shalt thou be in the city, and 
 blessed shalt thou be in the field. Blessed 
 shall be the fruit of thy body, and the fruit of 
 thy ground, and the fruit of thy cattle, the in- 
 crease of thy kine, and the flocks of thy sheep. 
 Blessed shall be thy basket and thy store. 
 Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, 
 and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out. 
 The Lord shall cause thine enemies that rise 
 up against thee to be smitten before thy face; 
 they shall come out against thee one way, and 
 flee before thee seven ways. The Lord shall 
 command the blessing upon thee in thy store- 
 houses, and in all that thou settest thine hand 
 unto: and he shall bless thee in the land which 
 
110 Wednesday Evening. 
 
 the Lord thy God giveth thee. The Lord shall 
 establish thee a holy people unto himself, as 
 he hath sworn unto thee, if thou shalt keep the 
 commandments of the Lord thy God, and walk 
 in his ways. And all people of the earth 
 shall see that thou art called by the name of 
 the Lord; and they shall be afraid of thee. 
 And the Lord shall make thee plenteous in 
 goods, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit 
 of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy ground, 
 in the land which the Lord sware unto thy 
 fathers to give thee. The Lord shall open 
 unto thee his good treasure, the heaven to give 
 the rain unto thy land in his season, and to 
 bless all the work of thine hand; and thou shalt 
 lend unto many nations, and thou shalt not 
 
 borrow. 
 
 The lines are fallen unto me in pleasant 
 places; yea, I have a goodly heritage. 
 
 Psalm xv i. C. 
 
 CM. 
 How sweet and heavenly is the sight, 
 
 When those that fear the Lord 
 In mutual love and peace delight, 
 
 And thus fulfill his word ! 
 When love in one delightful stream 
 
 Through every bosom flows, 
 And union sweet, with fond esteem, 
 
 In everv action "lows ! 
 
Aid and Guide. Ill 
 
 PRAYER. 
 Heae our prayer, O Lord; give ear to our 
 supplications. In thy faithfulness answer us, 
 and in thy righteousness; and enter not into 
 judgment with thy servants, for in thy sight 
 sh all no man living be j ustified. Let our prayer 
 be set forth before thee as incense, and the 
 lifting up of our hands as the evening sacrifice. 
 We .would praise thee w T ith our whole heart; 
 we would worship toward thy holy temple, 
 and praise thy name for thy loving-kindness 
 and for thy truth; for thou hast magnified thy 
 word above all thy name. Though thou art 
 high, yet hast thou respect unto the lowly. 
 Though we walk in the midst of trouble, thou 
 wilt revive us. Thou wilt perfect that which 
 concerneth us. Thy mercy, O Lord, endureth 
 forever; forsake not the works of thine own 
 hands. We bless thee that thou hast not for- 
 saken us, but that through another day thou 
 hast protected us from evil, and hast now 
 brought us together around the family altar, 
 to worship thee, our Father and our God. En- 
 able us to worship thee in spirit and in truth, 
 to offer thee our praises and our prayer through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. For his sake, accept 
 our hearty thanks for all the mercies of the 
 closing day, and for the blessings of our piL 
 
112 Wednesday Evening.. 
 
 grimage thus far; but most of all, for hope of 
 endless life through him. Grant that we may 
 from this time forth declare thy praise in all 
 our conduct. May our behavior in all the re- 
 lations of life be consistent with our high pro- 
 fession. In our daily intercourse with one 
 another, may we be governed by a spirit of 
 mutual sympathy and love. As parents, may 
 we provoke not our children to wrath, but 
 bring them up in thy nurture and admonition. 
 As children, may we love one another, and 
 obey our parents in all things. So likewise in 
 our dealings with our fellow-men, may we have 
 due regard to their interest and welfare. May 
 we abhor that which is evil, and cleave to that 
 which is good. May we be kindly affectioned 
 one to another w T ith brotherly love, in honor pre- 
 ferring one another, distributing to the neces- 
 sity of saints, given to hospitality. May we 
 recompense to no man evil for evil. May we 
 provide things honest in the sight of all men. 
 If it be possible, as much as lieth in us, may 
 we live peaceably with all men. May we owe 
 no man any thing, but to love one another. 
 Most merciful Father, bless all for whom it is 
 our duty now to pray. Smile on thy servants 
 who are laboring to extend thy kingdom in the 
 earth; on those who, having left their homes, 
 
Aid and Guide. 113 
 
 are preaching Jesus and the resurrection in 
 distant heathen lands; on all pious parents 
 who by precept and example are training up 
 their children in the way they should go; on 
 earnest Christian workers in the Sunday-school, 
 and on all faithful teachers of the young. 
 And be merciful to the ungodly; to those who 
 resist thy Spirit; to those who profane thy 
 Sabbaths, and hallow not thy name; to those 
 who defraud their fellow-men, and grind the 
 face of the poor; to those who give their neigh- 
 bors drink, and tempt the young to sin. Con- 
 tinue unto them thy grace, if even yet they 
 may turn away from sin, and give themselves 
 to thee. And now, Divine Protector, through 
 the shades of night let thy strong wing be 
 over us, that we may fear no evil, but rest se- 
 cure in thee; that on the morrow we may rise 
 refreshed, to spend the strength thou givest us 
 in serving thee. And, when the night of death 
 is past, raise us to everlasting life on high, 
 through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 For the upright shall dwell in the land, and 
 the perfect shall remain in it. But the wicked 
 shall be cut off from the earth, and the trans- 
 gressors shall be rooted out of it. 
 
 Proterbsii.21,22. 
 
114 Thursday Morning. 
 
 ^exirices Foil Mf[ui{stlcry ]V[ci[iiiiig. 
 
 I. LESSON. Malaehi iii. 1-12. 
 
 Behold, I will send my messenger, and lie 
 shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, 
 whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his tem- 
 ple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom 
 ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the 
 Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day of 
 his coming? and who shall stand when he ap- 
 peareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and like 
 fullers' soap; and he shall sit as a refiner and 
 purifier of silver; and he shall purify the sons 
 of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, 
 that they may offer unto the Lord an offering 
 in righteousness. Then shall the offering of 
 Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the 
 Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former 
 years. And I will come near to you to judg- 
 ment; and I will be a swift witness against 
 the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and 
 against false swearers, and against those that 
 oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, 
 and the fatherless, and that turn aside the 
 stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith 
 the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I change 
 not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not con- 
 sumed. Even from the days of your fathers 
 
Aid and Guide. 115 
 
 ye are gone away from mine ordinances, and 
 have not kept thein. Return unto me, and I 
 will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will 
 a man rob God ? Yet ye have robbed me. But 
 ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In 
 tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a 
 curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole 
 nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the store- 
 house, that there may be meat in mine house, 
 and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of 
 hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
 heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there 
 shall not be room enough to receive it. And I 
 will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and 
 he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; 
 neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the 
 time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. And 
 all nations shall call you blessed; for ye shall 
 be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 
 C. M. 
 
 Come, let us join our cheerful songs 
 
 With angels round the throne: 
 Ten thousand thousand are their tongues, 
 But all their joys are one. 
 "Worthy the Lamb that died!" they cry, 
 
 "To be exalted thus." 
 " Wortliy the Lamb," our hearts reply, 
 For he was slain for us. 
 
116 Thursday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, who art 
 merciful and gracious, unto thee will we direct 
 our prayer this morning, and will look up. 
 . We render hearty thanks unto thee for thy 
 loving- kindness through another night, and for 
 thy manifold and great mercies, which thou 
 hast ever shown to us thy unworthy servants. 
 We praise thee with all our souls for thy 
 goodness and wonderful works to the children 
 of men, and especially for the tokens of thy 
 power, wisdom, and love, which we receive from 
 thee day by day. O Lord, we are weak and 
 sinful; thou art strong and mighty, infinitely 
 holy, and filled with compassion for the sons 
 of men; therefore draw near to us, even now, 
 and help our prayer. Fill our souls with thy 
 presence, and give to us continually such a deep 
 sense of thy love for us, and such a yearning 
 for things spiritual and heavenly, that we may 
 have no taste for the pleasures of sin nor dis- 
 position to turn away from thee. We beseech 
 thee for Jesus' sake that thou wilt take up 
 thine abode with us; establish our souls in 
 union and communion with thee; may our de- 
 sires b>e holy, our thoughts pure and chaste, 
 our wills submissive to thine, and our lives a 
 sweet-smelling savor unto thee. Give to us 
 
Aid and Guide. 117 
 
 strength of body and mind, wisdom and grace, 
 that we may be able to perform the duties 
 which we owe to thee, to our neighbors, and to 
 one another. And now we commit ourselves 
 into the keeping of the Father, the Son, and 
 the Holy Ghost. O Lord, receive us, guide us 
 by thy counsel, overshadow us with thy mer- 
 cies continually; and may we live together in 
 unity, peace, and happiness, through all our 
 days. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. 2 Kings iv. 1-7. 
 
 Now there cried a certain woman of the 
 wives of the sons of the prophets unto Elisha, 
 saying, Thy servant my husband is dead; and 
 thou knowest that thy servant did fear the 
 Lord; and the creditor is come to take unto 
 him my two sons to be bondmen. And Elisha 
 said unto her, What shall I do for thee? tell 
 me, what hast thou in the house? And she 
 said, Thine handmaid hath not any thing in 
 the house, save a pot of oil. Then he said, 
 Go, borrow thee vessels abroad of all thy neigh- 
 bors, even empty vessels; borrow not a few. 
 And when thou art come in, thou shalt shut 
 the door upon thee and upon thy sons, and 
 shalt pour out into all those vessels, and thou 
 shalt set aside that which is full. So she went 
 
118 Thursday Morning. 
 
 from him, and shut the door upon her and 
 upon her sons, who brought the vessels to her; 
 and she poured out. And it came to pass, 
 when the vessels were full, that she said unto 
 her son, Bring me yet a vessel. And he said 
 unto her, There is not a vessel more. And the 
 oil staid. Then she came and told the man of 
 God. And he said, Go, sell the oil, and pay thy 
 debt, and live thou and thy children of the rest. 
 
 S. M. 
 Equip me for the war, 
 
 And teach my hands to fight ; 
 My simple, upright heart prepare, 
 
 And guide my words aright. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, O Lord, that thou hast cared 
 for us, and are glad that we know oar blessings 
 come from thee. We marvel that thou shouldst 
 condescend to guide us in perplexity, make our 
 bed in sickness, and guard us in the night sea- 
 son; but we are glad that we know it is so, and 
 we pray thee to make us as grateful as we 
 have been dependent. As we cannot profit 
 thee by any service, nor enrich thee by our 
 gifts, may we this day show our gratitude by 
 our love and care for others. Help us to love, 
 for thy sake, all men, even our enemies. Help 
 
Aid and Guide. 119 
 
 us to be patient and tender and merciful, even 
 as we are taught in thy word, remembering 
 that we are called to this as children of the 
 Highest. Help us to keep our tongues from 
 evil, and our lips from speaking guile. May 
 we be diligent in business and fervent in spir- 
 it. As we hope in thee, so may all thy prom- 
 ises be fulfilled in us; and may no trial be too 
 great for our faith and patient endurance. If 
 sorrows come, may they drive us to the cross 
 for refuge ; or if prosperity awaits us, may our 
 hope df happiness not be based upon earthly 
 things. Keep us from harm, and preserve us 
 from dying unprepared to meet with God. 
 Whatsoever we do, may it be done to the glory 
 of God, so that in simplicity and godly sincer- 
 ity we may have our conversation in the world. 
 Whether we serve or suffer, may we therein be 
 brought nearer to thee, so that when thy will 
 has been accomplished here we may be re- 
 ceived into thy kingdom above, where we will 
 give thee perfect praise, through Christ our 
 Lord. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Luke xxiv. 1-9. 
 
 Now upon the first day of the week, very 
 early in the morning, they came unto the sep- 
 ulcher. bringing the spices which they had 
 
120 Thursday Morning. 
 
 prepared, and certain others with them. And 
 they found the stone rolled away from the sep- 
 ulcher. And they entered in, and found not 
 the body of the Lord Jesus. And it came to 
 pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, 
 behold, two men stood by them in shining 
 garments; and as they were afraid, and bow T ed 
 down their faces to the earth, they said unto 
 them, Why seek ye the living among the dead? 
 He is not here, but is risen; remember how he 
 spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee, 
 saying, The Son of man must be delivered into 
 the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and 
 the third day rise again. And they remem- 
 bered his w^ords, and returned from the sepul- 
 cher, and told all these things unto the eleven, 
 and to all the rest. 
 
 L. M. 
 Just as I am — without one plea, 
 But that thy blood was shed for me, 
 And that thou bidst me come to thee — 
 O Lamb of God, I come ! 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, our Father, by w r hose tender care 
 we have been preserved during another night, 
 accept, we beseech thee, our morning service of 
 praise and prayer. We thank thee for health 
 
Aid and Guide. 121 
 
 and friends; for food, raiment, and for all other 
 comforts of life: but above all we adore thee 
 for sending thine only Son to redeem us from 
 sin and eternal death. Keep us this day from 
 sin, whether in thought, word, or deed. Re- 
 member us in mercy for our negligence and 
 weakness. O make-us deeply to feel the evil 
 of sin and the exceeding love of God; and 
 may we earnestly endeavor, through thy grace 
 assisting us, to follow the blessed precepts con- 
 tained in the Holy Scriptures. May we take 
 thy yoke upon us, and learn of thee, who art 
 meek and lowly in heart, that we may find rest 
 unto our souls. Hear our prayer, and grant us 
 all things needful, we ask in the name of our 
 Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Isaiah xii. 
 
 And in that day thou shalt say, O Lord, I 
 will praise thee; though thou wast angry with 
 me, thine anger is turned away, and thou 
 comf ortedst me. Behold, God is my salvation ; 
 I will trust and not be afraid; for the Lord 
 Jehovah is my strength and my song; he also 
 is. become my salvation. Therefore with joy 
 shall ye draw water out of the wells of salva- 
 tion. And in that day shall ye say, Praise the 
 Lord, call upon his name, declare his doings 
 
122 Thursday Morning. 
 
 among the people, make mention that his name 
 is exalted. Sing unto the Lord; for he hath 
 done excellent things; this is known in all the 
 earth. Cry out and shout, thou inhabitant of 
 Zion; for great is the Holy One of Israel in 
 the midst of thee. 
 
 c. M. 
 
 Lord, in the morning thou shalt hear 
 
 My voice ascending high ; 
 To thee will I direct my prayer, 
 
 To thee lift up mine eye. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and 
 to the Holy Ghost; as it was in the beginning, 
 is now, and ever shall be, world without end. 
 We bless thee, O Lord, the God of our salva- 
 tion, who daily loadest us with benefits. Thou 
 art the portion of our inheritance and of our 
 cup. Thou maintainest our lot. The lines are 
 fallen unto us in pleasant places: yea, we have 
 a goodly heritage. We thank thee for con- 
 jugal esteem, for parental love, for filial affec- 
 tion, for fraternal harmony, for social good, 
 for general welfare. We do trace our every 
 blessing unto thee, O Father of lights, with 
 whom is no variableness, neither shadow of 
 turning. Thou hast preserved us through 
 
Aid and Guide. 123 
 
 another night. While we lay wrapped in sleep, 
 unconscious of our very being, thy sleepless 
 care defended us from harm, and kept our 
 dwelling safe from all calamity. And now, 
 restored to life, and strengthened by repose, 
 we enter on the duties of the day, by meeting 
 in thy name to give thee thanks for all the past, 
 and ask thy blessing on our future lives. We 
 know that we cannot succeed in any thing with- 
 out thy help and blessing. And we beseech 
 thee now to help us in our work this day, that 
 in our honest efforts to cultivate ourselves, and 
 to improve our lot in life, we may have such suc- 
 cess as it shall please thee to bestow. To this 
 end give us a spirit of industry, that we may 
 love our work, and feel that as we labor in our 
 several callings we are doing thy will con- 
 cerning us. And may we never try to do any 
 thing that thou wilt not approve. Thou Giver 
 of every good and perfect gift, give us a spirit 
 of liberality. Help us to bear in mind that all 
 we have is thine. May we respond with glad- 
 ness to every worthy call of human need or 
 Christian enterprise; that by our personal serv- 
 ice, or by gifts of money, as thou hast pros- 
 pered us, we may relieve distressed humanity, 
 and spread thy kingdom in the earth. Enable 
 us to avoid all dissipation, extravagance, in- 
 
124 Thursday Morning. 
 
 temperance, and excess. May our moderation 
 be known unto all men. May we be careful 
 for nothing, but in every thing by prayer and 
 supplication with thanksgiving let our requests 
 be made known unto thee. May we learn in 
 whatsoever state we are therewith to be con- 
 tent. And may thy peace, which passeth all 
 understanding, keep our hearts and minds, 
 through Christ Jesus. We now commend to 
 thine almighty care all those who, distant from 
 us in the flesh, are dear to us at heart. Be 
 with them in their wanderings or in their homes, 
 as they may roam or rest. Grant them thy 
 peace and help, as may be best for them ; and 
 as in love and wisdom thou shalt sometimes 
 disappoint their hopes, or send them real af- 
 fliction, enable them to feel that even then thou 
 doest all things well. Be merciful to all man- 
 kind, especially to those who suffer. Lift up 
 those who are bowed down, succor the tempted, 
 heal the sick, strengthen the weak, and com- 
 fort those who mourn thy love to know. Again 
 we ask thy blessing on our work this day. 
 Give us wisdom from on high for every duty. 
 Continue to us evermore thy guidance and pro- 
 tection; and when our work is done below, re- 
 ceive us to thyself above, for our Redeemer's 
 sake. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 125 
 
 Services for .TJ|iirsfey ^rening. 
 
 I. LESSON. Luke iv. 1-13. 
 
 And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost re- 
 turned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit 
 into the wilderness, being forty days tempted 
 of the devil. And in those days he did eat 
 nothing; and when they were ended, he aft- 
 erward hungered. And the devil said unto 
 him, If thou be the Son of God, command this 
 stone that it be made bread. And Jesus an- 
 swered him, saying, It is written, That man 
 shall not live by bread alone, but by every word 
 of God. And the devil, taking him up into a 
 high mountain, shewed unto him all the king- 
 doms of the world in a moment of time. And 
 the devil said unto him, All this power will I 
 give thee, and the glory of them; for that is 
 delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will, 
 I give it. If thou therefore wilt worship me, 
 all shall be thine. And Jesus answered and 
 said unto him, Get thee behind me, Satan; for 
 it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy 
 God, and him only shalt thou serve. And he 
 brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a 
 pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, If 
 thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from 
 hence; for it is written, He shall give his an- 
 
126 Thursday Evening. 
 
 gels charge over thee, to keep thee; and in 
 their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any 
 time thou dash thy foot against a stone. And 
 Jesus answering said unto him, It is said, 
 Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. And 
 when the devil had ended all the temptation, 
 he departed from him for a season. 
 
 L. M. 
 Thus far the Lord hath led me on, 
 
 Thus far his power prolongs my days, 
 And every evening shall make known 
 
 Some fresh memorial of his grace. 
 I lay my body down to sleep, 
 
 Peace is the pillow for my head ; 
 While well-appointed angels keep 
 
 Their watchful stations round my bed. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Our Heavenly Father, thou hast kindly cared 
 for us during the day now just gone, and we 
 give thee heart-felt thanks for all thy blessings. 
 Thou didst graciously guide us through the 
 hours since morning, and didst help us in the 
 duties and perplexities of life. Now we pray 
 that thou wouldst forgive us whatever we have 
 thought or felt or said or done that was wrong 
 in thy sight, and give us the blessing of that 
 peace and mercy which thou dost bestow for 
 
Aid and Guide. 127 
 
 Jesus' sake. May we truly love and trust thee 
 this night, and may we cast all our care upon 
 thee, because thou carest for us. We would 
 be as little children, under the protection of 
 our wise and good Heavenly Father, and we 
 pray that thy loving-kindness may give us such 
 rest in sleep as may be needed for our further 
 duties and labors in life on to-morrow. May 
 each day and night of our future time be so 
 employed as to result in greater good to our 
 fellow-men and higher glory to thy great name 
 than the past has accomplished. We earnestly 
 pray for due preparation to meet thee in peace 
 in the great day of thy power, and to be kept 
 in the love and favor of Christ always unto 
 everlasting life. We are thine in "spirit and 
 soul and body," and we ask that we may be 
 consecrated to thy service in worship and worl 
 forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 IT. LESSON. Lukei. GS-79. 
 
 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he 
 hath visited and redeemed his people, 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, which have been since 
 the world began; that we should be saved from 
 
128 Thursday Evening. 
 
 our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate 
 us; to perform the mercy promised to our fa- 
 thers, and to remember his holy covenant; the 
 oath which he sware to our father Abraham, 
 that he would grant unto us, that we, being 
 delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might 
 serve him without fear, in holiness and right- 
 eousness before him, all the days of our life. 
 And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of 
 the Highest; for thou shalt go before the face 
 of the Lord to prepare his ways; to give knowl- 
 edge of salvation unto his people by the remis- 
 sion of their sins, through the tender mercy of 
 our God; whereby the day-spring from on high 
 hath visited us, to give light to them that sit 
 sin darkness and in the shadow of death, to 
 guide our feet -into the way of peace. 
 
 I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; 
 for thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety. 
 
 - — — Psalm iv. 8. 
 
 7s. 
 Omnipresent God ! whose aid 
 
 No one ever asked in vain, 
 Be this night about my bed, 
 
 Every evil thought restrain: 
 Lay thy hand upon my soul, 
 
 God of my unguarded hours! 
 All my enemies control, 
 
 Hell, and earth, and nature's powers. 
 
Aid and Guide. 129 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O merciful God, thou art our Father, and we 
 are thy children by faith in Jesus Christ; let 
 thy loving mercy and tender compassion de- 
 scend upon us this evening. As we bow before 
 thee, we lift our hearts to thee in praise, thanks- 
 giving, and adoration for the many blessings 
 which thou hast granted unto us through the 
 day. Thou hast been our guardian and guide, 
 our light and our salvation, and now, around 
 our family altar, we commit our souls and 
 bodies into thy gracious care and keeping, beg- 
 ging thee for thy mercy and protection through 
 the night. Bless all whom we love, and all 
 who love us, even as we ask thee to bless our- 
 selves. O Lord, with sad hearts we think of 
 our misdoings this day. We confess our sins 
 against thee; the remembrance of them is griev- 
 ous unto us; but thou art the God of mercy, 
 and willing to forgive all who call upon thee. 
 Have mercy upon us; for Jesus' sake blot out 
 our sins, and remember them against us no 
 more forever. O Lord, how frail we are, how 
 weak and sinful; exposed to temptations, and 
 not able of ourselves to resist them. Strength- 
 en us by thy Holy Spirit that we may be able 
 to resist evil, to do justly, to love mercy, and 
 to walk humblv with thee all our days. Amen. 
 
130 Thursday Evening. 
 
 III. LESSON*. Matthew xvii. 1-8. 
 
 And after six days, Jesus taketh Peter, James, 
 and John his brother, and bringeth them up 
 into a high mountain apart, and was transfig- 
 ured before them; and his face did shine as 
 the sun, and his raiment was white as the light. 
 And, behold, there appeared unto them Moses 
 and Elias talking with him. Then answered 
 Peter, and said unto Jesus, Lord, it is good for us 
 to be here; if thou wilt, let us make here three 
 tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, 
 and one for Elias. While he yet spake, be- 
 hold, a bright cloud overshadowed them; and 
 behold a voice out of the cloud, which said, 
 This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased; hear ye him. And when the disciples 
 heard it, they fell on their face, and were sore 
 afraid. And Jesus came and touched them, 
 and said, Arise, and be not afraid. 
 
 7s. 
 Let me of thy life partake, 
 Thy own holiness impart; 
 that I may sweetly wake, 
 
 With my Saviour in my heart I 
 . O that I may know thee mine! 
 
 O that I may thee receive! 
 Only live the life divine! 
 Onlv to thv fflorv live. 
 
Aid and Guide. 131 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, we acknowledge thee in all our 
 ways. We bow down at the close of this day 
 to offer our sacrifice of praise and thanksgiv- 
 ing. Hear our prayer, O Lord, and give ear 
 to our supplication. We confess our airwor- 
 thiness, and the sense of our ingratitude is 
 painful unto us. We pray thee have mercy 
 upon us, and forgive all our sins, and remove 
 our iniquities far from us. May we lie down 
 this night feeling that we are reconciled unto 
 thee, and that we are accepted of thee through 
 Jesus Christ. Be pleased, O Lord, to defend 
 against fire and pestilence and sickness and 
 sudden death. May no plague come nigh our 
 dwelling. We are reminded that the night Com- 
 eth when no man can work. Our days are but 
 as a shadow upon the earth. Help us that we 
 may apply ourselves with diligence to every 
 good work and serve thy righteous will con- 
 tinually. Grant unto us, O Lord, spiritual- 
 mindedness and a continual growth in grace. 
 And may we so live in this world that, having 
 served our day and generation, by the will of 
 God, we may finally rest with thee through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 The wicked flee when no man pursueth; but 
 the righteous are bold as a lion. Prp?ert» xx?iii. t 
 
132 Thursday Evening. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Colossians in. 12-25. 
 
 Put on therefore, as the elect of God, holy 
 and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, hum- 
 bleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering; for- 
 bearing one another, and forgiving one anoth- 
 er, if any man have a quarrel against any; even 
 as Christ forgave you, so also do ye. And 
 above all these things put on charity, which is 
 the bond of perfectness. And let the peace of 
 God rule in your hearts, to the which also yc 
 are called in one body; and be ye thankful. 
 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in 
 all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one an- 
 other in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, 
 singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. 
 And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all 
 in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks 
 to God and the Father by him. Wives, sub- 
 mit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it 
 is fit in the Lord. Husbands, love your wives, 
 and be not bitter against them. Children, 
 obey your parents in all things; for this is 
 well-pleasing unto the Lord. Fathers, provoke 
 not your children to anger, lest they be dis- 
 couraged. Servants, obey in all things your 
 masters according to the flesh; not with eye- 
 service, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of 
 heart, fearing God; and whatsoever ye do, do 
 
Aid and Guide. 133 
 
 it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto men; 
 knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the 
 reward of the inheritance; for ye serve the 
 Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall 
 receive for the wrong which he hath done; and 
 there is no respect of persons. 
 
 L. M. 
 Lord, how secure and blessed are they 
 
 Who feel the joys of pardoned sin! 
 Should storms of wrath shake earth and sea, 
 
 Their minds have heaven and peace within. 
 
 The day glides sweetly o'er their heads, 
 
 Made up of innocence and love; 
 And soft and silent as the shades 
 
 Their nightly minutes gently move. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 As now again, O Lord, the shades of night 
 have gathered around lis, we come together as a 
 Christian house, to offer up our evening sacri- 
 fice to thee. Help us to worship thee in spirit 
 and in truth, that in response to our devotions 
 offered through our Saviour Jesus Christ we 
 may receive the blessings that we need for this 
 life and in reference to the life which is to 
 come. We come to thank thee for the special 
 mercies of another day. While many of our 
 fellow-beings entered on the day with hopes 
 
134 Thursday Evening. 
 
 as bright as ours, they have been suddenly 
 cut off, and are now testing the realities of 
 the unseen world. While others have been 
 tossed in pain on beds of suffering, we have 
 had health and strength for duty all the day. 
 And now as we enjoy the comforts of our hap- 
 py home, with food and raiment and all things 
 needed for our mutual joy, many are wearing 
 out their wretched lives in the bitterness and 
 woe of. friendless poverty. O Lord, we are 
 not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and 
 of all the truth, which thou hast shown unto 
 thy servants; for our transgressions are multi- 
 plied before thee, and our sins testify against 
 us. What shall we render unto thee for all 
 thy benefits toward us? We will take the cup 
 of salvation, and call upon thy holy name. 
 We will offer to thee the sacrifice of thanks- 
 giving, and tell of all thy wondrous works. Not 
 with our lips alone, O Father, but in our lives 
 as well, would we show forth thy praise. We 
 would be led by thy countless mercies to pre- 
 sent our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, accept- 
 able unto thee, which is our reasonable service; 
 and being not conformed to this world, we 
 would be -transformed by the renewing of our 
 mind, that we may prove what is that good 
 and acceptable and perfect will of thine. We 
 
Aid and Guide. 135 
 
 would not think of ourselves more highly than 
 we ought to think, but soberly, according as 
 thou hast dealt to every one the measure of 
 faith. TTe Avould bear in mind that to whom 
 much is given of him is much required; and 
 as we have received unusual favor from thy 
 hand, so would we strive in everyway to requite 
 thy goodness with humble obedience, as well 
 as gratitude and love. Look dow r n with favor, 
 Heavenly Father, on all the efforts of thy peo- 
 ple to elevate and bless humanity, and extend 
 the influence of thy kingdom in the earth. 
 Give wisdom and zeal to those who are charged 
 with the training of the young at home and in 
 school. May they cultivate the affections as 
 well as the minds and manners of those in- 
 trusted to their care, that teachers and taught 
 may together learn from thee the heavenly 
 lessons of thy love. Bless the conductors of 
 the press, both secular and religious. May 
 they not pander to the tastes of the ungodly, 
 but keep out of their columns all that would 
 tend to degrade and corrupt the public heart; 
 and may their great power be always used on 
 the side of virtue and truth. Restrain the 
 reckless wickedness of those who, in their hot 
 pursuit of gain, would rouse the baser passions 
 of mankind, by selling impure books or papers, 
 
136 Thursday Evening. 
 
 by leading others into dens of shame, by de- 
 ceiving the simple in gambling-saloons, by put- 
 ting the bottle to their neighbors' lips. Against 
 all such devices of the wicked one wilt thou, O 
 Lord, arouse the public conscience, that all 
 our virtuous people may rise in their might, 
 and by ceaseless and united effort drive them 
 forever from our happy land. And now, O 
 Heavenly Father, we lay ourselves with all 
 our interests and cares, in quiet confidence 
 within thy hollow hand. During our sleeping 
 hours be our defense; and sleeping or awake, 
 be still our portion now and evermore. Amen. 
 
 For my loins are filled with a loathsome 
 disease; and there is no soundness in my flesh. 
 I am feeble and sore broken; I have roared by 
 reason of the disquietness of my heart. Lord, 
 all my desire is before thee; and my groaning 
 is not hid from thee. My heart panteth, my 
 strength faileth me; as for the light of mine 
 eyes, it also is gone from me. My lovers and 
 my friends stand aloof from my sore; and my 
 kinsmen stand afar off. Forsake me not, O 
 Lord; O my God, be not far from me. Make 
 haste to help me, O Lord my salvation. 
 
 Psalm xxxviii. 7-11, 21, 22. 
 
Aid and Guide. 137 
 
 Serrires for FriiTeiy burning. 
 
 I. LESSON. Luke vii. i:-_ 
 
 And John calling unto him two of his disci- 
 ples sent them to Jesus, saying. Art thou he 
 that should come? or look we for another? 
 TThen the men were come unto him. they said, 
 John Baptist hath sent us unto thee, saying. 
 Art thou he that should come? or look we for 
 another? And in that same hour he cured 
 many of their infirmities and plagues, and of 
 evil spirits; and unto many that were blind he 
 gave sight. Then Jesus answering said unto 
 them, Go your way. and tell John what things 
 ye have seen and heard; how that the blind see, 
 the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, the deaf 
 hear, the dead are raised, to the poor the gos- 
 pel is preached. And blessed is he whosoever 
 shall not be offended in me. 
 
 s. Iff. 
 We lift our hearts to thee, 
 
 Day-star from on high! 
 The sun itself is but thy shade, 
 
 Yet cheers both earth and sky. 
 May we this life improve, 
 
 To mourn for errors past ; 
 And live this short revolving day 
 
 As if it were our la>t. 
 
138 Friday Morning. 
 
 PHAYEK,. 
 
 Our Father and our God, we are grateful to 
 thee for thy goodness and thy wonderful works. 
 Day by day have our wants been supplied, and 
 night by night have thy mercies been bestowed. 
 " Surely goodness and mercy have followed" 
 us all our days, and we hope to " dwell in the 
 house of the Lord forever." And now we come 
 to thee once more, asking pardon for all the 
 errors and sins of the past. If our penitence 
 be not deep enough nor our faith strong enough 
 to meet the conditions of thy grace, then we 
 beseech thee deepen thy work in our hearts 
 until we hate sin and turn from evil and look 
 unto Jesus, our only hope and our God. Give 
 unto us the witness of thy Spirit. Bless not 
 only us who are here bowed in thy presence, 
 but also our absent loved ones. Guide our 
 steps, uphold us with thy power, comfort us 
 with thy love, and establish thou the work of 
 our hands. Keep us in the path of duty, and 
 help us to do something in the cause of Christ 
 this day. Bless our community, and keep far 
 from us all pestilence and plague and famine. 
 Revive thy work in our midst; convict sinners, 
 comfort mourners, consecrate believers, and 
 help thy people to be earnest, zealous, and true. 
 Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide 139 
 
 II. LESSON. Proverbs xi. 17-31. 
 
 The merciful man doeth good to his own 
 soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own 
 flesh. The wicked worketh a deceitful work; 
 but to him that soweth righteousness shall be 
 a sure reward. As righteousness tencleth to 
 life, so he that pursueth evil pursueth it to his 
 own death. They that are of a froward heart 
 are abomination to the Lord; but such as are 
 upright in their way are his delight. Though 
 hand join in hand, the wicked shall not be un- 
 punished; but the seed of the righteous shall 
 be delivered. As a jewel of gold in a swine's 
 snout, so is a fair woman which is without 
 discretion. The desire of the righteous is only 
 good; but the expectation of the wicked is 
 wrath. There is that scattereth, and yet in- 
 creaseth; and there is that withholdeth more 
 than is meet, but it tencleth to poverty. The 
 liberal soul shall be made fat; and he that 
 watereth shall be watered also himself. He 
 that withholdeth corn, the people shall curse 
 him; but blessing shall be upon the head of 
 him that selleth it. He that diligently seeketh 
 good procureth favor; but he that seeketh mis- 
 chief, it shall come unto him. He that trusteth 
 in his riches shall fall; but the righteous shall 
 flourish as a branch. He that troubleth his 
 
140 Friday Morning. 
 
 own house shall inherit the wind; and the fool 
 shall be servant to the wise of heart. The 
 fruit of the righteous is a tree of life; and he 
 that winneth souls is Avise. Behold, the right- 
 eous shall be recompensed in the earth ; much 
 more the wicked and the sinner. 
 
 O that men would praise the Lord for his 
 goodness, and for his wonderful works to the 
 children of men! Psaimcvii. 8. 
 
 S. M. 
 Teach me, my God and King, 
 
 In all things thee to see; 
 And what I do, in any thing, 
 
 To do it as for thee ; 
 To scorn the senses' sway, 
 
 While still to thee I tend: 
 In all I do be thou the way, 
 
 In all he thou the end. 
 
 PKAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we 
 thank thee for the morning light and for thy 
 loving-kindness unto us. Every day brings 
 some new display of thy love and favor, so that 
 we are led to acknowledge our entire depend- 
 ence upon thee. It is with shame and confu- 
 sion that we remember our unworthiness in 
 thy sight. O Lord, we make our humble con- 
 
Aid and Guide. 141 
 
 fession before thee. Hear our prayer, and 
 deal with us, not according to our righteous- 
 ness, but according to thy great mercy, O 
 blessed Lord God. Continue thy tender mer- 
 cies toward us this day, and lead us by the 
 Holy Spirit into plain and safe paths. Deliv- 
 er us from every vain and wicked imagination, 
 and from an ungodly temper and from all un- 
 charitable and unprofitable conversation. In 
 every hour of trial and severe temptation 
 stand by us and support us by thy grace. May 
 we never fall from thee! Give unto us pa- 
 tience in all seasons of sickness, and may we 
 be perfectly resigned to thy holy will in all 
 things. Grant unto us, O Lord, the spirit of 
 prayer continually, that we may abound yet 
 more and more in the fruits of the Spirit. Il- 
 lumine our minds, that we may have a right 
 understanding in the things of life, and that 
 we may shun every evil way. And comfort us 
 with thy holy presence continually. If thou 
 shouldst be pleased to prosper us in business, 
 keep us back from covetousness and from 
 pride and from vanity; and help us, O Lord, 
 that we may live soberly and righteously in 
 this present world, and finally come to the land 
 of everlasting life, there to reign with thee 
 world without end. Amen. 
 
142 Friday Morning. 
 
 III. LESSON. Matthew xviii. 1-14. 
 
 At the same time came the disciples unto 
 Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the king- 
 dom of heaven? And Jesus called a little 
 child unto him, and set him in the midst of 
 them, and said, Verily I say unto you, Except 
 ye be converted, and become as little children, 
 ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
 Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as 
 this little child, the same is greatest in the 
 kingdom of heaven. And whoso shall receive 
 one such little child in my name receiveth 
 me. But whoso shall offend one of these lit- 
 tle ones which believe in me, it were better for 
 him that a millstone were hanged about his 
 neck, and that he were drowned in the depth 
 of the sea. Woe unto the world because of 
 offenses! for it must needs be that offenses 
 come; but woe to that man by whom the of- 
 fense cometh! Wherefore, if thy hand or thy 
 foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them 
 from thee; it is better for thee to enter into 
 life halt or maimed, rather than having two 
 hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting 
 fire. And if thine eye offend thee, pluck it 
 out, and cast it from thee; it is better for thee 
 to enter into life wdth one eye, rather than 
 having two eyes to be cast into hell-fire. Take 
 

 Aid and Guide. 143 
 
 heed that ye despise not one of these little 
 ones; for I say unto you, That in heaven their 
 angels do always behold the face of my Father 
 which is in heaven. For the Son of man is 
 come to save that which was lost. How think 
 ye? if a man have a hundred sheep, and one 
 of them be gone astray, doth he not leave the 
 ninety and nine, and goeth into the mountains, 
 and seeketh that which is gone astray? And 
 if so be that he find it, verily I say unto you, 
 he rejoiceth more of that sheep, than of the 
 ninety and nine w T hich went not astray. Even 
 so it is not the will of your Father which is in 
 heaven, that one of these little ones should 
 perish. 
 
 He that, being often reproved, hardeneth 
 his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that 
 
 Without remedy. Proverbs xxix. 1. 
 
 S. M. 
 Serene I laid me down, 
 
 Beneath his guardian care; 
 I slept, and I awoke, and found 
 
 My kind Preserver near. 
 My life I would anew 
 
 Devote, O Lord, to thee ; 
 And in thy service I would spend 
 
 A loner eternitv. 
 
144 Fkiday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, in the name of Jesus we come to 
 thee this morning in prayer and praise. We 
 thank thee for our safety and rest during the 
 past night, and for the many blessings which 
 we now enjoy. "Every good gift and every 
 perfect gift is from above, and cometh down 
 from the Father of lights." We acknowledge 
 our entire dependence on thee for all good, tem- 
 poral and spiritual. Grant that we may this 
 day be sensible of thy* providential care over 
 us, and may we heartily feel the need and the 
 blessing of thy saving grace. We are prone 
 to forget the goodness of God, and we pray 
 that our weak and erring hearts may be kept 
 from too great temptation to neglect of duty. 
 We need the enlightening and sanctifying in- 
 fluence of the Holy Spirit, and we ask that it 
 may be bestowed upon us in liberal measure. 
 O teach us more and more perfectly thy will 
 and ways, and enable us to walk in, them in 
 the obedience of true faith, with humility and 
 sincerity. Help us to spend this day so that 
 we may glorify thy name in all things. Grant 
 that we may be " not slothful in business, fer- 
 vent in spirit, serving the Lord, rejoicing in 
 hope, patient in tribulation, continuing instant 
 in prayer." May we be useful to each other, 
 
Aid and Guide. 145 
 
 and to other persons in the duties and labors 
 of life, showing a gentle spirit of forbearance 
 and a wise zeal in work. As peculiar trials 
 may come to us, may especial grace be af- 
 forded at such times of need, and may we be 
 only better fitted to serve thee by the hardships 
 we may suffer. Grant that we may grow wiser 
 and stronger and better in preparation for the 
 life to come, and at last save us in heaven, for 
 Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 
 IV. LESSON. John iii. 1-16. 
 
 There was a man of the Pharisees, named 
 Xicodemus, a ruler of the Jews; the same 
 came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, 
 Rabbi we know that thou art a teacher come 
 from God; for no man can do these miracles 
 that thou doest, except God be with him. Je- 
 sus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, 
 I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, 
 he cannot see the kingdom of God. Xicode- 
 mus saith unto him, How can a man be born 
 when he is old? can he enter the second time 
 into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus 
 answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Ex- 
 cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, 
 he cannot enter into the kingdom of heaven. 
 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and 
 JO 
 
146 Friday Morning. 
 
 that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Mar- 
 vel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born 
 again. The wind bloweth where it listeth, and 
 thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not 
 tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth; 
 so is every one that is born of the Spirit. Nic- 
 odemus answered and said unto him, How can 
 these things be? Jesus answered and said 
 unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and 
 knowest not these things? Verily, verily, I 
 say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and 
 testify that we have seen ; and ye receive not 
 our witness. If I have told you earthly things, 
 and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I 
 tell you of heavenly things? And no man 
 hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came 
 down from heaven, even the Son of man which 
 is in heaven. And as Moses lifted up the ser- 
 pent in the wilderness, even so must the Son 
 of man be lifted up; that whosoever belie veth 
 in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 
 For God so loved the world, that he gave his 
 only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in 
 him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 
 
 Lord, we come before thee now, 
 At thy feet we humbly bow; 
 
 O do not our suit disdain: 
 
 Shall we seek thee. Lord, in vain? 
 
Aid and Guide. 147 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Lord, 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. The days of our years are 
 three-score years and ten; and, if by reason of 
 strength they be four-score years, yet is their 
 strength labor and sorrow; for it is soon cut 
 off, and we fly away. So teach us to number 
 our days that we may apply our hearts unto 
 wisdom. AYe adore thee that, though thou art 
 of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst 
 not look on iniquity, thou didst send thy Son 
 into the world, not to condemn the world, but 
 that the world through him might be saved. 
 And thou commendest thy love toward us, in 
 that, while w r e were yet sinners, Christ died for 
 us. Help us this Friday morning, Heavenly 
 Father, to celebrate his dying love. Enable 
 us by faith to gaze upon his agony and bloody 
 sweat; to see his base betrayal to the Jewish 
 mob; to follow him in sad devotion from the 
 garden to the palace ; and, after hearing all the 
 
 
148 Fkiday Morning. 
 
 charges falsely brought against him, may we, 
 like Pilate, find no fault in him at all. Help 
 us by faith with Simon to relieve his weary 
 frame by carrying his cross to Calvary; and, 
 as we see him hanging there in agony and 
 blood, and feel that our sins helped to nail him 
 there, O may we hear his dying prayer for 
 us, "Father, forgive them; for they know not 
 what they do." Grant us, O Lord, to see in 
 his bitter sufferings and cruel death both how 
 thou hatest sin, and how thou lovest sinful 
 men. And, as we mourn in earnest anguish 
 our fallen nature, our evil tendencies, our 
 wicked deeds, our sinful habits, may we take 
 courage from the fact that through the redemp- 
 tion that is in his death thou mayest be just 
 and the justifier of him which believeth in 
 Jesus. Lord, we believe; help thou our unbe- 
 lief. Strengthen our faith in thee; that, being 
 justified by faith, we may have peace with thee 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom also 
 we have access by faith into this grace wherein 
 we stand, and rejoice in the hope of thy coming 
 glory. As we enter now upon the duties of 
 the day, enable us to bear in mind the debt of 
 gratitude we owe to thee for all the benefits 
 and blessings of the new and everlasting cove- 
 nant. In all our dealings with our fellow-men 
 
Aid and Guide. 149 
 
 may we show forth thy praise by doing only 
 such things as thou wilt smile upon and ap- 
 prove. May we set before others examples 
 worthy of their imitation, and by every prac- 
 ticable means induce them to be faithful in thy 
 service. And, if it please thee, may we succeed 
 in pointing some wretched sinner to the fount- 
 ain opened to the house of David for sin and 
 for uncleanness. Look mercifully, Lord, 
 this day on all thine earthly creatures. Ac- 
 cording to their varied needs grant them the 
 blessings of thy providence and grace. Pros- 
 per every honest effort to extend the kingdom 
 of thy Son. Dispose the hearts of sinful men 
 to accept the terms of the gospel. Stir up thy 
 followers to diligence in duty. Lift up those 
 that are bowed down under manifold tempta- 
 tions. Give comfort to all who suffer. Re- 
 lieve the distresses of the needy. Mitigate 
 the sorrows of those whom thou hast recently 
 bereaved. Give courage and triumph to those 
 who are called to die. Hear us, O Heavenly 
 Father, in these our humble prayers, and grant 
 us answers of peace and joy, through Jesus 
 Christ our Lord. Amen. 
 
 My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O 
 Lord; in the morning will I direct my prayer 
 unto thee, and will look up. P.^im v. 3. 
 
150 Feiday Evening. 
 
 I. LESSON. Psalm xv. 
 
 Lokd, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? 
 who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that 
 walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, 
 and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that 
 backbiteth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil 
 to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach 
 against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile 
 person is contemned; but he honoreth them 
 that fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his 
 own hurt, and changeth not. He that putteth 
 not out his money to usury, nor taketh reward 
 against the innocent. He that doeth these 
 things shall never be moved. 
 
 He that loveth pleasure shall be a poor man; 
 he that loveth wine and oil shall not be rich. 
 
 Proverbs xxi. 17. 
 
 CM. 
 O for a lowly, contrite heart, 
 
 Believing, true, and clean ! 
 Which neither death nor life can part 
 
 From Him that dwells within: 
 A heart in every thought renewed, 
 
 And full of love divine; 
 Perfect, and right, and pure, and- good — 
 
 A copy, Lord, of thine. 
 
Aid and Guide. 151 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, we 
 come to this evening hour of devotion realiz- 
 ing our sinfulness and our unworthiness. 
 We come in the name of Jesus Christ, plead- 
 ing the merits of his death, throwing our- 
 selves upon thy compassions, which fail not. 
 We pray for pardon and peace and reconcil- 
 iation, through our Lord Jesus Christ. We 
 pray that we may be accepted of God, and 
 adopted into the family of heaven. Forgive 
 us for any thing wrong in any of us during 
 the day. Record thy name with us, and come 
 unto us from time to time, and bless us. We 
 commit and commend ourselves unto our faith- 
 ful covenant-keeping God for the night. Watch 
 over us with parental care; keep away from us 
 and our home disease and danger and death. 
 Give us rest in sleep. Bring us, O Lord, to the 
 light of another day, with such blessings as thou 
 seest will be for our good. Bless us in the re- 
 lations we sustain each to the other, in the re- 
 lations we sustain to the Church, and all others. 
 Guide us with thy counsel. Bless us with thy 
 presence. Prepare us for all the duties of life. 
 Reconcile us to the dispensations of thy prov- 
 idence, and save us together in heaven, through 
 Jesus Christ our Redeemer. Amen. 
 
152 Friday Evening. 
 
 II. LESSON. Heb. xii. 1-17. 
 
 Wherefore, seeing we also are compassed 
 about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let 
 us lay aside every weigHt, and the sin which 
 doth so easily beset us, and let us run with 
 patience the race that is set before us, look- 
 ing unto Jesus the author and finisher of our 
 faith; who for the joy that was set before 
 him endured the cross, despising the shame, 
 and is set down at the right-hand of the 
 throne of God. For consider him that en- 
 clureth such contradiction of sinners against 
 himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your 
 minds. Ye have not yet resisted unto blood, 
 striving against sin. And ye have forgotten 
 the exhortation which speaketh unto you as 
 unto children, My son, despise not thou the 
 chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou 
 art rebuked of him; for whom the Lord loveth 
 he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom 
 he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God 
 dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is 
 he whom the father chasteneth not? But if 
 ye be without chastisement, whereof all are 
 partakers, then are ye bastards, and not sons, 
 Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh 
 whioh corrected us, and we gave them rever- 
 ence; shall we not much rather be in subjec- 
 
Aid and Guide. 153 
 
 tion unto the Father of spirits, and live ? For 
 they verily for a few days chastened us after 
 their own pleasure; but he for our profit, that 
 we might be partakers of his holiness. Now 
 no chastening for the present seemeth to be 
 joyous, but grievous; nevertheless, afterward 
 it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteous- 
 ness unto thein which are exercised thereby. 
 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, 
 and the feeble knees; and make straight paths 
 for your feet, lest that which is lame be turned 
 out of the way; but let it rather be healed. 
 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, with- 
 out which no man shall see the Lord; looking 
 diligently lest any man fail of the grace of 
 God; lest any root of bitterness springing up 
 trouble you, and thereby many be defiled; lest 
 there be any fornicator, or profane person, as 
 Esau, who for one morsel of meat sold his 
 birthright. For ye know how that afterward, 
 when he would have inherited the blessing, he 
 was rejected; for he found no place of repent- 
 ance, though he sought it carefully with tears, 
 
 L. Bf. 
 Just as I am — thy love unknown 
 Has broken every barrier down; 
 Now to be thine, yea, thine alone, 
 O Lamb of God, I come ! 
 
mmmmm 
 
 154 Friday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 At thy feet, O Lord, we bow in humble and 
 grateful acknowledgments of the mercies of 
 another day. We bless thee for the power 
 that hath protected us, the wisdom that hath 
 guided us, the bounty that hath fed us, the 
 mercy that hath borne with us. We thank 
 thee for the means of grace and for the hope 
 of glory, and would close this day marked by 
 thy unfailing yet unmerited goodness by join- 
 ing our hearts and our voices in praises to thy 
 holy name. Graciously pardon all our misdo- 
 ings and short-comings, O Lord; help us to 
 rest in unwavering faith in the atoning blood 
 of the Son of God, wiio loved us and gave him- 
 self for us; and as the holy quiet of the night 
 falls upon the natural world, wrapped in dark- 
 ness and silence, so may thy peace, O blessed 
 Father in heaven, rest upon our believing, lov- 
 ing hearts as we lay us down upon our beds to 
 sleep. Thy wisdom hath guided us through 
 the day; so may thy power protect us through 
 the night. So we will both lay us down and 
 sleep; for thou, Lord, only makest us dwell 
 in safety. Mercifully guide, bless, and keep us 
 through all our days of toil and nights of rest 
 or of pain and sorrow; and bring us, each and 
 all, when the night of death shall come, to be 
 
Aid and Guide. 155 
 
 ready as servants that wait for their Lord. 
 that in the morning of the resurrection we may 
 awake in his likeness and be satisfied. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Promts xxrii. 1-12. 
 
 Boast not thyself of to-morrow: for thou 
 knowest not what a day may bring forth. Let 
 another man praise thee, and not thine own 
 mouth: a stranger, and not thine own lips. A 
 stone is heavy, and the sand weighty, but a 
 fool's wrath is heavier than them both. Wrath 
 is cruel,, and anger is outrageous: but who is 
 able to stand before envy? Open rebuke is 
 better than secret love. Faithful are the 
 wounds of a friend: but the kisses of an ene- 
 my are deceitful. The full soul loath eth a 
 honey-comb: but to the hungry soul every 
 bitter thing is sweet. As a bird that wander- 
 eth from her nest, so is a man that wandereth 
 from his place. Ointment and perfume rejoice 
 the heart: so doth the sweetness of a man's 
 friend by hearty counsel. Thine own friend. 
 and thy father's friend, forsake not: neither 
 go into thy brother's house in the day of thy 
 calamity; for better is a neighbor that is near 
 than a brother far off. My son. be wise, and 
 make my heart glad, that I may answer him 
 
156 Fbiday Evening. 
 
 that reproaclieth me. A prudent man fore- 
 seeth the evil, and hideth himself; but the 
 simple pass on, and are punished. 
 
 7s. 
 
 Grant that all may seek and find 
 Thee a gracious God, and kind ; 
 
 Heal the sick, the captive free; 
 Let us all rejoice in thee. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty and most merciful Father, we come 
 to render thanks for the mercies of another day, 
 and to implore thy care and blessing for the 
 night. Give us rest from toil, and from every 
 evil thought. Preserve us from the pestilence 
 that walketh in darkness and from the destruc- 
 tion that wasteth at noonday. Take this house 
 and every inmate of it under thy gracious pro- 
 tection. May we lie down at peace with thee. 
 We have not served thee this day nor loved thee 
 as we ought. For Jesus' sake forgive us all that 
 is past, and in future life give us grace to work 
 before thee in love. Bless with us all whom 
 we love and all who love us, all to whom we 
 are indebted for any help or comfort. Look 
 in mercy upon the earth which thou hast made 
 and upon all the sorrows of thy creatures, and 
 turn their thoughts to thee as the God of grace 
 
Aid and Guide. 157 
 
 and the giver of every good and perfect gift. 
 Bless thy Church universal, and make it the 
 joy of the whole earth. Ever be our God and 
 guide, and save us in thy kingdom, for Jesus' 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Proverbs x. 1-12. 
 
 The Proverbs of Solomon. A wise son mak- 
 eth a glad father; but a foolish son is the 
 heaviness of his mother. The treasures of 
 wickedness profit nothing; but righteousness 
 delivereth from death. The Lord will not 
 suffer the soul of the righteous to famish; but 
 he casteth away the substance of the wicked. 
 He becometh poor that dealeth with a slack 
 hand; but the hand of the diligent maketh 
 rich. He that gathereth in summer is a wise 
 son; but he that sleepeth in harvest is a son 
 that causeth shame. Blessings are upon the 
 head of the just; but violence covereth the 
 mouth of the wicked. The memory of the 
 just is blessed; but the name of the wicked 
 shall rot. The wise in heart will receive com- 
 mandments; but a prating fool shall fall. He 
 that walketh uprightly walketh surely; but he 
 that perverteth his ways shall be known. He 
 that winketh with the eye causeth sorrow; but 
 a prating fool shall fall. The mouth of a 
 
158 Friday Evening. 
 
 righteous man is a well of life; but violence 
 covereth the mouth of the wicked. Hatred 
 stirreth up strifes; but love covereth all sins. 
 
 c. M. 
 O for a heart to praise my God, 
 
 A heart from sin set free ! 
 A heart that always feels thy blood 
 
 So freely spilt for me ! 
 A heart resigned, submissive, meek, 
 
 My great Redeemer's throne, 
 Where only Christ is heard to speak, 
 
 Where Jesus reigns alone. 
 
 PHAYER. 
 
 Help us, O Lord, our Father and our God, 
 to worship thee to-night in spirit and in truth. 
 Grant us thy Spirit to teach us how to pray, 
 that our devotions offered in the name of Je- 
 sus Christ thy Son may be acceptable to thee, 
 and may result in blessings from thy hand 
 precisely suited to our several needs. Grant 
 us a spirit of earnest gratitude to thee for all 
 the mercies thou hast furnished us through all 
 our lives. May we believe and feel that every 
 comfort we enjoy comes down from thee, and 
 that without thy constant care we would be in- 
 stantly destroyed. May we rejoice in the fact 
 that thus far thou hast caused all things to 
 
Aid and Guide. 159 
 
 work' together for our good. Give us a spirit 
 of sweet submission to thy holy will. May 
 we feel that we are not capable of choosing for 
 ourselves or knowing what is best for us; and 
 when from time to time thou seest fit to disap- 
 point our hopes and blast our cherished plans, 
 may we in every case without a murmur yield 
 to thy superior wisdom, and adore thy fatherly 
 love. And give us a spirit of active industry 
 in thy cause. May we desire to be about our 
 Heavenly Father's business. May love to thee 
 and love for all mankind induce us to exert 
 ourselves in every proper way to help and bless 
 our fellows and to glorify thy name. Thou 
 knowest, O Father, how imperfectly we have 
 served thee since we professed thy name. Like 
 Peter, we have too often followed thee at a dis- 
 tance. Even to-day our lives have been marred 
 by improprieties and sins. We have done 
 those things which we ought not to have done, 
 and we have left undone those things which 
 we ought to have done, and there is no health 
 in us. We do earnestly repent, and are heart- 
 ily sorry for these our misdoings. The re- 
 membrance of them is grievous unto us. Have 
 mercy upon us, most merciful Father. For 
 thy Son our Lord Jesus Christ's sake, forgive 
 us all that is past, and grant that we may ever 
 
160 Friday Evening. 
 
 hereafter serve and please thee in newness of 
 life to the honor and glory of thy name, through 
 Jesus Christ our Lord. And here we offer 
 and present to thee, O Lord, ourselves, our 
 souls and bodies, to be a reasonable, holy, and 
 lively sacrifice unto thee, humbly beseeching 
 thee that we all may be filled with thy grace 
 and heavenly benediction. And although we 
 be unworthy, through our manifold sins, to 
 offer unto thee any sacrifice, yet we beseech 
 thee to accept this our bounden duty and serv- 
 ice, not weighing our merits, but pardoning 
 our offenses through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
 by whom and with whom, in the unity of the 
 Holy Ghost, all honor and glory be unto thee, 
 O Father Almighty, world without end. AVe 
 implore thy blessings, most merciful Father, 
 upon thy people everywhere. Give zeal and 
 success to all who are laboring for the welfare 
 of their fellows. Grant the Holy Spirit to 
 those whom thou callest to the public ministry 
 of the word. Encourage and help parents 
 and teachers in the training and instruction of 
 the young. Bless the editors of newspapers 
 and the authors of books, that they may pub- 
 lish only such things as will benefit their read- 
 ers. Give to our people at large proper views 
 of life and duty, that they may desire that cul- 
 
Aid and Guide. 161 
 
 tivation of their powers which will prepare 
 them to fulfill their mission and be of service 
 to their fellow-men. May temperance, sobri- 
 ety, honesty, benevolence, and truth prevail in 
 our land and in all lands, and may each one of 
 us be instrumental in extending these princi- 
 ples among our friends and neighbors. Upon 
 our absent relatives and friends, upon the dear 
 ones who have asked an interest in our prayers, 
 and upon all for whom we have promised to 
 pray, command thy choicest blessings now to 
 rest. May sweet sleep soon take possession of 
 their weary limbs and ours, and after resting 
 gently through the silent night, may Ave and 
 they devote afresh to thee the remnant of our 
 lives; and all the praise of our salvation shall 
 be ever thine, O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
 Amen. 
 
 Go to the ant, thou sluggard; consider her 
 ways, and be wise. These six things doth the 
 Lord hate; yea, seven are an abomination unto 
 him : A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands 
 that shed innocent blood, a heart that deviseth 
 wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in run- 
 ning to mischief, a false witness that speak- 
 eth lies, and him that soweth discord among 
 
 brethren. Proverbs vi. 6, 1G-19. 
 
 11 
 
162 Saturday Morning. 
 
 ^Seiprices- I[qi[ Scttuijflciy ]V[ci|ning. 
 
 I. LESSOR. 1 Thess. v. 1-18. 
 
 But o£ the times and the seasons, brethren, 
 ye have no need that I write unto you. For 
 yourselves know perfectly that the day of the 
 Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For 
 when they shall say, Peace and safety; then 
 sudden destruction cometh upon them, as trav- 
 ail upon a woman with child; and they shall 
 not escape. But ye, brethren, are not in dark- 
 ness, that that day should overtake you as a 
 thief. Ye are all the children of light, and the 
 children of the day; we are not of the night, 
 nor of darkness. Therefore let us not sleep, 
 as do others; but let us w T atch and be sober. 
 For they that sleep sleep in the night; and 
 they that be drunken are drunken in the night. 
 But let us, who are of the day, be sober, put- 
 ting on the breastplate of faith and love; and 
 for a helmet, the hope of salvation. For God 
 hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain 
 salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ, who died 
 for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we 
 should live together with him. Wherefore 
 comfort yourselves together, and edify one an- 
 other, even as also ye do. And we beseech 
 
Aid and Guide. 163 
 
 you, brethren, to know them which labor among 
 you, and are oyer you in the Lord, and admon- 
 ish you; and to esteem them very highly in 
 love for their work's sake. And be at peace 
 among yourselves. Now we exhort you, breth- 
 ren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the 
 feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient 
 toward all men. See that none render eyil for 
 evil unto any man; but ever follow that which 
 is good, both among yourselves, and to all 
 men. Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceas- 
 ing. In every thing giye thanks; for this, is 
 the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning 
 you. 
 
 As for me, I will call upon God; and the 
 Lord shall save me. Evening, and morning, 
 and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud; and 
 he shall hear my voice. Cast thy burden upon 
 the Lord, and he shall sustain thee; he shall 
 never suffer the righteous to be moved. 
 
 P*alm lv. 16, 17, 22. 
 
 8,7,8,7,4,7. 
 
 Guide me, O thou great Jehovah, 
 Pilgrim through this barren land; 
 
 1 am weak, but thou art mighty; 
 Hold me with thy powerful hand; 
 
 Bread of heaven, 
 Feed me till I want no more. 
 
164 Saturday Morning. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Almighty God, our Heavenly Father, thy 
 loving care has been over us through another 
 night. We laid us down and slept, awoke and 
 found thee near; and now with thankful hearts 
 we praise thee, we give honor and glory unto 
 thee; for great and marvelous are thy works, 
 just and holy are thy ways. Thou hast re- 
 membered us through the darkness of the night, 
 and hast brought us to behold the glad light 
 of this morning, and to enjoy the privileges of 
 another day. For thy preservation and watch- 
 ful care over us we thank thee. May no world- 
 ly cares nor anxieties distract or disturb us in 
 our morning worship, and may thy good provi- 
 dence go with us through this day and as long 
 as life shall last. O Lord, we pray not for 
 ourselves only, but for our absent ones, our 
 kindred and friends, and for those who at any 
 time have asked an interest in our prayers, and 
 for all people. For Jesus' sake, show them thy 
 mercy and loving-kindness; let thy light shine 
 into their hearts, and may thy protection be 
 over them. Preserve thy Church in truth and 
 peace, against all enemies, through all trials; 
 may she shine as the light of the world, and 
 dispense her blessings to all mankind. Thy 
 mercies are over all thy works. Be thou our 
 
Aid and Guide. 165 
 
 keeper by day and by night. Preserve our 
 souls and bodies from all evil; and may thy 
 Spirit lead us into all truth and righteousness. 
 These and all needed blessings Ave ask in the 
 name of Jesus Christ oar Lord. Amen. 
 
 II. LESSON. Eccles. xii. 1-7. 
 
 Remember now thy Creator in the days of 
 thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor 
 the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I 
 have no pleasure in them; while the sun, or 
 the light, or the moon, or the stars, be not 
 darkened, nor the clouds return after the rain; 
 in the day when the keepers of the house shall 
 tremble, and the strong men shall bow them- 
 selves, and the grinders cease because they are 
 few, and those that look out of the windows bo 
 darkened, and the doors shall be shut in the 
 streets, when the sound of the grinding is low, 
 and he shall rise up at the voice of the bird, 
 and all the daughters of music shall be brought 
 low; also when they shall be afraid of that 
 which is high, and fears shall be in the way, 
 and the almond-tree shall flourish, and the 
 grasshopper shall be a burden, and desire shall 
 fail; because man goeth to his long home, and 
 the mourners go about the streets; or ever the 
 
166 Saturday Morning. 
 
 silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be 
 broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fount- 
 ain, or the wheel broken at the cistern. Then 
 shall the dust return to the earth as it was; 
 and the spirit shall return unto God who gave 
 it. 
 
 C. M. 
 
 O may thy Spirit guide my feet 
 
 In ways of righteousness ; 
 Make every path of duty straight 
 
 And plain before my face. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 almighty God, our Heavenly Father, as we 
 enter upon a new day we would humbly and 
 devoutly renew our worship, our thanksgiving, 
 our supplications, and our praises. We wor- 
 ship thee as the Infinite One, " glorious in ho- 
 liness, fearful in praises, doing wonders;" we 
 bless thee as the giver of all good gifts to thy 
 creatures; we offer our supplications to thee 
 as our prayer-hearing and prayer-answering 
 God; we praise thee as the God of our salva- 
 tion. As thy providence hath protected us from 
 bodily harm during the darkness of the night, 
 so may thy grace, O Lord, save us from all 
 sin and all moral defilement during the day. 
 May no evil come nigh unto us, and may all 
 
Aid and Guide. 167 
 
 that touches our thought or our senses become 
 a channel of grace to us through the power of 
 thy indwelling Spirit. Help us to walk in the 
 light as thou art in the light: make us strong 
 in thy strength, that we may be able to carry 
 the burdens laid on us; give us patience, that 
 we may endure as seeing Him who is invisi- 
 ble; every moment enable us to exercise that 
 faith which overcomes the world, and the 
 charity that never faileth, and which will be 
 our preparation and title to the inheritance of 
 thy children in glory everlasting. Amen. 
 
 III. LESSON. Psalm cxlv. 8-19. 
 
 The Lord is gracious, and full of compas- 
 sion; slow to anger, and of great mercy. The 
 Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies 
 are over all his works. All thy works shall 
 praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless 
 thee. They shall speak of the glory of thy 
 kingdom, and talk of thy power; to make 
 known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and 
 the glorious majesty of his kingdom. 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 be bowed down. The eyes 
 of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them 
 
168 Saturday Morning. 
 
 their meat in due season. Thou openest thine 
 hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living 
 thing. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, 
 and holy in all his works. The Lord is nigh 
 unto all them that call upon him, to all that 
 call upon him in truth. He will fulfill the de- 
 sire of them that fear him; he also will hear 
 their cry, and will save them. 
 
 S. M. 
 Control my every thought; 
 
 My whole of sin remove; 
 Let all my works in thee be wrought, 
 
 Let all be wrought in love. 
 
 PRAYEE,. 
 
 O Lord, we thank thee for thy fatherly care 
 over us during the past night; for the light of 
 this new day; for the blessings of thy provi- 
 dence and grace. We feel our unworthiness 
 and sinfulness in thy sight. Forgive our sins, 
 we pray thee, and enable us to enter upon 
 the duties of the day in thy fear and love. 
 May the guiding hand of our God be upon us. 
 May we have grace for the duties and trials of 
 the day. May thy hand lead us, and thy arm 
 defend us. Do thou bless the labor of our 
 hands and the work Ave have to do. May 
 the moments of the day be made up to us of 
 
Aid and Guide. 169 
 
 innocence and love. O Lord, we pray that we 
 may be cheerful, contented, and happy. May 
 we have a Father's love, the communion of the 
 Holy Spirit, and the peace of Christ abiding 
 with us. May domestic duties and the busi- 
 ness affairs of life be faithfully and pleasantly 
 performed. May we so live and love, that when 
 the day is past we shall have a satisfactory 
 review, and feel that we are nearer the cross 
 and heaven than we were at its beginning. AYe 
 pray that the same blessings we have asked 
 upon our house and home may rest upon all 
 worshiping families, and all Christian people; 
 that the riches of grace and the blessings of 
 our Father may rest upon all states and condi- 
 tions of men everywhere. AYe ask it all for 
 Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. i John iii. 1-8. 
 
 Behold, what manner of love the Father hath 
 bestowed upon us, that we should be called the 
 sons of God; therefore the world knoweth us 
 not, because it knew him not. Beloved, now 
 are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet ap- 
 pear what we shall be; but we know that, when 
 he shall api^ear, we shall be like him; for we 
 shall see him as he is. And every man that 
 hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even 
 
170 Saturday Morning. 
 
 as lie is pure. Whosoever committeth sin 
 transgresseth also the law; for sin is the trans- 
 gression of the law. And ye know that he was 
 manifested to take away our sins ; and in him 
 is no sin. Whosoever abideth in him sinneth 
 not; whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, 
 neither known him. Little children, let no 
 man deceive you; he that doeth righteousness 
 is righteous, even as he is righteous. He that 
 committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil 
 sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose 
 the Son of God was manifested, that he might 
 destroy the works of the devil. 
 
 C. M. 
 Once more, my soul, the rising day 
 
 Salutes thy waking eyes ; 
 Once more, my voice, thy tribute pay 
 
 To Him that rules the skies. 
 
 O God, let all my hours be thine, 
 
 While I enjoy the light! 
 Then shall my sun in smiles decline, 
 
 And bring a pleasant night. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We meet again, O Lord our God, to worship 
 thee through Jesus Christ thy Son. Grant us 
 thy Spirit, that we may worship thee aright. 
 May our praises and our prayers come up ac- 
 
Aid and Guide. 
 
 171 
 
 ceptably before thee; and in response thereto 
 may we enjoy fresh tokens of thy favor. Thy 
 kind protection of us through another night 
 gives us new cause for earnest gratitude to 
 thee: and as thou raisest us to active life again, 
 thou ceasest not to furnish us with all things 
 needful for our bodies and our souls. For 
 food and clothing, for air and water, for health 
 and reason, for friends and kindred, for social 
 intercourse and mutual love, we render hearty 
 thanks to thee; but far above all these, and all 
 thine other earthly gifts, we call upon our 
 souls and all that is within us to bless thy 
 holy name for hope of everlasting life on high. 
 Help us to manifest our love to thee, not 
 merely with our lips, but in our daily lives. 
 Throughout this day especially may thy good 
 Spirit follow us in all our paths. May he in- 
 spire us with constant gratitude for the con- 
 stant blessings of thy providence which we 
 receive. May he impart to us divine wisdom 
 in the discharge of the difficult and delicate 
 duties of life. May he restrain us from every 
 thing unworthy of our calling and displeasing 
 to thee. May he comfort us evermore with 
 the assurance of our acceptance with thee 
 through our Lord Jesus Christ. Enable us 
 also to prove the reality of our love to thee by 
 
172 Saturday Morning. 
 
 loving one another. Make us truly grateful 
 to our dear friends who daily show us kind- 
 ness. May we take pleasure in doing good to 
 them as we have opportunity, serving them 
 gladly in every proper way. Dispose us to 
 contribute to their physical welfare, to their 
 social enjoyment, to their mental improvement, 
 but especially to their spiritual joy and salva- 
 tion. And grant us grace, O Prince of Peace, 
 to be so full of love supreme to thee that we 
 may take delight in blessing even those who 
 injure us. If our enemy hunger, may we feed 
 him ; if he thirst, may we give him drink, that 
 in so doing we may heap coals of fire on his 
 head. May we not be overcome of evil, but 
 overcome evil with good. May the pure prin- 
 ciples of the gospel of peace rapidly extend 
 and soon prevail in all lands. May men be 
 governed thereby in their personal dealings, 
 in public affairs, and in all international con- 
 cerns. May it soon come to pass that thy Son 
 shall judge among the nations and shall re- 
 buke many people; and they shall beat their 
 swords into plowshares and their spears into 
 pruning-hooks, and nation shall not lift up 
 sword against nation, neither shall they learn 
 war any more. Bless all proper efforts to ex- 
 tend the kingdom of thy Son. Give earnest- 
 
Aid and Guide. 173 
 
 ness and zeal to all thy servants, clerical and 
 lay. May all the members of thy Church 
 submit themselves and all they have to thy 
 control. Help those women who are laboring 
 in the gospel to send its elevating, saving in- 
 fluences to their sisters still degraded and en- 
 slaved in heathen lands. Impress the hearts 
 of the children that they may early begin to 
 work in thy vineyard, so that they may grow 
 in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord 
 and Saviour Jesus Christ. Bless the Presi- 
 dent of the United States, and all others in 
 authority. May all kings reign in righteous- 
 ness and princes rule in judgment, that the 
 people may lead quiet and peaceable lives in 
 all godliness and honesty; and may all classes 
 of men rejoice in the fact that thou reignest 
 supreme. And now, O Lord, attend unto our 
 cry, give ear unto our prayer that goeth not 
 forth out of feigned lips; for all we offer is 
 in Jesus' name. Amen. 
 
 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye 
 shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto 
 you; for every one that asketh receiveth; and 
 he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knock- 
 eth it shall be opened. Matthew ▼». 7, 8. 
 
174 Satukpay Evening. 
 
 §Sei|YicEs \m\ §5atui[flay Evening. 
 
 I. LE.3S0N. Psalm xxiii. 
 
 The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want. 
 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures; 
 he leadeth me beside the still waters. He re- 
 storeth my soul; he leadeth me in the paths of 
 righteousness for his name's sake. Yea, 
 though I walkthrough 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 pres- 
 ence of mine enemies; thou anointest my head 
 with oil; my cup runneth over. Surely good- 
 ness and mercy shall follow me all the days of 
 my life; and I will dwell in the house of the 
 Lord forever. 
 
 L. M. 
 Now all chafing care shall cease, 
 Now worn toil obtain release, 
 With the world we now have done, 
 Since " the Sabbath draweth on." 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 Oue Father in heaven, we thank thee for the 
 blessings of the week now closing. Thou hast 
 given us life and health, and food and clothing, 
 
Aid and Guide. 175 
 
 and many other blessings. Thou hast brought 
 us through the perils of the week, and we are 
 still preserved by thy kind and effectual care. 
 Now that the day of rest is near, deliver us 
 from all that has vexed and excited us, and give 
 us thy peace, that we may be prepared to wor- 
 ship with reverence and devout fear. We pray 
 thee to forgive the sins of the week. Enter not 
 into judgment with us, that our thoughts and 
 feelings and words and acts have not been holy 
 and pleasing to thee. AYe come before thee in 
 the name of Jesus, and would appropriate to 
 ourselves his perfect righteousness, and pray 
 that for his sake our consciences may be 
 cleansed and our hearts renewed in righteous- 
 ness. Bless with us all who are dear to us — ■ 
 our relatives, friends, and neighbors. . Bless 
 the Church to which we belong, and those who 
 minister to us in holy things, Unite all who 
 name the name of Christ in one hope and faith 
 and love, and extend thy kingdom until every 
 knee shall bow to thee and every tongue con- 
 fess thy name. Defend us from the dangers 
 of the night, and give us refreshing sleep, 
 for thou, O Father, only makest us to dwell in 
 safety. These and all other blessings we ask 
 in the name of Jesus Christ our Lord and Sav- 
 iour. Amen. 
 
176 Saturday Evening. 
 
 II. LESSON. Matthew v. 1-12. 
 
 And seeing the multitudes, he went up into 
 a mountain ; and when he was set, his disciples 
 came unto him; and he opened his mouth, and 
 taught them, saying, Blessed are the poor in 
 spirit; for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 
 Blessed are they that mourn; for they shall be 
 comforted. Blessed are the meek; for they 
 shall inherit the earth. Blessed are they which 
 do hunger and thirst after righteousness; for 
 they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful; 
 for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the 
 pure in heart; for they shall see God. Blessed 
 are the peace-makers; for they shall be called 
 the children of God. Blessed are they which 
 are persecuted for righteousness' sake; for 
 theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are 
 ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute 
 you, and shall say all manner of evil against 
 you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be ex- 
 ceeding glad; for great is your reward in heav- 
 en; for so persecuted they the prophets which 
 were before you. 
 
 CM. 
 Talk with us, Lord, thyself reveal, 
 
 While here o'er earth Ave rove; 
 Speak to our hearts, and let us feel 
 
 The kindling of thv love. 
 
Aid and Guide. 177 
 
 PRAYER, 
 
 Almighty God, for Christ's sake, have mer- 
 cy on us and save our souls. We are poor, 
 weak creatures, and need grace and mercy 
 every day. Jesus, remember us, and wash us 
 in thy precious blood. God be merciful to us 
 sinners. O our God, we pray thee to be kept 
 from sin, the world and the devil. We cannot 
 keep ourselves, for we have no power or might 
 of our own. Put thy Holy Spirit in our hearts, 
 and let us not fall. Hold thou us up, and we 
 shall be safe. Strengthen us for all our duties. 
 Give us grace to do all that we have to do faith- 
 fully, honestly, and well, as to the Lord and 
 not to man. May we be truthful, sober, dili- 
 gent, kind, good-tempered, and wise, in every 
 place and in every company. Bless our coun- 
 try with peace and good government. Bless 
 the Church to which we belong, and the con- 
 gregation of which we are members. Pour 
 out the Holy Spirit on the community in which 
 we live, and increase true religion here and 
 everywhere. Above all, bless all our family, 
 relations, and friends. May all have what is 
 good for them in this life and the grace of God 
 in their hearts. And may we all meet at last 
 in a heavenly home, to part no more. Amen. 
 12 
 
178 Saturday Evening. 
 
 III. LESSON. Malachi lii. 1-12. 
 
 Behold, I will send my messenger, and lie 
 shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, 
 whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his tem- 
 ple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom 
 ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the 
 Lord of hosts. But who may abide the day 
 of his coming? and who shall stand when he 
 appeareth? for he is like a refiner's fire, and 
 like fullers' soap; and he shall sit as a refiner 
 and purifier of silver; and he shall purify the 
 sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and sil- 
 ver, that they may offer unto the Lord an of- 
 fering in righteousness. Then shall the offer- 
 ing of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto 
 the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in for- 
 mer years. And I will come near to you to 
 judgment; and I will be a swift witness against 
 the sorcerers, and against the adulterers, and 
 against false swearers, and against those that 
 oppress the hireling in his wages, the widow, 
 and the fatherless, and that turn aside the 
 stranger from his right, and fear not me, saith 
 the Lord of hosts. For I am the Lord, I 
 change not; therefore ye sons of Jacob are not 
 consumed. Even from the days of your fa- 
 thers ye are gone away from mine ordinances, 
 and have not kept them. Return unto me, and 
 
Aid and Guide. 179 
 
 I will return unto you, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 But ye said, Wherein shall we return? Will a 
 man rob God? Yet ye have robbed me. But 
 ye say, Wherein have we robbed thee? In 
 tithes and offerings. Ye are cursed with a 
 curse; for ye have robbed me, even this whole 
 nation. Bring ye all the tithes into the store- 
 house, that there may be meat in mine house, 
 and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of 
 hosts, if I will not open you the windows of 
 heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there 
 shall not be room enough to receive it. And I 
 will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, and 
 he shall not destroy the f raits of your ground; 
 neither shall your vine cast her fruit before 
 the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts. 
 And all nations shall call you blessed; for ye 
 shall be a delightsome land, saith the Lord of 
 hosts. 
 
 c. M. 
 I love to steal awhile away 
 
 From every cumb'ring care ; 
 And spend the hours of setting day 
 
 In humble, grateful prayer. 
 
 I love to think on mercies past, 
 
 And future good implore ; 
 And all my cares and sorrows cast 
 
 On Him whom I adore. 
 
180 Saturday Evening. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 We thank thee, our Heavenly Father, for 
 all thy goodness to us. Our lives are the gift 
 of thy love, and all the temporal and spiritual 
 blessings that we have ever enjoyed have come 
 from thee. Increase in us the spirit of grati- 
 tude, and save us from the curse of thankless 
 hearts. We acknowledge our sins, and we 
 trust that we are sincerely sorry for them. 
 Without excuse of any sort, and in the face of 
 light and knowledge, we have gone astray from 
 thee. We have sinned in thought and word 
 and deed. Our hearts condemn us, and thou 
 art greater than our hearts. O help us to re- 
 pent, and then, for Jesus' sake, pardon and for- 
 give. Send thy Holy Spirit into our hearts to 
 bear witness with our spirits that we are thy 
 children. Let the fruit of the Spirit abound 
 in us. Cleanse us from all defilement, and 
 give us constant fellowship with thee. Grant 
 us the perfect love that casts out all fear. Then 
 shall our lights shine brightly before our fel- 
 low-men. Sanctify our home life. Bless us 
 also in our association with our fellow-men, 
 and help us to be diligent, wise, upright, and 
 kind in every place and in every company. 
 Bless our absent loved ones. Give them such 
 things as are best for them in this life, and es- 
 
Aid and Guide. 181 
 
 pecially bestow upon them all spiritual bless- 
 ings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. ^ e 
 would not forget those who have asked us to 
 pray for them. Thou knowest their needs: 
 supply them all according to the riches of 
 thy grace in Christ Jesus. Accept these our 
 prayers, and at last in heaven save us for his 
 sake. Amen. 
 
 IV. LESSON. Romans v. 1-10. 
 
 Therefore being justified by faith, we have 
 peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ: 
 by whom also we have access by faith into this 
 grace wherein we stand, and rejoice in hope 
 of the glory of God. And not only so, but we 
 glory in tribulations also: knowing that tribu- 
 lation worketh patience; and patience, experi- 
 ence; and experience, horje; and hope maketh 
 not ashamed; because the love of God is shed 
 abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which 
 is given unto us. For when we were yet with- 
 out strength, in due time Christ died for the 
 ungodly. For scarcely for a righteous man 
 will one die; yet peradventure for a good man 
 some would even dare to die. But God com- 
 mendeth his love toward us, in that, while we 
 were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much 
 
182 Saturday Evening. • 
 
 more then, being now justified by his blood, 
 we shall be saved from wrath through him. 
 For if, when we were enemies, we w r ere recon- 
 ciled to God by the death of his Son; much 
 more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by 
 his life. ( 
 
 CM. 
 
 How sad our state by nature is ! 
 
 Our sin how deep it stains ! 
 And Satan binds our captive souls 
 
 Fast in his slavish chains. 
 But there's a voice of sovereign grace 
 
 Sounds from the sacred word; 
 Ho! ye despairing sinners, come, 
 
 And trust a faithful Lord. 
 
 PRAYER. 
 
 O Lord, our Father and our God, thou hast 
 kindly lengthened out our lives, unworthy and 
 unfaithful though they have been; and now, 
 on the eve of the Sabbath, after ceasing from 
 the active labors of the week, we come together 
 unto thee for fresh supplies of grace and mercy 
 from on high. Thou art the source of all our 
 pure and perfect joy, and from our infancy 
 thou hast supplied our varied wants from thine 
 unwasting fullness. During the week now clos- 
 ing we have had from day to day fresh proofs 
 that thou art willing still to bless all those who 
 
Aid and Guide. 183 
 
 put their trust in thee. We earnestly desire 
 to offer thee to-night a sacrifice of gratitude 
 and praise through Jesus Christ our Lord, 
 which we humbly pray thee to receive, and 
 give us a consciousness of our connection 
 with thee and evidence of our acceptance in 
 thy sight. May we be in perfect sympathy 
 with thy gracious plans concerning us and our 
 fellow-men; may we cheerfully comply with 
 the reasonable terms on which thou offerest to 
 men pardon and peace and everlasting life; 
 and may we deem it our highest joy to be em- 
 ployed in some capacity in furthering the in- 
 terests of thy cause and kingdom. Grant grace 
 and unction from above to all who may be 
 called to preach thy word to-morrow. Indue 
 them plenteously with heavenly gifts. May 
 cloven tongues like as of fire rest on their 
 hearts, that those who hear their earnest words 
 may understand the heavenly language and 
 comprehend the lesson of thy love. May 
 many on this coming Sabbath-day renounce 
 their idols and their sins, and set their faces 
 Zionward. Embrace within thy loving arms 
 to-night, O Father, all the human race. Thou 
 knowest perfectly the needs of every living 
 thing. Be merciful to all — the high, the low, 
 the rich, the poor, the bond, the free, the pious, 
 
184 Saturday Evening. 
 
 the profane, those who accept and those who 
 spurn the offer of salvation. To all who suffer 
 bodily affliction give thy sustaining grace. 
 Be thou the father of the fatherless and the 
 judge of the widows. Soften the hearts of 
 rich men, that they may give of their abun- 
 dance to relieve the worthy poor. Heaven- 
 ly Father, regard with tender interest the 
 rising race. May parents feel the vast im- 
 portance of their relation to their offspring. 
 Grant to all mothers strength of character, 
 that they may wield their mighty influence 
 for the present welfare and everlasting hap- 
 piness of their precious charge. May those 
 who undertake to train their neighbors' chil- 
 dren in colleges and schools discharge their 
 arduous duties in thy fear, so that by thy help 
 and blessing the children may escape aill hurt- 
 ful influences and be prepared for useful sta- 
 tions in the Church and State. Again we pray 
 thy blessings on our absent friends and kin- 
 dred. May thine all-seeing eye follow them 
 for good, and may they all be faithful unto 
 death, that thou mayest give to each of them a 
 crown of life. And now, glory be to the Fa- 
 ther, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost, as 
 it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall 
 be, world without end. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 185 
 
 prayer for opening sunday-school. 
 
 O Lord, our Father, we have come from our 
 homes, to hear what thou wilt say to us to-day. 
 Open our hearts and miuds, that we may glad- 
 ly learn thy will as taught us in our present 
 lesson. May we not desire merely to know the 
 meaning of the words we read, but may we 
 rather treasure in our hearts the precious truths 
 contained therein, and learn to enjoy that high- 
 er wisdom which comes down from heaven. 
 May we put far from us every evil thing; and 
 may these children devote themselves to thee 
 in early life. Help us this day, this very hour, 
 with earnest sorrow for our sins, to trust the 
 precious merits of our Saviour Jesus Christ, 
 and feel that for his sake our sins are par- 
 doned and our souls are blessed. And now, G 
 Father, bless us as a school. Be with us ip 
 our songs of praise and in our Scripture les 
 sons, and in our humble prayers. And in al 
 we do, may it be our constant object to promote 
 the glory of thy holy name. And un o thee, 
 O Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, be praise and 
 glory forever and ever. Amen. 
 
 PRAYER FOR CLOSING SUNDAY-SCHOOL. 
 
 O Lord, our Heavenly Father, we humbly 
 pray thee to impress upon our minds and 
 
186 Woman's Missionary Meeting. 
 
 hearts the lessons we have learned to-day, that 
 we may practice them in all our future lives. 
 May we all grow wiser and better as we grow 
 older, and become better prepared and better 
 disposed for the duties of life as long as thou 
 shalt spare us on the earth. Be with us all 
 and bless us through the coming week, and 
 bring us to our school again next Sunday, pre- 
 pared for further lessons from thy holy word. 
 Guide us in all our ways through future life; 
 and when our work on earth is done, receive 
 us to thyself on high, for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 PRAYER FOR OPENING WOMAN'S MISSION- 
 ARY MEETING. 
 
 O Loed, our Heavenly Father, we adore thee 
 for the gift of Jesus Christ, thy Son our Lord, 
 to be the Saviour of mankind. We bless thee 
 that thou didst so love the world that thou 
 didst give thine only-begotten Son that whoso- 
 ever believeth in him should not perish, but 
 have everlasting life. We praise thee for the 
 high position given to our sex in all those lands 
 to which" the glad tidings of the gospel have thus 
 far come. We thank thee that thou hast cast 
 our lot in an enlightened land, where we enjoy 
 the common blessings of our Christian civiliza- 
 tion, and the hopes of everlasting life, revealed 
 
Aid and Guide. 187 
 
 to us through Jesus Christ our Lord. We la- 
 ment the degradation of our benighted sisters, 
 who still bow in blind idolatry to stocks and 
 stones, worshiping they know not what, and 
 enslaved by a debasing and cruel superstition. 
 We recognize their claim to our sympathy and 
 help, and we have come together to-day to im- 
 plore divine direction and encouragement in our 
 humble efforts to elevate and save the heathen 
 women of the world. We thank thee, O merci- 
 ful Father, for the general interest now pervad- 
 ing the Christian Church on the duty of sending 
 the gospel to the heathen. We bless thee for the 
 efforts and contributions made by the Church 
 at large, and especially for tftose of the women 
 and the children made for the special benefit of 
 the women and the children who are still without 
 the gospel. Wilt thou encourage and stimu- 
 late this spirit, that it may intensify and spread 
 till we who feel it now may far more deeply 
 feel our obligation to deny ourselves and de- 
 vote ourselves to the spread of thy kingdom in 
 the earth, and till all who are in reach of the 
 blessings of the gospel may be induced to help, 
 as far as in them lies, in imparting to others 
 the blessings they enjoy. Bestow thy richest- 
 blessings, we beseech thee, O Lord, upon our 
 
188 Woman's Missionary Meeting. 
 
 dear sisters who have left their native land, and 
 are laboring in distant regions to propagate the 
 truth as it is in Jesus Christ. Encourage them 
 in their work of faith and labor of love. Give 
 them the satisfaction of seeing thy work pros- 
 pering in their hands. Through their instru- 
 mentality, accompanied by the gracious influ- 
 ences of the Holy Ghost, may many men and 
 women renounce their idols and devote them- 
 selves to thee. And raise up native helpers, 
 who shall go abroad among their countrymen, 
 and recommend to all the heavenly hopes they 
 have been taught to entertain. Thus may the 
 time be near at hand when all the earth shall 
 know thee, and rejoice in hope of thy coming 
 glory. And now, O Father, be present with us 
 while we remain together. May we all feel 
 that it is good to be here. May we enjoy a 
 comfortable assurance of our acceptance with 
 thee, and a well-founded hope of those heav- 
 enly joys to which we invite our benighted fel- 
 lows. And may the exercises of this occasion 
 tend to the glory of thy name, and the exten- 
 sion of thy cause among the children of men. 
 And to thy great and glorious name, O Father, 
 Son, and Holy Ghost, be praise and glory, now 
 and forever. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 189 
 
 Praise God, from whom all blessings flow; 
 Praise him, all creatures here below; 
 Praise him above, ye heavenly host; 
 Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. 
 
 CHILD'S PRAYER. 
 
 Jesus, take this heart of mine; 
 Make it pure and wholly thine; 
 Thou hast bled and died for me, 
 I will henceforth live for thee. 
 
 CHILD'S MORNING PRAYERS. 
 
 The morning bright with rosy light 
 
 Has waked me from my sleep; 
 Father, I own thy love alone 
 
 Thy little one doth keep. 
 All through the day, I humbly pray, 
 
 Be thou my guard and guide; 
 My sins forgive, and. let me live, 
 
 Blest Jesus, near thy side. 
 
 All this I ask for Jesus' sake. Ameru 
 
 Now I awake and see the light. 
 
 'Tis God has kept me through the night; 
 
 To him I lift my voice and pray 
 
 That he would keep me through the day; 
 
 And when on earth my work is done, 
 
 O God, accept me through thy Son. 
 
190 . Child's Evening Prayers. 
 
 child's evening prayers. 
 
 Now I lay me down to sleep, 
 I pray the Lord my soul to keep; 
 If I should die before I wake 
 I pray the Lord my soul to take. 
 All this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 Saviour, tender Shepherd, hear me; 
 
 Bless thy little lamb to-night; 
 Through the darkness be thou near me, 
 
 "Watch my sleep till morning light. 
 
 All this day thy hand hath led me, 
 And I thank thee for thy care; 
 
 Thou hast clothed me, warmed me, fed me — 
 Listen to my evening prayer. 
 
 Let my sins be all forgiven, 
 
 Bless the friends I love so well; 
 
 Take me, when I die, to heaven, 
 Happy there with thee to dwell. 
 
 All this I ask for Jesus' sake. Amen. 
 
 THE LORD'S PRAYER. 
 
 Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be 
 thy name: thy kingdom come: thy will be done 
 on earth as it is in heaven: give us this day 
 our daily bread; and forgive us our trespasses, 
 as we forgive those who trespass against us; 
 and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us 
 from evil; for thine is the kingdom, and the 
 power, and the glory, forever and ever. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 191 
 
 BIBLE PRAYERS. 
 
 The Holy Scriptures contain many beautiful 
 expressions of prayer which will be found sug- 
 gestive as models both of the spirit and form 
 of worship. We insert a few, with the hope 
 that they will be frequently read, and will in- 
 spire feelings of devotion and reverence; and 
 that this little book, instead of superseding 
 the Bible in the family, may awaken more in- 
 terest in it as a volume of inspired truth — " all 
 of which is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, 
 for correction, for instruction in righteous- 
 ness." 
 
 Give ear to my words, O Lord; consider my 
 meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my 
 cry, my King, and my God; for unto thee will 
 I pray. (Ps. v. 1, 2.) 
 
 Let the words of my mouth and the medita- 
 tion of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O 
 Lord, my strength, and my redeemer. (Ps. 
 xix. 14.) 
 
 Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and 
 thy faithfulness reacheth to the clouds. Thy 
 righteousness is like the great mountains; thy 
 judgments are a great deep; O Lord, thou pre- 
 servest man and beast. How excellent is thy 
 loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children 
 
192 Bible Prayers* 
 
 of men put their trust under the shadow of thy 
 wings. They shall be abundantly satisfied with 
 the fatness of thy house; and thou shalt make 
 them drink of the river of thy pleasures. For 
 with thee is the fountain of life; in thy light 
 shall we see light. O continue thy loving- 
 kindness unto them that know thee, and thy 
 righteousness to the upright in heart. (Ps. 
 xxx vi. 5-10.) 
 
 Lord, 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. (Ps. xc. 1, 2.) 
 
 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord 
 Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all 
 spiritual blessings in heavenly places in 
 Christ. (Eph. i. 3.) 
 
 Thy throne, O God, is forever and ever; a 
 scepter of righteousness is the scepter of thy 
 kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness, and 
 hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, 
 hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness 
 above thy fellows. (Heb. i. 8, 9.) 
 
 Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord 
 God Almighty; just and true are thy wajs, 
 thou King of saints. Who shall not fear thee, 
 
Aid and Guide. 193 
 
 O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only 
 art holy; for all nations shall come and wor- 
 ship before thee; for thy judgments are made 
 manifest. (Rev. xv. 3, 4.) 
 
 I acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin 
 is ever before me. Behold, I Avas shapen in 
 iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive 
 me. Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward 
 parts; and in the hidden part thou shalt make 
 me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, 
 and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be 
 whiter than snow. 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 thy free Spirit. (Ps. li. 
 3,5-7, 9-12.) 
 
 O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, 
 but unto us confusion of faces, because we have 
 sinned against thee. To the Lord our God be- 
 long mercies and forgivenesses, though we have 
 rebelled against him; neither have we obeyed 
 the voice of the Lord our God, to walk in his 
 laws. (Daniel ix. 7, 8-10.) 
 
 Father, I have sinned against heaven, and 
 13 
 
194 Bible Prayers. 
 
 in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be 
 called thy son. (Luke xv. 21.) 
 
 Show me thy ways, O Lord; teach me thy 
 paths. Lead me in thy truth, and teach me; 
 for thou art the God of my salvation; on thee 
 do I wait all the day. Remember, O Lord, 
 thy tender mercies and thy loving-kindnesses; 
 for they have been ever of old. Eemember 
 not the sins of my youth, nor my transgres- 
 sions; according to thy mercy remember thou 
 me, for thy goodness' sake, O Lord. (Ps. xxv. 
 4-7.) 
 
 Lord, be merciful unto me; heal my soul; for 
 I have sinned against thee. (Ps. xli. 4-7.) 
 
 Give us help from trouble; for vain is the 
 help of man. (Ps. lx. 11.) 
 
 So teach us to number our days, that we may 
 apply our hearts unto wisdom. O satisfy us 
 early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and 
 be glad all our days. (Ps. xc. 12, 14.) 
 
 Lord, save us; we perish. (Matt. viii. 25.) 
 
 Lord, help me. (Matt. xv. 25.) 
 
 Lord, I believe; help thou mine unbelief. 
 (Mark ix. 24.) 
 
 God be merciful to me a sinner. (Luke 
 xviii. 13.) 
 
Aid and Guide. 195 
 
 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 saving health 
 among all nations. Let the people praise thee, 
 O God; let all the people praise thee. O let 
 the nations be glad and sing for joy; for thou 
 shalt judge the people righteously, and govern 
 the nations on earth. Let the people praise 
 thee, O God; let all the people praise thee. 
 Then shall the earth yield her increase; and 
 God, even our own God, shall bless us. God 
 shall bless us; and all the ends of the earth 
 shall fear him. (Ps. lxvii.) 
 
 Into thine hand I commit my spirit; thou 
 hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. (Ps. 
 xxxi. 5.) 
 
 Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there 
 is none upon earth that I desire besides thee. 
 My flesh and my heart f aileth ; but God is the 
 strength of my heart, and my portion forever. 
 (Ps. lxxiii. 25, 26.) 
 
 O Lord, truly I am thy servant; I am thy 
 servant, and the son of thy handmaid; thou 
 hast loosed my bonds. 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 now in the presence of all his 
 
196 Bible Prayers. 
 
 people, in the courts of the Lord's house, in 
 the midst of thee, O Jerusalem. Praise ye 
 the Lord. (Ps. cxvi. 16-19.) 
 
 I am thine, save me. (Ps. cxix. 94.) 
 
 Blessed be thou, Lord God of Israel our 
 father, forever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is 
 the greatness, and the power, and the glory, 
 and the vibtory, and the majesty; for all that is 
 in the heaven 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 reignest over all ; and 
 in thine hand is power and might; and in thine 
 hand it is to make great, and to give strength 
 unto all. Now, therefore, our God, we thank 
 thee, and praise thy glorious name. (1 Chron. 
 xxix. 10-13.) 
 
 O Lord, I will praise thee; though thou wast 
 angry with me, thine anger is turned away, and 
 thou comfortedst me. (Isa. xii. 1.) 
 
 Glory to God in the highest, and on earth 
 peace, good-will toward men. (Luke ii. 14.) 
 
 O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom 
 and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are 
 his judgments, and his ways past finding out! 
 For who hath known the mind of the Lord ? or 
 who hath been hi$ counselor? Or who hath 
 
Aid and Guide. 197 
 
 first given to him, and it shall be recompensed 
 unto him again ? . For of him, and to him, are 
 all things; to whom be glory forever. Amen. 
 (Eom. xi. 33-36.) 
 
 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 glory in the Church by Christ 
 Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. 
 Amen. ( Eph. iii. 20, 21.) 
 
 Now unto the King eternal, immortal, in- 
 visible, the only wise God, be honor and glory 
 forever and ever. Amen. (1 Tim. i. 17.) 
 
 Unto him that loved us, and washed us from 
 our sins in his own blood, and hath made us 
 kings and priests unto God and his Father; to 
 him be glory and dominion forever and ever. 
 Amen. (Rev. i. 5, 6.) 
 
 Blessing, and honor, and glory, and power, 
 be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and 
 unto the Lamb forever and ever. (Rev. v. 13.) 
 
 BENEDICTIONS. 
 
 The Lord bless thee, and keep thee; the 
 Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be 
 gracious unto thee; the Lord lift up his coun- 
 
198 Benedictions. 
 
 tenance upon thee, and give thee peace. (Num. 
 vi. 24-26.) 
 
 Now the God of hope fill you with all joy 
 and peace in'believing, that ye may abound in 
 hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost. 
 (Rom. xv. 13.) 
 
 The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and 
 the love of God, and the communion of the 
 Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen. (2 Cor. 
 xiii. 14.) 
 
 Grace be with all them that love our Lord 
 Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen. (Eph. vi. 24.) 
 
 Now unto God and our Father be glory for- 
 ever and ever. Amen. (Phil. iv. 20.) 
 
 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our 
 Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. (Col. i. 2.) 
 
 Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and 
 God, even our Father, which hath loved us, 
 and hath given us everlasting consolation and 
 good hope through grace, comfort your hearts, 
 and stablish you in every good word and work. 
 (2 Thess. ii. 16,17.) 
 
 Now the Lord of peace himself give you 
 peace always by all means. The Lord be with 
 you all. (2 Thess. iii. 16.) 
 
 Grace be with you all. Amen. (Titus iii. 15.) 
 
Aid and Guide. 199 
 
 Now the God of peace, that brought again 
 from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great 
 Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of 
 the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in 
 b\ T ery good work to do his will, working in 
 you that which is well-pleasing in his sight, 
 through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for- 
 ever and ever. Amen. (Heb. xiii. 20, 21.) 
 
 But the God of all grace, who hath called us 
 unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after 
 that ye have suffered awhile, make you per- 
 fect, stablish, strengthen, settle you. To him 
 be glory and dominion forever and ever. 
 Amen. (1 Peter v. 10, 11.) 
 
 Now unto him that is able to keep you from 
 falling, and to present you faultless before the 
 presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to the 
 only wise God our Saviour, be glory and maj- 
 esty, dominion and power, both now and ever. 
 Amen. (Jude 24, 25.) 
 
 Grace be unto you, and peace, from him 
 which is, and which was, and which is to come; 
 and from the seven Spirits which are before 
 his thxone; and from Jesus Christ, who is the 
 faithful witness, and the first-begotten of the 
 dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. 
 (Kev. i. 4, 5.) 
 
200 Graces Before and After Meat. 
 
 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with 
 you all. Amen. (Rev. xxii. 21.) 
 
 GRACES BEFORE MEAT 
 
 Heavenly Father, pardon our sins, and 
 grant us grateful hearts for these and all thy 
 blessings, we ask for Christ's sake. Amen, 
 
 We bless thee, our gracious Father, for these 
 refreshments; and may thy blessing and thy 
 peace abide upon this house and in all our 
 hearts, we humbly beg for Christ's sake. 
 Amen. 
 
 Sanctify our food and conversation, O Lord, 
 forgive all our sins, and save us at last in 
 heaven, for Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 GRACES AFTER MEAT. 
 
 Accept our grateful acknowledgments, 
 Heavenly Father, for these and all thy bless- 
 ings, we humbly ask for Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
 Our Father in heaven, we have again been 
 fed by thy bounty. Wilt thou continue thy 
 blessings and feed us with the bread of life. 
 While we live may we live to thy glory, and 
 finally be admitted into thy kingdom, for 
 Christ's sake. Amen. 
 
Aid and Guide. 201 
 
 MtfE Men 6c'mman3ments: 
 
 With Parallel Texts. 
 
 FIRST COMMANDMENT. 
 And God spake all these words, saying, I am 
 the Lord thy God, which have brought thee 
 out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of 
 bondage. Thou shalt have no other gods be- 
 fore me. Exodus xx. 1-3. 
 
 These words the Lord spake unto all your 
 assembly in the mount out of the midst of the 
 fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darkness, with 
 a great voice; and he added no more. And he 
 wrote them in two tables of stone, and deliv- 
 ered them unto me. (Deut. v. 22.) I am the 
 Lord thy God from the land of Egypt, and 
 thou shalt know no god but me; for there is 
 no savior besides me. (Hos. xiii. 4.) Go not 
 after other gods to serve them, and ye shall 
 dwell in the land which I have given to you 
 and to your fathers. (Jer. xxxv. 15.) Go not 
 after other gods to serve them, and to worship 
 them, and provoke me not to anger with the 
 works of your hands. (Jer. xxv. 6.) Ye shall 
 not go after other gods, of the gods of the peo- 
 ple which are round about you. (Deut. vi. 14.) 
 "With Israel the Lord had made a covenant, 
 
202 Second Commandment. 
 
 and charged them, saying, Ye shall not fear 
 other gods, nor bow yourselves to them, nor 
 serve them, nor sacrifice to them. (2 Kings 
 xvii. 35.) Of a truth, Lord, the kings of As- 
 syria have destroyed the nations and their 
 lands, and have cast their gods into the fire; 
 for they were no gods, but the work of men's 
 hands, wood and stone; therefore they have 
 destroyed them. (2 Kings xix. 17, 18.) Though 
 there be that are called gods, whether in heav- 
 en or in earth (as there be gods many, and 
 lords many), but to us there is but one God, 
 the Father, of whom are all things, and we in 
 him. (1 Cor. viii. 5, 6.) 
 
 SECOND COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven 
 image, or any likeness of any thing that is in 
 heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, 
 or that is in the water under the earth: thou 
 shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve 
 them; for I the Lord thy God am a jealous 
 God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
 the children unto the third and fourth genera- 
 tion of them that hate me; and shewing mercy 
 unto thousands of them that love me, and keep 
 my commandments. Exodus xx. 4-6. 
 
Aid and Guide. 203 
 
 Lest ye corrupt yourselves, and make you a 
 graven image, the similitude of any figure, the 
 likeness of male or female. (Deut. iv. 16.) 
 Cursed be the man 1 that maketh any graven 
 or molten image, an abomination unto the 
 Lord, the work of the hands of the craftsman, 
 and putteth it in a secret place. And all the 
 people shall answer and say, Amen. (Deut. 
 xxvii. 15.) Confounded be all they that serve 
 graven images, that boast themselves of idols; 
 worship him, all ye gods. (Ps. xcvii. 7.) Ye 
 shall drive out all the inhabitants of the land 
 from before you, and destroy all their pictures, 
 and destroy all their molten images, and quite 
 pluck down all their high places. (Num. xxxiii. 
 52.) Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, 
 nor serve them. (Ex. xxiii. 24. ) Neither make 
 mention of the name of their gods, nor cause 
 to swear by them, neither serve them, nor bow 
 yourselves unto them. (Josh, xxiii. 7.) 
 
 Thou shalt worship no other god; for the 
 Lord, whose name is Jealous, is a jealous God. 
 (Ex. xxxiv. 14.) The Lord thy God is a con- 
 suming fire, even a jealous God. (Deut. iv. 
 24.) I will not give my glory unto another. 
 (Isa. xlviii. 11. ) Joshua said unto the people, 
 Ye cannot serve the Lord; for he is a holy God; 
 
204 Second Commandment. 
 
 he is a jealous God; he will not forgive your 
 transgressions nor your sins. (Josh. xxiv. 19.) 
 Wherefore I will yet plead with you, saith the 
 Lord, and with your children's children will I 
 plead. ( Jer. ii. 9.) By no means clearing the 
 guilty, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon 
 the children unto the third and fourth genera- 
 tion. And your children shall wander in the 
 wilderness forty years, and bear your whore- 
 doms, until your carcasses be wasted in the 
 wilderness. (Num. xiv. 18, 33.) God layeth 
 up his iniquity -for his children. (Job xxi. 19.) 
 I will set my face against that man, and against 
 his family. (Lev. xx. 5.) And they that are 
 left of you shall pine away in their iniquity in 
 your enemies' lands; and also in the iniquities 
 of their fathers shall they pine away with them. 
 If they shall confess their iniquity, and the 
 iniquity of their fathers, with their trespass 
 which they trespassed against me, and that 
 also they have walked contrary unto me; anc 1 
 that I also have walked contrary unto them, 
 and have brought them into the land of their 
 enemies; if then their uncircumcised hearts be 
 humbled, and they then accept of the punish- 
 ment of their iniquity; then will I remember 
 my covenant with Jacob, and also my covenant 
 with Isaac, and also my covenant with Abra- 
 
Aid and Guide. 205 
 
 ham will I remember; and I will remember 
 the laud: (Lev. xxvi. 39-42.) Seest thou how 
 Ahab humbleth himself before me? because 
 he humbleth himself before me, I will not 
 bring the evil in his days; but in his son's 
 days will I bring the evil upon his house. (1 
 Kings xxi. 29.) The seed of the evil-doers 
 shall never be renowned. Prepare slaughter 
 for his children for the iniquity of their fa- 
 thers. (Isa. xiv. 20, 21.) -Behold, it is written 
 before me: I will not keep silence, but will 
 recompense, even recompense into their bosom, 
 your iniquities, and the iniquities of your fa- 
 thers together, saith the Lord. (Isa. lxv. 6, 7.) 
 
 O remember not against us former iniquities. 
 (Ps. lxxix. 8.) Know therefore that the Lord thy 
 God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth 
 covenant and mercy with them that love him 
 and keep his commandments to a thousand 
 generations. (Deut. vii. 9.) My covenant will 
 I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone 
 out of my lips. ( Ps. lxxxix. 34.) He that 
 hath my commandments, and keepeth them, 
 he it is that loveth me; and he that loveth me 
 shall be loved of my Father, and I will love 
 him, and will manifest myself to him. (John 
 xiv. 21. ) As touching the election, they are 
 beloved for the fathers' sakes. (Bom. xi. 28.) 
 
20P) Third Commandment. 
 
 Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth 
 iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of 
 the remnant of his heritage? he retaineth not 
 his anger forever, because he delighteth in 
 mercy. He will turn again, he will have com- 
 passion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; 
 and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths 
 of the sea. Thou wilt perform the truth to 
 Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou 
 hast sworn unto our fathers from the days of 
 old. ( Micah vii. 18-20.) Thou shewest loving- 
 kindness unto thousands, and recompensest 
 the iniquity of the fathers into the bosom of 
 their children after them; The Great, The 
 Mighty God, The Lord of hosts, is his name. 
 ( Jer. xxxii. 18.) O Lord, the great and dread- 
 ful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to 
 them that love him, and to them that keep his 
 commandments. (Dan. ix. 4.) 
 
 THIRD COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord 
 thy God in vain; for the Lord will not hold 
 him guiltless that taketh his name in vain. 
 
 Exodus xx. 7. 
 
 Lord, who shall abide in thy tabernacle? 
 who shall dwell in thy holy hill? He that 
 walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, 
 
Aid and Guide. 207 
 
 and speaketh the truth in his heart. He that 
 backbit eth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil 
 to his neighbor, nor taketh up a reproach 
 against his neighbor. In whose eyes a vile per- 
 son is contemned; but he honoreth them that 
 fear the Lord. He that sweareth to his own 
 hurt, and charrgeth not. He that putteth not 
 out his money to usury, nor taketh reward 
 against the innocent. He that doeth these 
 things shall never be moved. (Ps. xv. 1-5.) 
 Put not thine hand with the wicked to be an 
 unrighteous witness. (Ex. xxiii. 1.) Te shall 
 not swear by my name falsely, neither shalt 
 thou profane the name of thy God; I am the 
 Lord. (Lev. xix. 12.) He that blasphemeth 
 the name of the Lord, he shall surely be put 
 to death. (Lev. xxiv. 16.) Ye have heard that 
 it hath been said by them of old time, Thou 
 shalt not forswear thyself, but shalt perform 
 unto the Lord thine oaths; but I say unto you, 
 Swear not at all ; neither by heaven, for it is 
 God's throne; nor by the earth, for it is his 
 footstool; neither by Jerusalem, for it is the 
 city of the great King. Neither shalt thou 
 swear by thy head, because thou canst not 
 make one hair white or black. But let your 
 communication be, Yea, yea; Nay, nay; for 
 whatsoever is more than these cometh of evil, 
 
208 Fourth Commandment. 
 
 (Matt. v. 33-37.) But above all things, my 
 brethren, swear not, neither by heaven, neither 
 by the earth, neither by any other oath; but 
 let your yea be yea; and your nay, nay; lest 
 ye fall into condemnation. (James v. 12.) 
 
 FOURTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Remember the Sabbath-day, to keep it holy. 
 Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work; 
 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord 
 thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, 
 thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy man- 
 servant, nor thy maid-servant, nor thy cattle, 
 nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: for in 
 six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the 
 sea, and all that in them is, and rested the sev- 
 enth day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sab- 
 bath-day, and hallowed it. Exodus xx. 8-n. 
 
 Six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the 
 seventh day thou shalt rest; that thine ox and 
 thine ass may rest, and the son of thy hand- 
 maid, and the stranger, may be refreshed. (Ex. 
 xxiii. 12.) Six days may work be done; but 
 in the seventh is the Sabbath of rest, holy to 
 the Lord; whosoever doeth any work in the 
 Sabbath-day, he shall surely be put to death. 
 (Ex. xxxi. 15.) ..Six days shall work be done; 
 
Aid and Guide. 209 
 
 but the seventh day is the Sabbath of rest, a 
 holy convocation; ye shall do no work therein; 
 it is the Sabbath of the Lord in all your dwell- 
 ings. (Lev. xxiii. 3.) Six days thou shalt 
 work, but on the seventh day thou shalt rest; 
 in earing time and in harvest thou shalt rest. 
 ( Ex. xxxiv. 21.) Six days ye shall gather man- 
 na; but on the seventh day, which is the Sab- 
 bath, in it there shall be none. (Ex. xvi. 26.) 
 The ruler of the synagogue answered with in- 
 dignation, because that Jesus had healed on 
 the Sabbath-day, and said unto the people, 
 There are six days in which men ought to 
 work; in them therefore come and be healed, 
 and not on the Sabbath-day. (Luke xiii. 14) 
 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, 
 till thou return unto the ground. ( Gen. iii. 19. ) 
 Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; 
 serving the Lord. (Eom. xii. 11.) Let him 
 that stole steal no more; but rather let him 
 labor, working with his hands the thing which 
 is good, that he may have to give to him that 
 needeth. (Eph. iv. 23. ) Neither did we eat 
 any man's bread for naught; but wrought with 
 labor and travail night and day, that we might 
 not be chargeable to any of you ; not because 
 we have not power, but to make ourselves an 
 
 ensample unto you to follow us. For even 
 14 
 
210 Fourth Commandment. 
 
 when we were with you, this we commanded 
 yon, that if any would not work, neither should 
 he eat. (2 Thess. iii. 8-10.) On the seventh 
 day God ended his work which he had made; 
 and he rested on the seventh day from all his 
 work which he had made. And God blessed 
 the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that 
 in it he had rested from all his work which 
 God created and made. (Gen. ii. 2, 3.) I gave 
 them myJSabbaths, to be a sign between me 
 and them, that they might know that I am the 
 Lord that sanctify them. (Ezek. xx. 12.) Ver- 
 ily my Sabbaths ye shal] keep. (Ex. xxxi. 13.) 
 In the first day ye shall have a holy convoca- 
 tion ; ye shall do no servile work therein. (Lev. 
 xxiii. 7.) There dwelt men of Tyre also there- 
 in, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, 
 and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of 
 Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contend- 
 ed with the nobles of Judah, and said unto 
 them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and 
 profane the Sabbath-day? And it came to 
 pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began 
 to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded 
 that the gates should be shut, and charged that 
 they should not be opened till after the Sab- 
 bath; and some of my servants set I at the 
 gates, that there should no burden be brought 
 
Aid and Guide. 21 1 
 
 in on the Sabbath-day. (Neb. xiii. 16, 17, 19.) 
 Keep my Sabbaths; I am the Lord your God. 
 Te shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my 
 sanctuary; I am the Lord. (Lev. xix. 3, 30.) 
 
 FIFTH COMMANDMENT. 
 Honor thy father and thy mother; that thy 
 days may be long upon the land which the 
 Lord thy God giveth thee. Exodus xx. 12. 
 
 Honor thy father and thy mother, as the 
 Lord thy God hath commanded thee; that thy 
 days may be prolonged, and that it may go well 
 with thee, in the land which the Lord thy God 
 giveth thee. (Deut. v. 16.) God commanded, 
 saying, Honor thy father and mother, and he 
 that curseth father or mother, let him die the 
 death. (Matt. xv. 4; Mark vii. 10.) Honor 
 thy father and mother; which is the first com- 
 mandment with promise. ( Eph. vi. 2.) AYho- 
 so curseth his father or his mother, his lamp 
 shall be put out in obscure darkness. (Prov. 
 xx. 20. ) Te shall fear every man his mother, 
 and his father, and keep my Sabbaths. I am 
 the Lord your God. (Lev. xix. 3. ) And Jer- 
 emiah said unto the house of the Eechabites, 
 Thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Is- 
 rael: Because ye have obeyed the command- 
 
212 Sixth Commandment. 
 
 ment of Jonadab your father, and kept all his 
 precepts, and done according unto all that he 
 hath commanded you; therefore thus saith the 
 Lord of hosts, the God of Israel: Jonadab the 
 son of Eechab, shall not want a man to stand 
 before me forever. ( Jer. xxxv. 18, 19.) 
 
 SIXTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 THOU Shalt not kill. Exodus xx. 13. 
 
 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall 
 his blood be shed; for in the image of God 
 made he man. (Gen. ix. 6.) The devil was a 
 murderer from the beginning. (John viii. 44.) 
 Out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, mur- 
 ders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false wit- 
 ness, blasphemies. (Matt. xv. 19.) Cain talked 
 with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, 
 when they were in the field, that Cain rose up 
 against Abel his brother, and slew him. And 
 the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy 
 brother? And he said, I know not; am I my 
 brother's keeper? And he said, What hast 
 thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood 
 crieth unto me from the ground. And now 
 art thou cursed from the earth, which hath 
 opened her mouth to receive thy brother's 
 blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the 
 
Aid and Guide. 213 
 
 ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee 
 her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt 
 thou be in the earth. (Gen. iv. 8-12.) Thou 
 hast killed Uriah the Hittite with the sword, 
 and hast taken his wife to be thy wife, and hast 
 slain him with the sword of the children of 
 Ammon. (2 Sam. xii. 9.) Deliver me from 
 blood-guiltiness, O God, thou God of my salva- 
 tion; and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy 
 righteousness. (Ps. li. 14.) Ye have heard 
 that it was said by them of old time, Thou 
 shalt not kill; and w T hosoever shall kill shall 
 be in danger of the judgment; but I say unto 
 you, That whosoever is angry with his brother 
 without a cause shall be in danger of the judg- 
 ment; and whosoever shall say to his brother, 
 Raca, shall be in danger of the council; but 
 whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in 
 danger of hell-fire. (Matt. v. 21, 22.) Let none 
 of you suffer as a murderer, or as a thief. 
 (1 Pet. iv. 15.) 
 
 SEVENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 Exodus xx. 14. 
 
 The sword shall never depart from thine 
 house; because thou hast despised me, and 
 hast taken the wife of Uriah the Hittite to be 
 
214 Seventh Commandment. 
 
 thy wife. (2 Sam. xii. 10.) But I say unto 
 you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to 
 lust after her hath committed adultery with 
 her already in his heart. (Matt. v. 28.) The 
 mouth of strange women is a deep pit; he that 
 is abhorred of the Lord shall fall therein. 
 (Prov. xxii. 14.) Give not thy strength unto 
 women, nor thy ways to that which destroyeth 
 kings. (Prov. xxxi. 3.) When I had fed them 
 to the full, they then committed adultery, and 
 assembled themselves by troops in the harlots' 
 houses. They were as fed horses in the morn- 
 ing; every one neighed after his neighbor's 
 wife. Shall I not visit for these things? saith 
 the Lord; and shall not my soul be avenged on 
 such a nation as this? (Jer. v. 7-9.) Whore- 
 dom and wine and new wine take away the 
 heart. (Hos. iv. 11.) Whosoever shall put away 
 his wife, except it be for fornication, and shall 
 marry another, committeth adultery. (Matt. 
 xix. 9.) The works of the flesh are manifest, 
 which are these : Adultery, fornication, unclean- 
 ness, lasciviousness, idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, 
 variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, 
 heresies, envyings, murders, drunkenness, rev- 
 elings, and such like; of the which I tell you 
 before, as I have also told you in time past, 
 that they which do such things shall not in- 
 herit the kingdom of God. (Gal. v. 19-21.) 
 
Aid and Guide. 215 
 
 Let no corrupt communication proceed out of 
 your mouth, but that which is good to the use 
 of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the 
 hearers. (Eph. iv. 29.) Fornication, and all 
 uncleanness, or eovetousness, let it not be once 
 named among you, as becometh saints; neither 
 filthiness, nor foolish talking, nor jesting, which 
 are not convenient; but rather giving of thanks. 
 For this ye know, that no whoremonger, nor 
 unclean person, nor covetous man, who is an 
 idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom 
 of Christ and of God. Let no man deceive 
 you with vain words; for because of these 
 things cometh the wrath of God upon the chil- 
 dren of disobedience. Be not ye therefore 
 partakers with them. (Eph. v. 3-7.) Mortify 
 therefore your members which are upon the 
 earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate af- 
 fection, evil concupiscence. (Col. iii. 5.) Xot 
 in the lust of concupiscence, even as the Gen- 
 tiles which know not God; for God hath not 
 called us unto uncleanness, but unto holiness. 
 (1 Thess. iv. 5, 7.) Marriage is honorable in 
 all, and the bed undefiled, but whoremongers 
 and adulterers God will judge. (Heb. xiii. 4.) 
 The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly 
 out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust 
 unto the day of judgment to be punished; but 
 
216 Eighth Commandment. 
 
 chiefly them that walk after the flesh in the 
 lust 61 uncleanness, and despise government. 
 But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be 
 taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things 
 that they understand not; and shall utterly 
 perish in their own corruption. Having eyes 
 full of adultery, and that cannot cease from 
 sin. (2 Pet. ii. 9, 10, 12, 14.) Even as Sodom 
 and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in 
 like manner, giving themselves over to forni- 
 cation, and going after strange flesh, are set 
 forth for an example, suffering the vengeance 
 of eternal fire. But these speak evil of those 
 things which they know not; but what they 
 know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things 
 they corrupt themselves. (Jude 7, 10.) 
 
 EIGHTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not steal. Exodus xx. is. 
 
 Ye shall not steal, neither deal falsely, nei- 
 ther lie one to another. Thou shalt not defraud 
 thy neighbor, neither rob him; the wages of 
 him that is hired shall not abide with thee all 
 night until the morning. (Lev. xix. 11, 13.) 
 Neither shalt thou steal. (Deut. v. 19.) If a 
 man shall steal an ox, or a sheep, and kill it, 
 or sell it, he shall restore five oxen for an ox, 
 and four sheep for a sheep. If a thief be 
 
Aid and Guide. 217 
 
 found breaking up, and be smitten that he die, 
 there shall no blood be shed for him. If the 
 sun be risen upon him, there shall be blood 
 shed for him ; for he should make full restitu- 
 tion; if he have nothing, then he shall be sold 
 for his theft. If the theft be certainly found 
 in his hand alive, whether it be ox, or ass, or 
 sheep; he shall restore double. (Ex.xxii. 1-4.) 
 Rob not the poor, because he is poor; neither 
 oppress the afflicted in the gate; for the Lord 
 will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of 
 those that spoiled them. (Prov. xxii. 22, 23. ) 
 He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth 
 his substance, he shall gather it for him that 
 will pity the poor. Whoso robbeth his father 
 or his mother, and saith, It is no transgression; 
 the same is the companion of a destroyer. 
 (Prov. xxviii. 8, 24.) Nor thieves, nor covet- 
 ous, nor drunkards, nor re viler s, nor extortion- 
 ers, shall inherit the kingdom of God. (1 Cor. 
 vi. 10.) Let no man go beyond and defraud 
 his brother in any matter; because that the 
 Lord is the avenger of all such, as we also 
 have forewarned you and testified. (1 Thess. 
 iv. 6.) Let him that stole steal no more; but 
 rather let him labor, working with his hands 
 the thing which is good, that he may have to 
 give to him that needeth. (Eph. iv. 28.) 
 
218 Nint h Commandment. 
 
 NINTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 
 neighbor. Exodus xx. 16. 
 
 Put not thine hand with the wicked to be an 
 unrighteous witness. (Ex. xxiii. 1.) Neither 
 shalt thou bear false witness against thy neigh- 
 bor. (Deut. v. 20.) If a false witness rise up 
 against any man to testify against him that 
 which is wrong; then shall ye do unto him, as 
 he had thought to have done unto his brother; 
 so shalt thou put the evil away from among 
 you. (Deut. xix. 16, 19.) Lord, who shall abide 
 in thy tabernacle? Who shall dwell in thy 
 holy hill? He that walketh uprightly, and 
 worketh righteousness, and speaketh the truth 
 in his heart. He that backbiteth not with his 
 tongue, nor doeth evil to his neighbor, nor tak- 
 eth up a reproach against his neighbor. In 
 whose eyes a vile person is contemned; bat he 
 honoreth them that fear the Lord. He that 
 sweareth to his own hurt, and changeth not. 
 (Ps. xv. 1-4.) Whoso privily slandereth his 
 neighbor, him will I cut off. (Ps. ci. 5.) De- 
 liver me not over unto the will of mine enemies; 
 for false witnesses are risen up against me, and 
 such as breathe out cruelty. (Ps. xxvii. 12.) 
 Thou shalt not raise a false report; put not 
 thine hand with the wicked to be an unright- 
 
Aid and Guide. # 219 
 
 eous witness. (Ex. xxiii. 1.) And I will come 
 near to you to judgment; and I will be a swift 
 witness against the sorcerers, and against the 
 adulterers, and against false swearers, and 
 against those that oppress the hireling in his 
 wages, the widow and the fatherless, and that 
 turn aside the stranger from his right, and fear 
 not me, saith the Lord of hosts. (Mai. iii. 5.) 
 
 TENTH COMMANDMENT. 
 
 Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's house, 
 thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife, nor 
 his man-servant, nor his maid-servant, nor his 
 ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neigh- 
 bor's. Exodus xx. 17. 
 
 Neither shalt thou desire thy neighbor's 
 wife, neither shalt thou covet thy neighbor's 
 house, his field, or his man-servant, or his maid- 
 servant, his ox, or his ass, or any thing that is 
 thy neighbor's. (Deut. v. 21.) Whosoever 
 looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath 
 committed adultery with her already in his 
 heart.- (Matt. v. 28.) Can a man take fire in 
 his bosom, and his clothes not be burned? 
 Can one go upon hot coals, and his feet not be 
 burned? so he that goeth in to his neighbor's 
 wife; whosoever toucheth her shall not be in- 
 nocent. (Prov. vi. 27-29. ) Woe to him that 
 
220 Tenth Commandment. 
 
 coveteth an evil covetousness to his house, that 
 he may set his nest on high, that he may be 
 delivered from the power of evil. (Hab. ii. 9.) 
 I had not known sin, but by the law; for I had 
 not known lust, except the law had said, Thou 
 shalt not covet. (Rom. vii. 7.) Let your con- 
 versation be without covetousness; and be con- 
 tent with such things as ye have; for he hath 
 said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. 
 (Heb. xiii. 5.) Take heed and beware of cov- 
 etousness; for a man's life consisteth not in 
 the abundance of the things which he possess- 
 eth. (Luke xii. 15.) I have coveted no man's 
 silver, or gold, or apparel. (Acts xx. 33.) For- 
 nication, and all uncleanness, or covetousness, 
 let it not be once named among you, as becom- 
 eth saints. For this ye know, that no whore- 
 monger, nor unclean person, nor covetous man, 
 who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the 
 kingdom of Christ and of God. (Eph. v. 3, 5.) 
 
 My son, keep my words, and lay up my com- 
 mandments with thee. Keep my command- 
 ments, and live; and my law as the apple of 
 thine eye. Bind them upon thy fingers, write 
 them upon the table of thine heart. Say unto 
 wisdom, Thou art my sister; and call under- 
 standing thy kinswoman. Proverbs vii. 1-1. 
 
Aid and Guide. 221 
 
 SCRIPTURAL READINGS— COVETOUSNESS. 
 
 My kingdom is not of this world. (John 
 xviii. 36. ) 
 
 And he said unto them, Take heed, and be- 
 ware of covetousness; for a man's lifeconsist- 
 eth not in the abundance of the things which 
 he possesseth. (Luke xii. 15. | 
 
 He also that received seed among the thorns 
 is he that heareth the word; and the care of 
 this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, 
 choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. 
 (Matt. xiii. 22.) The love of money is the 
 root of all evil; which while some coveted aft- 
 er, they have erred from the faith, and pierced 
 themselves through with many sorrows. (1 Tim. 
 vi. 10.) A little that a righteous man hath 
 is better than the riches of many wicked. (Ps. 
 xxxvii. 16.) Godliness with contentment is 
 great gain. For we brought nothing into this 
 world, and it is certain we can carry nothing 
 out. And having food and raiment, let us be 
 therewith content. ( 1 Tim. vi. 6-8. ) Better is 
 little with the fear of the Lord, than great 
 treasure and trouble therewith. (Prov.xv. 16.) 
 
 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon 
 earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and 
 where thieves break through and steal; but lay 
 
222 Covetousness. 
 
 up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where 
 neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where 
 thieves do not break through nor steal; for 
 where your treasure is, there will your heart 
 be also. (Matt. vi. 19-21.) 
 
 And he spake a parable unto them, saying, 
 The ground of a certain rich man brought forth 
 plentifully; and he thought within himself,, 
 saying, What shall I do, because I have no 
 room where to bestow my fruits ? And he said, 
 This will I do: I will pull down my barns, and 
 build greater; and there will I bestow all my 
 fruits and my goods. And I will say to my 
 soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for 
 many years ; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be 
 merry. (Luke xii. 16-19.) 
 
 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night 
 thy soul shall be required of thee; then whose 
 shall those things be which thou hast provid- 
 ed? (Luke xii. 20.) 
 
 So is he that layeth up treasure for himself, 
 and is not rich toward God. (Luke xii. 21.) 
 
 Charge them that are rich in this world, that 
 they be not high-minded, nor trust in uncer- 
 tain riches, but in the living God, who giveth 
 us richly all things to enjoy; that they do 
 good, that they be rich in good works, ready 
 to distribute, willing to communicate; laying 
 
Aid and Guide. 223 
 
 up in store for themselves a good foundation 
 against the time to come, that they may lay 
 hold on eternal life. ( 1 Tim. vi. 17-19.) Hath 
 not God chosen the poor of this world rich in 
 faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath 
 promised to them that love, him? (James ii. 
 5.) Be careful for nothing; but in every thing 
 by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving 
 let your request be made known unto God. 
 (Phil. iv. 6.) 
 
 Therefore take no thought, saying, What 
 shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, 
 Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (for after all 
 these things do the Gentiles seek); for your 
 heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need 
 of all these things. But seek ye first the king- 
 dom of God, and his righteousness; and all 
 these things shall be added unto you. Take 
 therefore no thought for the morrow; for the 
 morrow shall take thought for the things of it- 
 self. Sufficient unto the day is the evil there- 
 of. (Matt. vi. 31-34.) 
 
 1 have been young, and now am old; yet 
 have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his 
 seed begging bread. (Ps. xxxvii. 25.) 
 
 The kingdom of God is not meat and drink; 
 but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the 
 Holy Ghost. (Rom. xiv. 17.) 
 
224 Beadings foe Special Occasions. 
 
 READINGS FOR SPECIAL OCCASIONS. 
 
 The following readings are suggested foi 
 special occasions: 
 
 Advent: The Messiah in Prophesy — Isaiah lxi. 
 1-11. 
 
 Christ the Comforter in Prophesy — Isaiah xl. 
 1-11. 
 
 Christ the Comforter in the Gospel — John xiv. 
 15, 16. 
 
 Good Friday. — Isaiah liii. 13. 
 
 Christ's Besiirrection : Easter Sunday — 1 Co- 
 rinthians xv. 1-58. 
 
 Thanksgiving — Psalms viii., xviii., xxxiii., 
 lxv., lxvii., lxxxiv., lxxxv., xcv., xcvi., xcvii., 
 civ., cvii., cxviii., cxxxvi. 
 
 Time of Trouble — Psalms xxviii., lxxxvi.; 
 Lamentations iii. 
 
 Hope and Trust — Psalms xxvii., xl. 
 
 Confidence — Psalms xxxvii., xlvi., lxii., lxxi. 
 
 Missionary Occasions — Isaiah liv., 3x. 
 
 Counsels and Suggestions— Proverbs vi 1-22; 
 xv. 1-20; Eomans xii.; Ephesians iv. 17-32; 
 v. 1-21; vi. 1-20 ; Colossians iii. 1-25. 
 
 Temptations of the Tongue — James iii. 
 
 Getting Wisdom — Proverbs iv. 5-27. 
 
 Hope of Glory— -2 Corinthians v. 15. 
 
 Charity— 1 Corinthians xiii. 1-21. 
 
;;•/■•■*. 
 
 
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