XXXI.

DEAL JUSTLY, AND LOVE MERCY.

O, blest the man whose aims and ardors rise
On Faith's strong pinions soaring to the skies;
Yet, while conversing here with want and woe,
Acts the good minister of Heaven below.
The poor relieved, the widow's wrongs redressed,
The darkened mind illumed with heavenly day,
The sympathies, that soothe the burdened breast
And wipe Affliction's tear away,·

These on the friendly, generous mind
Will draw God's choicest blessings down ;
He'll mercy show for mercies shown,

And still be kindest to the kind.

HENRY MOORE.

Thus speaketh the Lord of hosts, saying, Execute true judgment, and show mercy and compassion every man to his brother:

And oppress not the widow nor the fatherless, the stranger nor the poor.

Have we not all one father? hath not our God created us? why do we deal treacherously every man against his brother? Render to all their dues.

The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again; but the righteous showeth mercy, and giveth.

He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.

Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy.

Let no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's way.

A good man showeth favor, and lendeth: he will guide his affairs with discretion.

Withhold not good from them to whom it is due, when it is in the power of thine hand to do it.

The merciful man doeth good to his own soul; but he that is cruel troubleth his own flesh.

Woe unto him that buildeth his house by unrighteousness, and his chambers by wrong.

He that hath pity upon the poor lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will he pay him again.

He that by usury and unjust gain increaseth his substance, he shall gather it for him that will pity the poor.

MORNING.

THOU infinite Parent, who by thy providence dost enrich us every day with innumerable blessings, we thank thee for thy goodness. As we remember thy mercies, may there spring up in our hearts the feeling of universal kindness, and may our lives be so pervaded with the religion of thy Son, that, like him, we may go about doing good. We would now lift up our affections in ardent prayer. Kindle within us a devout fervor of soul. On the wings of faith may our thoughts rise heavenward. But while thus we would cherish devout sentiments, grant that we also may go forth

to the duties of this day with the love of our fellow-men dwelling within us. May we be kind and charitable in our judgments, loving mercy, dealing justly, and walking humbly before thee. Strengthen within us the desire to relieve the needy, to lift up the downcast and degraded, and to do something to diminish the wickedness and woe of the world. We pray for men in all conditions of outward life and inward states of mind. We would carry on our hearts to thee the memory of the slave. May the days of his bondage be numbered, and cause the light of universal liberty to be rapidly spread abroad. Hasten the day when thy glorious kingdom shall come and thy will be done on earth as in heaven. May we thy children walk in the footsteps of our Master and do all in our power to wipe away the tear of sorrow and soothe the heart in its anguish; and, by our ready and tender sympathy, encourage the weak, cheer the desponding, enlighten the ignorant, and reform the sinful. Increase our faith in the power of true religion as a means of the world's redemption, and through the benign and healing influences of the Gospel may there come the reign of happiness, virtue, and peace. With lowly selfdenial, may we so live every day as to help bear others' burdens, and give proof of our love of thee, whom we have not seen, by our love of our brother, whom we have seen; and thus, by fidelity to the

great law of love, have our souls created anew in Christ. May we in heart and life be formed in the Saviour's image, through whom to thee would we render eternal praise and thanksgiving, world without end. Amen.

A

EVENING.

LMIGHTY and most merciful God, we acknowledge thy goodness in permitting us to see the light of another day, and to enter upon its duties with the help and comfort of thy word.

Give to us more and more of that faith which works by love and overcomes the world. May we show that we are Christians, by the care with which we fulfil every sacred trust; by meekness and gentleness and long-suffering in all our domestic relations; by keeping our thoughts and affections pure; by sympathizing in each other's troubles, and bearing each other's burdens, - doing justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with God.

O Thou in whose hands our breath is, and whose are all our ways! we do not trust in ourselves; we trust in thee. So long as we continue in this world of difficulty and trial, take not thine holy Spirit from us, but lift upon us the light of thy countenance, and give us peace; and, at the last, receive us unto thyself, through thine infinite mercy in Him who loved us and gave himself for us. Amen.

XXXII.

LIFE EVERLASTING.

Forever blessed they,

Whose joyful feet shall stand,
While endless ages waste away,
Amid that glorious band.

My soul would thither tend,

While toilsome years are given;
Then let me, gracious God, ascend
To sweet repose in heaven.

There is one life,

R. PALMER.

- to look forward to the life above. There sin; for it is that which destroys the soul.

What shall I do, that I may inherit eternal life?

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself.

Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting.

Write, read, chant, mourn, keep silence, pray, endure crosses manfully: life everlasting is worth all these conflicts, and greater than these.—À Kempis.

These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God.