LVII. HIS COMPASSIONS FAIL NOT. Fountain of light, and living breath, To see thy power and sing thy praise. JOHN QUARLES. It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. Though he cause grief, yet will he have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. Behold, the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear. The Lord is slow to anger, and great in power, and will not at all acquit the wicked. But thou, Lord, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. O, how great is thy goodness which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee! The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. When I said, My foot slippeth, thy mercy, O Lord, held me up. I will praise thee, O Lord my God, with all my heart; and I will glorify thy name forevermore. I will sing of the mercies of the Lord forever. O, satisfy us early with thy mercy; that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. O, come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker. FAT MORNING. ATHER of mercies, we thank thee yet again for thy kindness. That we are all here together to unite in prayer and in thankfulness, we praise thee. That thou hast given us a happy home, and hast bound us together in the ties of thine own dear love, we thank thee. Forgive us that we ever try to break those ties in our impatience or anger. Forgive us for our passionate words, or for our unkind acts. And grant that today we may all live together as thine own children should, giving each to each of the blessings thou hast given to us, and thankful each to each for all that we receive from each other. So be pleased, each day, to make this home thine own home, to lead us all with a Father's hand, and in our faith, and hope, and love here to bring us nearer and nearer to thyself. We ask it and hope for it, trusting in the promises of thy Son. Amen. EVENING. YOD of all comfort and strength, we know that GOD thou drawest near to thy children who seek thee, in their hours of trial and solicitude. When fond earthly hopes fail, thou, in thine unchangeable goodness and thy all-perfect compassion, dost lift upon us the light of thy countenance, to give us peace. Of thy goodness it is that our life is continued. From thee is the source of every cheering hope of the future. And thou, in thy far-reaching providence, art touching our hearts in all the ways by which we are called to set our affections less upon things of the earth, and things which perish with the using, and to set them more upon what is unfailing and eternal in the heavens. By all the discipline of life thou wouldst bring us closer to thee. We would feel that in the best earthly friendships, and in the nearest ties of human kindred, we see but an imperfect token of the infinite tenderness of thy compassion. Grant that we may with all confidence commit to thee what belongs to the welfare of our household and of the friends whom we love. Grant that we may rest with quietness of heart upon all the disposals made by the Wisdom which is so much higher than ours. May we be happy in the certainty that thou wilt, hereafter, show us what now we know not. Prepare us to be partakers of that higher life which is to be revealed. Of thy tender mercy, forgive whatever is unworthy in us. Bring us into the fulness of thy light and peace, and let there be upon our lips and in our hearts a new song, even praise unto our God. Amen. Whosoever believeth in Jesus Christ shall not perish, but have eternal life. Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth that Jesus is the Son of God. I believe: Lord, increase my faith; and let it be unto thy servant according to this word. - Wilson. For there is one God, and one Mediator between God and man, the man Christ Jesus. Wherefore God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, and every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest: If thou passest through the fire, I will not be torn from thee: I will fear no evil since thou art with me. - St. Bernard. A man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ: even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ. But if while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord. That I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God through faith. MORNING. GOD, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, in the morning, now we have awoke from our death-like slumber, shalt thou again hear our voice. The light of a new day, sent forth by thee, and spread over earth and sea and sky, is again shining into our dwellings: let the light of thy truth shine in our hearts, and may there be in us no darkness at all. The air savors of thy love, bird and beast sing of thy wisdom, and incense is going up to thee from ten thousand urns; how un |