HE

EVENING.

EAVENLY Father, we implore thy blessing, surrounded as we are by a world of temptation and danger. Give us, we beseech thee, that wisdom which is from above, that we may be able to discern between the things that differ in thy sight, and to choose always that which is right. May we take fast hold of instruction, and not let her go; may we keep her, knowing that she is our life. May we incline our ear to wisdom, and apply our heart to understanding, and depart from all evil. Preserve us from that pride which goeth before destruction, and from that haughty spirit which precedeth a fall. Guard us from undue confidence in our own wisdom when apart from thee; endow us with a meek and teachable disposition, that we may look up to thee for help in every hour of exposure and peril. Ever may we watch against the approach of our spiritual enemies, putting on the whole armor of faith and salvation. We would listen reverently to the admonition and reproof of conscience, and to the voice of thy Son, our dear Saviour. By acknowledging and forsaking our past errors, may we be saved and shielded against future sins. Thou art teaching us daily by the course of thy providence and the secret counsels of thy Holy Spirit; let not these solemn lessons be ever lost upon us.

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Give us an eye to see the constant evidence there is of thy moral government over us, and that thou, the Righteous One, lovest righteousness and hatest iniquity. May we be thoroughly convinced that there is no true and lasting peace to those who do evil, and that it is always well with those who keep thy commandments. Thou art our Father, help us to be thy loving and obedient children, rejoicing to know thy blessed will, and to do it with our whole hearts. We would submit ourselves to the guidance of thy unerring counsels, and pray that none of the deceitful pleasures of sin may seduce us into the path of the transgressor. Establish thou us in the firm control of our passions, and the steady government of our hearts and our whole lives. Help us to discern the certainty and the value of the recompense thou hast prepared for persevering virtue, and to know by our own happy experience that in keeping thy commands there is a present and great reward. Let our views of thee be so clear and so tender and affecting that we shall never grow weary of well-doing. Now unto Him who is able to keep us from falling, and to present us without blame before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy, to God only wise, be glory forever. Amen.

LXII.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING.

Prayer is the soul's sincere desire,

Uttered or unexpressed;

The motion of a hidden fire

That trembles in the breast.

MONTGOMERY.

Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.

Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.

This is the confidence we have in God, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.

How good is God! who will not only give us what we pray for, but will reward us for going to him, and laying our wants before him. Wilson.

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May I wait with patience, and leave it to thee how and when to grant my petitions. Wilson.

Το pray is to say, Let thy will be done; it is to form a good purpose; it is to raise our hearts to God; it is to lament our weakness; it is to sigh at the recollection of our frequent disobedience. - Fénelon.

Ask not for that which is delightful and profitable to thee, but for that which is acceptable to God;

For those desires are not pure and perfect which are tinctured with the love of thine own special interest and advantage. À Kempis.

Prayers are but the body of the bird; desires are its angel's wings. - Taylor.

What is the Almighty, saith the wicked, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have if we pray unto him?

From the few hours we spend in prayer and the exercises of a pious life the return is great and profitable; and what we sow in the minutes and spare portions of a few years, grows up to crowns and sceptres in a happy and glorious eternity. — Taylor.

The heart without the tongue may pierce the ears of heaven, the tongue without the heart speaks an unknown language. Rather speak three words in a speech that God knows, than pray three hours in a language that he understands not. Warwick.

Pray without ceasing; not in mere words, but in so living united to God, in your affections and thoughts, that your life shall be one long and continued prayer.- St. Basil.

O

MORNING.

THOU who art our life and the length of our days, may we at all times set thee before us in everything we design, do, or undertake. In every period of our life we would avail ourselves of those opportunities which are suited to enlarge our conceptions of thee, and to acquaint us with our whole duty to thee, to show us our dependence, to correct our wrong inclinations, to guard us against false and criminal suggestions, and to confirm us in all good

principles and habits.

In whatever employments

we may engage, or into whatever relations we may enter, O keep thou us constantly aware of thy presence, and mindful that this is but a preparatory scene, and that our preparation for another life will consist in the proper discharge of the duties of the present.

Thou, O God, art full of truth, purity, holiness, and love! Pour down these great gifts continually, we pray thee, upon us. Shed upon us every hour of our lives thy renewing and sanctifying power, that our minds may be lifted toward thee while our hands are occupied with life's tasks. Let our hearts be so filled with the love of thy law, that we shall hate all vain thoughts, and shun whatever would lead us to wander from thy commandments. Be thou our hiding-place in danger, and our shield against the subtlety and evil influence of others, that they may never, by their persuasions or example, ensnare our souls. We implore thee to be our strength and our stay, that we may always walk with the wise and the pure, and find our delight in being with them that love thee.

God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, help us to be one with him as he is one with thee, that we may enjoy, like him, the sweet consciousness that thou hearest us always. We ask for an ever firm faith in all the truths thou didst send him to teach. May we daily hear thy voice remind us through him