own lives and to correct our own faults, that we may be more fitting instruments and examples of good to others.

Father! may we lie down to rest with hearts at peace with thee and with all thy creatures. May the remainder of our days be spent more wisely than the past. And when the shadows of death shall darken our mortal sight, may our faith be cheered with the dawning visions of eternal day. And to thee will we give endless praises, as our God and Father, and the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

XV.

THE CHRISTIAN LIFE A WARFARE.

A soldier's course, from battles won,

To new-commencing strife;
A pilgrim's, restless as the sun;

Behold the Christian's life!

GISBORNE.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace, but a sword.

Put on the whole armor of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

This charge I commit unto thee, that thou mightest war a good warfare;

Holding faith and a good conscience; which some having put away, concerning faith have made shipwreck.

But then follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness.

Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life.
Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus.

Therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ.

No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier.

And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned except he strive lawfully.

The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;

Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ.

No triumphs are comparable to those of piety, no trophies so magnificent and durable as those which victorious faith erecteth. Barrow.

MORNING.

UR Father, who art in heaven, and our God;

OUR

awakened to the light of another day, we come to thee with the grateful offerings of our hearts. We thank thee, O God, for the continuance of our lives, and the renewal of our energies; and for the freshness and vigor with which we are enabled to go forth again to our labors and our duties.

As this day upon which we have entered shall be to each one of us, so let our strength be, we beseech thee, O our Father. As we shall be beset by sins, and shall meet with temptations, wilt thou aid us by thy heavenly grace in overcoming and resisting them. If hard trials and experiences await us; if disappointments and afflictions shall fall to our lot; if heavy burdens shall be laid upon us,-give us wisdom, we beseech thee, to see thy hand in them, and by thy Holy Spirit in our hearts breathe into us the spirit of devout submission.

O our Father! we feel that we are weak and ignorant and sinful; but thou art holy and just and good. Our trust is in thee; our hope is in thee. We know that, if we seek help of thee, thou wilt give us help according to our needs; for this assurance we have from our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ; and that thou wilt not suffer us to be overcome and cast down in our conflicts in this world, but wilt make them the means by which our strength shall be renewed and our faith deepened, and so by them we shall day by day be prepared for the great warfare in which we are called to

engage.

Do thou be with us all this day, our Heavenly Father, our defence and our salvation in every hour of danger and of evil. If consistent with thy holy will, do thou preserve us from sickness and suffering and sorrow. We entreat thy blessing for our

friends, and for all who are near and dear to us. Do thou keep them, and lead them by thy wisdom into all righteousness and truth and peace.

And we pray, O God, that thy kingdom may come and thy will may be done here on earth even as it is done in heaven. And thine shall be the praise and the glory now and evermore. Amen.

A

EVENING.

LMIGHTY God, thy power and love have been over us during the busy hours of the day, while we were engaged in the duties and enjoyments of active life. May the thought of thy continued presence hallow all our other thoughts, blending with all that we say and all that we do, making our labor prayer, and our happiness thanksgiving. Wilt thou strengthen us every day for the work that thou givest us to do. If it be arduous, may we take courage from the prize of our high calling, and the hope that is full of immortality. If it require self-denial, may we look to the cross, and drink in the spirit of the Crucified. Wilt thou arm us against the temptations that may beset our path. Let not appetite or passion, low desire or unworthy love, make us forgetful of our divine sonship, and of the glorious destiny that awaits him who is faithful unto the end. May we take to ourselves the weapons of our Saviour's warfare ;

E

may we pray with all diligence, and watch constantly against evil, and thus may we come off more than conquerors. And not only may we resist the allurements of sin, may we feel that incessant progress is at once our sacred duty and our blessed privilege; that, if we indeed belong to Christ, we must be his close and ever closer followers; and that our assurance of heavenly happiness can be made firm and clear only by having all our steps on earth tend heavenward. May we keep in mind the frailty of life and the possible nearness of death; and wilt thou grant us grace so to live that to die shall be gain. Take us under thy merciful care this night.

Bless, with us, those whom thou hast given us. May they all be thine; and may every tie of kindred and affection be made the stronger and the dearer by Christian sympathy and a common interest in the great salvation. We commend to thee the poor, sick, and suffering; those in error, ignorance, and sin; those who know not thee and obey not thy Gospel. May thy kingdom come, and thy will be done on earth as it is done in heaven; for thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.