XVI.

DEPENDENCE UPON GOD.

Man's wisdom is to seek

His strength in God alone;
And e'en an angel would be weak,
Who trusted in his own.

COWPER.

There is no sanctity, if thou, O Lord, withdraw thine hand.

No wisdom availeth, if thou cease to guide;

No courage helpeth, if thou leave off to defend;

No chastity is secure, if thou do not protect it;

No custody of our own availeth, if thy sacred watchfulness be not present with us. —À Kempis.

Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, and my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and the horn of my salvation, and my high tower.

In him we live and move and have our being.

There is no wisdom, nor understanding, nor counsel, against the Lord.

I can do nothing without the help of God, and that even from moment to moment.—St. Athanasius.

The horse is prepared against the day of battle; but safety is of the Lord.

Though I walk in the midst of trouble, thou wilt revive me.

The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety; and the Lord shall cover him all the day long.

I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep; for thou, Lord, makest me dwell in safety.

MORNING.

A

O aid us, great

LMIGHTY Father, again thy hand has lifted up the sun and restored us from sleep and dreams to thoughts of duty and the cares of our worldly business. It is thou that hast done it. We devoutly acknowledge our dependence on thee. Without the air we should gasp and die, and without thy spirit we should instantly become nothing. Thou art the life and law of all. We desire to be ever mindful of this solemn truth. God, to return in love and service, by obedience to thy commands, and kind deeds to our fellowcreatures, the unfailing gifts thou pourest on us. Let a sense of our pervading dependence on thy Spirit deepen our lives, and lead us more earnestly to meditate on thy requirements and consecrate ourselves to thy will. We pray to thee in the name of Jesus. O, hear our prayer, and answer it according to thine infinite wisdom and goodness. Amen.

THO

EVENING.

HOU, O Father, of whose goodness another day has been added to our lives, art still with us as a friend and protector. Accept the thanksgiving which now, with united heart, we offer to thee with our evening devotions. For all our thoughts of peace, this day, we bless thee. For the strength which has been given us to use, and for the means which have been placed in our hands, we acknowledge our dependence upon thee. The day is thine and the night also. The cold and the heat, the seed-time and the harvest, are thine. From thee are bestowed all the good gifts by which our lives are sustained, and by which our home is made comfortable and happy. For these, and for the friends whom we can so fully love and trust, and for the instructions which guide us in the way of knowledge and duty, we thank thee, Almighty Father.

May we have great comfort and peace in the thought that in thee do we live and move and have our being. May we be so at one with thyself that thine own holy purposes may indeed be accomplished in all the various changes of our lives, and in every allotment of prosperity or adversity. May we so completely submit ourselves, and all we have, to thy disposal, that we may have no fear of evil while we do thy will.

Thou knowest, O God, the imperfection of our understanding, and the frailty of our good resolves. But, in thy mercy, wilt thou pardon our ignorance and sin. And, according to thy blessed promises, make thou our strength equal to our duty, and give us wisdom in proportion to our need. Amen.

He that loveth pureness of heart, for the grace of his lips the king shall be his friend.

Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

Every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is pure.

If we did certainly believe that we were members of Christ, and God's temples, how should we but flee from all impurity and corruption of the world. — John Bradford.

Dearly beloved, I beseech you as strangers and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul.

Who shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall stand in his holy place?

He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.

Who can say I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?

Draw nigh unto God, and he will draw nigh unto you. Cleanse your hands and purify your hearts.

Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean.

Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.

Let us draw near with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

Let us consider one another, to provoke unto love and to good works.

MORNING.

THOU infinitely pure and holy God, we, thy dependent children, bless thee for the gift of a new day. We desire to humble ourselves in thy pure and perfect sight. The secrets of our hearts are known to thee. Thou seest every hidden frailty, every impurity in our affections and desires. Reveal to us these stains upon our souls. Save us from examining ourselves by poor and world'7 standards, and lift our eyes to that perfect aw which discerns the thoughts and intents of the heart. Let us never be content until wear its sentence against our open and secret sins