manifest proof of thine; their variety of thy unity, then mutability of thy eternal duration. This thy wisdom, which displays itself in all the works of creation shall instil into my soul love, confidence, joy and obedience. If I sometimes behold confusion and disorder in the world, when I see the frustration of good and virtuous designs, when I see the oppression of the pious and the good or the preference which is given to the vicious; when I cannot reconcile to myself the visible contradictions in the fate of men; then will I raise my eyes to thee, and commend to thee all my ways. Thou wilt regulate everything for the best, under thy gracious government, the good will at last be victorious over the evil. Thou knowest how to bring forth light out of darkness, and the apparent discord will at last be blended in the finest harmony.

O thou monarch of our earth, let us fall down and worship thee. Easier can the mole from its hillock overlook ins blindness the kingdom in which it lives, than I can survey the monarchy of thy infinite universe. The star which we behold in its immeasurable distance, is but the vestibule of thy celestial palace; it is but one of the suburbs of thy divine city. O thou Infinite Being, exalted above all others, how shall a humble creature like myself presume to speak of thy Omnipotence? the highest flight of human imagination cannot reach the footstool of thy throne. Everything tells of thee; it tells of God, my Father, of the Great Creator of the Universe. By thy Son, my blessed Redeemer, hast thou been revealed to me in a more glorious light than ever shone upon the Heathen; by his spirit have I been led to the knowledge of thee, and of the wonderous works which thou hast accomplished for the benefit of thy creatures. O praise the Lord, my soul, let me not forget the dictates of his wisdom, but in the contemplation of his creations learn to worship and adore him as my kind, my beneficent Father in Heaven.

JANUARY XX

THE PIOUS CHRISTIAN ON RETIRING TO SLEEP

THE host of Heaven worship thee O Lord, and we creatures of the dust prostrate ourselves before thee, and adore thy holy Name. O thou power of God, thou holy and infinite Spirit, do thou purify and sanctify me. Strengthen me, O Lord, in all good works, and fill me with the compassionate love, in which Christ, my Saviour, suffered and died. Comfort me, O thou power of God, when my confidence in myself grows weak, and I begin to doubt of the possibility of ever becoming holy and spotless in my conduct, when my sins torment me, and my consoling hope in the grace and compassion of the Eternal is about to vanish. What can I do without thee? O thou Spirit of God, through thee alone do I live, and am able to accomplish all things.

"They rest from their labours, and their works do follow them." Such are the blessed souls, who have suffered and done much for the honour of the Lord. By the peace and joy of Heaven, they will be amply compensated for all their labours and sufferings. O that I may be one day one of their number-and that I may so finish the work that has been confided to me, that I may enjoy the hope of reaping so glorious a harvest. One day will it be said, "call the labourers, that they may receive their reward." I know that I shall reap in another world, that which I have sown in this. I cannot too often, nor too forcibly impress the great and important thought upon me, that with this world everything is not at an end; that my future state stands in the closest connexion with my present one, and that a good and virtuous life is followed by a blessed eternity, although I may be deprived of much by death, still will the consciousness of the manner in which I have spent my life on earth, and the knowledge of my true and proper condition, follow me into the invisible ealm of departed spirits. And how

great will there my happiness be, if my good works follow me; if I be able to recall to my memory many noble feelings, many virtuous actions. And even, if on the earth I be doomed to suffer privation, affliction, and adversity, eternity will repay me all.

Every rest, which I here enjoy after fatigue and labour is a very just emblem of the happiness which I shall once enjoy in another world. O how sweet is rest after our labour has been satisfactorily accomplished. How sweet and refreshing is sleep after a day passed in useful and honest industry. Sleep is the best friend of the wretched, the best restorer of the weary. And night and sleep proceed from the wise institution of the benevolent Creator of nature and man. How miserable is the man, who is so goaded and tormented by his conscience, that he cannot sleep, or whose nerves are so relaxed by debauchery, voluptuousness and indolence, that sleep instead of refreshing weakens and enervates him. O how strenuous should be my endeavours, by regular and constant activity, to procure for myself the blessing of a wholesome and refreshing sleep.

I thank thee my Heavenly Father, that thou hast permitted me to survive this day. The sun has sunk beneath the horizon; night has covered all things with her gloomy veil-men and animals are at rest. I however cannot lay myself to rest, before I have offered up to God my evening sacrifice. O Lord, thou art the God, who hast prolonged my life through the day that is past. Thou didst bestow upon me powers, wherewith I could fulfil the duties of my vocation; thou didst present me with frequent opportunities of doing good. My exhausted nature longs for rest, and even that, in thy goodness wilt thou grant me. O God, close my eyes with the thoughts, that thou art my Father, and that thou watchest over thy child. Remove from me, and all belonging to me, every danger and evil, which might befall us, and take us under thy holy protection,

Let me,

when we are unconscious of ourselves. O God, thou who art the source of all happiness, in thee only does my soul find rest. I thank thee that thou hast concealed the future from me, for even this happy ignorance of my future fate is confirmatory of my peace. For were I possessed of the knowledge, that I should be in the enjoyment of prosperity, I might become arrogant and supercilious, and on the other hand, were I to know that adversity would be my fate, or that misery and misfortune would overtake me, I should become melancholy, depressed, and overcome with despair. Let however my fate be whatever it may, I know that it comes from thee, and to those, who love thee, everything must contribute to their good. This world is not the seat of uninterrupted rest and happiness. The sun of our cheerfulness is often obscured and dimmed by the clouds of suffering and affliction. But it will one day, provided I be patient and firm, burst forth with glorious splendour. O Lord, take compassion on all those, who are suffering innocently, and whose eyes instead of being closed in sleep are filled with tears. O Lord! let the light of hope shine on all those, who are in prison, who are on the sea, or who are stretched on the bed of sickness, or pass their sleepless nights in the huts of misery. Grant me thy grace that in the morning I may awake in health, and again bend my knee to thee in praise and worship of thy glorious name. Should, however, this night be my last; then, O God, guide me by thy hand, to thy eternal rest. O what an exhilirating prospect to enjoy such a holy day after the close of all my labours, to taste so sweet a refreshment after so much contest and struggling, to find myself in so blessed a haven, after the weathering of so many storms. O there is peace in Heaven for the people of God. O let me here have a fore taste of it-let me enjoy it in reality in another world.

JANUARY XXI.

THE CHRISTIAN UNDER MISFORTUNE.

WHEN in my mind I reflect upon the host of evils, by which the human race are, as it were, besieged, I then from my heart deplore the fate of humanity. How various are the aberrations of our heart and understanding, and how many sins and errors rise therefrom, which have nothing in their train but misery and misfortune. It is certain that man brings many, very many sufferings upon himself, but on the other hand, there are many other misfortunes and accidents which befall us without our fault, and which with all our care and foresight, we are not able to avert. But I will not lift the veil of the miseries to which men are subject, but I will rather dwell upon the consolations, which under the pressure of the severest calamity are able to support us. Comfort thyself, O my soul, and under every circumstance place thy trust in God. He it is, who governs all things, and who permits evil to come upon us, that our good may ultimately spring from it. Under his gracious Providence stand all the occurrences and vicissitudes of my life. When I shall one day in Eternity be able to read a few pages in the book of fate, I shall then be able better to perceive, why all things were so constituted, and not otherwise! I shall learn, with thanks and praise to the Supreme Being, that much which here grieved and afflicted me, was in reality conducive to my ultimate happiness. I am not the only sufferer in this world, for every one of my fellow creatures, whether high or low, rich or poor, wise or ignorant, has each his destined burden to sustain. And, were I with greater diligence to calculate the amount of good, which has flowed to me from the hand of God, and that which I now really enjoy, so would the far lesser evil, by which I was to be purified, not excite me to murmurs and discontent. How much is the good which I have enjoyed this day, and how great is the grace that I still live.