EVENING DEVOTIONS.

JANUARY I.

REFLECTIONS ON THE NEW YEAR.

Ir is midnight. In this minute the year that has passed is separated from that which is to come. The cadences of the bells as they fall upon my ear, are to me as the passingbell of the departed year. As a drop, it is now swallowed up in the ocean of Eternity, and from this moment commences a new year. Reflect, O my soul, on this flight of time, and consecrate the first moments of the year to the Lord, thy God. The first day of the year is memorable to me for two reasons; for, in the first place, it reminds me of the fleetness of time, of the brevity of human life, and the mutability and instability of all things; and secondly, as the day of the circumcision of our Lord Jesus, it reminds me of the benefits and obligations of my Christian faith. On this day was our Saviour called Jesus, according to the express command of God, and the name itself is for me, as one of his professors, highly important and consolatory. To my Redeemer am I inexpressibly indebted, and as a Christian, I cannot on this day form a better resolution than to commence, to continue, and to terminate this year, and the whole remaining period of my life, which God will permit me to live, in the name and worship of Jesus Christ. O Creator of Heaven and earth! Governor of all worlds! Lord of time and eternity! God! thou, who art the source

of all life, of all power, and all happiness, thou who createst and destroyest-thou who woundest and healest-thou who givest and takest away, thou who killest and givest life-thou who revealest thyself in every thing which is and happens, as the God of love; with reverence and joy my soul prostrates itself at the footstool of thy glorious throne, and offers up its adoration to thee. O thou Eternal! thou who surveyest the past, the present, and the future with one look-O thou Immortal, and Imperishable, thou, who remainest as thou art, and whose years know no endto thee, to thee, do I exalt my eye-my hand and my heart in this important moment of my life.

Above all, I implore thy boundless compassion, that thou in thy grace and favour wilt forgive me every thing which I may have committed during the preceding year, from obstinacy or ignorance, from precipitation or weakness, from temptation or from design, against thee and thy holy law, against my conscience, against my fellow creatures, or against myself. Lord! enter not into judgement with me. Father! take compassion on thy weak and tottering child. With the fullest confidence I place my trust in the merits of my Redeemer, and supplicate for the grace, that the sins which I have committed may be pardoned, and that I may have power, and assistance to eschew all evil for the future. O Lord! thou, who canst tell, how often I have sinned, do thou forgive the sins which I have committed in secret. If it be thy will that this year should be my last, Oh, let me die tranquilly and composedly. But if thou perceivest, that I am not yet prepared for eternity, Oh, then let my sojourn here be protracted. Perhaps, although I may hitherto have been an unfruitful tree, yet I may in future bear some good fruit. Oh! whom have I in Heaven and earth but thee, in whom I can confide, and who is able to grant me consolation?

The forthcoming year, the future and eternity, all lie before me in a clouded prospect, and I know not to what

changes I may be exposed. But for my consolation it is enough to know, that not only my fate, but that of the whole world is subject to thy most wise and righteous government. O God! Father of mankind! look down with pity and compassion on all thy creatures here below. Enlighten the people with the light of thy divine wisdom; break the chains of slavery; dispel the mists of ignorance and superstition; let thy kingdom of light, of truth of justice, of freedom and happiness be more and more extended amongst us. Bless every Christian community, and let the preaching of thy word produce the most blessed fruits in the hearts of men. Banish from the earth, the spirit of persecution on account of religion, which has been the cause of so much misery, sorrow, and affliction. May we all begin to love thee as our Father, and our fellow men as our brethren, and may we prove the sincerity of our Christianity, by a virtuous and pious life, and a rational and honest conduct. Enlighten the ignorant ; grant the blessing of thy confirmation to those who are in doubt; lead those who have strayed, back again into the path of truth; console those who are afflicted, and are in trouble; strengthen the weak; refresh the sick; be the friend of those who are in necessity and danger, and conduct the dying through the vale of death to the light of a blessed eternity. Yes, O God, under thy guidance and direction, every thing will prove to be for the best. To thee, O God, who canst accomplish more, than what I for or understand, to thee be all praise, and thanks, and adoration, now and throughout all eternity,

JANUARY II.

pray

JESUS THE BEGINNER AND FINISHER OF OUR FAITH.

My God and Father! By thy grace have I survived another day. Accept the offering of my thanks, which I now present to thee, before my eves are closed in sleep, but I will

not lay myself to sleep until I have entered into an examination of myself, whether during the day that has now passed, my conduct has been that of the real Christian. Thy Son, O God, has left me an example, with his footsteps he has, as it were, pointed out to me the path in which I ought to walk. Wert thou, O my God, during the day the most cherished and favourite thought of my soul. Did my mind, amidst all the employments and distractions of life, remain constantly directed towards thee? Was I like my Jesus, so chaste, so abstemious and moderate; so humble and patient, so indulgent and benevolent, so noble and disinterested, so laborious and active? O God, much in me is still wanting, before I shall be able to say that I am penetrated with the love of Christ, that the spirit of Christ animates me, that I am really that which I call myself-a Christian. Father of all compassion and grace, have patience and pity with the weaknesses and defects of thy tottering child. Thou knowest, O Father, how willingly I would become better and more perfect. But I still live in a world, which is sunk in iniquity; I am still surrounded by many bad examples; I am still in contention with my own heart, in which so many impure desires arise, but which at the same time are so flattering and enticing. But, whatever I cannot boast of being at present, that can I become through the power of thy grace. If it be thy will that my life should be prolonged, O let me increase in learning in the school of Jesus, and be always better educated in the ways which lead to eternity. Let me continually avoid all evil, and be confirmed more and more, in whatever is good. Such is my sincerest wish, and thither do all my endeavours tend.

And is not the doctrine of my Jesus truly divine? and were it not confirmed by miracles, and were it not sealed with his blood, it is in itself a miracle, a rising sun in the darkness of every mind; it is the bond of union of every man with God-it is the ladder by which we ascend to the spiritual world. Men could not have invented it, and he,

who did invent it, must have had a thorough insight into all the obscure ordinances of creation, and who could accomplish this, before Jesus appeared on earth? Where is the wisdom which could be compared to the wisdom of Jesus? Who like him embraced in the simplest connexion, the most important concerns of the human race of all ages? Who like him gave in a few words the key to the solution of all the problems of life-and in words in which the wisest perceived the greatest wisdom, and the darkened understanding of the ignorant, the brightest light? in words-which tell us, that God is our Father, our everlasting Judge and Benefactor.

O my Creator and Father! I thank thee for the faith which thy beloved Son has taught me. Incline my heart, to think and act as worthy of it. Let love and gratitude animate my heart and life, and make me a participant of the fruits and blessings of salvation. I am thine, O God, and will remain so, now, and for all eternity.

JANUARY III.

THE ASSISTANCE OF THE DIVINE BEING.

HITHERTO HATH THE LORD HELPED US. So is it written in the Holy Scriptures, and so am I able to say at the end of every year, of every month, and day. With the praise and glory of the divine goodness, I can hourly exclaim, Hitherto hath the Lord helped us, and in those words lies the exhilirating, consoling thought-that God, who has hitherto helped me, will continue to help me. All the proofs which I have hitherto received of his gracious Providence are to me a pledge of his future, fatherly love.

When I take a retrospective view of the years, the months, the weeks, and days of my life, which have now vanished like a dream, I perceive many dangers, accidents, embarrassments and changes, but God has happily helped me through them all. Many a mountain has been surmounted; many a