He cared for me before I knew

That I had such a friend;
When my first feeble breath I drew
He did my life defend.

He keeps me still by His great power

From danger, night and day;

I could not live a single hour
If He were far away.

But He is always near and kind,
And loves to hear my prayer;
May I His tender mercy find,
And trust His love and care.

THE MISSIONARY SHIP.

I SEE the ships upon the sea
That noiselessly go by,
As white upon the waters blue
As doves in yonder sky.

And men are glad the ships to watch
That bring them goodly things,
Silver and gold, and raiment soft,
Beneath their broad white wings.

But I should like to look upon
The ship that goes afar,

With Christ our Saviour's messengers,
Where heathen children are;

With holy books, that they may read
How kind our Lord has been;
For such a ship, I think, must be
The fairest ever seen.

THE DOVE.

I KNEW a little sickly child;

The long, long summer's day,

When all the world was green and bright

Alone in bed he lay.

There used to come a little dove

Before his window small,

And sing to him, with her sweet voice,

Out of the fir-tree tall.

And when the sick child better grew,
And he could crawl along,
Close to that window he would creep,

And listen to her song;
And he was gentle in his speech,

And quiet at his play,

He would not for the world have made
That sweet bird fly away.

There is a Holy Dove that sings
To every Christian child,—
That whispers to his little heart
A song as sweet and mild.
It is the HOLY SPIRIT of GOD,

That speaks his soul within,

That leads him on to all things good,

And holds him back from sin.

And he must hear that still small voice,
Nor tempt it to depart,—

The Spirit great and wonderful,

That whispers to his heart.

He must be pure, and good, and true,

Must strive, and watch, and pray,

For unresisted sin at last

Will drive that Dove away.

MORNING HYMN.

FATHER, Thou hast heard my prayer,
And I own thy tender care;
For, by Thee in safety kept,

I have laid me down and slept.
Teach me now my heart to raise
In a morning hymn of praise;
And for Jesus' sake, I pray,
Bless and keep me through the day.

EVENING HYMN.

GLORY to Thee, my God, this night, For all the blessings of the light! Keep me, oh, keep me, King of kings, Under Thine own almighty wings!

Forgive me, Lord, for Thy dear Son,
The ills which I this day have done;
That with the world, myself, and Thee,
I, ere I sleep, at peace may be.

Teach me to live, that I may dread
The grave as little as my bed;
Teach me to die, that so I may

Rise glorious at the awful day.

repose,

Oh, may my soul on Thee
And may sweet sleep mine eyelids close;

Sleep that shall me more vig'rous make
To serve my God when I awake.

If in the night I sleepless lie,

My soul with heav'nly thoughts supply;
Let no ill dreams disturb my rest,
No powers of darkness me molest.

MORNING HYMN.

AWAKE, my soul, and with the sun
Thy daily stage of duty run;
Shake off dull sloth, and early rise
To pay thy morning sacrifice.

Redeem thy misspent moments past,
And live this day as 'twere the last;
Thy talents to improve take care;
For the great day thyself prepare.

Lord! I my vows to Thee renew:

Scatter my sins as morning dew;

Guard my first springs of thought and will,

And with Thyself my spirit fill.

Direct, control, suggest, this day,

All I design, or do, or say;

That all my powers, with all their might,

In thy sole glory may unite.

Let all my converse be sincere,

My conscience as the noonday clear;

For Thine all-seeing eye surveys

My secret thoughts, my works and ways.