worldly heart, that I may love Thee according to thy long suffering and most tender mercy. Let thy Holy Spirit reveal to me my blindness and error, whereinsoever I am otherwise minded than it is thy will I should desire ; and let me find in my heart to pray such prayers only as are most suitable to the relief of my necessity, and the setting forth of thy glory. Help me to pray to Thee, when I know not how to speak by the reason of my many troubles and hindrances; help me in all times of my religious exercises, and when my affections are cold, and my thoughts wandering, and unequal to this my bounden duty and give me such desires as Thou wilt mercifully fulfil, to the silencing of all my fears, and the support of my soul, in all discouragements, that I may cheerfully persevere

in hope of thy guidance and acceptance all the days of my life, through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

Amen.

FOR THURSDAY NIGHT.

I.

As in a family there are more children than others, so is it in the family of Christ, to which we belong, there are more weak, more doubting, than assured believers; we look upon the probability of our pardon before we dare look beyond. We know that God and his word are unchangeable, but we know not how soon our state may change; how soon our faith may fail; how soon, how suddenly we may fall. We know not what we shall be purposing or doing not many days hence, any more than we know

what will be the actions or thoughts of the stranger we may never see; aad so we are afraid of our own uncertainty. Yet doth the Gospel of Christ bid us be of good cheer, only believe, according to the means and measure of God's grace vouchsafed to us, and the effect of prayer and his holy word upon our hearts: only believe according to his communication of daily increasing light, and the daily increasing evidence of his goodness and truth, and of his spiritual communion with the soul, and all will be well. Our Blessed Lord knoweth the infirmity of our faith, as He knoweth the weakness of our resolutions, and refers to it when He upholds his apostle upon the boisterous waves, with tender reproof, and not with dread severity: "O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou

doubt ?" He comforted his disciples' sadness by the affecting question, "Why do thoughts arise in your hearts?" and hath promised, that as our day is, so our strength shall be. Are we weak, it is a comfort to hear the Divine commission: "Him that is weak in faith receive"-to know that we must have our childhood in grace and knowledge, and that faith shall grow out of our prayerful doubting; and that faith shall end in quietness and assurance for ever.

II.

The humility of our sense of weakness is precious in God's sight, and blessed because it has no far flights of worldly strength, and no complaints of worldly disappointment, but is like the still rest which we have sighed for, when our spirit has been

weary and vexed within us. How beautiful are the Saviour's words,

when He says, "Blessed are the

meek 1."

Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein. And he took them up in his arms, put his hands upon them, and blessed them. Mark x. 15, 16.

III.

Life is already ours, the interminable race is begun, and God has placed within our reach all that can conduce to restore the innocence and purity of our nature, and tend to its perfection. Let us not think that our prayer is vain, as the prayer of a

1 Matt v. 5.