"When through death's dark valley going, I will dread no evil; knowing, Thou, my Shepherd, still art near; January 22nd. "CASTING ALL YOUR CARE UPON HIM; FOR HE CARETH FOR YOU. BE SOBER, BE VIGILANT; BECAUSE YOUR ADVERSARY THE DEVIL, AS A ROARING LION, WALKETH ABOUT, SEEKING WHOM HE MAY DEVOUR: WHOM RESIST, STEADFAST IN THE FAITH."-1 Pet. v. 7-9. OH! who would not love Thee, O Thou King of mercies, though the King of sorrows, that forgettest thine own tortures, to remember a poor petitioner; and mindest not the rackings of Thine own cross, to take care of another soul's deliverance! And who would be ashamed, nay who would not triumph, in a crucified Jesus, that evidenceth such salvation in His very crucifying, that in the deepest of His shame, and in the highest of His pain, and greatest of His weakness shows such pity, such strength, such deliverance, towards a poor wretch, when there is but a span betwixt him and destruction; when the roaring lion had him in his mouth, and it was but three or four hour's journey to have got him in his den. But in comes this great Deliverer, in the very needful nick of time; and, in the midst of all his weakness and anguish, He wrings the lamb out of the jaws of the devourer, and secures him. Verily, I say unto thee, to-day shalt thou be with me in Paradise." DR. LIGHTFOOT. "As a little child relies On a care beyond his own: 66 Thus preserved from Satan's wiles, Till the promis'd hour appears, January 23rd. "BUT THOU, WHEN THOU PRAYEST, ENTER INTO THY CLOSET, AND WHEN THOU HAST SHUT THY DOOR, PRAY TO THY FATHER WHICH IS IN SECRET ; AND THY FATHER WHICH SEETH IN SECRET SHALL REWARD THEE OPENLY." -Matt. vi. 6. WHEN I direct my prayer, I will "direct it to Thee." And so it speaks the sincerity of one habitual intention in prayer. We must not direct our prayer to men, that we may gain praise and applause with them, as the pharisees did, who proclaimed their devotions as they did their alms, that they might gain a reputation, which they knew how to make a hand of. "Verily, they have their reward ; men commend them, but God abhors their pride and hypocrisy. We must not let our prayers run at large, as they did who said, "Who will show us any good?" nor direct them to the world, courting its smiles, and pursuing its wealth, as those who are therefore said not to " cry unto God with their hearts," because they "assembled themselves for corn and wine." Let not self, carnal self, be the spring and centre of your prayers, but God; let the eye of the soul be fixed upon Him as your highest end in all your applications to Him; let this be the habitual disposition of your souls, to be to your God for a name and a praise; and let this be your design in all your desires, that God may be glorified, and by this let them all be directed, determined, sanctified, and, when need is, overruled. Our Saviour has plainly taught us this in the first petition of the Lord's Prayer, which is, His Father's unspeakable love, and shall I not trust Him wh has proclaimed His love by such a messenger from heaven? BAXTER. "Christ is my pilot, wise, My compass is His word, While I have such a Lord; I trust His faithfulness and power, To see me in the trying hour." January 25th. "HE (THE LORD) WILL BEAUTIFY THE MEEK WITH SALVATION."-Psal cxlix. 4. 66 AND IF YE Pet. iii. 14. SUFFER FOR RIGHTEOUSNESS' SAKE, HAPPY ARE YE.”— ALL this is for the humble and poor in spirit. How does tha agree-poor and yet blessed? O yes, poor in ourselves, bu yet blessed and glorious in Christ. If we never experience Hi glory, the reason is, we are not truly sensible of our misery but when we come quite low, let us confidently lay hold on Christ, and we shall be blessed; for all is ours. We may say O Lord, if Thou art a glorious help to the needy, lo! here is want and misery enough! therefore I come, with all my want and poverty, to the fulness of Thy grace and riches; with my darkness to Thy light; with my death to Thy life. Grant that all my evils may be swallowed up by Thy goodness and glorious deliverance. Mine innumerable wants I set before Thee, as so many empty vessels, and desire to have them filled with Thy spiritual and heavenly blessings. BOGATZKY'S GOLDEN TREASURY. "THE LORD IS GOOD UNTO THEM THAT WAIT FOR HIM, TO THE SOUL THAT SEEKETH HIM."-Lam. iii. 25. How often hast thou found thyself, at the entrance into a duty, becalmed, as a ship which at first setting sail, hath hardly wind to swell its sails, while under the shore and shadow of the trees, but meets a fresh gale of wind when got into the open sea! Yea, didst thou ever launch out to duty as the apostles to sea-with the wind in thy face, as if the Spirit of God, instead of helping thee on, meant to drive thee back, and yet hast found Christ walking to thee before the duty was done, and a prosperous voyage made of it at last? not the ram which God had provided for his sacrifice till he was Abraham saw on the mount. In the mount of prayer God is seen, even when the Christian often goes up the hill towards duty with a heavy heart; because he can as yet have no sight of Him. not, therefore, back, but go on with Turn han thou thinkest; "In that same hour," saith Christ, "it hall be given unto you." (Matt. x. 19.) |