HE

E that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men.

And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come.

Either make the tree good, and his fruit good; or else make the tree corrupt, and his fruit corrupt: for the tree is known by his fruit.

And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.

HE

WHERE human weakness has come short,

Or frailty stepped aside,

Do thou, all good! for such thou art,

In shades of darkness hide.

Where with intention I have erred,

No other plea I have

But, thou art good; and goodness still
Delighteth to forgive.

EAVENLY Father, may our souls be earnest in the love of truth, and evermore seek truth in inward thought and outward act. May truth be in our innermost thoughts at all times: in the market-place and the home; in daily duties and in midnight solitude; in business, in pleasure, in study, in conversation, in all our words and deeds. May nothing keep us from learning thy truth and obeying it. If our right eye offend thee, may we be ready to pluck it out, or to cut off our right hand ere it shall do wrong. May we help one another, and know and feel that it is impious to ask thy help while we do not regard each fellow-being as a brother, or while we suffer ourselves by wrong-doing to stand as stumbling-blocks in each other's way. Amen.

L

O, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone ;

The flowers appear upon the earth, the time of the singing of birds is come, and the voice of the turtle is heard in our land.

Stand still, and consider the wondrous works of God. Dost thou know when God disposed them, and caused the light of his cloud to shine? How thy garments are warm, when he quieteth the earth by the south wind?

Thou visitest the earth and waterest it; thou greatly enrichest it with the river of God, which is full of water: thou preparest them corn when thou hast so provided for it. Thou waterest the ridges thereof abundantly: thou settlest the furrows thereof: thou makest it soft with showers: thou blessest the springing thereof.

THE Springtide hour brings leaf and flower,

With songs of life and love;

And many a lay wears out the day

In many a leafy grove.

Bird, nower, and tree seem to agree
Their choicest gifts to bring;

But this poor heart bears not its part:
In it there is no spring.

Lord, let thy love fresh from above,
Soft as the south wind blow:

Call forth its bloom, wake its perfume,
And bid its spices flow !

And when thy voice makes earth rejoice,
And the hills laugh and sing,

Lord, make this heart to bear its part,
And join the praise of spring.

GOD, the Creator and Preserver of all things, who causest the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man; who bringest forth fruit out of the earth, and dost bless the springing thereof: be pleased graciously to look down from thy holy habitation in heaven upon us thy people, and upon the land wherein we dwell; that both it may become fruitful and yield its increase, and we may grow in wisdom and in goodness, bringing forth plenteously the fruit of good works, as disciples of him who came to sow in us the seeds of eternal life. Amen.

ABEL was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of

the ground.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:

But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.

They that sow in tears shall reap in joy.

IN its freshness bring the flower
While the dew upon it lies,
In the cool and cloudless hour
Of the morning sacrifice.

As the first-fruits of the year

May be offered to the Lord,
So the first-fruits of the heart

On his altar may be poured.

Thus the blessing from above
On life's harvest shall be given;
Sown perhaps in tears on earth,
Reaped in joyfulness in heaven.

eye

INVISIBLE yet ever-present God, seen with the of faith by the seers of old, and by all the pure in heart: we bend before thee with deep and solemn awe. Yet we will lift up our hearts in hopeful confidence, for it is not a perfect offering, but a sincere one, thou desirest; and our hearts, though weak, are yet full of gratitude and love. Accept our sacrifice; and, trusting thy goodness, may we be assured that thou wilt give all needed blessing. Humbly and earnestly do we entreat thee to unveil thy face to our adoring and loving souls. Teach us what is right and true and good in thy most holy sight; and this may we seek for faithfully evermore. Amen.

WA

ASH you, make you clean: put away the evil of your doings from before mine eyes; cease to do evil: learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve the oppressed, judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.

Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord: though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool.

If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.

The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day.

H'

EAVENLY Father, may we ask of thee aright: not ask

ing thee for harvests while we will not sow; for wisdom, while we disdain to study thy truth; for strength and health, while we indulge our appetites; for happiness, while we refuse thy love; or for heaven, while we neglect to learn and obey thy laws. When we ask thy favor, may we remember to do thy will. Thanks to thee for the example of perfect purity and goodness in Jesus Christ. May we study his character and imitate his excellence. As he went about doing good, may we also, in our daily walk, give bread to the hungry, knowledge to the ignorant, and show the way of salvation to those who sit in the region of the shadow of death. Amen.

I

WILL love thee, O Lord, my strength.

The Lord is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust; my buckler, and my high tower.

I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised. In my distress I called upon the Lord, and cried unto my God: he heard my voice out of his temple, and my cry came before him, even into his ears.

E

THY way, not mine, O Lord,

However dark it be !

Lead me by thine own hand;
Choose out the path for me.
Smooth let it be or rough,
It will be still the best :
Winding or straight, it leads
Right onward to thy rest.

I dare not choose my lot;
I would not if I might:
Choose thou for me, my God;
So shall I walk aright.

Not mine, not mine, the choice
In things or great or small :
Be thou my guide, my strength,
My wisdom, and my all!

TERNAL and all-seeing God: we, thy creatures, sink into nothing before thy supreme majesty; we feel our weakness; we acknowledge our folly; we repeatedly bewail our sins; thee only we adore with awful veneration; thee we thank with fervent zeal; to thy power we humbly submit; of thy goodness we devoutly implore protection; on thy wisdom we firmly and cheerfully rely. Whenever we address thee, O Father, if our prayers are unwise, wilt thou pity us? if they are presumptuous, wilt thou pardon us? if acceptable to thee, grant them, all powerful God: and as we now express submission to thy decrees, adore thy providence, and bless thy dispensations; so, in that future state to which we reverently hope thy goodness will raise us, may we continue praising, venerating, and worshipping thee, more and more, through worlds without number and ages without end. Amen.