Page:The Book of Family Worship.pdf/244

 our thoughts aspire towards heaven, and all the beautiful intelligences of truth be found in the midst of the spiritual hemisphere of our understandings. Thus may no feeling, nor affection, nor thought, nor desire, wander from its allegiance to Thee; but may all our faculties unite in praising Thy name, O Jehovah, and in magnifying Thy glory above the earth end the heavens.

0 help us, while we profess to believe that godliness is great gain, to apply the power of godliness in all that we think, say, and do. As Thou hast bestowed upon us exceeding great and precious privileges, may we take heed to use them aright.

In the labours of this day, O heavenly Father, help us to keep our eyes meekly raised to Thee, and may we sanctify all our powers to Thy service, remembering that without Thee we can do nothing. Amen.

Our Father, etc.

TUESDAY EVENING.

LORD Jesus Christ. Thou art a God of love, wisdom, and providence.

Help us, in any visitation of 'thy providence, to sink our sinful mumnurings in the bumble acknowledgment that as Thou art essential love Thou canst not do otherwise than well. May we all unite in the prayer, "Thy will be done."

Shouldest Thou change Thy nature (which cannot be); shouldest Thou, indignant at our sinful marmurings, withhold the thunder storm from earth, how would the atmosphere reck with noxious and pestilential vapours; how would putrid and poisonous effluvia render the air we breathe fatal to owr bodily lifo; how would the enervating heat of summer relax our energies, impeile our respiration, and deject our spirits; and men and animals, and plants and iraits, would sicken and die, and perish from the curth.

Great God! how wonderful, bow great, how good art Thou! The stormy wind, indeed, fulfils Thy will! The winged lightning pursues its course; but tends rather to purify than destroy. Tho rain descends to fertilize rathor than to overwhelm. Thou denlest with us still sa 'Thy children. Thou speakest to us in thunder, not to curse, but to bless us. Teach us, then, 0 Lord, when Thou speakest, to listen with humility, gratitude, and humble confidence; and teach us in all states 4o say from the heart, let "Thy will be done." Amen.

Our Father, etc.

LORD Jesus Christ, Thou hast exhorted us to keep our hearts with all diligence, for out of them are the issues of life. Help us, O Lord, to govern our passions; may anger, which is the fire of hell, be subdued by the spirit of gentleness and love. May revenge, hatred, and strife, and all those infernal influences which ascend from beueath, to infest us and alienate our souls from Thee, be met by self-denial and forbearance, and when by dire infestations we are tempted to speak unadvisedly with our lips, O bring to our remembrance the prayer of Thy tried humanity to Thy essential divinity: "Father, forgive them, for they know