May I always own thy hand-
Still to the surrender stand;
Know that thou art God alone,
I and mine are all thy own.

Thee, at all times, will I bless;
Having thee, I all possess ;
How can I bereaved be,
Since I cannot part with thee?

ALMIGHTY God, who through thy only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ, hast overcome death, and opened unto us the gates of everlasting life we humbly beseech thee, that as by thy special grace preventing us, thou dost put into our minds good desires, so by thy continual help we may bring the same to good effect, through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

O GOD, who knowest us to be set in the midst of so many and great dangers, that by reason of the fraility of our nature we cannot always stand upright; grant to us such strength and protection, as may support us in all dangers, and carry us through all temptations, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

ALMIGHTY God, who seest that we have no power of ourselves to help ourselves; keep us both outwardly in our bodies, and inwardly in our souls; that we may be defended from all adversities which may happen to the body, and from all evil thoughts which may assault and hurt the soul, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.

14.

SUPPORT UNDER AFFLICTION.

HAMILTON.

"As one whom his mother comforteth, so the Lord comforteth his people." It is in the dark and boisterous night of sorrow or apprehension, that the Saviour reveals himself nigh. And one of the first things he does is to explain the subject-matter of the grief, to show its real nature and amount. "It is but a light affliction; it lasts but for a moment. It is a false alarm. Wait till the day dawns, and shadows flee away. Wait till morning, and you will see the whole extent of it." And then the next thing that he does is to teach some useful lesson; and during those quiet hours, when the heart is soft, the Saviour's lessons sink deep. And last of all, besides consolation under

the trial and peaceful fruits that follow it, by this comforting visit the Saviour unspeakably endears himself to that soul. Paul and Silas never knew Christ so well, nor loved him so much as after that night which he and they passed together in the Macedonian prison. And the souls on which the Lord Jesus has taken the deepest hold, are those whose great tribulations have thrown them most frequently and most entirely into his own society.

At present

his own do

Here it is

But we hasten to a close. We have seen the meaning of the words so far: Lo, I am with you alway. I am with you to succour in temptation, to strengthen in duty, to guide in perplexity, to comfort in sorrow. From the instant you become a disciple I am with you; all along, I am with you every day. All your life I am with you; and at death—at death, you are with me: that's the difference. At present I am always with you, but you are not always with me. Jesus is constantly near his own; but not constantly desire to be near him. only by faith that believers enjoy his presence: there they shall see him as he is. Now, the Lord Jesus follows his own whithersoever they go; but they do not always follow him. Then it will be different; for they will follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. And all that is wanting to complete the promise, is what death's twinkling will supply. Now it is, "Lo! I am with you alway;" and then it is, "And so shall we be ever with the Lord." "Ever with the Lord :" at once and for ever. At once; for, absent from the body, we are present with him. So near is Jesus now, that like the infant waking from its dream, it looks up, and lo!

she sits beside it: waking up from this life-dream, the first sight is Jesus as he is. At once: no flight through immensity, no pilgrimage of the spheres; for the everlasting arms are the first resting-place of the disembodied soul. It will be in the bosom of Immanuel that the emancipated spirit will inquire, "Where am I?" and read in the face of Jesus the answer, "For ever with the Lord." FOR EVER!-To be with him a few years, as, one way with another, John and Peter wereto be with him one Lord's day, as the beloved disciple subsequently was-to be with him a few moments, as Paul, caught up into the third heavens, was-how blessed! But to be ever with the Lord-not only today, but to-morrow-nay, neither to-day, nor to-morrow, but now, now, now, one everlasting now!

IN vain our fancy strives to paint
The moment after death;

The glories that surround the saints,
When yielding up their breath.

One gentle sigh their fetters break:
We scarce can say they're gone,
Before the willing spirit takes

Her mansion near thy throne.

Faith strives, but all its efforts fail,
To trace her in her flight;
No eye can pierce within the veil

Which hides that world of light.

Thus much (and this is all) we know,
They are completely blest;

Have done with sin, and care, and woe,
And with their Saviour rest.

On harps of gold they praise his name,
His face they always view;
Then let us followers be of them,
That we may praise him too.

I KNOW, O Lord, that thou dost not willingly afflict nor grieve the children of men ; but only for our good, that we may be partakers of thy holiness. I beseech thee to sanctify my present affliction for the accomplishment of this good end. As thou fully knowest all the evil that is in my heart, and by what means it may be best subdued, be pleased so to release me from the corruption of sin, that I may follow after holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord.

Give me patience in the endurance of every trial; and knowing how much less my sufferings are than my sins and follies have deserved, may I bear meekly the chastisements of thy fatherly hand, thankful, through the merits of thy dear Son, to have escaped the punishment of eternal torment.