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JANUARY 7.

My brethren are these which hear the word of God, and do it."—St. Luke, viii. 21.

Only let Christ's precious blood be on us; let his baptism of fire be ours; let his Holy Spirit dwell within us; and for his sake, and by his command, the angels will wait on us. He is their king, but He calls us "brethren." Oh, then, let us for ourselves claim this high brotherhood; for ourselves let us seek earnestly our place in Christ; let us trust in Him as the source of our new life, and let us live as his redeemed.-BISHOP WILBERFORCE.

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JANUARY 8.

Behold, He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.”—Ps. cxxi. 4.

Love, heavenly love, possessing,

And life without decline,—
Our Father's greatest blessing,
O dearly loved, is thine.
Around thee, in thy "gladness,"

Our Saviour's arms we see ;

We know our Best Beloved

Is watching over thee.

In God, thy God, confiding,
We yield thee to his will;
Through faith, of his providing,
Our hearts are calm and still.
In thy unceasing "joyfulness"
His faithfulness we see,
We know our Best Beloved

Is watching over thee.

Hymns and Meditations.

JANUARY 9.

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."Isa. xl. 31.

Till we know ourselves redeemed, how can we go to God with full assurance of faith? How can we dwell with purifying delight on the contemplation of a heaven which we are not sure is ours-of a God who may not be our Father? We cannot do it! We go on feeling our way by dim lights, instead of walking in noontide glory; and strive painfully with hand and foot to climb some poor height, when we

might be soaring over the mountain-tops on eagles' wings, having under us the everlasting arms, and fixing our faithful, unshrinking eyes, full on the "Sun of Righteousness!"

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JANUARY 10.

Take, therefore, no thought for the morrow; for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself: sufficient unto the day be the evil thereof."-St. Matt. vi. 34.

We live not in our moments, or our years.
The Present we fling from us, like the rind
Of some sweet Future, which we after find
Bitter to taste; or bind that in with fears,
And water it beforehand with our tears-
Vain tears for that which never may arrive.
Meanwhile the joy whereby we ought to live,
Neglected, or unheeded disappears.

Wiser it were to welcome, and make ours,
Whate'er of good, tho' small, the present brings;
Kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers,
With a child's pure delight in little things;
And of the griefs unborn to rest secure,
Knowing that mercy ever will endure.

R. C. TRENCH.

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JANUARY 11.

I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins."-Ps. xliii. 25.

Christ forgives us universally, freely, sincerely, so as never more to upbraid us with the fault he has forgiven.-Thoughts of Many Minds.

JANUARY 12.

"Remembering your work of faith, and labour

of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ."-1 Thess. i. 3.

Therefore love, and believe; for works will follow spontaneous,

Even as day does the sun. The right from the good is an offspring,

Love in a bodily shape; and Christian works are no more than

Animate love and faith; as flowers are the animate

spring-tide.

LONGFELLOW.

JANUARY 13.

"All things, whatsoever ye ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive."-St. Matt. xxi. 22.

Man, I knew, would tell me I must not take these words so literally; but I determined to credit God. I see no limitation, and I will make none; and never since have I doubted that I shall be heard. I seldom read this verse-thy own sweet words, O Saviour! without tears; and the chapter containing them is dear to me. From Life of Lady Colquhoun.

JANUARY 14.

"And they shall be mine, saith the Lord God of Hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels."Mal. iii. 17.

When thou thy jewels up dost bind-that day
Remember us, we pray!

That where the beryl lies,

And the crystal 'bove the skies,

There thou may'st appoint us place,
Within the brightness of thy face;
And our soul,

In the scroll

Of life and blissfulness enrol,

That we may praise thee to eternity.

Hallelujah!

JEREMY TAYLOR.