HE seed is the word of God.

way-side are

Those by the way-side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.

They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.

And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.

But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.

In the morning sow thy seed, and in the evening withhold not thy hand; for thou knowest not whether shall prosper this or that, or whether they both alike shall be good.

THOU canst not toil in vain :

Cold, heat, and moist and dry,
Shall foster and mature the grain
For garners in the sky.

Then when the glorious end,

The day of God, shall come,
The angel-reapers shall descend

At heaven's great harvest-home.

LMIGHTY and everlasting God: give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and may we not only obtain that which thou dost promise, but also love that which thou dost command. O thou, who dost teach the hearts of thy faithful people, by sending to them the light of thy Holy Spirit: grant us by the same Spirit to have a right judgment in all things, and evermore to rejoice in thy holy comfort. O God, whose promises exceed all that we could desire or understand: grant us, we beseech thee, the greatest of all blessings, thy love shed abroad in our hearts, that we may render to thee a ready and joyful obedience as true disciples of thy Son Jesus Christ. Amen.

A

ND when Jesus was entered into Capernaum, there came unto him a centurion beseeching him, and saying, Lord, my servant lieth at home, sick of the palsy, and grievously tormented.

And Jesus saith unto him, I will come and heal him.

The centurion answered and said, Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed.

For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me; and I say unto this man, Go, and he goeth; and to another, Come, and he cometh; and to my servant, Do this, and he doeth it.

When Jesus heard it, he marvelled, and said to them that followed, Verily I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no, not in Israel.

O Love, how cheering is thy ray!

All pain before thy presence flies;
Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away
Where'er thy healing beams arise:
O Father! nothing may I see,

And naught desire or seek, but thee.

Unwearied may I this pursue,

Dauntless to this high prize aspire ;
Each hour within my soul renew
This holy flame, this heavenly fire;
And day and night be all my care

To guard the sacred treasure there.

THOU who alone art just and good, help of the helpless, and Father of all souls: we give thee grateful thanks for thy forbearance and mercy to thy sinful children. Burdened with a sense of shortcoming and sin, suffering with the bitter reproach of conscience for wrongs committed and duties neglected, we fly to thee. Thy grace is sufficient for our every need. Thou canst make our souls a habitation of peace, penetrating every recess with thy tender love. Oh! speak the word, thy servants shall be healed. Amen.

B

LESSED is he whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered. Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile.

I acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have I not hid. I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin.

Many sorrows shall be to the wicked: but he that trusteth in the Lord, mercy shall compass him about.

Be glad in the Lord, and rejoice, ye righteous: and shout for joy, all ye that are upright in heart.

THERE is no place where earth's sorrows
Are more felt than up in heaven :

There is no place where earth's failings
Have such kindly judgment given.

For the love of God is broader

Than the measures of man's mind,
And the heart of the Eternal
Is most wonderfully kind.

For we make his love too narrow
By false limits of our own;
And we magnify his strictness
With a zeal he will not own.
If our love were but more simple,
We should take him at his word;
And our lives would be all sunshine
In the sweetness of our Lord.

ALMIGHTY and most merciful Father; we have erred

and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; and we have done those things which we ought not to have done. But thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us. Spare thou them, O God, who confess their faults. Restore thou them that are penitent; according to thy promises declared unto mankind in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, that through him we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life, to the glory of thy holy name. Amen.

THE

HE hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. The hour cometh and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again in the yoke of bondage.

Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled.

O

OH for freedom, for freedom in worshipping God;
For the mountain-top freedom of generous souls, -
For the wealth, for the air, of the hearts deep and broad,
Where grace not in rills, but in cataracts rolls!

Most good is the brisk, wholesome service of fear,

And the calm wise obedience of conscience is sweet;
And good are all worships, all loyalties dear,
All promptitudes fitting, all services meet.

But none honors God like the thirst of desire,

Nor possesses the heart so completely with him;

For it burns the world out with the swift ease of fire,

And fills life with good works till it runs o'er the brim.

THOU whose throne is in the heavens, and whose kingdom is from everlasting: every moment thy grace attends us, and blessings descend upon us without ceasing. Oh! build thine altar in our hearts, and let the incense of our gratitude ascend for ever. Thou hast given us the liberty to worship thee according to the dictates of our conscience, with none to molest us or make us afraid. Oh! shed into our souls thy Spirit, O Lord; for where thy Spirit is there is liberty. Let not wealth and pleasure be our idols; but may we be that happy people whose God is the Lord. May thy truth and thy service make us free indeed. Thine, O Lord, is the might and majesty and dominion for ever. Amen.

It is a good thing thy veme, 0 Most High.

T is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord, and to

To show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night.

For thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy work: I will triumph in the works of thy hands.

O Lord, how great are thy works! and thy thoughts are very deep. The righteous shall flourish like the palm-tree: he shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon.

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God; to show that the Lord is upright: he is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in him.

THOU, Lord, who rear'st the mountain's height,
And mak'st the cliffs with sunshine bright,

Oh, grant that we may own thy hand

No less in every grain of sand!

Teach us that not a leaf can grow
Till life from thee within it flow;
That not grain of dust can be,
O Fount of being! save by thee;

That every human word and deed,
Each flash of feeling, will, or creed,
Hath solemn meaning from above,
Begun and ended all in love.

LORD, set us where thou wilt, and deal with us in all things just as thou wilt. Behold, we are thy servants, prepared for all things; for we desire not to live unto ourselves, but unto thee; and oh, that we could do it worthily and perfectly! Grant to us, above all things that can be desired, to rest in thee and in thee to have our hearts at peace. Blessed be thou, our God; for, although we be unworthy of any benefits, yet thy noble bounty and infinite love never cease to do good, even to the ungrateful, and to those who are turned far away from thee. Turn thou us unto thee, that we may be thankful, humble, and devout.

Amen