May 5

25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.

26 Lait up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that re-argeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong to power; not one fa'eth.

27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and weakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?

28 How thou not known? have thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the

Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.

29 He gives power to the faint, and to them that have no might be increaseth strength.

30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fail.

31 But they that was 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.


LAZARUS AND LIVES

If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead.—Lutz xvi. 31.

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"I know of no attribute of the Divine nature more cheering to us than that of the infinite love and tenderness of God amidst the minute things and beings of His creation. He gives His infinite regards to the least, to birds, and to flowers, to men, and to women, and to lowly villages. There is nothing small or insignificant with God. 'Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, "My way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God?" He giveth power to the faint, and to them that have no might He increaseth strength.'"—E. Paxton Hood

By the mouth of Isaiah the "everlasting God" speaks great words of comfort and of hope to the weak, the faint-hearted, the desponding; He who "fainteth not, neither is weary," has His eye upon them, though they see Him not. There is always and everywhere at hand—in duty, in suffering, in service for Christ—an unseen Presence, and Strength, and Providence, all-encompassing, all-controlling, all sufficient, and instantly and practically available. We have but to venture forward, to endure, to trust, to prove God's promises, and we shall not fail, but shall overcome. Out of our weakness will come forth divine strength; out of our seeming failures grand successes; out of our humiliations and afflictions, exaltation and eternal glory.

Closet Promise.—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. xi. 31.

All they that wait upon the Lord Shall thus their strength renew; And eagle flights shall oft afford A soul-exalting view

They serve the waiting soul to bless, To cheer the pilgrim saint, To run and feel no weariness, To walk and never faint.

Thus Moses on the mount of God, When bathed in glory rays,

Found strength to walk the desert road, The remnant of his days.

Then let us, waiting on the Lord, Our daily strength renew, And strong in faith with one accord Our pilgrimage pursue.

And when the final hour we see, We'll shout on angel wing, "O grave, where is thy victory? O death, where is thy sting?" —Selected.

THE CHILDREN'S CORNER.

Breakfast Motto.—My Father giveth you the true bread from heaven.—John vi. 32

Weekly Proverb.—It takes a good many shovelfuls of earth to bury the truth.—Swiss.

DAILY BIBLE READING · HIDING PLACES.

Sunday.—In a Pavilion.—Psalm xxvii. 1-14.

Monday.—In the Secret of God's Presence.—Psalm xxxi. 1-24.

Tuesday.—Hidden Ones.—Psalm lxxxiii. 1-18.

Wednesday.—With Christ in God.—Col. iii. 1-17.

Thursday.—Hid from God's Anger.—Zeph. ii. 1-3.

Friday.—In God.—Psalm xxxii. 1-11.

Saturday.—In Dens and Rocks.—Rev. vi. 9-17.

DEAR LITTLE HEADS IN THE PEW.

In the moen of the holy Sabbath, I like in the church to see

The dear little children clustered, Worshipping there with me.

I am sure that the gentle pastor, Whose words are like summer dew,

Is cheered as he gazes over The dear little hears in the pew.

Faces earnest and thoughtful, Innocent, grave, and sweet,

They look to the congregation Like lines among the wheat.

And I think that the tender Master, Whose mercies are ever new,

Has a special benediction For dear little heads in the pew.

When they hear, "The Lord is my Shepherd," Or "Suffer the babes to come,"

They are glad that the loving Jesus Has given the lambs a home—

A place of their own with His people He cares for me and for you,

But close in His arms He gathers The dear little heads in the pew.

So I love in the great assembly, On the Sabbath morn, to see

The dear little children clustered, And worshipping there with me;

For I know that my precious Saviour, Whose mercies are ever new,

Has a special benediction For the dear little heads in the pew.

—Mrs. M. E. Sangster.

My son, give me thine heart.—Prov. xxiii. 26.

I know you will like to hear more about little children who have given their hearts to Jesus. In a Chinese Christian family at Amboy a little boy, on asking his father to allow him to be baptized, was told that he was too young—that he might fall back if he made a profession when he was only a little boy. To this he made the reply: "Jesus has promised to carry the lambs in His arms. I am only a little boy—it will be easier for Jesus to carry me." This logic was too much for the father. He took him with him, and the child was ere long baptized. Dear children, there is one way you always can tell whether a boy or girl is a Christian: it is by the way they play. Two little children, a boy and girl, used to play a great deal together. They both became converted. One day the boy came to his mother and said: "Mother, I know that Emma is a Christian." "What makes you think so, my child?"—"Because, mother, she plays like a Christian. Before she was selfish, and, if she didn't have everything her own way, she would say, 'I won't play with you: you are an ugly little boy.'" Oh, how much nicer it is to play like little Christians!

NINETEENTH WEEK.

PEARL TEXT. He that taketh not his cross, and followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. —Matt. x. 38.

And there was calm!

O Saviour, I have proved That Thou to help and save art really near; How else this quiet rest from grief and fear,

And all distress? The cross is not removed. I must go forth to bear it as before, But, leaning on Thine arm, I dread its weight no more.

—F. R. Havergel.

We are bid to take, not to make, our cross. God provides it. We are bid to take it up; we hear nothing of laying it down.—Gurnall.

The whole cross is more easily carried than the half.—Selected.

I am heir to the cross, as well as the crown.—St. Bernard.

O what a cross to have no cross.—St. Augustine.

HELPS FOR THE DEVOTIONAL HOUR.