May 5

Psalm lxiv. — 1. Hear my voice, O God! in my prayer; preserve my life from fear of the enemy.

2. Hide me from the secret counsel of the wicked; from the insurrection of the workers of iniquity:

3. Who whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words:

4. That they may shoot in secret at the perfect: suddenly do they shoot at him, and fear not.

10. The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in him; and all the upright in heart shall glory.

Matthew x. — 16. Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves.

17. But beware of men; for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues.

18. And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles.

19. But, when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak; for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak.

20. For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you.

Christ held out no worldly inducements to his disciples. He warned them of the opposition and persecution they would encounter in spreading his gospel: the hatred of religious zealots, of despotic rulers, of traffickers in idols and in the vices of society, and of the mob of evildoers whose passions are enlisted against reformers. Personal interests or fears, religious bigotry or selfish passion, would, in some cases, prove stronger than family ties, and lead one member of a household to betray another. This was often literally true in the first ages of the Church; and there have not been wanting modern examples of such hatred and treachery toward converts, in Heathen, Mohammedan, and even in Roman-Catholic countries.

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O Thou who never slumberest nor sleepest! we have lain down and slept, and have risen again, because thou, Lord, hast sustained us. To thy watchful providence we owe it that no disturbance hath come nigh us or our dwelling, but that we are brought in safety to the beginning of this day. Thankful for the mercies of the night, we commit ourselves unto thee with all our wakeful powers, humbly beseeching thee to guide us in ways of truth and righteousness for thy name's sake.

Send unto us, we pray thee, such prosperity as thou seest to be best for us; and, above all, grant that our souls, being freed from sin, may prosper and be in peace, through the grace of Jesus Christ our Lord. Oh, may his mind be in us! and may we be made like unto him!—holy, harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners. May every one of us, from the oldest to the youngest, be a

21. And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death.

22. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake; but he that endureth to the end shall be saved.

37. He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.

38. And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

39. He that findeth his life shall lose it; and he that loseth his life for my sake shall find it.

40. He that receiveth you, receiveth me; and he that receiveth me, receiveth him that sent me.

41. He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a prophet's reward; and he that receiveth a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward.

42. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily, I say unto you, He shall in no wise lose his reward.

In such circumstances, Christians should be careful not to provoke opposition by an imprudent and offensive zeal. Yet they must not be timid nor time serving. He who makes his own comfort and safety, or even his life, his first care, shall forfeit the higher life in the hereafter; but he who does not shrink from confessing Christ and doing his duty, ever in the face of death, shall be kept in peace under all trials, and shall receive the blessed reward of the life everlasting. No earthly love, no earthly fear, should keep us back from Christ. By meditating upon his cross, we shall gain strength and endurance for bearing our own. His love, his meekness, his patience, will enter and possess our souls; and his life shall give us the victory over death.

Prayer.

[Nos. 5, 10, 30.

child of God, partaking of the mercies of thy covenant! Oh! help us to give up all things for Christ; to know the joy of losing ourselves in Him, the sweetness of bearing the cross for Him, who hath borne our sorrows. May we fear nothing that this world can do to hinder our salvation! for, if God be for us, who can be against us? May we have the charity of the gospel, and do good in little things, by the word, the look, the act of kindness, in the Saviour's name!

We thank thee, O Lord! for the friends thou hast given us, and pray that these may all be joined with us in fellowship of thy redeemed. We ask thy favor for the poor and needy, the sick, the afflicted, the dying; for all sorts and conditions of men; that thou wouldst be pleased to make thy ways known unto them, thy saving health unto all nations, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.