October 5

Psalm xxxvii. — 1. Fret not thyself because of evil-doers, neither be thou envious against the workers of iniquity.

2. For they shall soon be cut down like the grass, and wither as the green herb.

3. Trust in the Lord, and do good: so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed.

4. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart.

5. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.

6. And he shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.

7. Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way, because of the man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.

8. Cease from anger, and forsake wrath: fret not thyself in any wise to do evil.

9. For evil-doers shall be cut off; but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth.

10. For yet a little while, and the wicked shall not be; yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be.

11. But the meek shall inherit the earth, and shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace.

23. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way.

24. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand.

Romans xii. — 14. Bless them which persecute you; bless, and curse not.

15. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep.

16. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things; but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits.

17. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men.

18. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men.

19. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord.

20. Therefore, if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head.

21. Be not overcome of evil; but overcome evil with good.

The "wrath" here spoken of (verse 19) is the divine retribution which in the end awaits all evil-doers; and we are exhorted to that sublime and patient trust in the Lord which leaves in his hands our interests to be cared for, our rights to be maintained, our wrongs to be redressed, our character to be vindicated, our cause to be established, our salvation to be secured. This is, perhaps, the severest test of Christian love and faith. It is an impulse of human nature to resent an injury, — to wish that the wrong-doer might be "come up with," and made to suffer in turn; but the gospel teaches us to repress all malice and revenge, to bless our enemies, — "bless, and curse not," — and to return good for evil. And,

even where a great injustice has been done us, retribution is too dangerous a weapon to be intrusted to human hands, to the mistakes of human judgment and the infirmities of human passion. Therefore, while we tone down our personal feelings, so that we shall be willing to do a kindness to an enemy, we should tone up our faith, so as to be willing to leave to God the vindication of our name and cause. Hushing all earthly passions, we should stand aside, and make way for his righteous judgment. Such faith as this will keep us calm under provocation and injury; such love as this will make us like Christ.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 45, 48, 82.

Thou holy and blessed Son of God, who for our sakes didst endure such contradiction of sinners against thyself, grant us, we pray thee, the spirit of meekness and patience under injury, and of forgiveness toward all who do us wrong. How often have we grieved and offended thee! Have mercy upon us, we beseech thee, and teach us to be merciful unto all men. May we be followers of thee, doing good as we find opportunity!

Heavenly Father, we bless thee for thy loving-kindness toward us, so free, so constant, so abounding. We would show forth thy loving-kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night. Oh! grant, that, walking in love, we may be the children of our Father in heaven.

[May the children of this family set thy love before them as their chief portion in life, and make thy Word their guide! May they always speak the truth, and grow up free from guile! May they hear

the voice of Jesus, and follow him!] Be gracious, O Lord! to all our kindred. Visit thy Church with thy salvation. In-pire thy people with a readiness to testify of thy love, and to invite others to thy grace. May we behold even greater fruits of thy coming than were seen by thine own apostles! Open thou the windows of heaven, and cause thy glory to shine forth, that all the ends of the earth shall acknowledge thee.

O God, whose blessed Son was manifested that he might destroy the works of the Devil! grant us, we beseech thee, that, having this hope, we may purify ourselves even as he is pure; that, when he shall appear again with power and great glory, we may be made like unto him in his eternal and glorious kingdom, where, with thee, O Father! and thee, O Holy Ghost! he liveth and reigneth, ever one God, world without end. Amen.