October 12

Psalm xxxi. — 1. In thee, O Lord! do I put my trust; let me never be ashamed: deliver me in thy righteousness.

2. Bow down thine ear to me; deliver me speedily: be thou my strong rock, for a house of defence to save me.

3. For thou art my rock and my fortress: therefore, for thy name's sake, lead me and guide me.

4. Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me; for thou art my strength.

5. Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth!

6. I have hated them that regard lying vanities; but I trust in the Lord.

7. I will be glad and rejoice in thy mercy; for thou hast considered my trouble.

23. Oh! love the Lord, all ye his saints; for the Lord preserveth the faithful, and plentifully rewardeth the proud doer.

24. Be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the Lord.

Acts xxiii. — 1. And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this day.

2. And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite him on the mouth.

3. Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, thou whited wall; for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?

4. And they that stood by said, Revilest thou God's high priest?

5. Then said Paul, I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.

6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

7. And, when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided.

8. For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.

9. And there arose a great cry: and the scribes that were of the Pharisees' part arose, and strove, saying, We find no evil in this man; but, if a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us not fight against God.

10. And, when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

11. And, the night following, the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

Paul stood upon his rights. The judge who was hearing his case had no excuse for treating him with violence. Still his retort betrayed a feeling of resentment, quite unlike the meekness of his Lord under the same insult. "Paul admits that he had been thrown off his guard: the insult had touched him to the quick, and he had spoken rashly. But what can surpass the grace with which he recovered his self-possession, the frankness with which he acknowledged his error! If his conduct in yielding to the momentary impulse was not that of Christ himself under a similar provocation, certainly the manner in which he atoned for his fault was Christ-like."

Paul used another stroke in self-defence, which proved more

effective. According to Josephus and other Jewish writers, the Sadducees held that the souls of men perish with their bodies; but the Pharisees believed in a future state of rewards and punishments, and in the resurrection of the dead. The resurrection of Christ, as a matter of fact, they denied; for to have admitted this would have been to have conceded the divine mission of Jesus of Nazareth. Had Paul's judges been all Pharisees, they would have silenced his testimony to Christ's resurrection; but, in the presence of the Sadducees, they felt bound to stand up for their own doctrine; and, by involving his judges in a dispute among themselves, Paul escaped the sentence of the council.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 5, 9, 39.

O Lord, our heavenly Father! we have nothing to bring to thee but our wants, and such poor return of love and gratitude and praise as these hearts can render for thy goodness. As thou dost cause our lives to overflow with thy mercies, so do thou fill our hearts to overflowing with thy Spirit, that we may thank thee and praise thee as we ought. The morning calls us again to praise thee for thy loving-kindness in the night-season; and every day renews the tokens of thy bounty. Every good gift cometh down from thee, the Father of lights; and though we are so changeful in our love, so inconstant in our service, with thee there is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. Bind us

to thyself. O our Father! by the mighty attraction of thy love. May the love of Christ, who died for us that we might live, constrain us to live ever unto thee!

We pray, O Lord! that thy kingdom may come; that thy Church may increase; that missions may prosper: that thy Word may be given to all people, and the knowledge of the Lord may fill the earth as the waters fill the sea. We thank thee for our home, and pray thee to bless us with all things that we need as a family. Bless the absent who are dear to us; and bring them, together with us, we beseech thee, unto thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.