October 21

Psalm xxxiv. — 1. I will bless the Lord at all times: his praise shall continually be in my mouth.

2. My soul shall make her boast in the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof, and be glad.

3. Oh! magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt his name together.

4. I sought the Lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears.

5. They looked unto him, and were lightened; and their faces were not ashamed.

6. This poor man cried, and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles.

7. The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them.

8. Oh! taste and see that the Lord is good: blessed is the man that trusteth in him.

9. Oh! fear the Lord, ye his saints; for there is no want to them that fear him.

16. The face of the Lord is against them that do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth.

17. The righteous cry, and the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.

18. The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart, and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.

Numbers xxi. — 1. And when King Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the south, heard tell that Israel came by the way of the spies, then he fought against Israel, and took some of them prisoners.

2. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord, and

said, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly destroy their cities.

3. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel, and delivered up the Canaanites; and they utterly destroyed them and their cities: and he called the name of the place Hormah.

4. And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea to compass the land of Edom; and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way.

5. And the people spake against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? for there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loatheth this light bread.

6. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and much people of Israel died.

7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned; for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee: pray unto the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people.

8. And the Lord said unto Moses, Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live.

9. And Moses made a serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole; and it came to pass, that if a serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived.

That section of Arabia Petraea through which the Israelites were at this time passing is infested with poisonous serpents: some are of a flaming color, others, from the fiery sensation of their stings, are known as "serpents of the burning bite." These deadly creatures, infesting the camp, caused the uttermost consternation. Their bite was almost certain death, and a death of torture. The remedy is a striking example of the connection which the Bible so uniformly exhibits between miracles of healing and personal faith. There could be no physical influence from the serpent of brass upon the bite of the serpent in the human body, nor could any effect upon the imagination have cured one of a deadly poison burning in his veins. The cure was the direct act of God,

and might have been effected without a sign, or even a word. But, that the sufferer might realize and appreciate God's merciful intervention, he was summoned to a naked act of faith, and the cure was associated with a symbol of the curse. The looking was the healing. To look, in penitence for the sin; to look, in the agony of suffering, in the fear of perishing, in the conviction of a helpless, hopeless need; to look, with a yearning for deliverance; to look, with faith and hope and commitment, — this was salvation. Even so must we look to Jesus, who was lifted up upon the cross for our sins, that "whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life."

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 30, 86, 143.

O Thou who didst humble thyself to be born of a virgin, the everlasting Son of the Father, the Prince of peace! we bless and adore thee for thy grace and compassion for us sinners. We give thanks unto the Father, who so loved the world, that he gave his only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life; we praise and worship the Son, who took upon him our nature that he might redeem us to God. Oh! grant us, we beseech thee, thy peace, through the forgiveness of sin, reconciliation with God, and the indwelling of the Spirit, that we may

glorify and praise thee in our lives for all that we have heard and seen of thy grace.

[May the children of this family remember that Jesus came as a little child to bless them! May they give their hearts to his love!] And may we all, in the spirit of little children, love and serve Him who came into the world to save sinners! And, oh! may the world be saved; may all men come to Christ; may peace reign on earth, and good will bind all hearts together for the glory of God! And to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be honor and praise throughout all ages. Amen.