November 5

Psalm cxxiii.—1. Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens!

2. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a madden unto the hand of her mistress; so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.

3. Have mercy upon us, O Lord! have mercy upon us; for we are exceedingly filled with contempt.

Luke xiv.—1. And it came to pass, as he went into the house of one of the chief Pharisees to eat bread on the sabbath day, that they watched him.

2. And, behold, there was a certain man before him which had the dropsy.

3. And Jesus, answering, spake unto the lawyers and Pharisees, saying, Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath day?

4. And they held their peace. And he took him, and healed him, and let him go;

5. And answered them, saying, Which of you shall have an ass or an ox fallen into a pit, and will not straightway pull him out on the sabbath day?

6. And they could not answer him again to these things.

The "rooms" here spoken of were places at the table. The table itself was spread upon the floor; a mat or a sheet of leather being first laid down for cleanliness, and the platter set upon a stool in the middle. Surrounding the table were cushions at a higher level, upon which the guests reclined, leaning upon the left side, with their faces toward the dish. Each cushion commonly accommodated three; and the middle place was regarded as the most eligible and the most honorable. The dignity of the places depended also upon their proximity to the host or "master of the feast." Guests who were full of vanity, and forward to claim precedence, would thrust themselves into these favorite places on the cushions; but the modest would wait to have a place assigned them by

APPROPRIATE Hymns.]

Thou only, O Lord! makest us to dwell in safety. We lie down at night under the shadow of thy wings; we awake in the morning to the light of thy love. We thank thee for another night of rest and comfort; for another day of life, health, and hope. O Lord! may we be found faithful to thee in the duties of this day! and, amid its temptations and its trials, do thou sustain us, comfort us, keep us, and grant us grace in all we do to seek thy glory. May this household, which thou hast so blessed, serve thee, not at this altar only, but in all the walks of life! As we engage in the business of the world, as we go into society, wherever we are, and whatever we do, may we remember thee, and do thy will! Oh! grant that every member of this family may be a child of God; a humble, faithful

7. And he put forth a parable to those which were bidden, when he marked how they chose out the chief rooms; saying unto them,

8. When thou art bidden of any man to a wedding, sit not down in the highest room, lest a more honorable man than thou be bidden of him;

9. And he that bade thee and him come and say to thee, Give this man place; and thou begin with shame to take the lowest room.

10. But, when thou art bidden, go and sit down in the lowest room; that, when he that bade thee cometh, he may say unto thee, Friend, go up higher: then shalt thou have worship in the presence of them that sit at meat with thee.

11. For whosoever exalteth himself shall be abased, and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.

12. Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbors; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompense be made thee.

13. But, when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind;

14. And thou shalt be blessed: for they cannot recompense thee; for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just.

the host, according to his preference. Our Lord thus reads us a lesson of humility in the common intercourse of life. Those who push themselves forward, though for a while they seem to get consideration, sooner or later meet with rebuffs, and come to grief; while modest worth is by and by appreciated and exalted. Having rebuked vanity and envy in the guests, our Lord likewise rebuked ostentation in the host. Social festivity should not be an occasion for sumptuous display; least of all should a costly entertainment be resorted to as a bid for social recognition. Better, far better, make our largest outlays for the relief of the needy,—for the happiness of such as can give us only gratitude in return. Such a feast lasts forever.

Prayer.

[Nos. 10, 17, 30.

follower of the Lord Jesus Christ. Bless all dear to us who are absent from us. Do thou, O Lord! dwell by thy Spirit in the hearts and the minds of all our friends. We supplicate thy mercy for the needy, the afflicted, the bereaved, and the sorrowing. Oh! grant to all the consolations of thy gospel.

Build up thy Church, O Lord! Fill our land with pure religion. Bless the industry of the people; and may its fruit be consecrated to the good of men! May our rulers be faithful and just, walking in thy fear! And we beseech thee to bring all lands under the power and glory of thy kingdom. In thy great mercy, O Lord! forgive our sins, and bring us unto thy heavenly kingdom, through Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.