November 7

Psalm xov. -1. Oh! come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation. 2. Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms. 3. For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods. 4. In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also. 5. The sea is his, and he made it; and his hands formed the dry land. 6. Oh! come, let us worship, and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord our maker. 7. For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Isaiah xl. — 9. O Zion, that bringest good tidings! get thee up into the high mountain: O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings! lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up; be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!

10. Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.

11. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd; he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. 12. Who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a balance? 13. Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or, being his counsellor, hath taught him? 14. With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understanding? 15. Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance: behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing. 16. And Lebanon is not sufficient to burn, nor the beasts thereof sufficient for a burnt-offering. 17. All nations before him are as nothing; and they are counted to him less than nothing, and vanity.

Zion is the type of the Church, the seat of spiritual life and power, which has revived the good tidings of salvation to be carried to all people. Conscious of her Saviour's presence, of the dignity of her calling, of the strength of her position, of the glory of her office, of the rewards of her work, she should go forward courageously to proclaim the message of the Most High. Does the wisdom of this world affect to scorn that message? Is the preaching of the cross foolishness? But what progress has science yet made toward measuring the heavens, and weighing the earth, and fathoming the deep? How far short does it come of comprehending the works of God? And where is the philosophy that has yet begun to comprehend God himself? that has fathomed his understanding, or divined his counsel? What human spirit

has measured the Spirit of the Lord? The scheme of redemption is so vast and glorious, that only the Infinite Mind could have conceived it, and only Infinite Love could have brought it to pass.

Do the powers of this world attempt to hinder the Church of God? But in his sight all the gathered nations are as a drop, as the dust that a breath would puff away. No empire — Rome, France, Spain, Turkey, Austria — can stand against the march of the divine ideas. Yet this God of infinite power and majesty, of infinite wisdom and truth, is gentle and loving to his people as a shepherd to his flock, guarding the weakest and most delicate with the tenderest care. Never shall the taunts or threats of the world separate us from such love!

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 79, 93, 100.

We adore thee, O Lord our God! that thou hast not merely revealed to us a heaven to come, but hast assured us that there are yet good things in store for this earth which we inhabit, and which has so long groaned under the curse of sin. We pray that thou wilt shorten these days of ignorance, wickedness, and folly, and hasten the reign of the Lord Jesus. Help us, O Lord our God! that we may not merely pray, but may also labor to the utmost to spread thy gospel and extend thy kingdom. Grant, Lord, upon this thy day, that thy Church may be filled with thy Spirit, and may shine in the beauty of holiness. Show forth thy glory among the heathen, and let all the ends of the earth see the salvation of God.

Oh! fill us with the love of Him who went about doing good. May we glorify thee by bringing forth much fruit! Thou hast commanded and encouraged us, O Lord! to make prayers and intercessions

for all men. We commend to thee the members of this family, present or absent. May all be partakers of thy grace! [Bless the children. Cause them to remember thee, their Creator, in the days of their youth. Sanctify them by thy grace; guide them by thy Spirit; and enable them in all things to prove themselves thy faithful and obedient children. Preserve them in health and strength, if it seem good in thy sight; but oh! above all, save them with an everlasting salvation.]

We commend ourselves to thy merciful protection and kindness for this day. Preserve us from all evil; and, in all our thoughts and words and actions, may we honor our Lord and Saviour!

And unto Him who has been with us all our life long, — our Creator, our Preserver, our Benefactor, and our Redeemer, — Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, — be glory both now and forever. Amen.