November 8

I Kings xix. — 15. And the Lord said unto him [Elijah]. Go, return on thy way to the wilderness of Damascus; and, when thou comest, anoint Hazael to be king over Syria:

16. And Jehu the son of Nimshi shalt thou anoint to be king over Israel; and Elisha the son of Shaphat of Abel-meholah shalt thou anoint to be prophet in thy room.

17. And it shall come to pass that him that escapeth the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay; and him that escapeth from the sword of Jehu shall Elisha slay.

18. Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him.

19. So he departed thence, and found Elisha the son of Shaphat, who was ploughing with twelve yoke of oxen before him, and he with the twelfth; and Elijah passed by him, and cast his mantle upon him.

20. And he left the oxen, and ran after Elijah, and said, Let me, I pray thee, kiss my father and my mother, and then I will follow thee. And he said unto him, Go back again; for what have I done to thee?

21. And he returned back from him, and took a yoke of oxen, and slew them, and boiled their flesh with the instruments of the oxen, and gave unto the people, and they did eat. Then he

arose, and went after Elijah, and ministered unto him.

Matthew iv. — 18. And Jesus, walking by the Sea of Galilee, saw two brethren, Simon called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea; for they were fishers.

19. And he saith unto them, Follow me, and I will make you fishers of men.

20. And they straightway left their nets, and followed him.

21. And, going on from thence, he saw other two brethren, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a ship with Zebedee their father, mending their nets; and he called them.

22. And they immediately left the ship and their father, and followed him.

23. And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all manner of disease among the people.

24. And his fame went throughout all Syria: and they brought unto him all sick people that were taken with divers diseases and torments, and those which were possessed with devils, and those which were lunatic, and those that had the palsy; and he healed them.

25. And there followed him great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judea, and from beyond Jordan.

How beautiful appears the faith of these early disciples in giving up all their living for the service of Christ! and this for no motive of earthly reward. They did not act from an impulse of enthusiasm. They had been followers of John the Baptist, had heard his testimony to Jesus, and had attached themselves to the new teacher. They had witnessed his knowledge of Nathanael's heart and life, his first miracle at Cana of Galilee, and other signs of his divine power, and so had come to look upon him as at least a mighty prophet, and probably the promised Messiah. At this very time, as Luke narrates it, Jesus had guided these fishermen by his word; so that, after a night of fruitless toil, they now caught "a great multitude of fishes." They had good evidence of

his character to go upon in obeying him; but their simple-hearted confidence is none the less beautiful. It is as hard for a poor man to give up his livelihood as for a rich man to give up property. But these men gave up all; and this for no temporal gain, but that they might bring others to Christ. So Elisha left his home, his parents, his occupation, and hastened to enroll himself as a prophet of the Lord. So the Master now calls upon many a young man to give up all worldly prospects, and devote himself to the ministry. So he calls upon every one in heart to renounce all things for his sake. But whoever does this shall have the sure and eternal rewards of his kingdom.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 5, 42, 93.

O God, whose mercy is from everlasting to everlasting! we bless thee for all the tokens of promise given us in thy past mercies, for the hope of immortality, the joy unspeakable and full of glory brought to us in thy gospel and in the worship of thy house this day. At the end of the Lord's day, we would thank thee for its hours of rest, and for its means of grace.

Hasten, O Lord! that blessed time when thy kingdom shall have come, and all shall know thee, from the least even to the greatest. Turn unto thyself the hearts of the heathen and the unbelieving. Pour out more and more upon thy people the spirit of grace and supplication, the spirit of

zeal and self-devotion, the spirit of holy fear and Christian love. We beseech thee to raise up many who shall preach the gospel of thy grace, that the world may be filled with thy praise.

To thee, heavenly Father, we commend ourselves this night. O thou Good Shepherd! watch over us, the sheep of thy pasture. O Holy Ghost, the Comforter! guide and hallow our thoughts.

Thou in whom all families are blessed, bless thou our kindred and friends. May all who are united to us be with us united to thee; be with us presented by thee in the presence of thy Father with exceeding joy! And to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost, be glory everlasting. Amen.