February 6

Genesis 4:3. And, in process of time, it came to pass that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.

4. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering;

5. But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

6. And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?

7. If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and, if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shall rule over him.

8. And Cain talked with Abel his brother; and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.

9. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?

10. And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.

11. And now art thou cursed from the earth,

How swift in its descent is apostasy from God! Sin begets crime. The child of God, who had sinned against his Father, now sees his own child guilty of the crime of murder. All sin and crime come of casting off the fear of the Lord; and the most pleasurable beginning of transgression may lead to the most fearful ending. There was something, no doubt, in the spirit of Cain, — perhaps a self-righteous spirit, as contrasted with the humility of Abel, — which rendered his offering unacceptable. Jehovah taught him that even acts of worship might be perverted to sin by an evil heart. "If thou doest

which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand.

12. When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength: a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

13. And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.

I John 3:10. In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the Devil: whosoever doth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

11. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

12. Not as Cain, who was of that Wicked One, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because his own works were evil, and his brother's righteous.

13. Marvel not, my brethren, if the world hate you.

14. We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death.

15. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer; and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.

well, shalt thou not be accepted!" The way of access to God was open to him by faith equally with his brother Abel. "But, if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door;" crouches like a wild beast, ready to spring upon its prey. Its desire shall be unto thee: sin longs to possess thee; and, by yielding, thou shalt rule over it; appropriate it to thy service; though, in reality, sin would become his master. How sad and dreadful may be the consequence of yielding to passion, envy, jealousy, pride, or any form of selfishness! Let us pray God to keep us from every sin, and to save us from ourselves.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 63, 67, 96.

O God, our heavenly Father! we come to thee in our need; for thou alone art able to succor us: we come to thee in our weakness; for thou alone canst give us strength: we come to thee in our sins; for thou alone canst pardon, heal, and save us. Have mercy upon us, O Lord! for the sake of thy Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ; and suffer us never to fall away from thee.

Thou art good, and doest good continually; and thy tender mercies are over all thy works. Thou didst create us to be blessed in each other and in thyself, to dwell in love, and so to dwell in God: oh! keep us ever in thy love. We bless thee for thy watchful providence over us in our persons, in our family, in our home, in all that pertains to our well-being; and, we beseech thee, grant unto us, this day, health and prosperity, and preserve us from all harm and danger. Keep us from all impatience and anger, from envy and jealousy,

from every evil lust. Keep our hearts from the thought of evil, and our lips from speaking guile; keep our feet from falling, our eyes from tears, our souls from death. Grant us grace to be faithful in all the offices and relations of life. May we study to be helpful to each other, be patient of each other's infirmities, and rejoice in each other's prosperity! Let no selfishness disturb our peace. [May parents and children, brothers and sisters, all be joined together in the household of faith!] And may the love that blesses our earthly home interpret to us the love of our Father in heaven, and draw us toward the better home! We make supplication for all men; beseeching thee, the Father of all, to dispense unto all thy mercies according to their several conditions and necessities, and to show forth thy salvation in all the earth, through Christ our Lord. Amen.