February 7

I Samuel ii. — 1. And Hannah prayed, and said, My heart rejoiceth in the Lord, mine horn is exalted in the Lord; my mouth is enlarged over mine enemies; because I rejoice in thy salvation.

2. There is none holy as the Lord; for there is none beside thee: neither is there any rock like our God.

6. The Lord killeth, and maketh alive; he bringeth down to the grave, and bringeth up.

7. The Lord maketh poor, and maketh rich; he bringeth low, and lifteth up.

8. He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory; for the pillars of the earth are the Lord's, and he hath set the world upon them.

9. He will keep the feet of his saints, and the wicked shall be silent in darkness; for by strength shall no man prevail.

10. The adversaries of the Lord shall be broken to pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them: the Lord shall judge the ends of the earth;

and he shall give strength unto his king, and exalt the horn of his anointed.

Luke i. — 46. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord,

47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour.

48. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.

49. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.

50. And his mercy is on them that fear him, from generation to generation.

51. He hath showed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.

52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.

53. He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent empty away.

54. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;

55. As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed forever.

These two holy women, Hannah and Mary, were moved to a like song of thanksgiving for the birth of a son. Probably Hannah had hoped that her son would prove to be the promised Messiah. Many mothers in Israel cherished that hope concerning their sons: and the angel said to Mary, "Hail, thou that art highly favored; blessed art thou among women."

The song of the Virgin Mary is an answer to those who claim for her divine honors, and exalt her above Christ himself. She did not believe herself to be either divine or immaculate. Neither in her most exalted frame of thanksgiving, while anticipating the honors that should come to her in all after-times as the mother of Jesus, did she presume to call herself "the mother of God." Humility, gratitude, trust, devotion, are graces for which Mary is conspicuous in the gospel history. There is no authority there for regarding the Virgin Mary as

excepted from the universal experience of the race as subjects of sin, nor for magnifying her character and influence as a saint and an intercessor. More than once did Jesus himself declare, that to do the will of his Father, to hear the word of God and keep it, was of more account than to have been his mother. Yet, while we shun idolatrous veneration, the Virgin Mary is entitled to our respectful regard as the ideal of true womanhood. Her modesty and discretion under the most trying conditions, her devout waiting upon God in secret silent meditation, her motherly tenderness and care for the child committed to her from heaven, her open faith in Jesus before he had disclosed his supernatural power, her strength of character and self-control as she stood before the cross, even as the sword pierced her soul, and her devotion to duty under all trials, — these are virtues and graces of character, for the example of which all nations shall call her blessed.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 21, 130, 145.

O God, the Father of all the families of men! we thank thee for thy great love in the gift of children; for all the joy they bring with them; for all the good thou dost prepare for them and by them. [May the children of this family be thine in the covenant of thy love, and grow up in the household of faith!]

O Lord! we adore thee as God over all, blessed forevermore. Thou art the Former of our bodies, and the Father of our spirits; the God in whom we live and move, and have our being. All we are and all we have is derived from thee. There is nothing which we have that we have not received. Oh! give us the blessing of grateful hearts. Let thy Spirit be our teacher; let thy Word be our guide; let thy will be our sovereign motive; let

thy glory be our final end. We bring thee thanks for the rest and refreshment of sleep, and for the comforts of the morning. Guide, keep, and prosper us this day. Bless all connected with us by whatever tie. May our ever-present God be with them, guiding them by his grace, defending them from temptation, fitting them by his providence for the varied duties of the present life, and for the joys of his saints in glory everlasting!

Bless the lambs of thy flock. We commend them to the Great Shepherd of the sheep, beseeching him to make them perfect, and to fold them in the arms of his mercy. We leave ourselves, O God! in thy hands. May all our doings this day, begun, carried on, and ended in thee, redound, through Jesus, to thy praise and glory! Amen.