March 8

Psalm exlv. — 14. The Lord upholdeth all that fall, and raiseth up all those that be bowed down.

15. The eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season. 16. Thou openest thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing. 17. The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his works. 18. The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him; to all that call upon him in truth. 19. He will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them. 20. The Lord preserveth all them that love him; but all the wicked will he destroy. 21. My mouth shall speak the praise of the Lord; and let all flesh bless his holy name for ever and ever.

Luke xii. — 1. In the mean time, when there were gathered together an innumerable multitude of people, insomuch that they trode one upon another, he began to say unto his disciples first of all, Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy.

2. For there is nothing covered that shall not be revealed, neither hid that shall not be known. 3. Therefore, whatsoever ye have spoken in darkness shall be heard in the light; and that which ye have spoken in the ear in closets shall be proclaimed upon the housetops. 4. And I say unto you, my friends, Be not afraid of them that kill the body, and after that have no more that they can do. 5. But I will forewarn you whom ye shall fear: fear him, which, after he hath killed, hath power to cast into hell; yea, I say unto you, Fear him. 6. Are not five sparrows sold for two farthings? and not one of them is forgotten before God; 7. But even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore: ye are of more value than many sparrows. 8. Also I say unto you, Whosoever shall confess me before men, him shall the Son of man also confess before the angels of God; 9. But he that denieth me before men shall be denied before the angels of God.

Our Saviour taught the tender, providential care of God over all his creatures. Nothing is too minute for his eye, nothing too insignificant for his regard. In this case, our heavenly Father employs the services of nature and of man to do his will. See how, in the great busy city of New York, God cares for the sparrows which so abound in the parks and streets! Their natural instinct prompts them to seek their food. The helpless innocence and the confiding ways of these tiny creatures appeal to the humane feelings of housekeepers and of passers-by; their usefulness in preserving the trees disposes the Park Commissioners to provide houses and food for them, and to protect them from harm; and even the newspa-

pers, occupied with the affairs of the world, find space now and then for a plea for the sparrows. And so our heavenly Father, who has the care of all worlds, careth for the little birds. Much more will he care for us, preserve and defend us, if we walk devoutly in his fear, and trust him with the charming simplicity of the sparrows.

Shunning all deception, discarding all timidity, we should frankly, boldly confess Christ our Saviour. Nothing shall really harm us if we walk in Christ; our lives shall be safe so long as he has any service for us here; and death itself shall greet us with his open and blessed recognition in the presence of the angels.

APPROPRIATE HYMNS.]

Prayer.

[Nos. 178, 189, 197.

Almighty God, in whom alone we live and move, and have our being, graciously accept the prayers and praises with which we would begin another day.

We thank thee for thy watchful care over us, and for all thy bounty towards us. Grant, O Lord! that we may show our thankfulness to thee, not only with our lips, but in our lives, by giving up ourselves to thy service, and by daily endeavoring to do such things as are pleasing to thee.

We bless thee that in thy holy Word thou hast made known to us thy will and thy love. May it always prove a word in season to us! Teach us to hide its truths and precepts in our hearts, that we may not sin against thee. Teach us also to read thy love in all thy works, and in all the ways of thy providence.

Lord, preserve us this day in body and soul. Be pleased to grant us such a measure of health and strength, that we shall be enabled rightly to fulfil the duties of our different stations. And do

thou always keep our hearts steadfast in thy fear. Never suffer us to forget that thou, God, seest us. Hold up our goings in thy paths, that our footsteps slip not. In word and deed may we seek to adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour, and to prove ourselves thy true disciples. May our light so shine before men, that they, seeing our good works, may glorify thee, our heavenly Father, and desire to be numbered with thy children!

Impress upon our hearts a constant trust in thy providence. [May these children learn to confide in their heavenly Father, who watches over the sparrows! and, oh, may they fear to sin, remembering that wherever they are, and whatever they do, the eye of God is upon them!]

And now, Lord, we commit ourselves to thy care for the coming day. May we act as in thy presence, and do all this day to thy glory! Hear us, we beseech thee, for the sake of Jesus Christ our Saviour. Amen.