January 7

"In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths." — Proverbs 3:6.

THE Bible contains doctrines on which to rest our faith, duties to regulate our conduct, and promises to refresh our spirits. Here is

AN IMPORTANT PRECEPT. — The acknowledgment of the divine Being in all our ways.

The Act. "Acknowledge him." This implies more than a belief in his existence. He is to be acknowledged in the affections of the heart; thus we are to love him; in the contemplation of the mind, thus we are to think on him; in the expressions of the lip, thus we are to confess him; in the deportment of the life, thus we are to glorify him.

The Extent. "In all thy ways." Your religion is not to be a Sunday dress, but a daily habit. You are to acknowledge God in all your religious duties. In the sanctuary, in the domestic circle, and in the closet of devotion. You are to acknowledge him in all your temporal concerns. Consult him in all your-plans, purposes, and schemes. Acknowledge him in all your various trials. Remember he treads not in the track of human fitness or propriety. As a God of providence, his way is in the sea, too deep and mysterious for you to fathom; but as a God of grace, his way is in the sanctuary, and you may sit under its droppings, and commune with your God.

AN INVALUABLE PROMISE. Assurance of Divine direction in our paths. If God is habitually acknowledged,

He will counsel you by his wisdom. How often do we consult the circle of friendship, rather than the throne of grace. Our future course is hidden from us; there may be many scenes of trial, sorrow, and difficulty, we have yet to pass, let us seek direction from Him who cannot err.

He will comfort you by his grace. God is not only the guide, but the companion of his people. Communion with him in the paths of life, while it throws a bright lustre around us, lights up a fire within, so that our hearts burn with a celestial glow. Thus while the fiery cloudy pillar is before us for our direction, the refreshing streams from the rock follow us in our track, and a voice addresses us from above, "My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest."

He will conduct you to glory. This is your high destination. What a sublime course is the Christian's; though struggles attend its commencement, and trials follow in its progress, immortal joys and triumphs crown its end!