righteousness, and godliness of life. There is nothing we would more desire than that doing righteousness, we may be righteous even as he is righteous. Assist us, we beseech thee, to attain this great end of his sufferings and death, the purchase of his cross, and the promise of his love. Preserve in us a constant sense of the great value of our souls, for which he died, and especially raise us to a greater height of love and gratitude, and of hope and confidence in thy infinite mercies, of which we have such strong assurance, in that he was delivered for our offences and raised again for our justification.

May we live above the tempting allurements of this world, and delight ourselves in thee; walking as seeing him who is invisible, till we arrive at the heavenly city, where the sun of our joy shall go down no more, but the glory of God and of the Lamb shall be our light for ever and ever. O Lord accept these our prayers for the sake of thy beloved Son our only Mediator and Advocate.

MEDITATION

For Thursday Morning.

"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven." Matt. v. 3.

The foundation of all graces is laid in

humility; those that would build high must begin low. It is an excellent preparative for the entrance of gospel grace into the soul: it fits the soil to receive the seed.

The general opinion is, blessed are the rich, the great, the honourable; who spend their days in mirth, and their years in pleasure. Our Lord Jesus Christ in this chapter gives us quite another view of blessedness; and from him, it is, that the Christian takes his ideas of happiness.

To be poor in spirit is, to be humbled, to be low in our own eyes: it is to ac knowledge that God is great, and that we are mean; that he is holy, and we are sinful; that he is all, and we are nothing: to be watching daily at God's gates, waiting at the posts of his doors, always in want of his grace; it is to esteem others better than ourselves. It is to renounce our own righteousness and strength, and depend only upon the merit of Christ for our justification, and upon the Spirit of Christ for our sanctification. That broken and contrite spirit with which the Publican cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner,' is this poverty of spirit. Such are blessed : blessed in the favour of God; to them he gives more grace; they live the most com

fortable lives, and are kind and tender hearted to themselves and all about them. Theirs is the kingdom of heaven. High spirits are carried away by the glory of the kingdoms of this world; but the humble obtain the glory of the kingdom of

heaven.

As in our greatest abundance we must not think to live without God; so in our greatest straits we must learn to live upon him; and when the fig-tree doth not blossom, and the fields yield no meat, still to rejoice in the Lord, in full persuasion that, in some way or other, God will provide.

HYMN

For Thursday Morning.
Lord, if thou the grace impart,
Poor in spirit, meek in heart,
I shall as my Master be,
Rooted in humility.

From the time that thee I know,
Nothing great I'd seek below;
Pleas'd with all the Lord provides,
Wean'd from all the world besides.

Simple, teachable, and mild,
Humble as a little child,

Ev'ry evil let me flee,

Father, fix my soul on thee.

Oh! that all may seek and find,
Ev'ry good in Jesus join'd!
Him let Israel still adore,

Trust him, praise him, evermore.

PRAYER

For Thursday Morning.

O Thou, who hast borne so long with us, and done so much for us; of whom alone cometh our salvation, and by whom we escape death; moved by a sense of our necessities, and encouraged by our daily experience of thy mercies, we desire still to shelter ourselves under the shadow of thy wings, and to continue our supplications at the throne of thy grace; most humbly entreating thee, who fashionest the hearts of the children of men, that thou wouldest prepare our hearts to come into thy sacred presence, and to call upon thy blessed name. O pour down upon us a spirit of grace and of supplication; let thy good Spirit help our infirmities, and teach us how to pray. We who are but dust and ashes-we who have but too just cause to fear lest our great and manifold sins should provoke thee to hide thy face from us, and shut up thy loving-kindness in displeasure, have taken upon us to speak unto

thee, the Sovereign Majesty of heaven and earth. O be merciful to us sinners, for the sake of him whom thou hast exalted to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto his people, and forgiveness of sins. Heal our souls, which have greatly sinned against thee heal our backslidings, and love us freely take away our ungodliness, renew us daily unto repentance; establish our hearts in thy faith, and fear, and love.

Hold up our goings in thy paths, that our foot-steps slip not. Make us, in the strength of thy grace, to go on conquering and to conquer all the enemies of our souls, and all the hindrances of our salvation, until thou hast bruised Satan under our feet.

We bless thee for the mercies of the past night. We laid us down to sleep, and have risen again; for thou hast sustained us, and made us to dwell in safety. May we ever experience the comfort of thy protection, and the help of thy divine grace! May we find thee indeed to be a God of pardon, and a God of sanctification. Dispose of us, we beseech thee, and of all that concerns us this day, to the glory of thy name. Keep us at all times, in all places, and in all companies, from the evil of sin, and from all other evils to which

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