Remember statesmen, and all master minds,
Priests, poets, teachers, rulers of all kinds;
That all Christ's messengers be channels true,
'Twixt us and God, with whom we have to do;
That they may choose the right, nor fear the strong,
And from base love of mammon crown the wrong.
Plead for the wanderers from Christ's fold who stray,
For those who know it not, nor know the way,
For the whole race, which He has made His own,
For which He intercedes before the throne.
All useful work, O heart! art thou denied,
While this great Censer waiteth at thy side?
Heap on thine incense, heap it full and free;
He, when He offers it, will think of thee.

More things are wrought by prayer

Than this world dreams of. Wherefore let thy voice

Rise like a fountain for me night and day.

For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,

If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way

Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.

From 'RAYS OF SUNLIGHT.'

None are so full of cares and sufferings, or so poor in gifts, that to them also, waiting patiently and trustfully on God for His daily commands, He will not give direct ministry for Him; increasing according to their strength and their desire. There is so much to be set right in the world, there are so many to be led, and helped, and comforted, that we must continually come in contact with such in our daily life. Let us only take care that, by the glance being turned inward, or lost in vacant reverie, we do not miss our turn of service, and pass by those to whom we might have been sent on an errand, straight from God.

BEAR ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law

of Christ.

Gal. vi. 2.

FIFTEENTH DAY.

Restoration from Sickness.

THE Lord is my strength and song, and is become my salvation. The voice of rejoicing and salvation is in the tabernacles of the righteous: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. The right hand of the Lord is exalted: the right hand of the Lord doeth valiantly. I shall not die, but live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore: but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord.

Ps. cxviii. 14-19.

O Lord, by these things men live, and in all these things is the life of my spirit: so wilt thou recover me, and make me to live. Behold, for peace I had great bitterness: but thou hast in love to my soul delivered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back. For the grave cannot praise thee, death cannot celebrate thee: they that go down into the pit cannot hope for thy truth. The living, the living, he shall praise thee, as I

do this day: the father to the children shall make known thy truth. The Lord was ready to save me: therefore we will sing my songs to the stringed instruments all the days of our life in the house of the Lord.

Isa. xxxviii. 16-20,

And forthwith, when they were come out of the synagogue, they entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John. But Simon's wife's mother lay sick of a fever, and anon they tell him of her. And he came and took her by the hand, and lifted her up; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto

them.

have

St. Mark i. 29-31.

And they came to Jericho: and as he went out of Jericho with his disciples and a great number of people, blind Bartimaeus, the son of Timæus, sat by the highway side begging. And when he heard that it was Jesus of Nazareth, he began to cry out, and say, Jesus, thou son of David, mercy on me. And many charged him that he should hold his peace: but he cried the more a great deal, Thou son of David, have mercy on me. And Jesus stood still, and commanded him to be called. And they call the blind man, saying unto him, Be of good comfort, rise; he calleth thee. And he, casting away his garment, rose, and came to Jesus. And Jesus answered and said unto him, What wilt thou that I should do unto thee? The blind man said unto him, Lord, that I might receive my sight. And Jesus said unto him, Go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole. And immediately he received his sight, and followed Jesus in the way.

St. Mark x. 46-52.

And when he was come into the ship, he that had been possessed with the devil prayed him that he might be with him. Howbeit Jesus suffered him not, but saith unto him, Go home to thy friends, and tell them how great things the Lord hath done for thee, and hath had compassion on thee. And he departed, and began to publish in Decapolis how great things Jesus had done for him: and all men did marvel.

St. Mark v. 18-20.

'She arose and ministered unto them.'-ST. MATT. viii. 15.

THE figure of our beloved Lord is so continually

presented to us in the Gospels, and also by our own prevailing forms of thought, as that of 'a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief,' that we scarcely ever think of Him as rejoicing in the pure joys of humanity, but only as weeping with its sorrows and sharing in its sufferings. Yet, let us wander for a few moments in thought along the shores of the Galilean lake; let us enter the house of Peter, the fisherman, and see how bright with joy are the faces of its inmates; see how the anxiety of supplication is giving place to the rejoicing of a fervent gratitude; for the Divine Master has restored to them the beloved object of their intercessions1 and raised

1 St. Mark i. 30.