deeds. Thus we see, that though vice may flourish, it cannot give security or happiness; for there is no escape from the consequences of wrong-doing; justice will, sooner or later, overtake all who offend. What

inducements are here to seek virtue, and shun vice.

Again; we must search the Scriptures, because they point out all the duties, which God has imposed upon us. They teach, with unerring distinctness, our duties as parents and children, husbands and wives, brothers and sisters, masters and servants, rulers and subjects. No man need go astray who has the Bible for his guide; it is a lamp to his feet, and a light unto his path.

Again; we must search the Scriptures, because they reveal that rich inheritance which God has bequeathed to his children, and which he holds in reserve for them. How full of comfort is the belief, that we have such an inheritance. It enables us to feel ourselves rich, even when struggling with the evils of poverty; and, in the hour of sickness and death, it inspires us with a hope which is as an anchor of the soul. All support, except what the Bible gives, forsakes us when we approach the gates of the grave. But the Bible never fails; it lights our pathway to the tomb, and illumines even the valley of death.

PRAYER.

GREAT and ever watchful God; we thank thee for that holy Book which thou hast given to be the guide and hope of man. We acknowledge the infinite value of its instructions; that it unfolds all the excellences of thy character, makes known all our duties, and points the weary pilgrims of earth to that world where all is life and Grant that we may ever look peace. it as a full and perfect revelation of thy will; as an unerring counsellor; and as the sun of the moral world, which has risen in splendor upon the benighted nations.

upon

O Lord, may we never be among those who shall regard thy sacred Word with indifference, live in rebellion against its laws, or turn a deaf ear to its solemn admonitions. May we search it daily, and seek to be enlightened by its wisdom, sanctified by its spirit, and governed by its precepts. We acknowledge that it is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness, and is able to make us thoroughly furnished unto all good works. It is suited, O God, to the wants of all thy people, and adapted to every situation in life; and we pray that we may study it attentively and prayerfully. May the poor realize, that in thy word they have riches of infinite value, and that, though their days may be spent in poverty, they are going to a world, where they will be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of thy house, and drink of the river of thy pleasure. May the widow, who, with unavailing sorrow, mourns the departure of her faithful companion, listen to its teachings, and learn that the Almighty is her God and Judge, and that in him she should ever trust. May the orphan, who sighs for a guide and guardian, carefully study its pages, and learn that blessings more valuable than immense legacies of wealth, will be his portion, and that he should confide in thee as an infinite Friend. May the sinful, who are spending their days in folly, turn from their evil ways, and hearken to its testimonies. May it instruct all, guide all, and make all wise unto salvation.

Gracious God! we bless thee for the preservation of thy Word; that it has survived all the changes of rising and falling empire, and been

kept perfect through vicissitude and we, and is the same Book which the martyrs read, and by which they were enabled to endure their trials and sufferings. May it ever be our companion and guide, and lead us in the ways of duty.

May our children study this sacred Book, and be made wise and happy.

When our pilgrimage on earth is ended, and we shall no longer need the guidance of thy Word, admit us to the light of heaven, through Jesus Christ. Amen.

THE GREATNESS OF GOD.

REFLECTIONS adapted to Psalm xxix. Psalm xevii. Isaiah xl. The inspired writers used the strongest terms they could employ, when speaking of the greatness of God. They also brought to their aid that bold and sublime imagery by which they represented him as making the wind, hail and tempests ministers of his will; shaking the earth to its centre; bowing the heavens, and coming down; having darkness for his secret place, and for his pavilion dark waters and thick clouds of the skies. But, perhaps, there is no way in which we can obtain so distinct and enlarged ideas of God's greatness, as from the immensity of his works. To this, frequent reference is made in the Bible. David says, O Lord, thou art very great; thou coverest thyself with light as with a garment; thou stretchest out the heavens like a curtain." He also says, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty." But how great are the Divine works? Astronomers inform us, that so vast is the distance from the earth to the sun, that a body, travelling with the greatest possible velocity, would be twenty-five years in reaching it. They say it would take seven hundred and fifty

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thousand years to reach the nearest fixed star; and more than a hundred millions of years to reach the most distant. For aught that is known, countless other fixed stars lie as far beyond the most distant that have been discovered! How vast, then, is the extent of the Creator's works!

But it is not enough to consider their extent; we must look, also, at the innumerable worlds and systems of worlds which God has created. By the naked eye more than a thousand fixed stars have been discovered; but, by the aid of telescopes, an almost inconceivable number has been seen. Five thousand have been reckoned in one constellation. Each fixed star is a sun to enlighten other systems, the same as our sun enlightens the worlds which revolve around it.

If these views are correct, how justly could the prophet say, "Behold, the nations are as a drop of a bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing." What mind is not lost in wonder, in thus looking from the boundless works of nature up to nature's God? How does the soul acquire strength and vigor as it soars from star to star, and surveys the immensity of creation!

What encouragement does this view of Deity afford to those who are oppressed and wronged by the mighty of earth. It gave courage and hope to David when the church was surrounded by haughty enemies, and caused him to say, "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble: therefore, will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains thereof be carried into the midst of the sea.

In the hour of sickness and expiring mortality, how comforting is it for the believer, to reflect, that the Lord is a great God; and that in his hands are the issues of life and death. To the wicked, who have slighted all his counsels, and disregarded his laws, how fearful is the thought, that the Lord, who is great in power and terrible in judgment, will smite them in the fierceness of his displeasure, and make them feel that

they are accountable to the King of kings, for all their thoughts, words and actions.

PRAYER.

We look up unto thee, O infinite Jehovah, beseeching thee to give us just conceptions of thy greatness. Thou, O Lord, art the God of hosts! The earth is thine, and the fulness thereof, the world, and they that dwell therein. Thou hast founded it upon the seas; thou hast established it upon the flood. All nations before thee are as nothing. Thou hast measured the waters in the hollow of thy hand, weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in balances. None, O God, can be compared unto thee. Thou art greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints, and to be had in reverence by all nations. But, O Lord, thou art good, and in thy name do we trust. Thou art our Glory and Strength, our Shield and Defence. Thy mercy is built up forever, and thy faithfulness established in the heavens. O God, thou wilt never leave nor forsake thy people; thou wilt be their support forever and

ever.

Merciful Father; arm our souls with true courage, and grant that we may never be overwhelmed with fear. When enemies assail us, and the rulers of the earth seek our destruction, may we realize that thou art the King of kings. When borne upon the billows of the raging sea, and the floods lift up their voice, may we remember that the Lord on high is mightier than the noise of many waters. When clouds and darkness are round about us, and the heavens are clothed with terror, O enable us to feel that thou