29.

BE ye holy; for I am holy. 1 Pet. i. 16.

I

In little things of common life,
There lies the Christian's noblest strife-
When he does conscience make
Of every thought and throb within,
And words and looks of self and sin,
Crushes for Jesus' sake.

30.

WILL take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue. Ps. xxxix. 1.

Be slow to speak, look well within

To check what there may lead to sin;

And pray unceasingly for aid,

Lest unawares thou be betray'd.

3 I.

THE day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

I Thess. v. 2.

Little skills it where or how,
If thou comest then or now,
With a smooth or angry brow;

Come thou must, and we must die

Jesus, Saviour, stand Thou by,
When that last sleep seals our eye.

February.

I.

WHO shall stand when He appeareth?

for He is like a refiner's fire.

Our inmost hearts refine,

And for Thyself prepare:

Mal. iii. 2.

Cast out all thoughts but thoughts divine,
And reign triumphant there.

2.

The Presentation of Christ in the Temple, commonly called the Purification of St. Mary the Virgin.

B LESSED are the pure in heart for

they shall see God. St. Matt. v. 8.

The Lord, who left the heavens
Our life and peace to bring,
To dwell in lowliness with men,
Their Pattern and their King:

He to the lowly soul
Doth still Himself impart,

And for His cradle and His throne
Chooseth the pure in heart.

3.

CA

ASTING all your care
for He careth for you.

upon Him; I Pet. v. 7.

I can be calm, and free from care,
On any shore, since God is there.

ΤΗ

4.

HE Lord searcheth all hearts, and understandeth all the imaginations of the thoughts: if thou seek Him, He will be found of thee; but if thou forsake Him, He will cast thee off for ever.

I Chron. xxviii. 9.

Search, try, O God, my thoughts and heart,
If mischief lurks in any part;
Correct me where I go astray,

And guide me in Thy perfect way.

5.

HIS compassions fail not. They are

new every morning.

Lam. iii. 22, 23.

New every morning is the love

Our wakening and uprising prove;

Through sleep and darkness safely brought,
Restored to life, and power, and thought.

6.

EXAMINE yourselves, whether ye be

in the faith; prove your own selves.

2 Cor. xiii. 5.

Each evening to myself I say

"My soul, where hast thou glean'd to-day ?
Thy labours how bestow'd?

What hast thou rightly said or done,
What grace attain'd, or knowledge won,
In following after God?"

7.

THY will be done.

St. Matt. vi. 10.

If Thou should'st call me to resign
What most I prize, it ne'er was mine;
I only yield Thee what was Thine-
"Thy will be done!"

8.

GODLINESS with

great gain.

is

contentment
1 Tim. vi. 6.

Hearts good and true have wishes few,

In narrow circles bounded;

And faith that lives on what God gives
Is Christian hope well founded.

9.

MY grace is sufficient for thee: for My strength is made perfect in weak2 Cor. xii. 9.

ness.

F

Grief, nor pain, nor any sorrow
Rends thy heart, to God unknown;
He to-day, and He to-morrow,
Grace sufficient gives His own.
Holy strivings nerve and strengthen,
Long endurance wins the crown;
When the evening shadows lengthen,
Thou shalt lay thy burden down.

OR now

IO.

we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known. I Cor. xiii. 12.

Of the bright things in earth and air
How little can the heart embrace !
Soft shades and gleaming lights are there-
I know it well, but cannot trace.

In vain, with dull and tuneless ear,
I linger by soft music's cell,
And in my heart of hearts would hear
What to her own she deigns to tell.
But patience! there may come a time

When these dull ears shall scan aright
Strains, that outring Earth's drowsy chime,
As Heaven outshines the taper's light.