Thy kingdom-not the world's war-shifted scene, Of pomp and show, but love's all peaceful reign. Come-rule within our hearts, by grace divine, Till all the kingdoms of the world be thiue.

Thy will be done in Earth as it is in Heaven. Thy will-to ev'ry good that boundless pow'rs Can raise, if we conform to it with ours. Be done in Earth-where doing of his will Promotes all good, and overcomes all ill. As 't is in Heav'n-where all the blest above Serve, with one will, the living source of love.

Give us this day our daily bread.

Give us-implies dependence, whilst we live,
Not on ourselves, but what he wills to give.
This day-cuts off all covetous desire
Of more and more, than real wants require.
Our daily bread-whatever we shall need,
And rightly use, to make it ours indeed.

And forgive us our trespasses-
Forgivebetokens penitential sense,
And hope for pardon, of confess'd offence.
Us-takes in all, but hints the special part
Of ev'ry one, to look to his own heart.
Our trespasses which the forgiving grace,
By our sincere conversion, must efface.

As we forgive them that trespass against us.
As we forgive-because the fairest claim
To mercy pray'd for is to show the same.
And we who pray should all be minded thus,
To pardon them, that trespass against us.
Without forgiving, Christ was pleas'd to add,
Our own forgiveness never can be had.

And lead us not into temptation. Temptation rises in this world, the field Of good and evil, and incites to yield. Lead us not into it becomes the voice Of all, who would not go to it by choice. Whose resignation, mix'd with meek distrust Of their own strength, is more securely just.

But deliver us from evil

But-when temptation will, of course, arise, The Hand that leads can minister supplies. Deliver us-instructs the soul to place Its firm reliance on protecting Grace. From evil-from the greatest evil, sin; The only one not to be safely in.

Amen.

Amen is truth, in Hebrew, and consent To truth received, by its long use, is meant Jesus, himself the truth, the living way, The faithful witness, teaches thus to pray. Again should we be learning, and again, Till life becomes a practical amen.

A DIVINE PASTORAL.

THE Lord is my shepherd, my guardian, and guide;

Whatsoever I want he will kindly provide:
Ever since I was born, it is he that hath crown'd
The life that he gave me with blessings all round:
While yet on the breast a poor infant I hung,
E'er time had unloosen'd the strings of my tongue,
He gave me the help which I could not then ask;
Now therefore to thank him shall be my tongue's
task.

Thro' my tenderest years, with as tender a care, My soul, like a lamb, in his bosom he bare; To the brook he would lead me, whene'er I had need,

And point out the pasture where best I might feed: No harm could approach me; for he was my shield From the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the

field;

The wolf, to devour me, would oftentimes prowl, But the Lord was my shepherd, and guarded my soul.

How oft in my youth have I wander'd astray? And still he hath brought me back to the right way!

When, lost in dark errour, no path I could meet, His word, like a lantern, hath guided my feet: What wond'rous escapes to his kindness I owe! When, rash and unthinking, I sought my own woe: My soul had, long since, been gone down to the deep,

If the Lord had not watched, when I was asleep.

Whensoe'er, at a distance, he sees me afraid, He skips o'er the mountain, and comes to my aid; Then leads me back gently, and bids me abide In the midst of his flock, and feed close by his side: How safe in his keeping, how happy and free, Could I always remain where he bids me to be! Yea blest are the people, and happy thrice told,

glory.

Thine is the kingdom-the essential right To sov'reign rule, and majesty, and might. Thine is the pow'r-to bless, and to redeem; All else is weak whatever it may seem. Thine is the glory---manifestly found In all thy works, the whole creation round.

For ever and ever.

For ever---from an unbeginning source,
Almighty Love pursues its endless course.
Through all its scenes, Eternity displays
New wonders to our heav'nly Father's praise.
King, Father, Leader, Judge, his hallow'd name
Was, is, and ever will be, still the same.

The fold it is full, and the pasture is green;
All is friendship and love, and no enemy seen:
There the Lord dwells, amongst us, upon his own
Hill;

With the flocks all around him awaiting his will:
Himself, in the midst, with a provident eye
Regarding our wants, and procuring supply;
An abundance springs up of each nourishing bud,
And we gather his gifts, and are filled with good.

At his voice, or example, we move, or we stay; For the Lord is himself both our leader and way: The hills smoke with incense where'er he hath

trod,

And a sacred perfume shows the footsteps of God.

While blest with his presence, the valleys beneath
A sweet smelling savour incessantly breathe:
The delight is renew'd of each sensible thing;
And behold in their bloom all the beauty of spring.

Or, if a quite different scene he prepare, And we march thro' the wilderness, barren and bare;

By his wonderful works we see plainly enough, That the Earth is the Lord's, and the fullness thereof:

If we hunger, and thirst, and are ready to faint,
A relief in due season prevents our complaint;
The rain, at his word, brings us food from the
sky,

And rocks become rivers when we are adry.

From the fruitfullest hill to the barrenest rock, The Lord hath made all for the sake of his flock; And the flock, in return, the Lord always confess In plenty their joy, and their hope in distress: He beholds in our welfare his glory display'd, And we find ourselves blest in obedience repay'd; With a cheerful regard we attend to his ways; Our attention is pray'r, and our cheerfulness praise.

The Lord is my shepherd; what then shall I fear?

What danger can frighten me whilst he is near? Not, when the time calls me to walk thro' the vale Of the Shadow of Death, shall my heart ever fail; Tho' afraid, of myself, to pursue the dark way, Thy rod, and thy staff, be my comfort and stay; For I know, by thy guidance, when once it is past, To a fountain of life it will bring me at last.

The Lord is become my salvation and song, His blessing shall follow me all my life long: Whatsoever condition he places me in,

I am sure 't is the best it could ever have been: For the Lord he is good, and his mercies are sure; He only afflicts us in order to cure:

The Lord will I praise while I have any breath; Be content all my life, and resign'd at my death.

The Sun, in the evening, is out of our sight, And the Moon is enlighten'd to govern the night: His power we behold, in yon high arched roof, When the stars, in their order, shine forth in its proof: [see,

And reflect on our littleness, Lord, what are we? While the works, so immense, of thy fingers we Yet, while 't is our glory thy Name to adore, Even angels of Heav'n cannot boast any more.

Praise the Lord, upon earth, all ye nations and

lands,

Ye seasons and times, that fulfill his commands; Let his works, in all places, his goodness proclaim, And the people, who see them, give thanks to his

name:

[brings

For the good, which he wills to communicate,
Into visible form his invisible things:
Their appearance may change, as his law shall
[ordain,
But the goodness that forms will for ever remain.

What a world of good things does all nature

produce, [use? Which the Lord, in his mercy, hath made for our The Earth, by his blessing bestow'd on its soil, By his rain, and his sunshine, gives corn, wine, and oil:

Let men to adore him then thankfully join, When fill'd with his bread, or made glad by his wine;

As in wealth, so in gratitude, let them abound, And the voice of his praise be heard all the world round.

They, that o'er the wide ocean their bus'ness

press;

And devoutly contemplate thy wonderful ways, Thou that turnest the fierceness of men to thy praise: [crease,

Then lands, in due season, shall yield their in And the Lord give his people the blessings of peace.

The Lord he is high, far above all our thought How then shall we worship him so as we ought? What tongue can express, or what words can show forth

The praise which is due to his excellent worth?
Ye righteous, and ye that in virtue excell,
Begin the glad task which becomes you so well;
The Lord shall be pleas'd when he heareth your
voice,

And in his own works shall th' Almighty rejoice.

The Lord hath his dwelling far out of our view, And yet humbleth himself to behold what we do;

In David's city, shepherds, ye shall find
The long foretold Redeemer of mankind;
Wrapt up in swaddling clothes, the babe divine
Lies in a manger; this shall be your sign."
He spake, and straightway the celestial choir,
In hymns of joy, unknown before, conspire:
The praises of redeeming love they sung,
And Heav'ns whole orb with hallelujahs rung:
God's highest glory was their anthem still;
Peace upon Earth, and mutual good-will. [ran,
To Bethlehem straight th' enlightened shepherds
To see the wonder God had wrought for man;
And found, with Joseph and the blessed maid,
Her son, the Saviour, in a manger laid.
Amaz'd, the wond'rous story they proclaim;
The first apostles of his infant fame:
While Mary keeps, and ponders in her heart,
The heav'nly vision, which the swains impart;
They to their flocks, still praising God, return,
And their glad hearts within their bosoms burn.
Let us, like these good shepherds then, employ
Our grateful voices to proclaim the joy:
Like Mary, let us ponder in our mind
God's wond'rous love in saving lost mankind;
Artless, and watchful, as these favour'd swains,
While virgin meekness in the heart remains:
Trace we the babe, who has retriev'd our loss,
From his poor manger to his bitter cross;
Treading his steps, assisted by his grace,
Till man's first heav'nly state again takes place:
Then may we hope, th' angelic thrones among,
To sing, redeem'd, a glad triumphal song:
He that was born, upon this joyful day,
Around us all, his glory shall display;
Sav'd by his love, incessant we shall sing
Of angels, and of angel-men, the King.

ON THE EPIPHANY.

LED by the guidance of a living star,
The eastern sages travell'd from afar
To seek the Saviour, by prophetic fame
Describ'd to them as King of Jews by name;
Whose birth, to gentiles worthy of his sight,
Was now declar'd by this angelic light.

To its full height th' expectancy had grown
Of what the learned foreigners made known;
When at Jerusalem the sacred news

Was spread by them to Herod, and the Jews; "Where is he born? For by his star," they said, "Thus far to worship him have we been led."

Herod, who had in his tyrannic mind No thought of empire, but of earthly kind, Jealous of this new king of Jewish tribes, In haste assembl'd all the priests, and scribes; Where Christ was to be born was his demand"In Bethlehem," they said, " in Juda's land."

He call'd the magi, privately again, To learn from them the time, precisely, when The star, which had conducted them, appear'd: And, having all his wily questions clear'd,

Bad them to seek the child, and from the view Come, and tell him, that he might worship too.

They journey'd on to the appointed place, Which Jewish priests from prophecy could trace:

Cheer'd by the star's appearance on the way,
That pointed where the infant Saviour lay;
Meekly they stepp'd into his humble shrine,
And fell to worshipping the babe divine.

The Virgin mother saw them all prefer
Their off'rings, gold, and frankincense, and myrrh;
But warn'd of God his Father, in a dream,
They disappointed Herod's murd'rous scheme;
And, having seen the object of their faith,
Sought their own country by another path.

Does not reflection justly hence arise, That in the east, so famous for the wise, The truest learning, sapience, and skill, Was theirs, who sought, amidst the various ill Which they beheld, for that predicted scene, That should on Earth commence an heav'nly reign?

These true inquirers into Nature saw
That Nature must have some superior law;
Some righteous monarch, for the good of all,
To rule with justice this disorder'd ball;
Their bumble sense of wants, o'erlook'd by pride,
Made them so worthy of the starlike guide.

We read how, then, the very pagan school
Was fill'd with rumours of a Jewish rule:
Tho' Jews themselves, as at this present day,
Dreamt of a worldly domineering sway;
The truly wise, or Jew, or Gentile, sought
A Christ, the object of an happier thought.

They best could understand prophetic page, Simple, or learn'd, the shepherd, or the sage: Their eyes could see, and follow a true light, That led them on from prophecy to sight: Could own the Son who, by the Father's will, Should reign a King on Sion's holy Hill,

Of treasures which the wise were mov'd to bring, If gold presented might confess the king, Incense to his divinity relate,

And myrrh denote his bitter, suff'ring state,
They offer'd types of the theandric plan
Of our salvation, God's becoming man.

In this redeeming process all concurr'd
To give sure proof of the prophetic word;
Jesus, Emanuel, the inward light

Of all mankind, who seek the truth aright,
Forms in the heart of all the wise on Earth
The true day-star, the token of his birth.

MEDITATIONS

FOR EVERY DAY IN PASSION WEEK. MONDAY.

God in Christ is all love.

BEHOLD the tender love of God!-behold
The Shepherd dying to redeem his fold!
Who can declare it?-Worthy to be known-
What tongue can speak it worthily?-His own:
From his own sacred lips the theme began,
The glorious gospel of God's love to man.

So great, so boundless was it, that he gave His only Son-and for what end?-To save;