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Their hope and portion lies below;
'Tis all the happiness they know,
'Tis all they seek; they take their shares,
And leave the rest among their heirs.

What sinners value, I resign;
Lord, 'tis enough that thou art mine
I shall behold thy blissful face,
And stand complete in righteousness.

This life's a dream, an empty show;
But the bright world to which I go
Hath joys substantial and sincere ;
When shall I wake, and find me there?

O glorious hour! O blest abode !
I shall be near and like my God!
And flesh and sin no more control
The sacred pleasures of the soul.

My flesh shall slumber in the ground,
Till the last trumpet's joyful sound;
Then burst the chains with sweet surprise,
And in my Saviour's image rise.

PRAYER

For Saturday Evening.

Almighty and most merciful Father, by whom we are made, and in whom we live, move, and have our being: to whose tender compassion we owe our safety the day past,

with all the hopes of that which is to come. Unto thee do we give thanks, O God, our exceeding joy; every day will we bless thee, and praise thy name for ever and ever; we thank thee with all our souls, if we feel any returns of love to thee, if we have made the least progress in the path of life. Behold, O Lord, we present ourselves here before thee, to be inspired with such a powerful sense of thy love, as may move us more powerfully towards thee, and put us forward with greater earnestness, zeal, and diligence in the way of thy commandments. O that Jesus, the hope of glory, may be formed in us, in all humility and meekness, patience and righteousness, and an absolute surrender of our souls and bodies to thy holy will and pleasure; that we may no longer live, but Christ may live in us, and the life we live in the flesh, may be by the faith of that blessed Saviour who loved us, and gave himself for us. Again we would offer up ourselves sincerely to thee, to do thy will, O God, as our blessed Lord and Master did. We repose an entire confidence in thee, and still trust ourselves with thee, who hast not spared thy own Son, but given him up for us all. We will humbly and reverently accept of whatsoever thou sendest us, and in every thing give thanks, which is thy will concerning us in Christ Jesus. We hope thou

wilt never leave us nor forsake us but conduct us safe through all the changes of our condition here, in an unchangeable love to thee, and in holy composure and tranquillity of mind in thy love to us, till we come to live with thee, and enjoy thee for ever!

To thy watchful providence we commit ourselves this night, to be secured and protected by thee, when we cannot protect ourselves; may it please thee to give this family a comfortable rest and repose, to defend this habitation, and all about us from accident and alarm, and to raise us in health and cheerfulness to praise thee in thy house of prayer: then we will sing of thy power, yea, we will sing aloud of thy mercy in the morning, because thou hast been our defence, and our refuge at all times. Unto thee, O our strength, will we sing; for it is a good thing to sing praises unto thy name, O Most High, to show forth thy loving kindness in the morning, and thy faithfulness every night: and whether we wake in this world or another, may we still be praising thee, for thy mercy endureth for ever and ever. Amen.

THIRD WEEK.

Meditation for the Lord's Day.

"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman."-John xv. 1.

Never was a vineyard so honoured. Never was a husbandman so wise, so watchful about his vineyard, as God is about his church. Never was such a vine as the Lord Jesus Christ! Whatever excellency there is in any creature serviceable to man, it is but a shadow of that grace which is in Christ for his people's good. Unfruitful trees are said to lie; but Christ is the true vine that will not deceive. Of this vine believers are the branches; the root is unseen, and our life is hid with Christ. The root bears the tree, diffuseth the sap, and is all in all to its flourishing and fruitfulness. The branches are many, and extended, but all meet in the root -all form but one vine. It is the great concern of all Christ's disciples to keep up a constant dependance upon Christ, and communion with him; habitually to adhere to him, and actually derive from him all their spiritual life. Abide in me by faith, and I in you by my Spirit.

Union with Christ is a noble principle ;—a life of faith in the Son of God is the most excellent life a man can live in this world; it is pure and heavenly; it is useful and comfortable; it is not only the means of cultivating and increasing what good there is already in us, but it is the root and spring of all good. We have as necessary and constant dependance upon the grace of the Mediator for all the spiritual and divine life, as we have upon the providence of the Creator for all the actions of the natural life; for as to both, it is in the Divine Power that we live, and move, and have our being. Without Christ we can do nothing aright, nothing that will be fruit pleasing to God, or profitable to ourselves. We depend upon Christ, not only as the vine upon the wall for support, but as the branches on the root for sap.

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Our union with Christ is maintained by the word and prayer. Where the word of Christ dwells richly, there Christ dwells. Those who come to him must abide in him by faith; on his side it will never fail. We must abide in Christ's merit as our righteousness and plea, and it must abide in us as our support and comfort. We must abide in Christ's word, if it is in us, as a light to our feet, and a lamp to our path. If the word be our constant guide and monitor, if

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