"Oh! grant that I may love Thee first, The source of all my heart desires; While forth upon my brethren burst The kindly beams Thy love inspires. "Give me strong faith, to know, to feel, And to believe Thee ever near; Watching my wayward spirit's weal, Receiving each repentant tear. "So, safely through this world's turmoil, Unhurt, untainted, may I roam, Until o'erpast each mortal toil, I find in heaven a welcome home." Daily Strength. DEUT. xxxiii. 27, 29. "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee, and shall say, Destroy them. Happy art thou, O Israel: who is like unto thee, O people saved by the Lord, the shield of thy help, and who is the sword of thy excellency! and thine enemies shall be found liars unto thee, and thou shalt tread upon their high places." PSALM xl. 17. "But I am poor and needy; yet the Lord thinketh upon me: thou art my help and my deliverer; make no tarrying, O my God." ISA. xli. 10, 13, 14. "Fear thou not; for I am with thee; be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand of my righteousness. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not: I will help thee. Fear not, thou worm Jacob, and ye men of Israel; I will help thee, saith the Lord, and thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." ROM. viii. 31. 'What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?" HEB. xiii. 6. "So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me." "What, though my strength decline And health no more return, "In Christ I have believed, And, through the spotless Lamb, "Then come what may to me, There I shall be at rest. "And is it grief to me, My journey to commence; Though long and dark the stages be Which homeward lead from hence? "Oh, no! the flesh must shrink, DEUT. xxxiii. 25. "As thy days, so shall thy strength be." HE Christian is frequently compared to a pilgrim,-travelling onwards through a dreary wilder ness, to the promised land of Canaan,—and his experience is varied and chequered. The path before him may be steep and arduous, he may have to pass through rough and stony places,-through dark, thick forests, and rapid streams, and raging hurricanes,-his days may be such, as to require great strength, and energy, and patience. Oftentimes, when he strives to anticipate the future, his heart sinks within him, his courage fails, and he is apt to give way to despondency and doubt. But, such a promise as that vouchsafed to Asher, and to all the true Israel of God, may well suffice to calm the believer's fears, and reanimate his fainting spirit. It is true, that changes and vicissitudes will come,-true, that the G heart, which to-day is cheerful and happy, may to-morrow be wounded and bleeding,— true, that the full cup, now held with gladness, may be dashed in pieces, ere the lips have tasted the refreshing draught,-true, that the bright hope, which, like a guiding star, allures the traveller onwards, may speedily be enwrapt in pitchy gloom,—but what then? To the child of God, there is a supply of strength to meet the hour of trial. He is not permitted to escape from the burden, the cross, the difficulty,-but he is enabled to make his way through them all, to struggle with and finally to overcome them. Many a time, when the believer has been wellnigh crushed under the oppressive weight, when, conscious that ordinary strength would not avail, he has cried unto the Lord, and a fresh supply of grace has been vouchsafed to meet the emergency,— so that he could say with David, "I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of an horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. And he hath put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our |