TWENTY-SECOND WEEK.—MONDAY. — Morning

O LORD, our preserver and benefactor, we thank Thee for thy continued care and kindness. We thank Thee for the safety and rest of the night, and for the blessings of the morning. All good comes from Thee. Thou givest us, day by day, our daily bread. Many of our fellow-creatures enjoy not our blessings. Not more than others we deserve, though Thou hast given us more. Be pleased, O Lord, with these favours, to impart to every one of us a grateful sense of thy goodness. Save us from that discontent, that ingratitude, and those lusts of the flesh which the people of Israel manifested at the time of which we have been reading. Whatever Thou seest fit either to deny us, or to take from us, help us, instead of murmuring, to say, with thy servant Job, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.” And suffer us not to regard any earthly blessing as our chief good. Help us to use the world as not abusing it, since the fashion of this world passeth away. May our treasure be in heaven, and may our hearts be there also. Enable us feelingly to say:—

“Thou bounteous giver of all good,
Thou art of all thy gifts Thyself the crown:
Without Thee we are poor, give what Thou wilt;
And with Thee rich, take what Thou wilt away.”

While there be many that say, “Who will show us any good?” may our desire and prayer rather be, “Lord, lift Thou upon us the light of thy countenance.”

While we thank Thee for food and raiment, and all the blessings of this life, we especially thank Thee for thine unspeakable gift, and for that heavenly teaching which enables us, in some measure, to discern its value. Thanks be to God for that bread of life, of which if any one eats he shall live for ever. Thanks be to God for that water of life, of which if a man drink he thirsts no more for sin and folly. Lord, now and evermore give us that bread of life and that water of life. May we have sincere faith in the Saviour, and understand what He meant when he spoke of eating his flesh and drinking his blood. May our participation of that spiritual food strengthen us both for doing and for suffering thy holy will. Thus help us to withstand and overcome all temptations, whether of the world, the flesh, or the devil. Enable us to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with our God; and of thy great mercy forgive us all our sins.

We offer these our petitions and thanksgivings in his name, who having died for us, rose from the dead, and ascended on high, where He now lives as our High Priest and Intercessor, to whom be given all glory, now and ever. Amen.