Spring

—Thou art the fountain of life. In Thee we live, move, and have our being; and the prerogative of that being is, that we are able to contemplate thy perfections, and rise from thy works—to thyself.

Thou sendest forth thy Spirit, and renewest the face of the earth; and from apparent death, all nature starts into re-animated vigor and joy. In what myriads of productions art Thou displaying afresh the wonders of thy wisdom, power, and goodness—the whole earth is full of thy riches.

While we partake of the general sympathy and delight, may we join with all thy works to praise Thee. And O Thou God of all grace, bless us with the renewing of the Holy Ghost in all the powers of our souls. May old things pass away, and all things become new in Christ. May the beauty of the Lord be upon us; and the joy of the Lord be our strength.

May the young remember that they are now in the spring of life, and that this spring, once gone, returns no more. May they therefore eagerly seize, and zealously improve, the short, but all important season, for the cultivation of their minds, the formation of their habits, the correction of their tempers, their preparation for future usefulness, and their gaining that good part which shall not be taken away from them.