i Mrs. E. 0. Murphy 2 ^ ^c^^^^ /J>J>^, THE MORNING WATCHES AND NIGHT WATCHES. BV THE AUTHOR OF "the mind and words of JESUS," "eventide AT BETHEL," ETC. ETC. " My voice shalt thou hear in THE MORNING, Lord ; in the morning will I direct mj' prayer unro Thee, and will look up."— Ps. v. 3. "I meditate on Thee in THE NIGHT WATCHES."— Ps. Ixiii. 6. ^luo l^untiictJ anU i^infty=first ^Ijousanti. LONDON: JAMES NISBET & CO., 21, BERNERS STREET. 1SS3. *^ Come near and bless us when we wake ; Ere through the "World our way we take; Till, in the ocean of Thy love. We lose oursolv^Qs in Heaven abo7». " €l)t 3Hnrntiig W<\iw. This little book is designed as a companion to the "Night Watches." It is hoped, by the Divine blessing, they may together form a humble auxiliary in promoting what is pronounced in the best of all manuals of devotion to be "a good thing"— the shewing forth of God's "loving-kindness in the morn- ing" and His "faithfulness every niyht^'" {Ps. xcii. 2.) It may not be out of place to remark, regarding the verse v^^hich forms the koy-note to each peti- tion — " O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee" — that the word " direct,'' in tJie original Hebrew, may literally be rendered, "set iu order." It refers to the setting in order of the wood for tlie burnt-saciifices in the temple of old. "While the heart of the believer, according to this beautiful allusion, is represented as a spiritual altar, on which, morning after morning, he ofiers the oblation of prayer, this motto- verse may also serve as a magnet to keep the eye fixed, in each successive petition, on the great Antitj-pical Sacrifice, through whom alone it is that " the words of our mouths and the medi- tations of our hearts " are ' ' acceptable" in the sight of God. Though. more strictly designed for private devo- tion, and therefore expressed in the first person, it is hoped, by the substitution of the plural pronoun, that the following pages may not be iu appropriate for the family altar. 2?eo;jri>er 25, 1?52. THE MORNING WATCHES. 1st Mokntko. "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." " For Thy name's sake, Lord, pardon mine iniquity ; for it is great." — Ps. xxt, 11. God, I bless Tliee that of ^^r" '^^''''^ ^'""'^ permitted me "^ * to lie down in sleep, and to awake tliis morning in safety. Thou hast dispersed the darkness of another night: may no shadow of sin obscure the sunshine of Thy favour and love. May tlie returning light of day be to me the type and emblem of that better radi- ance with which Thou visitest the souls of Thy people, when they are enabled, in Jesus, to behold a pardoning God seated on a throne of reconciliation and grace. I come to Thee, aclmowledging my transgressions in all their heinousness. I have nothing to plead in extenuation. Warnings have been abused, provi- dences slighted, grace resisted, Thy THE MORNING WATCHES. Spirit grieved. It is of the Lord's mercies I am not consumed — that Thou hast not, long ere now, consigned me, with all this load of aggravated guilt, to that place where pardon is unknown. But I rejoice to know that " there is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou mayest be feared " — that I can bring my great sins to a great Saviour. May I be enabled to feel that this all-gloiious naiyie of a reconciled God in Christ is " a strong tower," into wliich I may run, and be safe. Give me grace, in self-renouncing lowliness, to disown every other groimd of confidence or hope of mercy, and to cast myself, a broken-hearted humbled penitent, at the feet of Him on whom was laid the burden of all my trangressions. May mine henceforth be the blessedness of those " whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered." May life's joys be sweetened, and life's sor- rows sanctified, and life's terminating TITS MORNING WATCHES. hour gladdened, with the assm-ance, " I am at peace with my God." May Thy favour brighten every scene, and the sweet sense of Thy reconciling love be interfused with all my occupations. If trial should cloud or darken, may I be brought to feel that there can be no true sadness or disquietude to the soul Tv^hich has found its rest in the finished v/ork of Jesus, and which has attained that blessed peace here which is the prelude of glory hereafter. Give me grace to walk more closely ^vith Thee in the time to come. Being forgiven much, may I love Thee all the more. May my life be one habitual efTort of self and sin crucifixion, seeking to consecrate my soul's best energies to Ilim who is willing to ** blot out as a thick cloud" all my transgi-essions. Overrule the discipliDC of Thy provi- dence for promoting within me this death of sin, and this life of righteous- ness. Amid earth's manifold disqm'et- THE MORNING WATCHES. 7 ndes, its crosses and its losses, enable me with joy to look forward to that blessed hour when there shall be no more sia, and therefore no more sorrow ; — when every" tear shall be wiped from every eye, and when I shall be permit- ted to know all that is comprehended in the holy beatitude, — how ''blessed" indeed are " the um-e in heart," who are to " see God." Direct, control, suggest, this day, all my designs and thoughts and actions, that every power of my body, and every faculty of my mind, may unite in de- votedness to Thy sole service and glory. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake. Amen, Ci-USS MK TO HEAR THY LOVING-KINDNESS IN THJS KosNisQ. ron in xhes do i trust." 8 THE MORNING WATCHES. 2d MoRNriTG, " Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." "Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me." — Ps. li. 10. Almighty God, who hast j^or Emetoal ^^^^.^^^1^ preserved me ^' during the unconscious hours of skimber, I deshe to dedicate my waking moments and thoughts to Thee. Do Thou pre-occupy my mind with hallowed and heavenly things. May I be enabled tlii'oughout this day, by the help of Thy Holy Spuit, to ex- clude all that is vain and frivolous and sinful, and to have my affections cen- tred on Thee, as my best portion and chiefest joy. As Thy S]:)irit of old did brood over the face of the waters, may that same blessed Spirit descend in all the plenitude of His heavenly graces, that the gloom of a deeper moral chaos may be dispersed, and that mine may be the beauty and happiness and glad- THE MOEKINa WATCHES. 9 ness of a soul that has been transformed from darkness to light, and fi'om the power of sin and Satan unto God. Forbid, blessed Lord ! that I should be resting in anything short of this new creation. May my old nature be cru- cified ; and, as one alive from the dead, may I *' walk with Jesus in newness of life." May the new life infused by Thy Spirit, m-ge me to higher attainments and more heavenly aspirations. May I be enabled to see the world in its true light — its pleasures fading, its hopes de- lusive, its friendships perishable. May I be more solemnly and habitually im- pressed by the surpassing magnitude of "the things not seen." May I give evidence of the reality of a renewal of heart by a more entire and consistent dedication of the life. May my soul become a temple of the Holy Ghost ; mav " Holiness to the Lord " be its superscription. May I be led to feel that there can be no true joy but what 10 THE MORNINa WATCHES, emanates from Thyself, the fountain and fulness of all joy — the God in whom " aU my well-springs " are. Whatever may be the discipline Thou art emplojdng for this inward heart- transformation, let me be -rolling to suh- mit to it. Let me lie passive in the arms of Thy mercy, saying, " Under- take Thou for me." May it be mine to bear all, and endure all, and rejoice in all — adoring a Father's hand, and trust- ing a Father's faithfulness — feeling se- cm'e in a Father's tried love. Blessed Jesus ! anew would I wash in the opened Foimtain. The new heart, like every holy blessing I can ask, is the pm'chase of that blood which Thou didst so freely shed. May it be sprin- kled on my guilty conscience. May I ever know what it is to be living on a living Saviour ; bringing aU-empti- ness to aU-fulness, — the unworthiiLcss of infinite demerit, to the worthiness of all-sufficient, all-abounding grace. THE MORNING WATCHES. 11 Do thou shine upon my ways. May I this day get nearer heaven. May I feel at its close that I have done some- thing for God — something to promote the great end for which existence was given me — the glory of Thy Holy Name. Bless all my beloved friends. Unite us together in bonds of holy fellowship here ; and at last, in Thy presence, may we bepermited to drink togetlier of the etreams of everlasting love. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake. Amen. 'CA.VBX ME TO HEAK THY LOV1NG-KINDKES3 !M "i'ltB i&OfiKU{Q. rOH m TEEK DO l TRUOT." 12 THE MORNIKG WATCHES. SD MORNINtJ. " Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." " I am tho Lord that doth sanctify you." — Exod. xxxi. 13. , Most blessed God, Thou for Sancti. j^^g^ permitted me in Thy fping Grace. , ^ . ,-, ^ -* great goodness to see the h'ght of another day. May I be enabled to receive every retm-ning morning as a fresh token of Thy love — a renewal of my lease of existence — a fresh grant of mercy from the Author of all beiug. ]\Iay I seek, this day, and every day, to consecrate the life, spared by Thy boimty, more and more to Thy praise. Lord, I come anew with my burden of sin. It is Thy marvellous forbear- ance that does not make eveiy succeed- ing mornmg my last. I bless Thee that there is still the cleansiog blood, the " Wonderfid Counsellor," the all-gra- cious Spirit. Give me to know, ere I go forth into the world, what it is to THE MORNING WATCHES. 13 have the sense of Thy reconciled love. Whether in public or in private, in the intercourse of life or in the place of solitude, may I realise Thy presence. May it be to me the sweetest and most blessed of all thoughts, that a covenant God is "compassing my path" — that by Him I am defended, guided, sup- ported — safe ! Heavenly Father, it is the unholiness of my heart which mars the joys of my communion with Thee. It is my espe- cial prayer that Thou mayest impart largely to me of the sanctifying influ- ences of Thy grace and Spirit. Let sin be crucified more and more. Let self be subjugated more and more. Under the transforming power of new affec- tions, may God become all in all. May it be mine to know, in growing experi- ence, the happiness of true holiness. ]\Iay I jealously avoid all that is likely to estrange me from Thee, and zeal- ously cultivate all that is calculated to 14 THE MORNING WATCHES. draw me nearer towards Thee. " Thy favour is life " — shew me that to lose Thy favour is death indeed. This blessed work of inward sanctifi- cation is Thine. Alas ! I feel my con- stant proneness to wander from Thee, and to "seek my happiness in the perish- able. My best resolutions, how frail 1 — ray warmest affections, how languid and lukewarm I — my holiest moments, how distracted with vain thoughts and worldly cares 1 — my whole hfe, how stained with sin ! But do Thou strengthen me with all might, by Thy Spirit, in the inner man. My daily cry would be, " More grace I more grace ! " There is no sufficiency in myself ; but hast Thou not promised to make Thy gi-ace sufficient? May I make it my grand ambition to be mark- ing, day by day, my Zionward progress — my gi'o^^ng conformity to the holy character of a holy God. For this end, overrule all the dispen- TRE MORNINQ WATCHES. 15 sations of Thy providence. May I hear a voice in each of them proclaiming, "Be holy." May I be led to bear them all, and to rejoice in them all, if they thus be the means of bringing me nearer Thyself. I commend to Thy fatherly protec- tion my beloved friends, and all for whom I ought to pray. " Sanctify them through Thy truth." May they be presented unblameable before Thee, in the day of Christ's appearing. And may the gTace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the communion and fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with me now and ever. Amen. "cause me to hear thy LOVING-KIXDNE.SS IN TRE KOaiilKO, KOR IN TKKE DO I TnTTST." 16 THE MORNING WATCHES. 4th Mornimo. '* Lord, in the momiDg will I direct my prayes unto Thee." " Hold Thou me up, and I slmll be safe."— rs. cxix. 117. , Most gracious God, i^ive fm Support ut ^^ ^^ ^ -^ ^ \^^^ Ccmptntian. ^.orning with Thee. Ere entering on the workl, I invoke Thy blessing. Before I hear the voice of earthly friend, or mingle in eartlily society, may I have a conscious filial nearness to Thee, my Father in heaven. Thou better, tenderer, dearer, than all on earth, give me the sweet assurance of Thy presence and favour. With this all the day's joys will be joys indee^l; — ^\ath this, the sting will be extracted from the day's sorrows. In quiet con- fidence I will repose on Thy covenant faitlifulness. I need no other bene- diction, Lord, if I have Thine. Other portions may fail me, but I am in- dependent of all, if '' Thou art the THE MORNING WATCHES. 17 Btrength of my heart, and my portion for ever/' I adore and bless Thy holy name for every past token of Thy kindness and forbearance. The retrospect of life is a retrospect of love. I am a wonder to myself that Thou hast spared me, — that mercy is remembered, when nothing but wrath is deserved. Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had long ere now dwelt in silence. On that same arm I would desire still to lean. I am compassed about with a great fight of afflictions, and the sorest and saddest of all are my sins. But I fly to Thee, Thou Helper of the helpless. Give me to know what it is to dismiss all my own guilty misgivings, and to rest by simple faith on a tried Re- deemer. It is mistrust of Him that has been the cause of many a bygone fall. I have been dwelling more on the strength of my temptations than on the strength of my Saviour. Oh, strengthen 18 THE MORNING WATCHES. me, blessed Jesus! with all might by Thy Spirit in the inner man. Wlien- ever in the way of sin, give me to realise the all-sufficiency of Thy grace. IMay every hurricane of temptation drive me more under the shelter of the Kock. May the loss of every earthly prop lead me to Thyself— the only abiding refuge. No step in the wilder- ness-journey would I take without Thee. No loss would I mourn when sustained at Thy bidding. No enemy would I fear if Thou art on my side. Hold Tliou me up, and then indeed I shall be safe — safe for time — safe for eternity. And the same support I ask for my- self, I beseech Thee to vouchsafe to those near and dear to me. May the Lord God be their '' sun and shield." May they experience no temptation above what they are able to bear; or, with the temptation, grant them grace that they may be able to bear it. And when earthly dangers and toils and THE MOKNING WATCHES. 19 trials are over, may we all be enabled to meet in glory, and trace there, witli adoring gratitude and joy, the way in which Thy mercy through life "has held us up." Anew I commend myself, body and soul, to Thee this day. For Thy dear Son's sake, forgive all my sins. My sole trust is in the atoning blood. May I feel this to be the best preservative against temptation and sin, that all I am, and all I have, is not my own, but belongs to the Lord who died for me. Hear these my unworthy supplications, and grant me an answer in peace, for His sake. Amen. 'CXrSE ME TO HEAR TUY LOVIKG-KINDNKSS IN TE V MORN^INO, FOR IN THEE DO I TRUST," 20 THE MORNING WATCHES. 5th MoRXTsa. "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Tbee." " Though T walk in the midst of trouble, Thou "wilt revive me." — Ps. cxxxviii. 7. . Most blessed Lord, who Jor Plelp m j^^g^ -^ permitted me to approach a Throne of Grace, do Thou this day shine into my heart. Anew may I enter on another day's duties and trials, with a soul calm and peaceful amid all other disquietudes, by being at peace with Thee. I bless Thee that I can ever " sing of mercy " as well as of "judgment." Thy dealings might have been all in unmixed wrath, but the severest of them are tem- pered with gracious love. Oh that they may have their designed effect of driving me to the only true rest for the soul, in the bosom of its God ! I\Iay the break- ing of cistern by cistern only endear to me the more the great Fountain-head. THE MORNING WATCHES. 21 How often dost Thou seud tribida- tions, that Thy people may see more of Thy gracious hand ! How often, when the waters of the pool are troubled, do we recognise the presence of the great Covenant-angel HimseK, and experience the plenitude of His upholding grace and mercy! Lord, my earnest prayer is, that every trial may serve to unfold to me more of the preciousness of Jesus. As prop by prop, which was w^ont to support me on earth, may be giving way, may I know what it is to lean my whole weight upon Him, and leave my whole case luith Him ; repairing to Him as the Friend that " sticketh closer than a brother ;"— into His sjTupathising bosom to confide my every want — from His inexhaustible treasury to ch'aw^ every consolation — and on His upholding arm confidingly and habitually to rest. Wliat, blessed Saviour, are my troubles to Thine ! What are my bit- terest tears and moat aching heart 11 22 THE MORNING WATCHES. comparison with what Thou didst so freely endure for me ! May the re- membrance of this Thy fellowship in my suffering, and my fellowship in Thine, reconcile me patiently to endure whatsoever. Thou seest meet to lay upon me. Give me grace ever to see that my bitterest trial is my sin ; that my heaviest cross is the cross of my wan- dering treacherous heart. When I think of that blessed time when God shall terminate the tears of a weeping world, may this be my loftiest ground of rejoicing — that there will be then no more sin to cause them. Humbly I would lie at my Saviour s feet, disowning all trust save in Him ; — exulting in His finished work, and meri- torious righteousness, and all-prevalent intercession, I rejoice to think of the redeemed multitude before His throne, which no man can number, and to feel that His abihty and willingness "to save unto the uttermost " are still the same. THE MORNma WATCHES. 23 Command, Lord, Thy richest bless- ing this day on all whom I love. May all my relatives be related to Thee in the common bonds of the gospel. Though separated by distance from each other on Hfe's highway, may we enjoy the consolation that we are all treading the same invisible road Zionward — that earth's dearest and tenderest ties will, at the end of the chequered journey, be strengthened and perpetuated in the full vision and fruition of Thee our God. May the grace of the Lord Jesus, and the love of God, and the fellowship and communion of the Holy Ghost, be with me this day and ever. Amen. 'cause me to hear thy loving- kindness I> Tii? MOKKiSG, FOr. IN THEE DO I TKCr?." 24 THE MORNING WATCHES. 6th MoRNiva. " Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." " Turn thee uuto me, and have mercy upon me, for I am desolate and afflicted/— Ps. xxv. 16. God, I come to Thee iFor Comfort m^l^g morning, rejoicing aSerea&Etnent. .^ ^^^ ^^^^^ ^^^ ^^^^ lime assurance that "the Lord reign- eth." Thy judgments are often "a great deep." May it be mine ever to own Thy sovereignty, and to rest sa- tisfied with the assurance, " He hath done all tilings well." It is indeed my comfort to know that " my times '' are not in my own hands, but in Thine. When in vain I seek to explain the mystery of Thy inscrutable doings, may I be enabled implicitly to trust Thine unswerving rectitude and faithfulness. The kindest and best of earthly pai'ents may err — they may be l)etrayed into unuecessaiy harshness and THE MOENING WATCHES. 25 severity — but Thou, unerring Parent, wilt not, and canst not inflict one un- needed stroke. I can owti Thy wisdom wliere I cannot discern it. I can trust tJie footstejis of love where I cannot trace them. I look back with adoring wonder on all Thy marvellous dealings towards me in the past. " When my foot sHpped, Thy mercy, Lord, held me up." How many tear-drops have been dried by Thee I How many sorrows have been soothed by Thee ! How many dangers have been averted by Thee ! Instead of wondering at my trials, I have rather reason to marvel at Thy forbearance. What are my heaviest afflictions in com- parison with the deserts of sin ? Lord, if they had been in proportion to my guilt, I could not have had one hour of joy. Give me grace not only to bear all and to endure all, but to glory in aU which Thy chastening love sees meet to appoint. Affliction is Thine own ap- 26 THE MORNING WATCHES. pointed training-school for immortality. If I need such ti^aining, Lord, withhold it not. Kather subject me to the se- verest ordeal of fatherly discipline, than leave me to vex Thee more with my guilty departures and backsliding. I will confide in the tenderness of Thy dealings — ^that Thou wilt conduct me by no rougher path than is really need- fid. Thou hast given Thy Son for me ! After such a pledge of Thy love, may it never be mine to breathe one mimnur- ing word. For all in sorrow, Lord, I pray that they may take their sorrows to the ''Man of sorrows." May they be will- ing to forget their own hght afflictions as they behold His bleeding wounds. What a source of joy to the whole family of the afflicted, that the exalted Head and elder Brother has Himself tasted sorrow's bitterest cup ! Blessed Jesus, Thou who hast suffered so much for me, grant that bj patience and un- THE MORNING WATCHES. 27 repining submission I may be enabled to " glorify Thee in the fires." All my beloved friends I commit to Thy care. May the Lord be theii- ever- lasting portion. Forbid that I should have to mourn in them, what would be bitterer than the pang of all earthly bereavement — that they are bereft of Thy favour. Make them Thine, and in the midst of life's vicissitudes and changes, may we all look forward to that better time, and that better world, where sorrow and sighing shall for ever flee away. And all I ask is for Jesus" Sake. Amen. 'cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in ths morning, for in -wj^.s t>0 i teust." 28 THE MORNING WATCHES. 7th MORMKa "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." " Uuto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness." — Ps. cxii. 4. Eternal, everlasting God iFor %m in i ^less Thee for the pri- presence. What am I — a guilty, un- worthy sinner, deserving only of con- demnation — that I should be permitted, with holy boldness, to approach the footstool of Thy throne, and call Thee " my Father in heaven ! " I rejoice to know, when my heart is overwhelmed, and in perplexity, that I can ever look unto Thee as a " Rock that is higher than I ; " — that, amid all the ebbings and flowings in the tide of my own fitful frames and feelings, Thou, great Rock of ages, remainest fixed and immovable. Thou hast never failed me in the past. When deep has THE MORNING WATCHES. 29 been calling to deep, and many waves and billows have gone over me, the Lord has commanded His loving-kind- ness in the day-time, and in the night His song has been with me, and my prayer unto the God of my life. And I will trust Thee in the future. In the midst of baffling and mysterious provi- dences I will be still — husliing every murmur, and breathing in lowly resig- nation the prayer, divinely taught, " Thy will be done." It is my comfort to know that the darkest cloud is fringed with covenant love. I can repose on the blessed as- surance that present discipline is needed discipline, and that aU which is mystery now, will be cleared up hereafter. May it be mine cheerfully to follow the foot- steps of the guiding Shepherd through the darkest, loneliest road ; and amidst thickening sorrows may I have grace to say, "Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him." 30 THE MORNING WATCHES. Lord, increase my faith ; — let it rise above all difficulties and all trials. Let these drive me closer to Him who has promised to make me '' more than con- queror." Let them quicken my longings for the true home of my soul above. May it be my grand ambition here to be a pilgrim in everything; — to be pitching my tent day by day nearer ! heaven, imbibing more of the pilgrim I character, and longing more for the pilgrim's rest. May I be enabled, with an increasingly chastened spirit to say, of a passing world, '' Here I have no continuing city." May this assm-ance dry all tears, and reconcile to all sorrows — " We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord hath said, I will give it you." Blessed Jesus, hasten Thy coming and Thy kingdom. Scatter the dark- ness which is now covering heathen nations. Stand by Thy missionary ser- vants. May they exercise a simple faith THE MORNING WATCHES. 31 on Tliine own sure word of promise. " Strong in the Lord and in the power of His might," may every mountain of difficulty be made a plain, and "the glory of the Lord be revealed." God of Bethel, I commend to Thee all my beloved friends. Shield them by Thy protecting providence. Give them every needed blessing in the pre- sent life, and in the world to come life everlasting. And all I ask is for Jcsub' sake. Amen. ♦cause me to hear thy LOVING-KI>rDNESS IK THE MOHKIKO. FOB IN THEB DO I THUQ?." 32 THE MORNING WATCHES. 8th MOHN'INCk "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." '"Wliy art thou cast down, O my soul, and why art thou disquieted within me? Hope thou in God." — Ps. xliii. 5. God, in Tliine infi- Jor P?0pe in ^-^^ ^ rj.^^^ 1^.^^^ Biscourastmcnt^^g^^.^ spared me to ap]3roach Thy blessed presence. May each morning find me better prepared for the glorious waking-time of immor- tality, Avhen the day shall break, and earth's shadows shall for ever flee away. ]\Iay I seek to rise this day in newmess of life, breathing more of tlie atmosphere of holiness, and partaldng more of the character of heaven. Thou art ever, by the salutary dis- pensations of Thy providence, remind- ing me that " earth is not my rest." It is well. Lord, that it should be so ; that, by Thine o^vn gracious and needed discipline, the world be disarmed of its Insinuating power, and I be weaned THE MORNING WATCHES. 33 from what is precarious at the best, and which ultimately must perish. my God, I feel heavily bm'dened by reason of sin. I mourn my guilty proneness to temptation. How any- thing aad everything seems often enough to drive me from Thee, and to lead me to seek my happiness in created good, rather than in Thyself, the infinite foun- tain of all excellence ! How sad have been my backslidings ! — how have solem n vows been broken I — how have aban- 'doned and forsworn sins threatened again to have dominion over me ! How little tenderness of conscience has there been 1 — how little di'ead of an uneven walk ! How often, on the heart which I have consecrated to Thee as an altar for the perpetual sacrifice of praise and grati- tude and love, has there been burning incense to strange gods I Lord, when I look to my inner self, I have good cause indeed for misgivings and despondency. Conscience repeats^ o 34 THE MORNING WATCHES. over and over again, a sentence of con- demnation; and I have nought to ex- tenuate my guilt or palliate my sin. Wliither can I flee ? Where can I look but to Thee, Lamb of God, thou sin-bearing and sin-forgiving Saviour ! Enable me to be living more from moment to moment on Thy grace — to rely on Thy guiding arm with more childlike confidence— to look with a more simple faith to Thy finished work, disowning all trust in my own doings, and casting myself, as a poor, needy pen- sioner, on the bounty of Him who hath done all, and sufi'ered all, and endm-ed all, for me. Thus relying on the unseen arm of a covenant-God, when the hour of darlmess and discom-agement over- takes me, — when trials multiply, and comforts fail, and streams of earthly blessing are dried up, — may I have what compensates for the loss of all, " Thy favour, which is life, and Thy loving- kindness, which is better than life." " I THE MORNING WATCHE3. 35 will go in the strength of the Lord God." " Though He slay me, yet will 1 trust in Him." Be the God of all near and dear to me. May all my relatives be able to claim a spiritual relationship with Thee, that so those earthly bonds of attach- ment, which sooner or later must snap asunder here, may be renewed and per- petuated before the throne. Compassionate all who are in sorrow. Oomfort the feeble-minded. May "the •joy of the Lord be their strength." May valuable lives be prolonged. May those appointed unto death be prepared for their great change. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake. Amen. "cause me to hear thy LOVrNG-KINDNSfi^ I2i TZS MOSKINQ, FO?. IK TKEE DO I XKUST." 36 THE MORNING WATCHES. 9th Morntno. "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." •' Cause me to know the way wherein I should walk, tot I lift up my soul unto Thee." — Ps. cxliii. 8. ^ ETERNAL LORD, whose m I3tcpki,tg. .^ ,^^,^_ J ^jg^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ I am again invited into Thy presence. What am I, that I should be permitted to speak to the infinite God ! I might have been left through eternity a monu- ment of Thy righteous vengeance. I might have known Thee only as " the consuming fire," But " Thy ways are not as man's ways ; " mercy is remem- bered when ^\Tath might have come upon me to the uttermost. I desire to begin this day, blessing and praising Thee for Thine unspeak- able gift, Jesus the Son of Thy love. Adored be Thy name, that the guilt of my sin, which the holiness of Thy law THE MORNING WATCHES. 37 could not suffer otherwise to be can- celled, has to Him been transferred — that, as the scape-goat of His people, He has borne the mighty load into the land of obKvion, never more to be re- membered. May I be enabled to shew forth my lively gratitude to Thee for this wondrous token of Thy love, not only by lip homage, but by heart and life devotion. Sanctify and seal me in body, soul, and spirit ; and present me at last " faultless before the presence of Thy glory with exceeding joy." my God, I rejoice to know that my interests for time and eternity are con- fided to Thy keeping. Though often *' wonderful in counsel," Thou art ever "excellent in working." Thou art " God only wise " — " righteous in all Thy ways, and holy in all Thy works." I commit my way and my doings unto Thee, " Hold Thou me up, and I shall be safe." May I trust Thy wisdom and faithfid- ness, even amid crosses and losses, and :i8 THE MOKNING WATCHES. frowning providences. Make them all work together for my good. If my path be now in any way hedged up with thorns, ''midertake Thou for mc ' Guide me with Thy counsel/' Lei me take no step, and engage in no plan, unsanctioned by Thine approval. Let it be my grand aim and ambition, in all the changes of a changing life, to hear Thy dn-ecting voice, saying, " This is the way, walk ye in it ; " and then shall all life's trials be sweetened, and life's burdens hghtened, by knowing that they are the appointment of Infinite wisdom and Unchanging love, and that, though man may err, God never can. May Thy Holy Spirit lead me this day into all the truth. May all its duties be pervaded by the leavening power of vital godliness. While in the world, may I seek to feel and to exhibit that I am not of it. May I give evi- dence, in my walk and conversation, of a renewed nature, and of a nobler destiny. THE MORNING WATCHES. 39 Hasten, blessed Jesus, Thy coming and Thy kingdom. ''How long shall the wicked triumph ? " " Save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance ; feed them also and lift them up for ever." Let the message of salvation be heard and weLcomed in the households of all I love. May theirs be the dwellings of the righteous. May this be theh name, " The Lord is there." May they know Him who hath said, " I will never leave thee nor forsake thee." And " now, Lord, what wait I for ? my hope is in Thee." Hear and answer these unworthy supplications, for Jesus sake. Amen. "CAUSE ME TO HEAR THY LOVING-KINDNES3 IN THS ^ORNINO, FOR 11^ TBSB DO I TKUST/' 40 THE MORNING WATCHES. 10th Morntnq. '^0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayat unto Thee." "My strength is made perfect in weakness." — 2 Cor. xii. 9. Almighty God, inhabit- «^'JJ^7"^^^ ing the praises of eterni- ty, do Thou draw near to a poor unworthy sinner, who ventures anew this morning to approach the foot- stool of Thy throne. Vouchsafe me now the gracious aids of Thy gracious Spirit, that out of much weakness I may be made strong. It is Thine own graci- ous assurance, that " they that wait upon tlie Lord shall renew their strength." I would rely on the faithfulness of a pro- mising God. May my own utter emp- tiness drive me to All-fulness. May my ovni conscious weakness wean me from all earthly props, and confidences, and refuges, and lead me to " abide under the shadow of the Almighty.'' Lord, I confess this day, with shame THE MORNING WATCHES. 41 and confasion of face, my manifold infir- mities ; my coldness and lukewarmness, my distrust of Thy providence, my in- sensibility to Tliy love, my murmuring at Thy dealings, my tampering with sin, my resisting of Thy grace. How often, like the slender reed, have I bent before the blast of temptation ; — my best resolutions proving "as the morning cloud and the early dew ! " And yet, gracious Father, Thou hast not broken " the bruised reed " — Thou hast not ''quenched the smoking flax." I am here, this morning, a marvel to my- self, that thou art still sparing me. ' ' Thy ways are not as man's ways." Had it been so. Thou wouldest long since have grown weary. But it is the prerogative of the everlasting God that "-S'e fainteth not, neither is weary." Thou art giving me fresh grants of mercy, renewed proofs and tokens of unmerited love. 1 am receiving of the Lord's hand, double for all my sins. 42 THE MORNING WATCHES. I rejoice to know, blessed Jesus, that it is Thy biu'dened ones Thou hast specially promised '* gently to lead/' Thou wilt conduct me by no rougher road than is necessary. Undertake Thou for me. . May the wilderness joiu'ney be this day resumed and re- newed with a more simple, and child- like, and habitual leaning on Thee. Do Thou put this new song into my mouth, *' The Lord is my Kock, and my for- tress, and my deliverer ; my God, my strength, in whom I will trust." Say unto me in the midst of my weakness, *' Fear not, thou worm Jacob." With the pillar of Thy presence ever be- fore me, I will go "from strength to strength." Keep me this day from sin. May no evil thoughts, or vain imaginings, or deceitful lusts, obtrude on my walk \\dth God. May an effecting sense of how -frail I am, keep me near the atoning sacrifice. May the " horns of THE MORNING WATCHES. 43 the altar" ever be in sight. Blessed Jesus,, my helpless soul would hang every moment upon Thee. Look down in Thy kindness on all connected with me by ties of earthly kindred. May the blessing of the God of Bethel rest on every heart and house- hold I love. May we all be joume}ing Zionwards ; and be'so weaned from earth, as to feel that Zionwards is homewards. If pursuing different paths, and sepa- rated, it may be, far from one another, may the journey have one blessed and happy termination. May we meet in glory, and meet with Thee. And aU I ask is for the Eedeemer s sake. Amen, "cause me to hear thy lovinq-kindness in the korning^ for itx thiie do i trust." 44 THE MORNING WATCHES. 11th MoTimxo. "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." "Wbat shall I render unto the Lord for all His benefits towards me? — Pa. cxvi. 12. God, I adore Thee as Jat ©tatitnfte y,^ ^„y^^^ ^^^^ ^-^^^ ^j tor jtUtncg. J 1 every good and every per- fect gift. Thou art daily loading me with Thy benefits. Every returning morning brings with it fresh causes for gratitude — new material for praise. I bless Thee for Thy temporal bounties, — " how great has been the sum of them ! " Wliile others have been pining in po- verty, or wasted by siclmess, or racked in pain, or left friendless and portion- less. Thou hast been making showers of blessing to fall around my dwelling. I laid me down last night and slept — I awaked, for the Lord sustained me. I might never have seen the morning light. Mine might have been the mid- night summons to meet a God in whose /HE MORNING WATCHES. 45 rigliteous presence I was all umneet and unprepared to stand. And yet I am Rgain spared a monument of Thy good- ness. Oh, do Thou enkindle a flame of undying gratitude to Thee, on the altar of my heart. I mourn and lament that I am so Httle and so feehly affected by the magnitude of Thy mercies, and especially by the riches of Thy grace and love manifested in Jesus ; — that my affections are so little alive to the incalculable obligation under which I am laid to Him who hath "loved me with an everlasting love." I am doubly Thine. Creation and redemption com- bine in claiming all I am, and all I have, for Thee and Thy service. Good Lord, preserve me from the sm of insensi- bility to Thine unwearied kmdness — of taking Thy mercies as matters of course, and thus living in a state of independ- ence of Thee. May my existence be- come, more than it has been, a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving — may all 46 THE MORNING WATCHES. my doings testify tlie sincerity and devotion of a heart feelingly alive to every gift of the great Giver ; and, especially, may I he so brought under the constraining influence of Kedeeming love, as to consecrate every power of my body and every faculty of my soul, to Him who so willingly consecrated and shed His very life's blood for me. Lord, this day shine upon me with the light of Thy countenance; may every mercy I experience in the course of it, be hallowed and sweetened by the thought that it comes from God. And, wliile ever mindful and thankful in the midst of present mercies, teach me to keep in view the crowning mercy of all — the hope of at last sharing Thy pre- sence and full fruition, and of joining in \he eternal ascription with the ransomed multitude above, who cease not day nor night to celebrate Thy praises. Bless all near and dear to me. De- fend them by Thy mighty power. Give THE MOKNENG WATCHES. 47 them^ too, gratitude for mercies past, and the sure and well-grounded hope of a glorious inheritance in that better world, where mercy is unmixed with judgment, and joy undarkened by sor- row. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake, Ajnen. "CAVrSi ME TO HEAR THY LOVINQ-KINDKESS IN TTTr »;oRNiKS, FOR n; totis ix) i XRir.':,'' 18 ins MOfUSiiJa *^ATCHEb. ISth MoskinOi " Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." "I die daily."— 1 Cor. xv. 31. Heavenly Father, who JorCrucf* j^^g^ permitted me, in Thy great mercy, to see the Hght of another day, enable me to begin and to end it mtli Thee. Let all my thoughts and purposes and actions have the superscription wiitten on them — " Holiness to the Lord." Give me to know the blessedness of reconciliation — what it is, as a sinner, and the chief of sinners, to come just as I am, without one plea, to that blood " which cleanseth from all sin." I desu'e to take hold of the sublime assurance, that Jesus is '' able to save unto the uttermost" — that He has left nothing for me, as a sup])liant at Thy tlii'one — a pensioner on Thy bounty — but to accept THE MORNING WATCHES. 49 till as the gift and purchase of free, un- merited grace. Wliile I look to Him as my Saviour from the penalty, may I know Him also as my Deliverer from the power of sin. I have to lament that so often I have yielded to its solicitations — that my heart, a temple of the Holy Ghost, has been so often profaned and dishonoured by the " accursed thing," — marring my spiritual joy, and sorely interrupting communion with the Lord I love. Give me grace to exercise a godly jealousy over my traitor affections — to live nearei Thee— to have the magnet of my heart more centred on Thyself — to keep the eye of faith more steadily on Jesus — to live more habitually under " the powers of the world to come." Thou knowest my hesetting sin — the plague of my heart, which so often leads to a guilty estrangement. Lord, cut down this root of bitterness. Let me naU it to Thy cross. Let me be ever on tho 50 THE MORNINa WATCHES. watch-tower, ready to resist the first assault of the enemy. Let it be to me at once a precept and a promise — " Sin shall not have dominion over you." Oh shew me that my strength to repel temp- tation is in Jesus alone. Put me in the cleft of the Rock when the hurricane is passing by. May I be as willing to sur- render all for my Saviour — my heart sins and life sins- — as He willingly sur- rendered His all for me. May I be en- abled to say, " Lord, I am Thine." Every idol I would utterly abolish. Save me, blessed Saviour, from a deceit- ful heart and a seductive world. Let me see more and more, the beauties of liolmess. Let me ever be basking in the rays of Thy love — approaching nearer and- nearer Thee, thou " Sun of my soul." May Thy loveliness and glory eclipse all created beams; and when all that helps to lighten up earth's pathway shall be obscured in the shadow of death, may it be mine to be ushered THE MORNING WATCHES. 51 into the glories of that better and brighter scene, where " the sun shall no more go down, neither shall the moon withdraw itself, but where the Lord my God shall be my everlasting light." And what I ask for myself, I desire in behalf of those near and dear to me. Do Thou sanctify them wholly. May they, too, crucify sin, and " die daily." May this be the happy history of all of his — "Being made free from sin, and ha^dng become the servants of God, we have our fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life." Amen. *• CAUSE ME TO HEAR THY LOVINO-KINDNSSS m TE? UOaSINCs FOB, 13 "1EJS TO I XP.UST " 52 THE MORNING WATCHES. 13th Mornino. "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayei unto Thee." "Grow in grace."— 2 Pet. iii. 18. „ ^ ,0 God, di'aw near to me ^'- other peaceiul mornmg has dawned upon me. May it be mine to know the liappiness of those who walk all the day in the light of Thy counte- nance. thou best and kindest of Beings, teach me to Imow, amid the smiles and the frowTis, the joys and the sorrows, of an ever-changing world, what it is to have an unchanging Eefuge and Por- tion in Thee. I can mourn no blank, I can feel no solitude, when I have Thy presence and love. If I have nought beside — stripped and denuded of every o' -acr blessing — I have the richest of all, if' I bs at peace with God. THE MORNING WATCHES. 53 I desire to dwell, with devout con- templation, on the infinite loveliness of Thy moral nature. Lord, I long to have this guilty, erring soul, moulded and fasliioned in increasing conformity to Thy blessed mind and will. Let my great concern henceforth be, to love and serve and please Thee more and more. May all Thy dealings with me, of what- ever kind they be, contribute in promot- ing this growth in holiness. May pro- sperity draw forth a perpetual thanlj- offering of praise for unmerited mercies. May adversity purify away the dross of worldliness and sin. May every day bo finding the power of sin weaker and weaker, and the dominion of grace stronger and stronger. Living under the powers of a world to come, may I look forward with joyful expectation to the time, when sin shall no longer im- pede my spiritual growth ; — when Satan shall be disarmed of his power, and my own heart of its deceitfulness ; — when 54 THE MORNING WATCHES. every faculty of a glorified and exalted nature shall be enlisted in Thy service in a world of eternal joy. thou blessed Advocate within the veil — Thou who art even now interced- ing for Thy tried and tempted saints, "that their faith fail not,"— do Thou impart unto me a constant supply of Thy promised grace. Not only sprinlde my heart with Thy blood, but conquei it by Thy love. Fill me with deep contrition for an erring past — insphe me with purposes of new obedience for the future. May I know, in my sweet experience, that Thy yoke is easy and Thy burden light; — that, growing in holiness, I am growing in happiness too. Give me an increasing tenderness of conscience about sin ; — ^lead me, with more filial devotedness, to cultivate a holy fear of offending so gracious a Father. Habitually realising my new covenant relationship to Thee, may I ever be ready to exclaim, with joyful THE MORNING WATCHES. 55 emcerity, *' Lord, truly I am Thy servant I " Kevive, blessed God, Tliine own work everywhere. Take unto Thee Thy great power, and reign. Eemove all hardness and blind_ness of heart — all contempt of Thy Word. May it have free com'se and be glorified. Bless my dear friends. However far separated from one another, we can ever meet at the same throne of the heavenly grace, pleading the same "exceeding great and precious promises." May we all be follomng the same path of grace now, and meet amid the endless joys of glory hereafter. And all I ask is for Jesus' sake. Amen. " CAUSE ME TO HEAR THY LOVING-KINDNESS IN TI/B MORNING, yOB TV T'-fE PO I TKU9T." 5G THE MORNING WATCHES. 14th MoRNraa. " Lord, in the morning ■vnll I direct my prayei unto Thee." "Whatsoever is bom of God OTercometh the world." — 1 John y. 4. ETERNAL, everlasting /Z '^'\ God, Thou art glorious ^ m holiness, fearful m praises, continually doing wonders. Heaven and earth are full of the ma- jesty of Thy glory. Thou, the Almighty keeper of Israel, never slumberest. There is not the moment I am away from Thy wakeful vigilance. In the defenceless liom-s of sleep, as well as amid life's activities and toils, Thou art ever the same — *' compassing my path and my lying down, and intimately ac- quainted with aU my ways." I rejoice to think that I have the assm-ance of such unwearying watch- fulness and care, in a world "lying in wickedness." Blessed Jesus in the world, Thou hast forewarned me to ex- THE MORNING WATCHES. 57 pect tribulation; nevertheless, I will be of good clieer, for thoii hast '' over- come the world." Thou hast traversed its wilderness-depths — Thou hast passed through the shadow of its darkest val- ley. I cannot dread what Thou hast trodden and conquered. But, alas ! I have to mourn that the world wliich crucified Thee should be so much loved by me ; — that its pleasm-es should be so fascinating — its pursuits so engrossing. Wean me from it. Break its alluring spell. Strip it of its counterfeit charms. Discover to me its hollowness, — the treachery of its promises — the precariousness of its best blessings — the fleeting natm-e of its most enduring friendships. I take comfort in the thought, " The Lord God is a sun and sliield." The world has deceived me, but Thou never hast. Guide me by Thy coimsel. Sa\dour-God, let me come up from the wilderness leaning on Thuie arm, exulting, amid its legion-foes, that 58 THE MOKNING WATCHES. greater is He that is with me than all they that can be against me. Thou who, in Thy last prayer on earth, didst so touchingly say of Thy pilgrim people, '' These are in the world ; " do Thou stHl bend Thy pity- ing eye upon me, as I travel, bm-dened v%4th sin and sorrow, through the valley of tears. Do Thou sc " sanctify me through Thy truth," that, though in the world, I may not be of it — not con- formed to its sinful practices and lying vanities. Bring me to say, Vv^ith regard to all in it that was once so fascinating, "My soul is even as a weaned child." With my face Zionwards, may I declare plamly that I seek " a better country." Grant that this day, in all my worldly intercourse, I may have the realising sense of Thy presence and nearness. May I set a watch on my heart, and keep the door of my lips. May cher- ished feelings of love and devotedness to Thee be interminded with all life's THE MORNING WATCHES. 59 duties and engagements. May I know that a simple faith in Jesus is the great secret of victory over the world. Oh, may the trembling magnet of my va- cillating affections be ever pointhig to Him, and then I shall be made ''more than conqueror/' Through His all-prevailing merits and advocacy, hear my prayer. In His most precious blood, forgive all my sins. By liis indwelling grace, sanctify my nature, that my whole body, soul, and "spirit may be preserved blameless until His coming. Amen. ♦'cause me to hear thy L0V1NG-KIXDN£SS m THB MORNING, FOR IN THEE DO I TRUST." 60 THE MORNma WATCHES. 15th MoRNnrG. " Lord, in tlie morning will I direct my prayei unto Thee." " Searcli me, God, and know my heart."— Ps. cxxxix. 23. ETEKNAL, everlasting for Deeper ^.^^ ^^^ ^^^^ ^^^^ Uieiris eif .Self. ■,. ^ , -, more enlightened my eyes, and suffered me not to sleep the sleep of death, bestow upon me this day the riches of Thy grace and love. Morning after morning is dawning upon me, with new tokens of Thy mercy. Oh, may these be bringing me nearer the glorious day wliicli is to know no night — that eternal noon-tide when all shadows and darkness are for ever to flee away ! Lord, I am unworthy to come into Thy presence, and yet I have to mourn that I do not feel this deep unworthi- ness as I ought. I am unwilling to see the exceeding sinfulness of sin. I THE MORNING WATCHES. 61 do not know myseK. I have no de- pressing consciousness of the desperate wickedness of my own evil heart. I have buried many bypast transgres- sions in obHvion. I have deluded my- self with the thought, that many were too trivial and unimportant to incur Thy disapproval. Even in any imperfect good which Thy grace has enabled me to per- form, I have been too prone to take the merit to myself, instead of ascribing all the praise to Thee. There has been pride in my humility. There have been mingled motives in my best ser\aces. My best resolutions have been fitful and transient. My purest and most disin- terested actions could not stand the scrutiny of Thine eye. The holiest day I ever spent, were I to be judged by it, would condemn me. Thou who "searchest Jerusalem with candles," do Thou " search my heart." Bring me to the publican's place of penitential sorrow, exclaiming, 62 THE MORNING WATCHES. In self-renouncing humility, "God be mercifal to me a sinner ! " I would seek to make a more entire and undi\dded surrender of all I am and have to Thee. Give me such a vivid and affecting sense of my vileness, that I may never feel safe but when close by the atoning Fountain, dramng out of it hom'ly supplies. May mine be a daily heart and self and sin crucifixion — an eternal severance from those bosom trai- tors which have so long separated be- tween me and my God. Make me more zealous for Thy honour and glory — ■ "Cleanse Thou the thoughts of mylieart, by the insphation of Thy Holy Sphit " — " Let no iniquity obtain dominion over me." But may it be my daily am- bition to become more like to Thee, — re- flecting more of the image, and imbibing more of the spirit, of my Divine Ke- deemer, — that tluLS the atmosphere of holiness and of heaven may be diffused around me. May my own soul be THE MORNING WATCHES. 63 pervaded with lofty and purified aspira- tions. May I be enabled to exhibit to the world the felt happiness of close wal-king with God. And do Thou, gracious Father, send forth Thy light and Thy truth to a darkened world. May Tliine own ancient people be speedily gathered in with the fulness of the Gentile nations, that all ends of the earth may see the salvation of God. Bless all my dear friends, near or dis- tant. May they have the heritage of those that fear Thy name. Defend tliem now by Thy mighty power, and number them with Thy saints in glory everlasting. Amen. "cause ilE TO HEAR THY LOVING-KIKDJTESS IN TIL2 MORNING, FOE IS TH3E BO I TSUBT." 64 THE MORNING WATCUES. 16th MORNINO. '• Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." "Ttat I may know IIiM."— Phil. iii. 10. ^ ^ . ^ Blessed Jesus ! — Sun Jot 13ns!)tct of 3o^j ,_l; j^^ of Ul£b3S of Jesus. vi- I 1 rm, i- myliie! — do Thou snme upon me this morning with the " bright- ness of Thy rising." May I enjoy this day union and communion with Thee. May a sense of Thy favour pervade all its duties, sanctify its blessings, and lighten its trials. May it be to me the sweetest and holiest of all thoughts, that Th.ou art ever with me — that, though unseen to the eye of sense, the eye of faith can discern Thy gracious presence and the manifestations of Thy nearness and love. l\Iay the realised assm-anoe, that Thou art thus at my side, dispel every misgiving, and dry every tear. May I hear Thee, even now, saying unto me, " Lo, I am with you" — I am THE MOKNING WATCHES. 65 with you now — I shall be with you " alway ;" — and when the world is ended, " I will " that you be with me where I am, that you may behold my glory ! adorable Saviour, how sadly is Thy beauty obscured from my view, by rea- son of my own sin I How feebly do I apprehend the mystery of Thy love — the glories of Thy Person — the perfec- tion of Thine Atonement ! Hide me in the clefts of the rock, and while there, " I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory." •May every fresh glimpse of "the great love wherewith Thou hast loved me" re- buke the lukewarmness of my own. May I covet a closer walk with Thee. May my existence be one continued Emmaus journey — its hours passing joyously by. because happy in the presence and con- verse of a risen Redeemer. Blessed Jesus, " abide mth me," for the day i? " far spent." Let me walk with Thee in newness of life. May I breathe Thy spirit of holy submission — of cheerful 66 THE MORNING WATCHES. obedience — of patience under injuries. May I not repine at bearing the cross, so meekly borne for me ; nor mm-mur at my trials, when I tliink of Thine. May I be enabled to make every lineament of Thy spotless character my daily study, so as gradually to be transformed into the same image, from glory to glory: looking forward to that blessed time when I shall see Thee without one stain of remaining sin to dim the contempla- tion, and when I shall be permitted to bathe in the ocean of Thine eternal love. I thank Thee for the mercies of the b}73ast night. Give me to reckon every new day a fresh gift of Thy dying grace — to regard all its hom'S as redeemed hours — every moment as " bought with a price." May these days, and hours, and moments, thus stamped with the cross, be consecrated more than ever to Thy praise. Again I beseech Thee, " abide with me." '' Where Thou goest I will go; THE MORNING WATCHES. 67 and where Thou dwellest I will dwell." Abide with me from morning to even- ing, and from evening to morning again. 'Without Thee I cannot live' — 'with- out Thee I dare not die.' Living or dying, Lord, I would seek to be Thine. Forgive all my many sins : and when the feeble glimpses of a feeble love on earth are at an end, bring me at last to enjoy brighter views of Thee in gloiy everlasting. Amen. ♦'cause me to hear thy loving-kin Dsass lU TH? ''.K>RKINa, FOK IM TilSE DO I TRU?^.'' 68 THE MORNING WATCHES. 17th MORHINa "0 Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." " They shall behold the land that is very far off."— 1 3 A. xxxiii. 17. God, in the multi- ,x ^""^ fif '! tilde of Thy mercies ^z I am again permitted to see the light of a new day. With another rising morn, do Thou scatter all the clouds of sin and unhelief from my soul. Unfold to my view bright glimpses of Thyself — sweet foretastes of those joys which " eye hath not seen, nor ear heard." Here, Lord, I have " no continuing city ; " — change is my portion in this tlie house of my pilgrimage ; — " I would not live away." May I be "willing rather to be absent from the body and to be present with the Lord." Wean me from this uncertain world. Bring me to live under the powers of a world THE MORNING WATCHES. 69 to come. I rejoice to tliink of the happy myriads akeady in glory — "clothed in white robes, with palms in their hands " — safe in the presence of the Mast(«: they love, with every tear-di'op wiped away. I rejoice to know that the blood and grace to which they owe their crowns are still free as ever. Oh, may I be enabled, with some good measm-e of triumphant assurance, to say, "Hence- forth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, shall give me at that day." May the thought of that endless, sinless, soiTOwless immortality, recon- cile me to all earth's severest discipline. Let me not murmur under the heaviest cross, in the prospect of such a crown. Let me not refuse to pass cheerfully through the hottest furnace, which is to refine and pmify me for this " exceed- ing weight of glory;" but bear with calm equanimity whatever Thou seest meet to lay upon me. " Weeping may 70 THE MORNING WATCHES. endiire for a night, but joy cometh iu the morning." Lord, grant that the approach of eternity may m-ge me to greater dili- gence in Thy service. May I have my loins girded and my lamp burning. May I spend each day, and this day, as if it were to be my last. When the shadows of evening gather around me, may I feel that I have spent a day for God. Nearer a dying hour — may it find me nearer heaven. Wliat I ask for myseh, I would seek in behalf of all my beloved friends. Sprinkle each heart with the blood of the covenant. May every eye be directed to Jesus, and every footstep be pointing heavenward. Though severed from one another now, may we not be found gathered iu different l)undles on the great reaping-day of judgment. Lord, unite Thine own people more and more. Why should we be guilty of such sad estrangements, — crossing THE MORNING WATCHES. 71 and recrossing one another on life's highway mth aKen and jealous looks, — when professing to be sprinkled with the same blood, to bear the same name, and to be hehs of the same inheritance ? Let me hve near to Jesus, and then I shall live near all His people, looking for- ward to that blessed time when we shall see eye to eye and heart to heart — no jarring or discordant note to mar the everlasting ascription of ''blessing, and honour, and glory, and power, unto Him that sitteth upon the throne, and mto the Lamb, for ever and ever." A-men. " CAVSE ME TO HE4.R THY LOVING-KINDITESS IN THU nORNINO, rOR IN THKS DO I TP.UST." 72 THE MORNING WATCHES. 18th Morning. "O Lord, in the morning will I direct my prayer unto Thee." ' Tnere is none upon earth tliat I desire besides Thee." — Ps. Ixxiii, 25.