TUESDAY.

It is the part of the minister of Christ to labour without ceasing, to suffer without resentment, and to leave his cause in the hands of God, with full trust in Him.

In Thee, O Jesus, we find matter of consolation in every affliction that can possibly befall us.

All visitations are from God. He is not delighted with the miseries of His poor creatures; afflictions are therefore designed for our good. He will either shew you the reason of this visitation, or make you reap the fruits of it.

People that may be well disposed, may yet live under the power of some evil custom, which is displeasing to God; a man may have been guilty of some great sin which he has yet never truly repented of, or been truly humbled for. This was the case of the sons of Jacob; they had attempted the life of, and afterwards sold, their brother, and endangered the life of their aged father; under which guilt they passed their life well enough for many years, till God visited them; and then they thought of their sin, confessed, and repented.

God, by afflictions, often fits us for greater degrees of grace which He is going to bestow.

"Though I suffer, yet I am well, because I am what God would have me to be."

[ii. 89. continues this quotation".] "For when we will not be what He wills, 'tis we that are in fault, and not He, who neither wills nor permits any thing but what is just." St. Aug. ep. xxxviii. to Profuturus, § 1. ["Etiam sic, quoniam id Domino placet, recte sumus. Potius enim, si id nolumus quod ille vult, nos culpandi sumus, quam ille non recte aliquid vel facere vel sinere existimandus est." The same occurs, MS. iii. 237, with the addition, "And what He will turn to His glory and our good, if we do not rebel against His will."]

Lord, do not permit my trials to be above my strength, and do Thou vouchsafe to be my strength and comfort in the time of trial.

Grant, O Lord, that I may never be wanting to the cause

[prefixing to it], "Quisquis detrahit famæ meæ, addit mercedi meæ." Augustine. [De Bono Viduitatis, §

27, ad fin. in substance.]
"The ser-
vant is not greater than his Lord."

of truth, nor expose it by any indiscretion, or unseasonable TUESDAY. transports of zeal.

Jesus Christ avoids persecution. To suffer for righteousness' sake is well-pleasing to God; but then it must be done according to the appointment of God, not out of a proud zeal.

Give me grace to take in good part whatever shall befall me, and let my heart acknowledge it to be the Lord's doing, and to come from His providence, and not by chance.

Afflictions. These God makes use of, sometimes by way of prevention; lest I should be exalted, said St. Paul':to reform them; before I was afflicted, I went astray':—to perfect them; patience, courage, submission to the will of God, are graces not so much as understood by people who meet with no adversities; we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God:-to prove men, and shew them for examples; if a man had no enemies, how could he shew his charity in forgiving them?

Never consider so much the instrument of your afflictions as the meaning of the good providence of God in these things.

John xi. 5. Afflictions no marks of God's displeasure. Jesus loved Mary and Lazarus, yet they were both afflicted.

Punishment is due to sin. We must be punished here or hereafter; it is the cause of all afflictions, and designed by our gracious God to bring us to repentance.

Prosperity a most dangerous state; we fancy it is owing to our merit, and it is followed with pride, neglect of duty, fearlessness.

It is happy for us when God counts us worthy to suffer for His Name's sake; to contend with Satan, as Job did, and be able, through God's grace, to overcome so powerful [1st ed. a spirit.

Afflictions, undergone with resignation, the great test of our love of God; when we love Him then He chastens us. May God sanctify all our afflictions to us all!

Afflictions are always useful when they oblige us to go to God.

275.]

TUESDAY.

[iii. 20,21.]

May I receive every thing from Thy hand with patience and with joy!

Despair. Let Thine infinite mercy in Christ Jesus deliver me from despair, both now and at the hour of death.

Hope. Grant, O God, that, amidst all the discouragements, difficulties, dangers, distress, and darkness of this mortal life, I may depend upon Thy mercy, and on this build my hopes, as on a sure foundation.

Let the multitude of Thy tender mercies preserve all from despair.

Resignation. Grant that I may receive the punishment of my sins with patience and resignation.

Injuries, Persecution. Give me, O God, a heart to consider, that man could have no power against me, unless it were given from above".

Trouble. Remember me, O God, in the day of trouble. Secure me, by Thy grace, from all excess of fear, concern, and sadness.

Enemies. Change their hearts by Thy grace, or restrain their malice by Thy power.

Troubles and Afflictions. In Thee, O blessed Jesus, we find matter of comfort and consolation under every hardship and affliction which Thou Thyself underwentest: Lord, grant that we may ever imitate Thy patience and resignation. Oppression in the Gate: [i.e. probably, in the place where justice should be.]

Afflictions. Let the afflictions I meet with be in some measure serviceable towards the appeasing of Thy wrath. Let them prove the happy occasion of forwarding my conversion and salvation.

May I with equal submission and reverence receive the most different dispensations of Thy Providence. We cannot wish one event rather than another without presumption-. without making ourselves judges of secret things which belong to God only, and of future things which God has concealed from us.

b St. John xix. 11.

iii. has here, with a line drawn across it, Ὑπὲρ ἐπιστροφῆς τοῦ Δεσ πότου Νήσου ταύτης.

[Prov. xxii. 22. "Rob not the poor, because he is poor: neither oppress the afflicted in the gate."]

Enemies. A Christian should not discover that he has TUESDAY. enemies any other way than by doing more good to them than to others. If thine enemy hunger, feed him, &c. He [1st ed. 275.] will therefore be careful not to lose such occasions.

O Jesu! whose charity all the malice of Thy bitterest enemies could not overcome, shed abroad in my heart that most excellent gift of charity.

Ecclus. viii. 7. Rejoice not over thy greatest enemy being dead; but remember that we die all.

Our enemies are our benefactors, procuring for us a new right to Heaven.

I pray God convert all those who hate us without

cause.

I beseech Thee for my enemies, not for vengeance, but for mercy; that Thou wouldst change their hearts by Thy grace, or restrain their malice by Thy power.

Wars. O Sovereign Lord! who for our sins art justly displeased, I prostrate myself before Thee, confessing my own sin and the sin of this people; acknowledging the justice of any scourge which Thou shalt think fit to bring. upon us; and trembling to think how much I may have contributed toward it.

Thou hast already spoken to us both by Thy judgments and mercies, both by the scarcity and plenty of bread; and we have not regarded it. Thou hast taken away the lives of many, very many, in their very sins, by which numerous widows and fatherless children have been left miserable.

The sins of whoredom and drunkenness; of swearing, lying, and perjury; of litigiousness, injustice, defrauding the public, and sacrilege, are made light of.

The sins of impiety, of profaneness, of despising the means of grace and salvation, are too common amongst us.

What shall I say, to prevail with God to avert the judgments which these sins deserve?

God be merciful unto us, and put a stop to this torrent of wickedness; put Thy fear into all our hearts, that we may return to Thee; that we may repent, and bring forth fruit meet for repentance; and that iniquity may not be our ruin.

TUESDAY.

[iii. 20; 2nd ed. p. 425.]

May the dread of Thy now threatened judgments deter us from evil; may Thy goodness and patience lead us to repentance; weaken the power of Satan; take from among us the spirit of slumber, of ignorance, and inconsideration.

Let every one of us see and feel the plague of his own heart, and say, What have I done to bring these evils upon us? So that bringing forth fruits answerable to amendment of life, we may escape Thy judgment now hanging over our heads, and above all, Thy judgments against sinners in the world to come. And this I beg for Jesus Christ His sake.

Amen.

Judgment Day. Grant, O Lord, that I may be of the number of those that shall find mercy at that day.

Zacchæus. The good Lord grant that I may give a proof of the sincerity of my conversion by a change of life,