Prayer makes the darkened cloud withdraw, Prayer climbs the ladder Jacob saw,

Gives exercise to faith and love,

Brings every blessing from above.

Restraining prayer, we cease to fight;
Prayer makes the Christian's armour bright;
And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.

While Moses stood with arms spread wide,
Success was found on Israel's side;
But when, through weariness, they failed,
That moment Amalek prevailed'.

Have you no words? O think again,
Words flow apace when you complain,
And fill your fellow-creature's ear
With the sad tale of all your care.

Were half the breath thus vainly spent,
To heaven in supplication sent,
Your cheerful song would oftener be,—
"Hear what the Lord hath done for me!"

1 Exod. xvii. 11, 12.

Lord, have mercy upon us.

Christ, have mercy upon us.

Lord, habe mercy upon us.

DIVINE EJACULATION.

JOHN QUARLES.

GREAT God, whose sceptre rules the earth,

Distil Thy fear into my heart,

That being rapt with holy mirth

I may proclaim how good Thou art;
Open my lips, that I may sing
Full praises to my God, my King.

Great God, Thy garden is defaced,

The weeds thrive there, Thy flowers decay ; O call to mind Thy promise past,

Restore Thou them, cut these away :

Till then let not the weeds have power
To starve or stint the poorest flower.

In all extremes, Lord, Thou art still
The Mount whereto my hopes do flee;

O make my soul detest all ill,

Because so much abhorred by Thee:

Lord, let Thy gracious trials show
That I am just, or make me so.

C

Shall mountain, desert, beast, and tree,
Yield to that heavenly voice of Thine;
And shall that voice not startle me,

Nor stir this stone-this heart of mine?
No, Lord, till Thou new-bore mine ear,
Thy voice is lost, I cannot hear.

Fountain of Light and living Breath,

Whose mercies never fail nor fade;
Fill me with Life that hath no death,
Fill me with Light that hath no shade;
Appoint the remnant of my days

To see Thy power, and sing Thy praise.

Lord God of gods-before whose throne
Stand storms and fire! O what shall we
Return to Heaven, that is our own,
When all the world belongs to Thee?
We have no offering to impart,
But praises, and a wounded heart.

O thou that sitt'st in Heaven, and seest
My deeds without, my thoughts within-
Be Thou my Prince, be Thou my Priest,
Command my soul, and cure my sin :
How bitter my afflictions be

I care not, so I rise to Thee.

What I possess, or what I crave,
Brings no content, great God, to me,
If what I would, or what I have,
Be not possest, and blest in Thee:

!

What I enjoy, O make it mine,

In making me, that have it, Thine.

When winter-fortunes cloud the brows

Of summer-friends,—when eyes grow strange; When plighted faith forgets its vows; When earth and all things in it change:

O Lord, Thy mercies fail me never

Where once Thou lovest, Thou lovest for

ever.

Great God, whose kingdom hath no end;
Into whose secrets none can dive;
Whose mercy none can apprehend;
Whose justice none can feel—and live :
What
my dull heart cannot aspire

To know, Lord, teach me to admire!

Hallowed be Thy Name.

THE ELIXIR.

GEORGE HERBERT.

TEACH me, my God and King,
In all things Thee to see ;
And what I do in any thing,
To do it as for Thee:

Not rudely, as a beast,

To run into an action;

But still to make Thee prepossest,
And give it his perfection.

A man that looks on glass,

On it

may stay his eye;

Or, if he pleaseth, through it pass,

And then the Heaven espy.

All may of Thee partake:

Nothing can be so mean,

Which, with this tincture,-FOR THY SAKE,

Will not grow bright and clean.

A servant, with this clause,

Makes drudgery divine:

Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws,
Makes that, and the action, fine.

This is the famous stone

That turneth all to gold;

For that which God doth touch and own,

Cannot for less be told.