Walk with thy fellow creatures; note the hush
And whispering amongst them. Not a spring
Or leaf but hath his morning hymn.

Each bush
And oak doth know "I AM." Canst thou not sing?
O! leave thy cares and follies!
go this way,
And thou art sure to prosper all the day.

Serve God before the world; let Him not go
Until thou hast a blessing: then resign
The whole unto Him; and remember who
Prevailed by wrestling ere the sun did shine.

Wouldst thou be blessed? thy sins and follies weep,
Then, journeying on, an eye to heaven keep.

Mornings are mysteries: the first world's youth,
Man's resurrection, and the future's bud,

Shroud in their births. The crown of life, light, truth,
Is styled their star, the stone, and hidden food:-
Three blessings wait upon them, one of which
Should move they make us holy, happy, rich.

When the world's up, and every swarm abroad,
Keep thou thy temper; mix not with each clay;
Despatch necessities. Life hath a load

Which must be carried on, and safely may.

Yet keep those cares without thee; let thy heart
Be God's alone, and choose the better part.

Briefly, do as thou wouldst be done unto;
Love God, and love thy neighbour; watch and pray.
These are the words and works of life; this do,
And live; who doth not thus, hath lost heaven's way.
Oh, lose it not! look up! Wilt change those lights
For chains of darkness, and eternal nights?

GEORGE WITHER.

EVENING HYMN.

LORD, should we oft forget to sing
A thankful evening song of praise,
This duty they to mind might bring
Who chirp among the bushy sprays.

For, to their perches they retire,

When first the twilight waxeth dim; And every night that sweet-voiced quire Shuts up the day-light with a hymn. Ten thousandfold more cause have we To close each day with praiseful voice, To offer thankful hearts to Thee, And in Thy mercies to rejoice.

For from Thy wardrobe clothed we are, Our health we do by Thee retain ; Our daily bread Thou dost prepare, And givest ease when we have pain. Therefore for all Thy mercies past,

For those this evening doth afford, And which for times to come Thou hast, We give Thee hearty thanks, O Lord!

Continued let Thy bounties be,

And from our ghostly foes' despite (Tho' we deserve it not from Thee) Defend us this ensuing night.

When we shut up in darkness lie,
Let not the guilt of any sin
Appear our souls to terrify,

With fears that bring despairings in.

But free from harms and slavish fear,
Let us a peaceful rest obtain ;
That when the morning shall appear,
We may renew Thy praise again.

The Lord's Supper.

BISHOP COVERDALE.

O LORD JESU CHRIST, our Redeemer, honour and praise be alway given unto Thee for feeding our souls with this spiritual and heavenly food. And we beseech Thee for Thy tender mercy, that as Thou hast given it us for a Sacrament of continual thankfulness, of daily remembrance, and of charitable unity; even so, most merciful Saviour, lend us alway Thy grace to be thankful unto Thee for it, and not only by it to be continually mindful of our redemption, purchased through Thy death and blood-shedding, but also in consideration thereof to increase in love toward Thee, and all mankind for Thy sake.*

The special Sacraments which the Lord did chiefly institute and command the apostles to practise in the church are Holy Baptism and the blessed Supper of our Lord Jesus Christ. Concerning the first, He saith thus: "To Me is given all power in heaven and in earth; therefore go your way and teach all people, and baptise them in the name of the Father, of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost, and teach them to keep all that I have commanded you." The other did He institute at the last Supper. For thus it is written in the holy Gospel: "When they were eating, He *The Order of the Church in Denmark, &c.

G

took bread, and when He had given thanks, He brake it, and gave them, saying, Take, eat: this is My body, which shall be given for you: this do in remembrance of Me. So took He also the cup when they had supped, and said, Drink ye all out of this: this is My blood of the new testament, which shall be shed for the remission of sins." With such Sacraments through outward visible forms, for our infirmities' sake, pleased it the Lord to show and set before our eyes His heavenly and invisible grace; not that we should continue still hanging in the visible thing, but that we should lift up our minds, and with a true belief to hold fast, to print sure in our minds, to worship, and to enjoy the things that faith showeth us by the outward Sacraments.

With these outward Sacraments also hath it pleased Him to open, declare, and show unto us His grace and loving-kindness; namely, how that He giveth unto us Himself and all His riches; cleanseth us, feedeth and moisteneth our souls with His flesh and blood; that He is at one with us, and we with Him, so that we use and practise the Sacraments with a true faith. For the outward enjoying of the Sacraments of itself alone doth not reconcile us with God; but if they be used with faith, then, as St. Peter saith, Acts xv., through faith doth God purify the hearts. With the Sacraments pleased it Him to leave behind Him a remembrance of His gifts and benefits, to the intent that we should never forget them, but praise and thank Him therefore.

Moreover with visible Sacraments was it His will to gather us together, and to mark us in His church and people, and to put us in remembrance of our duty, how we are one body together, and ought to apply ourselves to all righteousness. All which things are found at length in the Scriptures of the apostles.*

*

He that will sit now at the Table of the high King, let "The Old Faith," translation from H. Bullinger.

him diligently consider what he receiveth in his soul through faith, namely, the body and blood of Jesus Christ, which feedeth and nourisheth him to eternal life, and draweth him to God, altereth him, and maketh him steadfast, which the outward bread taken with the mouth doth point and lead unto yea, let us ponder, how great love, and what an example Christ there setteth before him, that he also must prepare the like; that is, that he to his power must follow the love, life, and passion of Christ, to the intent that he, being wounded with Christ's love, and fastened with Him upon the cross, may abide in Him unto the end.

Seeing then that we are cleansed, delivered, and redeemed with so dear and worthy a treasure, namely, with the precious blood of Jesus Christ, the undefiled Lamb, we ought never to forget such an high benefit, but at all times with thankfulness to remember that Christ our Paschal Lamb was slain and offered up for us upon the cross, that we from henceforth should walk in pureness, singleness, and innocency of life; and that when we in the Supper by true faith do eat His body and drink His blood, we might through Him be so strengthened and fed to eternal life as to abide and live in Him for ever. For He is the bread of life that came down from heaven, to nourish and strengthen our weak and hungry souls, yea, to make us dead to live again.

But then eat we His flesh, and then drink we His blood, when we through true belief do ponder and consider what He hath done and suffered for our sakes; then are we partakers of His Supper and feast, when we for His sake do live, as He did for His Father's sake. He gave Himself whole unto us, so ought we to give ourselves whole unto Him and to our neighbour; to Him through belief, to our neighbour through charitable love. Through faith we abide in Him; by working love He abideth in us. The more we love, the more enjoy we of this meat; the more we believe, the more we love. In this shall all men know that we are His disciples, if we love one another. God is love; and he that abideth in love abideth in God, and God in him.