him the powers of reasoning, and the capacity of improvement and of pleasure. We adore thee, that amidst the pains and calamities of our present state, so many means of refreshment and satisfaction are afforded us, while travelling the rugged path of life. And 0, thou who didst aforetime appear unto thy servant Moses, in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush, enkindle, we beseech thee, in each of our hearts a flame of devotion to thee, of love to each other, and of benevolence and charity to all mankind. May the veils of ignorance and blindness be removed from the eyes of our understandings, that we may behold and adore thy mighty and wondrous works. May the rod and staff of thy grace and power continually support us, and defend us from the rage of all our enemies, and especially from the subtility and malice of that old serpent, who with cruel vigilance seeketh our ruin. May the leprosy of sin be eradicated from our bosoms ; and may Holiness to the Lord be engraven upon all our thoughts, words and actions. May the incense of piety ascend continually unto thee, from off the altar of our hearts, and burn day and night, as a sweet-smelling savor unto thee. May we daily search the records of truth, that we may be more and more instructed in our duty; and may we share the blessedness of those who hear the sacred word and keep it. And finally, 0 merciful Father, when we shall have passed through the outward veils of these earthly courts, when the earthly house of this tabernacle shall be dissolved, may we be admitted into the Holy of Holies above, into the presence of the Grand Council of Heaven, where the Supreme High Priest for ever presides, for ever reigns." Amen. So mote it be.

"Now Moses kept the flock of Jethro his father-inlaw, the priest of Midian; and he led the flock to the back side of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire, out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed.

"And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses! And he said, Here am I. And he said, Draw not nigh hither: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground. Moreover he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.”—EXODUS iii. 1–6.

"Zedekiah was one-and-twenty years old, when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, and stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart, from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover, all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord, which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of

the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age; he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword, carried he away to Babylon;-where they were servants to him and his sons, until the reign of the kingdom of Persia."-2 CHRON. xxxvi. 11–20.

"Now, in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus, king of Persia, the Lord God of Heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth, and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the Lord God of Israel, (he is the God) which is in Jerusalem."-EZRA i. 1-3.

"And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Israel, and shall say unto them, The God of your fathers hath sent me unto you; and they shall say to me, What is his name? what shall I

say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: And he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.' EXODUS iii. 13–14.

"

"Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice. Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity. Let the righteous smite me, it shall be a kindness; and let him reprove me, it shall be an excellent oil. Mine eyes are unto thee, O God the Lord; in thee is my trust; leave not my soul destitute. Keep me from the snare which they have laid for me, and the gins of the workers of iniquity. Let the wicked fall into their own nets, whilst that I withal escape."-PSALM CXli.

"I cried unto the Lord with my voice; with my voice unto the Lord did I make my supplication. I poured out my complaint before him: I shewed before him my trouble. When my spirit was overwhelmed within me, then thou knewest my path. In the way wherein I walked, have they privily laid a snare for me. I looked on my right hand and beheld, but there was no man that would know me: refuge failed me; no man cared for my soul. I cried unto thee, O Lord I said, Thou art my refuge, and my portion in the land of the living. Attend unto my cry; for I am brought very low : deliver me from my persecutors ; for they are stronger than I. Bring my soul out of prison, that I may praise thy name."-PSALM exlii.

"Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with thy servant; for in thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath smitten my life down to the ground; he hath made me to dwell in darkness. Therefore is my spirit overwhelmed within me; my heart within me is desolate. Hear me speedily, O Lord; my spirit faileth; hide not thy face from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God; bring my soul out of trouble, and of thy mercy cut off my enemies, for I am thy servant."-PSALM CXliii.

"And Moses answered and said, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice; for they will say, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent; and Moses fled from before it. And the Lord said unto Moses, Put forth thine hand, and take it by the tail. And he put forth his hand, and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand. That they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared unto thee. And the Lord said furthermore unto him, Put now thy hand into thy bosom. And he put his nand into his bosom; and when he took it out, behold