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ties for they are deceitful meat.
cease from thine own wisdom.
" Wilt thou set thine eyes
upon that which is not? for

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Labour not to be rich:

5 So proverbially uncertain are riches, that it is indeed folly to trust

in them.

6 Do not associate with the wicked.

riches certainly make themselves wings; they fly away as an eagle toward heaven. Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats: for as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee: but his heart is not with thee. The morsel which thou hast eaten shalt thou vomit up, and lose thy sweet words. Speak not in the ears of a fool: for he will despise the wisdom of thy words. Remove not the old landmark; and enter not into the fields of the fatherless for their redeemer is mighty; he shall plead their heart unto instruction, and thine 13 Withhold not correction from the child: for if thou beatest him with the rod, he shall not die. Thou shalt beat him with the rod, and 15 Good children fill their parents' Ishalt deliver his soul from hearts with joy. What a motive for hell. 15 My son, if thine heart them to be good! Verses 24, 25. be wise, my heart shall rejoice, even mine. Yea, my reins shall rejoice, when thy lips speak right things. Let not thine heart envy sinners: but be thou in the fear of the LORD all the day long. For surely there is an end; and thine expectation shall not be cut off. Hear thou, my son, and be wise, and guide thine heart in the way. Be not among winebibbers; among riotous eaters of flesh: for the drunkard and the glutton shall come to poverty: and drowsiness shall clothe a man with rags. Hearken unto thy father that begat thee, and despise not thy mother when 23 The Gospel offers us freely the she is old. "Buy the truth, Buy the truth, treasure of God's grace. Christ hath and sell it not; also wisdom, purchased it for every one. O sell it not for all the world can give you. and instruction, and understanding. The father of the righteous shall greatly rejoice: and he that begetteth a wise child shall have joy of him. Thy father and thy mother shall be glad, and she that bare thee shall rejoice. My son, give me thine heart, and let thine eyes observe my ways. For a whore is a deep ditch; and a strange woman is a narrow pit. She also lieth in wait as for a prey,

10 God is the helper of all that need. O ye poor and needy! love your heavenly Friend, who is ever at hand to help you.

cause with thee. Apply thine ears to the words of knowledge. 13 Original sin being stamped upon all men, the young are naturally prone to evil; constantly requiring guidance, and occasionally, correction.

and increaseth the transgres

29 How true and painful a portraiture is this of the dissolute *.

sors among men. "Who hath woe? who hath sorrow? who hath contentions? who hath babbling? who hath wounds without cause? who hath redness of eyes? they that tarry long at the wine; they that go to seek mixed wine. Look not thou upon the wine when it is red, when it giveth his colour in the cup, when it moveth itself aright. At the last it biteth like a serpent, and stingeth like an adder. Thine eyes shall behold strange women, and thine heart shall utter perverse things. 34 Yea, thou shalt be as he that lieth down in the midst of the sea, or as he that lieth upon the top of a mast. They have stricken me, shalt thou say, and I was not sick; they have beaten me, and I felt it not when shall I awake? I will seek it yet again.

EVENING.

34 As the extreme danger of one who lieth on the top of a mast, so is the peril of the bewildered in his drunkenness.

PROVERBS XXIV.

'BE not thou envious against evil men, neither desire to be with them. For their heart studieth destruction, and their lips talk of mischief. Through wisdom is an house builded; and by understanding it is established: and by knowledge shall the chambers be filled with all precious and pleasant riches. A wise man is strong; yea, a man of knowledge increaseth strength. For by wise counsel thou shalt make thy war: and in multitude of counsellors there is safety. Wisdom is too high for a fool: he openeth not his mouth in the gate. He that deviseth to do evil shall be called a mischievous person. The thought of foolishness is sin: and the scorner is an abomination to men. 10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small. "If thou forbear to deliver them that are drawn unto death, and those that are ready to be slain; if thou sayest, Behold, we knew it not; doth not he that pondereth the

1 Why enviest thou the prosperity of the wicked? look to the end of their evil courses. "The end of those things is death." Rom. vi. 21.

10 Weak indeed is that faith, which does not trust the promise of God to deliver in due season.

11 In administering the laws, mercy should temper justice; and every lest any man suffer wrongfully. matter be carefully examined into,

12 It is worse than folly in rulers to say, "We knew it not ;" when any thing is ill ordered.

* Drunkenness leads to licentiousness, and licentiousness to misery and ruin-mind, body, and estate. Yet the evil habit of the drunkard becomes so strong, that though its misery be felt at intervals, yet will he return to his vice, as a dog to his vomit ; and seek it yet again.

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heart consider it? and he that keepeth thy soul, doth not he know it? and shall not he render to every man according 13 Wisdom-religion, - when once tasted, is sweet to the soul as honey to the mouth.

to his works? My son, eat thou honey, because it is good; and the honeycomb,

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which is sweet to thy taste: so shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul: when thou hast found it, then there shall be a reward, and thy expectation shall not be cut off. Lay not wait, O wicked man, against the dwelling of the righteous; spoil not his resting place: 16 for a just man falleth seven times, and riseth up again: but the wicked shall fall into mischief. Rejoice not when

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16 God will at last deliver the just man out of all his troubles, however many they be.

17 The Christian is too noble to rejoice in the fall even of his enemy.

thine enemy falleth, and let not thine heart be glad when he stumbleth lest the LORD see it, and it displease him, and he

turn away his wrath from him. 19 Fret not thyself because of evil men, neither be thou envious at the wicked; for there shall be no reward to the evil man; the candle of the wicked shall be put out. "My son, fear thou the LORD

19 Let faith calm your distress. Add not fear to pain. Leave the event to God.

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lent spirits, who are ever discon-
21 In public life, avoid the turbu-
tented, and wishing for change.
22 Ruin is upon those who disre-
gard the appointed laws of God and

man.

and the king and meddle not with them that are given to change: 22 for their calamity shall rise suddenly; and who knoweth the ruin of them both? These things also belong to the wise. It is not good to have respect of persons in judgment. He that saith unto the wicked, Thou art righteous; him shall the people curse, nations shall abhor him; but to them that rebuke him shall be delight, and a good blessing shall come upon them. 26 Every man shall kiss his lips that giveth a right answer. 27 Prepare thy work without, and make it fit for thyself in the field; and afterwards build thine house. Be not a witness against thy neighbour without cause; and deceive not with thy lips. Say not, I will do so to him

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26 All men are ready to bless the lips which speak wisely and kindly. 27 Build not, till thou hast fully prepared the means for building.

29 Revenge may be sweet-but forgiveness is sweeter.

as he hath done to me: I will render to the man according to his work. I went by the field of the slothful, and by the vineyard of the man void of understanding; and, lo, it was all grown over with thorns, and nettles had covered the face thereof, and the stone wall

thereof was broken down. Then I saw, and considered it well: I looked upon it, and received instruction. Yet a little sleep, a little slumber, a little folding of the hands to sleep: so shall thy poverty come as one that travelleth; and thy want as an armed man.

If a man be idle, he will soon come to want; but a poor man, if he be industrious, and sober, and careful, will find enough to live comfortably and respectably; and be happy in the blessing of his God.

Christmas-day.

MORNING. ISAIAH ix. to verse 8.

The calamities foretold in the eighth chapter shall be mitigated by the advent of the Messiah.

2 Men shall be released from the dark shadow of sin, and ignorance, and misery.

1NEVERTHELESS the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterwards did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations. The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined. Thou hast multiplied the 3 Hitherto the people have increased, nation, and not increased the yet joy is gone. But they shall rejoy: they joy before thee ac- joice, even as men in time of harvest. cording to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil. For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his king

For

5 Warfare is with tumult and blood:

but now, the weapons of war shall be put aside, and destroyed by fire. Peace shall herald the Prince of

peace.

He

The child Jesus shall be bornChrist manifest in the flesh. shall be Wonderful, being God and man; Counsellor, by his word and Spirit; the mighty God, doing the works which none could do but God; the everlasting Father, by whom all things were made; the Prince of peace, whose angels proclaimed his advent as bringing peace on earth.

dom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.

Jesus, as King of a spiritual, an eternal, kingdom, shall reign-here in righteousness, hereafter in glory.

EVENING. ISAIAH vii. ver. 10 to ver. 17.

ask it either in the depth, or in

12 How hateful to God is pretended humility-cloking perverseness and rebellion. Ahaz was intriguing with the Assyrian king to help him. Thus his conscience made him reluctant to hold communion with God.

14 But there shall be no cloke for thy sin. The sign shall be given thee, whether or no thou wilt profit by it *.

MOREOVER the LORD spake again unto Ahaz, saying, Ask thee a sign of the LORD thy God; the height above. 12 But Ahaz said, I will not ask, neither will I tempt the LORD. And he said, Hear ye now, O house of David; Is it a small thing for you to weary men, but will ye weary my God also? 14 Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold, a virgin shall shall call his name Immanuel. 5 Butter and honey shall he eat, that he may know to refuse the evil, and choose the good. For before the child shall know to refuse the evil, and choose the good, the land that thou abhorrest shall be forsaken of both her kings.

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conceive, and bear a son, and

15 He shall be truly in human nature-nourished therefore with the food fitted to sustain the life of man.

St. Stephen's Day.

MORNING.

1 THE wicked flee when no man pursueth: but the righteous are bold as a lion. 2 For the transgression of a land many are the princes thereof: but by a man of under

PROVERBS XXviii.

1 A bad conscience maketh men afraid : a good conscience giveth them courage.

2 For the wickedness of a nation God sendeth frequent changes in governors and laws; whence trou bles arise and accumulate.

standing and knowledge the state thereof shall be prolonged.

3A poor man that oppresseth the poor is like a sweeping rain which leaveth no food.

3 If one poor man act unjustly towards another, the injustice is doubly sin.

* The word "Immanuel" means "God with us." The prophecy was fulfilled when "the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." (John i. 14.)

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