Or whether sickness, pain, or health;
My future lot shall be ;

Or whether poverty or wealth-
Is all unknown to me.

One thing I know, that needful 'tis

To watch with careful eye;
Since ev'ry season spent amiss
Is register'd on high.

Too well I know what precious hours
My wayward passions waste;
And, Oh! I feel my mortal pow'rs
To dust and darkness haste.

Earth rolls her rapid seasons round,
To meet her final fire;

But virtue is with glory crown'd,
Though suns and stars expire.

What awful thought! what truth sublime
What useful lesson this!

Oh ! let me well improve my time!

Oh let me die in peace.

THE LORD WILL PROVIDE..

THOUGH troubles assail,

And dangers affright,—

Though friends should all fail,

And foes all unite;

Yet one thing secures us,
Whatever betide,

The scripture assures us,
The Lord will provide.

The birds without barn
Or store-house are fed,
From them let us learn,
To trust for our bread;
To his saints what is fitting
Shall ne'er be denied,

So long as 'tis written,
The Lord will provide.

We may, like the ships,
By tempest be tost

On perilous deeps,

But cannot be lost : Though Satan enrages The wind and the tide, The promise engages The Lord will provide.

His call we obey,

Like Abr'ham, of old,

Not knowing our way,

But faith makes us bold; For though we are strangers, We have a good guide, And trust, in all dangers, The Lord will provide.

H

When Satan appears
To stop up our path,
And fill us with fears,
We triumph by faith;
He cannot take from us,
Though oft he has tried,
This heart-cheering promise,
The Lord will provide.

He tells us we're weak,
Our hope is in vain,
The good that we seek

We ne'er shall obtain ;
But when such suggestions
Our spirits have tried,
This answers all questions,
The Lord will provide.

No strength of our own,

Or goodness we claim ; Yet since we have known, The Saviour's great name,

In this our strong tower,
For safety we hide,
The Lord is our power,
The Lord will provide.

When fled is our youth,

And death is in sight The word of his truth

Shall still be our light;

Though tempests may lower,
With Christ on our side,
E'en in death's darkest hour,
Our God will provide.

THE GOLDEN MEAN.

He that holds fast the golden mean,
And lives contentedly between

The little and the great,

Feels not the wants that pinch the poor,

Nor plagues that haunt the rich man's door, Imbitt'ring all his state.

The tallest pines feel most the pow'r
Of wintry blast; the loftiest tow'r

Comes heaviest to the ground.

The bolts that span the mountain's side,
His cloud-capt eminence divide ;

And spread the ruin round.

DAVID AND GOLIAH.

By whom was David taught
To aim the dreadful blow,

When he Goliah fought,

And laid the Gittite low?

No sword nor spear the stripling took,

But chose a pebble from the brook.

'Twas Israel's God and King
Who sent him to the fight
Who gave him strength to sling,
And skill to aim aright,

Ye feeble saints, your strength endures,
Because young David's God is yours.

Who order'd Gideon forth,

To storm th' invader's camp,
With arms of little worth,

A pitcher and a lamp?

The trumpet made his coming known, And all the host was overthrown.

Oh! I have seen the day,
When with a single word,

God helping me to say,

My trust is in the Lord,

My soul has quell'd a thousand foes,
Fearless of all that could oppose.

But unbelief, self will,

Self-righteousness and pride,

How often do they steal

My weapon from my side?

Yet David's Lord and Gideon's friend,

Will help his servants to the end.