"All that have a care to walk with God, fill their vessels more largely as soon as they rise, before they begin the work of the day, and before they lie down again at night; which is to observe what the Lord appointed in the Levitical ministry, a morning and an evening lamb to be laid upon the altar; so that with them that are not stark irreligious, PRAYER IS THE KEY TO OPEN THE DAY, AND THE BOLT TO SHUT IN THE NIGHT. But as the skies drop the early dew and the evening dew upon the grass, yet it would not spring and grow green by that constant and double falling of the dew, unless some great showers at certain seasons did supply the rest; so the customary devotion of prayer twice a day is the falling of the early and latter dew; but if you will increase and flourish in the works of grace, empty the great clouds sometimes, and let them fall into a full shower of prayer. Choose out the seasons in your own discretion, when prayer shall overflow like Jordan in the time of harvest."-Jeremy Taylor's Christian Consolations. CHAPTER IX. MORNING AND EVENING DEVOTION. TRAVELLERS describe with enthusiasm the prospect from the summit of Mount Etna at sunrise, when the atmosphere is propitious. Elevated to the height of ten thousand feet above the level of the sea, the range of view is prodigious: the lovely island, associated with the thought of its ancient poets, philosophers, and historians-its architectural renown-the unrivalled beauty of its landscapesits never-failing fertility-the sea that girds it glowing beneath the rays of the ascending luminary as far as the visible horizon extends—all unite to form a scene which captivates the cultivated mind, and startles even the dull gaze of rustic ignorance. There is indeed a powerful charm in the hours of sunrise, when connected with no such appendages as those that attend it on the summit of the Sicilian volcano: it dresses up with peculiar grace and attractiveness the most tame and monotonous of nature's features; and even in our own northern latitude, the summer's daylight often pours its effulgence upon hill and valley, with a prodigality of splendour, which rivets the attention of the lovers of the bright and beautiful. "Sweet is the breath of morn, her rising sweet His orient beams, on herb, tree, fruit, and flower, At such a period, the external world will not only minister to the sensorial gratification of a good man, but stimulate his devotional feelings,-forming, as it does, a visible demonstration of the Divine power and wisdom: the sanctified mind will associate the Creator with the created, and be prompted to admiration, reverence, and gratitude towards Him who has surrounded us with so many visual glories, and who has so nicely adapted the laws of the universe to the welfare and comfort of his creatures. There is sound philosophy, as well as true religion, in the words of Handel's fine air : "What though I trace each herb and flower That drinks the morning dew; Did I not own Jehovah's power, How vain were all I knew!" - "In the morning sow thy seed," is the maxim of the Jewish moralist; literally interpreted, it means that he who would be a successful agriculturist must be early and diligent in his labours; spiritually explained, it intimates that as religion is the most important concern of life, its duties should have precedence of the affairs of time. An example of early morning devotion has been left us by the Saviour: "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and |