makes them effectual to the saving of souls. He it is, Who comforts mourners and lifts up the widow's heart, and consoles the fatherless and befriends the friendless, and abides with the lonely and the desolate. He it is, Who has given us all the good desires we have ever had, brought us to ourselves when we have done wrong, begun in us all our repentances, assisted us in all our offices of kindness towards our brethren, or put it into the hearts of our brethren to be kind towards us, visited us in our affliction, and brought good out of evil. He it is, Who has gone before us and led us on to all the good we ever designed to do, and helped us in all the good we ever did, and made us finish whatever good we took in hand, and given us all the sense of sin we ever felt, all the charity we have ever exercised, all the faith we have ever shewn, all our moderation in prosperous times, all our patience in time of trouble. He it is, Who is now ready to go before us, to go with us, to be behind us, pressing us on, to be on all sides of us, as we desire to walk on the heavenward road, ever willing to help the selfish to be unselfish, the angry to conquer anger, the covetous to be liberal, the divided to be at one again, the harsh to be gentle, the intemperate to refrain

from strong drink, the lustful to be chaste, the foolish to be wise, the worldly to give up the world.

O good Spirit of God, O most gracious Guide, O blessed Comforter of our souls, shew us the way and lead Thou us on; guide Thou our feet into the way of peace; we desire to follow Thee and to learn of Thee; Thou art our Friend and hast come down from heaven to take charge of Christ's flock. We are Christ's; we are Thine; we desire more and more to be Christ's, more and more to be Thine; we give ourselves into Thine hand afresh this day on which Thou didst first descend on the first disciples. Come among us at this time and succour us. Come among us and lead us onward to all holy living, all holy conversation, all ways of godliness, all pure thoughts, all good counsels and good works, that we may at last reach the heavenly places where Christ is, and may be with Him for ever.

DEVOTION.

O God, who didst as on this day send the Holy Ghost the Comforter, with manifold gifts of grace, we bless Thee for Thy great love towards us, and Thy great compassion towards us who, by reason of our weakness, cannot stand upright nor fulfil Thy will.

Continue, most merciful Father, to succour us; continue to bestow upon us the gift of the Spirit, that He may abide with us in our life and in our death, in the hour of wealth and the hour of poverty, in our brighter and in our darker days, that no temptation within or without may separate us from Thee, nor sever us from the true vine into which we have already been engrafted. Without the succour of the Spirit we cannot think or do any thing that is good; we cannot bear the assaults of the evil one, nor conquer our own carnal will, which doth strive for the mastery even in the regenerate. We need continual supplies of grace, that we may continually confess the faith in this evil world, and may be kept from the evil of the world. We stand, O Lord, in a slippery place, and our foot is ready to slip, unless by Divine help we are held up. O hold Thou up

Hear us

our goings in Thy ways, that our footsteps slip not. We fly to Thee for help, and acknowledge that without Thee we cannot but fall. on this day, good Lord, and increase in us Thy good gifts. We desire the comfort of the One true Comforter. We desire to be sanctified wholly that we may keep Thy commandments, and not be unfruitful members of Thy Holy Church. We have no strength of ourselves, no constancy, no power to resist sin, no steadfastness. We are easily beset and easily overcome. We have no weapons of our own for the great war in which we are engaged; we look to Thee for help.

O gracious Father, hear us for Thy Son's sake. Enlighten us with Divine light; strengthen us with Divine strength; make us wise in Divine wisdom; direct us with Divine counsel; comfort us with Divine comfort. We pray Thee to be with us at all times and in all places. We pray Thee to assist us with the Spirit in all times of trial, that we may continue Thine for ever. Visit us with Thy salvation. O visit us while we are on earth, that we may be at last raised up into the heavenly house for Jesus Christ's sake.

JOHN HENRY PARKER, OXFORD AND LONDON.

Tracts for the Christian Seasons.

MONDAY IN WHITSUN-WEEK.

The gift of the Holy Ghost in Baptism.

To the eye, to the sight, to the bodily senses, Holy Baptism is but a form. The font, the water, the clergyman, and the child, these you see and nothing beside these; hence in the outward appearance of Baptism there is nothing marvellous to amaze the eye.

There is no voice from heaven, no cloven tongues as of fire, no visible glory in the Church, no bright light breaking over the font, no great lustre passing over the face of the baptized, no dazzling token of God's presence. The font, the clergyman, the water, and the child, all look as they are wont to look at any other time on any other day; in none of these things is any outward change to be discerned; and he who only sees with his fleshly eye is not awe-struck, is not affected, is not filled with overpowering thoughts of the presence of the Spirit, when he sees the