Tracts for Parochial Use Author:Unknown Author Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: DEVOTIONS FOR THE DESOLATE. 0 Lord God, Holy Father, be Thou blessed both now and for evermore, because as Thou wilt, so is it done, and what Thou doest is go... more »od. Let Thy servant rejoice in Thee, not in himself, nor in any thing else ; for Thou alone art the true gladness, Thou art my hope and my crown, Thou art my joy and my honour, O Lord. What hath Thy servant, but what he hath received from Thee, even without any merit of his ? Thine are all things, both what Thou hast given and what Thou hast made. 1 am poor, and in troubles, from my youth, and sometimes my soul is sorrowful even unto tears; sometimes also it is disturbed within itself by reason of sufferings which hang over me. I long after the joy of peace, the peace of Thy children I earnestly crave, who are fed by Thee in the light of Thy comfort. If Thou give peace, if Thou pour into my heart holy joy, the soul of Thy servant shafl be full of melody, and shall become devout in Thy praise. But if Thou withdraw Thyself (as too many Parochial Tracts, No. 64. 1 times Thou dost) he will not be able to run the way of Thy commandments ; but rather he will bow his knees, and smite his breast, because it is not now with him as it was in times past, when Thy candle shined upon his head, and under the shadow of Thy wings he was protected from the temptations which assaulted him. O righteous Father, and ever to be praised, the hour is come that Thy servant is to be proved. O beloved Father, meet and right it is that in this hour Thy servant should suffer something for Thy sake. It is well that he should be for a little while held cheap, and humbled, and in the sight of men should fail, and be wasted with sufferings and languors; that he may rise again with Thee in the morning dawn of the new light,...« less