HINTS FOR MEDITATION.

"Open Thou mine eyes: that I may see the wondrous things of Thy Law." (Ps. cxix. 18.)

If the time is long, some part may well be spent in Meditation. After choosing the subject for your Meditation, a simple plan is to kneel down, and pray, "Prevent us, O Lord," &c. (Collect after Communion Service); or, "Come Holy Ghost," &c. (Hymn in Ordination Service); remembering that you are seeking for the Holy Ghost Himself to teach you some lesson out of His Holy Word.

Then read over the Passage. On the Great Festivals this may well be the Proper Preface in the Communion Service. On other days a few verses from the Passion of our Blessed Lord; His Agony and Bloody Sweat:1

His Cross and Passion:2

His Precious Death and Burial: 3

His Glorious Resurrection and Ascension: 4 His appearing now in the Presence of God for us:5 or PSALM XXIII.; or a Miracle or Parable.

Gospel for Wednesday before Easter (St. Luke xxii. 40-47).

2 Gospel for Good Friday (St. John xix. 15-20). Gospel for Good Friday (St. John xix. 30—42).

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Easter Anthem, or Epistle for Easter Day (Col. iii. 1—5).

Epistle for Wednesday before Easter (Heb. ix. 24—27), or the Comfortable Words (1 St. John ii. 1, 2).

For easy reference it may be well to mark these and other passages in your Prayer Book.

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Then try to picture the scene, and to understand the passage; and think that it was all for you, even for you: e.g., on Christmas Day, think of the Birth of Jesus-God made Man-for you; or, on Trinity Sunday think of the love of Godthe Father, the Son, the Holy Ghost-manifested for you. Then let this lead you on to earnest thoughts of humility, as being mere dust and ashes in the presence of Almighty God; of sorrow for having so often sinned against Him; of gratitude for all that He has done; of real fear of worldliness; of longing for heaven; of hearty love of God.

Lastly, seek for some practical lesson. Pray about it, that you may be able to act up to it. And when you go home, seek as soon as possible to carry it out; e.g., if the lesson be, to follow Jesus in self-sacrifice, seek at once to give up something for the sake of others: or, if the lesson be, to trust God more, seek to show at the first opportunity your practical trust in Him.

If God sends you no direct lesson, be content humbly to wait upom Him. Be watchful that you do not fall into mere dreaming; instead of thinking about God, and listening to Him.

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APPENDIX.

2. The Communion of the Sick.

In dangerous sickness it is a great comfort and blessing to receive Holy Communion; and request should be made to the clergyman to come and administer it.*

Preparation for Holy Communion must now be as strength permits. Seek the simple spirit of practical trust in God; put yourself by a conscious act of your own into His hands; and then leave all to His love. But this happy trustfulness can only follow a life of godliness; therefore put not off the work of repentance to the time of sickness, when weakness may make it impossible.

Prayer before Communion.

LORD, Thou knowest my weakness; look not,

I pray Thee, upon my unworthiness, but of

* In cases of prolonged illness it may sometimes happen that invalid neighbours will be thankful for the opportunity of receiving Holy Communion, if invited to join the sick Derson; and God's work will be thereby advanced.

Thy mercy accept me for the sake of Jesus Christ our Lord.

I humbly thank Thee for Thy great love in calling me near to Thyself; and I pray Thee mercifully to grant that this Holy Communion may be for the strengthening and refreshing of my soul according to my needs; and for my body, grant me, Lord, what Thou knowest to be best. Especially I pray Thee to grant me (mention what

you most want-greater sorrow for sin; firmer trust in God; pardon; to be resigned to God's dealings; patience; the blessing of sleep; help in pain; His blessing on an operation, on the doctor's skill, on the remedies used; grace to make a just will; recovery of health, &c.-adding: nevertheless, Father, not my will, but Thine, be done). And at the last grant me, Lord, that I may be ready to depart when Thou shalt call me hence.

And now, O Father, hear me as I draw near to this Communion with my Saviour, and fill me with the sense of His infinite love in suffering for me, that I may rest upon Him in child-like faith and seek to follow Him; that earthly things may lose their power over me; and that I may be lifted up to desire Thee-Thee only-to be with Thee, and to serve Thee; and this I beg for His sake, whose precious death we plead, our Saviour Jesus Christ Amen.

At the time of Holy Communion the sick should make their usual offering, if they can afford it.

THE COMMUNION OF THE SICK.

If the sick person be not able to come to the Church, and yet is desirous to receive the Communion in his house; then he must give timely notice to the Curate, signifying also how many there are to communicate with him (which shall be three, or two at the least), and having a convenient place in the sick man's house, with all things necessary so prepared, that the Curate may reverently minister, he shall there celebrate the holy Communion, beginning with the Collect, Epistle, and Gospel, here following.

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THE COLLECT.

LMIGHTY, everliving God, Maker of mankind, who dost correct those whom Thou dost love, and chastise every one whom Thou dost receive; We beseech Thee to have mercy upon this Thy servant visited with Thine hand, and to grant that he may take his sickness patiently, and recover his bodily health (if it be Thy gracious will); and whensoever his soul shall depart from the body, it may be without spot presented unto Thee; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.