And our footsteps guideth ; When our foes are near us, Then Thy Word doth cheer us, Message of salvation. When the storms are o'er us, Who can tell the pleasure, Word of mercy, giving O that we discerning Lord may love and fear Thee, Evermore be near Thee. Rev. Sir HENRY W. BAKER, Bart. PREFACE THE inception of this little manual was due to a feeling of personal need, at a time of great anxiety and deep sorrow. When the trials incident to this earthly life press heavily upon us, we are driven to seek consolation beyond what our own distracted thoughts afford us. We may find this to some extent in the ministrations of the clergy, in the reading of books of devotion, or in intercourse with friends; but there is no comfort for the soul that can equal that derived from private meditation on the wonderful words of Holy Scripture, which provide a balm for every wound and a solace for our greatest sorrows. When we open our Bibles, however, we do not always light upon what is suited to our case; or, maybe, we have formed the habit of reading favourite passages to the neglect of other parts; and thus we do not gain all the benefit we might by a more thorough acquaintance with the sources of consolation open to us. An attempt has been made in the following pages to classify a large number of texts according to their bearing upon the particular necessities or states of the individual, and thus to make the consolations of Scripture more readily available to those who are "in trouble, sorrow, need, sickness, or any other adversity." r; In bringing together these passages, the wonderful unity of the Scriptures has been more than ever impressed upon the writer and it will no doubt be equally felt by those who make use of the manual. Whether we go to the Law or the Prophets, to the Psalms or the Gospels, we find the same gracious words addressed by the All-Father to His children; words of exhortation or of warning, |