304. Friday after Seventh Sunday after Trinity.
Lord, establish our hearts
in righteousness and mercy
before thy face. Amen.
Psalm 37, 21-26. The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again: but the righteous sheweth mercy, and giveth. For such as be blessed of him shall inherit the earth; and they that be cursed of him shall be cut off. The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord; and he delighteth in his way. Though he fall, he shall not be utterly cast down: for the Lord upholdeth him with his hand. I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging bread. He is ever merciful, and lendeth; and his seed is blessed.
❦
When this word of God declares that the wicked borroweth, and payeth not again, such men are especially meant as are careless about fulfilling their obligations, and contract debts without taking thought of the question whether or not they will be able to pay them. There is herein also a solemn warning to all Christians against all sorts of business and money entanglements by which they put themselves in the way of becoming swindlers. Do not live beyond your means. Let husband and wife agree that by the mercy of God they will avoid getting into debt. Let the man not demand more than he provides; and let the wife keep house in accordance with their income. I say this by way of friendly advice to all young women. Do not doubt that you will succeed, if you make the effort with prayer and earnestness. God always gives us a sufficiency, if we are frugal and generous; that is to say, generous with that which is our own; not generous, like the unfaithful steward, with that which belongs to others. And let it be said to the men: Fill your wife’s hand with the fruits of your honest labor. Do not dabble in business for which you have neither the means, nor the requisite knowledge, and whereby you may easily come to grief, and make it necessary for others to pay your debts. You may not intend to defraud anybody; but if you go into such speculations that you find yourself unable to fulfill your obligations, this statement applies to your case also: “The wicked borroweth, and payeth not again.” God’s children, however, should on no account lay themselves open to such a charge. — “They that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition.” (1 Tim. 6, 9). But they that fear the Lord, and practice justice, and do good, shall never want; they shall always have abundance, that they may be “ever merciful, and lend, and their seed be blessed.” There is no blessing in the wealth which is acquired by stinginess, penuriousness, and usury; but neither is there any stability in the wealth which comes easily as a result of unsound and reckless undertakings. He, on the other hand, who with sincere piety plies his vocation, and supports himself honestly and faithfully, and does good; his steps shall be established by the Lord; he shall “inherit the earth, and delight himself in the abundance of peace.” “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace.”
Preserve us, O God, from the snares of the world, and from the temptations and allurements of our own flesh. Mercifully prosper us in our vocation, that we always may have a sufficiency, and may abound to every good work. Give us a holy abhorrence of all fraud and injustice, and a holy desire to do good toward all men. May we and all who are of our household be a blessing. Amen.*
Peace, prosperity, and health,
Private bliss, and public wealth,
Knowledge, with its gladdening streams,
Pure religion’s holier beams;
Lord, for these our souls shall raise
Grateful vows and solemn praise.
As thy prospering hand hath blest,
May we give thee of our best,
And by deeds of kindly love
For thy mercies grateful prove;
Singing thus through all our days
Praise to God, immortal praise.
* Here the head of the family says a short morning or evening prayer in his own words, and closes with the Lord’s Prayer and the Benediction. This is to be done every day. If the stanzas are not sung, they may be read in their proper place before the impromptu petition and the Lord’s Prayer.