fuse the office of being our Director; for it is recorded of Joseph in Egypt, " The Lord was with him, and made all that he did to prosper." (Gen. xxxix. 23.)
II. Christ, as we read in the Gospel, directed His Apostles, who were fishing, and they immediately caught a great quantity of fish. He will visit your soul to-day, to direct your spiritual concerns, so that you have great reason to hope for much spiritual profit if you will follow His directions and obey His divine inspirations.
III. You must prepare your heart to receive your heavenly director in a proper manner. You must first divest it of all sinful affections; and therefore St. Peter says in the Gospel, " Depart from me, O Lord; for I am a sinful man," knowing that Christ could have no connection with sin. You must, in the second place, earnestly entreat Him to do you the favor of remitting your sins, and directing you in the way of virtue; for of King Ozias it is written, "And when he sought the Lord, he directed him in all things." (2 Paralip. xxvi. 5.) Wherefore say with the Psalmist, " Look upon Thy servants, and upon their works: and direct their children; and let the brightness of the Lord our God be upon us; and direct Thou the works of our hands over us; yea, the work of our hands do Thou direct." (Ps. lxxxix. 16, 17.)
MONDAY.
Christ retiring into the Desert.
(Mat. iv.; Mark, i.; Luke, iv.)
I. Jesus, full of the Holy Ghost, returned from the Jordan " and was led by the Spirit into the desert." (Matt. iv. 1.) Learn from this fact that the soul which
