diff options
| -rw-r--r-- | .gitattributes | 3 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 8534-8.txt | 12152 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | 8534-8.zip | bin | 0 -> 169069 bytes | |||
| -rw-r--r-- | LICENSE.txt | 11 | ||||
| -rw-r--r-- | README.md | 2 |
5 files changed, 12168 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/.gitattributes b/.gitattributes new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6833f05 --- /dev/null +++ b/.gitattributes @@ -0,0 +1,3 @@ +* text=auto +*.txt text +*.md text diff --git a/8534-8.txt b/8534-8.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..bb1a334 --- /dev/null +++ b/8534-8.txt @@ -0,0 +1,12152 @@ +Project Gutenberg's Daily Strength for Daily Needs, by Mary W. Tileston + +Copyright laws are changing all over the world. Be sure to check the +copyright laws for your country before downloading or redistributing +this or any other Project Gutenberg eBook. + +This header should be the first thing seen when viewing this Project +Gutenberg file. Please do not remove it. Do not change or edit the +header without written permission. + +Please read the "legal small print," and other information about the +eBook and Project Gutenberg at the bottom of this file. Included is +important information about your specific rights and restrictions in +how the file may be used. You can also find out about how to make a +donation to Project Gutenberg, and how to get involved. + + +**Welcome To The World of Free Plain Vanilla Electronic Texts** + +**eBooks Readable By Both Humans and By Computers, Since 1971** + +*****These eBooks Were Prepared By Thousands of Volunteers!***** + + +Title: Daily Strength for Daily Needs + +Author: Mary W. Tileston + +Release Date: July, 2005 [EBook #8534] +[Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] +[This file was first posted on July 20, 2003] + +Edition: 10 + +Language: English + +Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 + +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAILY STRENGTH FOR DAILY NEEDS *** + + + + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + + + + +DAILY STRENGTH FOR DAILY NEEDS + +By Mary Wilder Tileston + + + +_Selected by the Editor of_ "Joy and Strength for the Pilgrim's Day," +"Quiet Hours," etc. + + +"As thy days, so shall thy strength be" + + + + +PREFACE + +This little book of brief selections in prose and verse, with accompanying +texts of Scripture, is intended for a daily companion and counsellor. These +words of the goodly fellowship of wise and holy men of many times, it is +hoped may help to strengthen the reader to perform the duties and to bear +the burdens of each day with cheerfulness and courage. + +MARY WILDER TILESTON. + + + +January 1 + + +_They go from strength to strength_.--PS. lxxxiv. 7. + +_First the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the +ear_.--MARK. iv. 28. + + Build thee more stately mansions, O my soul, + As the swift seasons roll! + Leave thy low-vaulted past! + Let each new temple, nobler than the last, + Shut thee from heaven with a dome more vast, + Till thou at length art free, + Leaving thine outgrown shell by life's unresting sea! + +O. W. HOLMES. + +High hearts are never long without hearing some new call, some distant +clarion of God, even in their dreams; and soon they are observed to break +up the camp of ease, and start on some fresh march of faithful service. +And, looking higher still, we find those who never wait till their moral +work accumulates, and who reward resolution with no rest; with whom, +therefore, the alternation is instantaneous and constant; who do the good +only to see the better, and see the better only to achieve it; who are too +meek for transport, too faithful for remorse, too earnest for repose; whose +worship is action, and whose action ceaseless aspiration. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +January 2 + + +_The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time +forth, and even for evermore_.--PS. cxxi. 8. + +_Lord, Thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations_.--PS. xc. 1. + + With grateful hearts the past we own; + The future, all to us unknown, + We to Thy guardian care commit, + And peaceful leave before Thy feet. + +P. DODDRIDGE. + +We are like to Him with whom there is no past or future, with whom a day is +as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, when we do our work +in the great present, leaving both past and future to Him to whom they are +ever present, and fearing nothing, because He is in our future as much as +He is in our past, as much as, and far more than we can feel Him to be, in +our present. Partakers thus of the divine nature, resting in that perfect +All-in-all in whom our nature is eternal too, we walk without fear, full of +hope and courage and strength to do His will, waiting for the endless good +which He is always giving as fast as He can get us able to take it in. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +January 3 + + +_As thy days, so shall thy strength be_.--DEUT. xxxiii. 25. + +_Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof_.--MATT. vi. 34. + + Oh, ask not thou, How shall I bear + The burden of to-morrow? + Sufficient for to-day, its care, + Its evil and its sorrow; + God imparteth by the way + Strength sufficient for the day. + +J. E. SAXBY. + +He that hath so many causes of joy, and so great, is very much in love with +sorrow and peevishness, who loses all these pleasures, and chooses to sit +down upon his little handful of thorns. Enjoy the blessings of this day, if +God sends them; and the evils of it bear patiently and sweetly: for this +day only is ours, we are dead to yesterday, and we are not yet born to the +morrow. But if we look abroad, and bring into one day's thoughts the evil +of many, certain and uncertain, what will be and what will never be, our +load will be as intolerable as it is unreasonable. + +JEREMY TAYLOR. + + + +January 4 + + +_If we sin, we are Thine, knowing Thy power: but--we will not sin, knowing +that we are counted Thine. For to know Thee is perfect righteousness: yea, +to know Thy power is the root of immortality_.--WISDOM OF SOLOMON xv. 2, +3. + + Oh, empty us of self, the world, and sin, + And then in all Thy fulness enter in; + Take full possession, Lord, and let each thought + Into obedience unto Thee be brought; + Thine is the power, and Thine the will, that we + Be wholly sanctified, O Lord, to Thee. + +C. E. J. + +Take steadily some one sin, which seems to stand out before thee, to root +it out, by God's grace, and every fibre of it. Purpose strongly, by +the grace and strength of God, wholly to sacrifice this sin or sinful +inclination to the love of God, to spare it not, until thou leave of it +none remaining, neither root nor branch. + +Fix, by God's help, not only to root out this sin, but to set thyself to +gain, by that same help, the opposite grace. If thou art tempted to be +angry, try hard, by God's grace, to be _very_ meek; if to be proud, seek to +be _very_ humble. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +January 5 + + +_That He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot, +or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without +blemish_.--EPH. v. 27. + +Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.--I PETER ii. 5. + + One holy Church of God appears + Through every age and race, + Unwasted by the lapse of years, + Unchanged by changing place. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +A temple there has been upon earth, a spiritual Temple, made up of living +stones; a Temple, as I may say, composed of souls; a Temple with God for +its light, and Christ for the high priest; with wings of angels for its +arches, with saints and teachers for its pillars, and with worshippers for +its pavement. Wherever there is faith and love, this Temple is. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +To whatever worlds He carries our souls when they shall pass out of +these imprisoning bodies, in those worlds these souls of ours shall find +themselves part of the same great Temple; for it belongs not to this earth +alone. There can be no end of the universe where God is, to which that +growing Temple does not reach,--the Temple of a creation to be wrought at +last into a perfect utterance of God by a perfect obedience to God. + +PHILLIPS BROOKS. + + + +January 6 + + +_In all ages entering into holy souls, she [Wisdom] maketh them friends of +God, and prophets_.--WISDOM OF SOLOMON vii. 27. + + Meanwhile with every son and saint of Thine + Along the glorious line, + Sitting by turns beneath Thy sacred feet + We 'll hold communion sweet, + Know them by look and voice, and thank them all + For helping us in thrall, + For words of hope, and bright examples given + To shew through moonless skies that there is light in heaven. + +J. KEBLE. + +If we cannot live at once and alone with Him, we may at least live with +those who have lived with Him; and find, in our admiring love for their +purity, their truth, their goodness, an intercession with His pity on our +behalf. To study the lives, to meditate the sorrows, to commune with the +thoughts, of the great and holy men and women of this rich world, is a +sacred discipline, which deserves at least to rank as the forecourt of the +temple of true worship, and may train the tastes, ere we pass the very +gate, of heaven. We forfeit the chief source of dignity and sweetness in +life, next to the direct communion with God, if we do not seek converse +with the greater minds that have left their vestiges on the world. + +J. MARTINEAU. + +Do not think it wasted time to submit yourself to any influence which may +bring upon you any noble feeling. + +J. RUSKIN. + + + +January 7 + + +_The exceeding greatness of His power to us-ward who believe, according to +the working of His mighty power_.--EPH. i. 19. + + The lives which seem so poor, so low, + The hearts which are so cramped and dull, + The baffled hopes, the impulse slow, + Thou takest, touchest all, and lo! + They blossom to the beautiful. + +SUSAN COOLIDGE. + +A root set in the finest soil, in the best climate, and blessed with all +that sun and air and rain can do for it, is not in so sure a way of its +growth to perfection, as every man may be, whose spirit aspires after all +that which God is ready and infinitely desirous to give him. For the sun +meets not the springing bud that stretches towards him with half that +certainty, as God, the source of all good, communicates Himself to the soul +that longs to partake of Him. + +WM. LAW. + +If we stand in the openings of the present moment, with all the length and +breadth of our faculties unselfishly adjusted to what it reveals, we are in +the best condition to receive what God is always ready to communicate. + +T. C. UPHAM. + + + +January 8 + + +_As we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men_.--GAL. vi. +10. + +_Let brotherly love continue_.--HEB. xiii. 1. + + I Ask Thee for a thoughtful love, + Through constant watching wise, + To meet the glad with joyful smiles, + And to wipe the weeping eyes, + And a heart at leisure from itself, + To soothe and sympathize. + +A. L. WARING. + +Surely none are so full of cares, or so poor in gifts, that to them also, +waiting patiently and trustfully on God for His daily commands, He will not +give direct ministry for Him, increasing according to their strength and +their desire. There is so much to be set right in the world, there are so +many to be led and helped and comforted, that we must continually come in +contact with such in our daily life. Let us only take care, that, by the +glance being turned inward, or strained onward, or lost in vacant reverie, +we do not miss our turn of service, and pass by those to whom we might have +been sent on an errand straight from God. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + +Look up and not down; look forward and not back; look out and not in; and +lend a hand. + +EDWARD E. HALE. + + + +January 9 + + +_And in every work that be began in the service of the house of God, and in +the law, and in the commandments, to seek his God, he did it with all his +heart, and prospered_.--2 CHRON. xxxi. 21. + +_What, shall we do, that we might work the works of God_?--JOHN vi. 28. + + Give me within the work which calls to-day, + To see Thy finger gently beckoning on; + So struggle grows to freedom, work to play, + And toils begun from Thee to Thee are done. + +J. F. CLARKE. + +God is a kind Father. He sets us all in the places where He wishes us to be +employed; and that employment is truly "our Father's business." He chooses +work for every creature which will be delightful to them, if they do it +simply and humbly. He gives us always strength enough, and sense enough, +for what He wants us to do; if we either tire ourselves or puzzle +ourselves, it is our own fault. And we may always be sure, whatever we are +doing, that we cannot be pleasing Him, if we are not happy ourselves. + +J. RUSKIN. + + + +January 10 + + +_Because Thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise +Thee_.--PS. lxiii. 3. + +_Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall +lose his life shall preserve it_.--LUKE xvii. 33. + + O Lord! my best desires fulfil, + And help me to resign + Life, health, and comfort, to Thy will, + And make Thy pleasure mine. + +WM. COWPER. + +What do our heavy hearts prove but that other things are sweeter to us +than His will, that we have not attained to the full mastery of our true +freedom, the full perception of its power, that our sonship is yet but +faintly realized, and its blessedness not yet proved and known? Our consent +would turn all our trials into obedience. By consenting we make them our +own, and offer them with ourselves again to Him. + +H. E. MANNING. + +Nothing is intolerable that is necessary. Now God hath bound thy trouble +upon thee, with a design to try thee, and with purposes to reward and crown +thee. These cords thou canst not break; and therefore lie thou down gently, +and suffer the hand of God to do what He please. + +JEREMY TAYLOR. + + + +January 11 + + +_I will be glad, and rejoice in Thy mercy: for Thou hast considered my +trouble; Thou hast known my soul in adversities_.--PS. xxxi. 7. + + Nay, all by Thee is ordered, chosen, planned; + Each drop that fills my daily cup Thy hand + Prescribes, for ills none else can understand: + All, all is known to Thee. + +A. L. NEWTON. + +God knows us through and through. Not the most secret thought, which we +most hide from ourselves, is hidden from Him. As then we come to know +ourselves through and through, we come to see ourselves more as God sees +us, and then we catch some little glimpse of His designs with us, how each +ordering of His Providence, each check to our desires, each failure of our +hopes, is just fitted for us, and for something in our own spiritual state, +which others know not of, and which, till then, we knew not. Until we come +to this knowledge, we must take all in faith, believing, though we know +not, the goodness of God towards us. As we know ourselves, we, thus far, +know God. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +January 12 + + +_Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable +in Thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer_.--PS. xix. 14. + + The thoughts that in our hearts keep place, + Lord, make a holy, heavenly throng, + And steep in innocence and grace + The issue of each guarded tongue. + +T. H. GILL. + +There is another kind of silence to be cultivated, besides that of +the tongue as regards others. I mean silence as regards one's +self,--restraining the imagination, not permitting it to dwell overmuch +on what we have heard or said, not indulging in the phantasmagoria of +picture-thoughts, whether of the past or future. Be sure that you have +made no small progress in the spiritual life, when you can control your +imagination, so as to fix it on the duty and occupation actually existing, +to the exclusion of the crowd of thoughts which are perpetually sweeping +across the mind. No doubt, you cannot prevent those thoughts from arising, +but you can prevent yourself from dwelling on them; you can put them aside, +you can check the self-complacency, or irritation, or earthly longings +which feed them, and by the practice of such control of your thoughts you +will attain that spirit of inward silence which draws the soul into a close +intercourse with God. + +JEAN N. GROU. + + + +January 13 + + +_Speak not evil one of another, brethren_.--JAMES iv. 11. + +_Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, +be put away from you, with all malice_.--EPH. iv. 31. + + If aught good thou canst not say + Of thy brother, foe, or friend, + Take thou, then, the silent way, + Lest in word thou shouldst offend. + +ANON. + +If there is any person to whom you feel dislike, that is the person of whom +you ought never to speak. + +R. CECIL. + +To recognize with delight all high and generous and beautiful actions; to +find a joy even in seeing the good qualities of your bitterest opponents, +and to admire those qualities even in those with whom you have least +sympathy, this is the only spirit which can heal the love of slander and of +calumny. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +January 14 + + +_Thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall +appoint_.--2 SAM. xv. 15. + + I love to think that God appoints + My portion day by day; + Events of life are in His hand, + And I would only say, + Appoint them in Thine own good time, + And in Thine own best way. + +A. L. WARING. + +If we are really, and always, and equally ready to do whatsoever the King +appoints, all the trials and vexations arising from any change in His +appointments, great or small, simply do not exist. If He appoints me to +work there, shall I lament that I am not to work here? If He appoints me +to wait in-doors to-day, am I to be annoyed because I am not to work +out-of-doors? If I meant to write His messages this morning, shall I +grumble because He sends interrupting visitors, rich or poor, to whom I +am to speak them, or "show kindness" for His sake, or at least obey His +command, "Be courteous?" If all my members are really at His disposal, why +should I be put out if to-day's appointment is some simple work for my +hands or errands for my feet, instead of some seemingly more important +doing of head or tongue? + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +January 15 + + +_For this is the will of God, even your sanctification_.--I THESS. iv. 3. + + Between us and Thyself remove + Whatever hindrances may be, + That so our inmost heart may prove + A holy temple, meet for Thee. + +LATIN MSS. OF 15TH CENTURY. + +Bear, in the presence of God, to know thyself. Then seek to know for what +God sent thee into the world; how thou hast fulfilled it; art thou yet what +God willed thee to be; what yet lacketh unto thee; what is God's will for +thee _now_; what thing thou mayest _now_ do, by His grace, to obtain His +favor, and approve thyself unto Him. Say to Him, "Teach me to do Thy will, +for Thou art my God," and He will say unto thy soul, "Fear not; I am thy +salvation." He will speak peace unto thy soul; He will set thee in the way; +He will bear thee above things of sense, and praise of man, and things +which perish in thy grasp, and give thee, if but afar off, some glimpse of +His own, unfading, unsetting, unperishing brightness and bliss and love. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +January 16 + + +_Now our Lord Jesus Christ, Himself, and God, even our Father, which hath +loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through +grace, comfort your hearts, and stablish you in every good word and +work_.--2 THESS. ii. 16, 17. + + When sorrow all our heart would ask, + We need not shun our daily task, + And hide ourselves for calm; + The herbs we seek to heal our woe + Familiar by our pathway grow, + Our common air is balm. + +J. KEBLE. + +Oh, when we turn away from some duty or some fellow-creature, saying that +our hearts are too sick and sore with some great yearning of our own, we +may often sever the line on which a divine message was coming to us. We +shut out the man, and we shut out the angel who had sent him on to open the +door. There is a plan working in our lives; and if we keep our hearts quiet +and our eyes open, it all works together; and, if we don't, it all rights +together, and goes on fighting till it comes right, somehow, somewhere. + +ANNIE KEARY. + + + +January 17 + + +_Beloved, think it not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try +you, as though some strange thing happened unto you: but rejoice, inasmuch +as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings_.--I PETER iv. 12, 13. + + We take with solemn thankfulness + Our burden up, nor ask it less, + And count it joy that even we + May suffer, serve, or wait for Thee, + Whose will be done! + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Receive every inward and outward trouble, every disappointment, pain, +uneasiness, temptation, darkness, and desolation, with both thy hands, as a +true opportunity and blessed occasion of dying to self, and entering into +a fuller fellowship with thy self-denying, suffering Saviour. Look at no +inward or outward trouble in any other view; reject every other thought +about it; and then every kind of trial and distress will become the blessed +day of thy prosperity. That state is best, which exerciseth the highest +faith in, and fullest resignation to God. + +WM. LAW. + + + +January 18 + + +_Thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the Lord thy God hath given +unto thee_.--DEUT. XXVI. 11. + +_Rejoice evermore. In everything give thanks_.--I THESS. v. 16, 18. + + Grave on thy heart each past "red-letter day"! + Forget not all the sunshine of the way + By which the Lord hath led thee; answered prayers, + And joys unasked, strange blessings, lifted cares, + Grand promise-echoes! Thus thy life shall be + One record of His love and faithfulness to thee. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +Gratitude consists in a watchful, minute attention to the particulars of +our state, and to the multitude of God's gifts, taken one by one. It fills +us with a consciousness that God loves and cares for us, even to the least +event and smallest need of life. It is a blessed thought, that from our +childhood God has been laying His fatherly hands upon us, and always in +benediction; that even the strokes of His hands are blessings, and among +the chiefest we have ever received. When this feeling is awakened, the +heart beats with a pulse of thankfulness. Every gift has its return of +praise. It awakens an unceasing daily converse with our Father,--He +speaking to us by the descent of blessings, we to Him by the ascent of +thanksgiving. And all our whole life is thereby drawn under the light of +His countenance, and is filled with a gladness, serenity, and peace which +only thankful hearts can know. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +January 19 + + +_Let the heart of them rejoice that seek the Lord_.--PS. cv. 3. + +_The joy of the Lord is your strength_.--NEH. viii. 10. + + Be Thou my Sun, my selfishness destroy, + Thy atmosphere of Love be all my joy; + Thy Presence be my sunshine ever bright, + My soul the little mote that lives but in Thy light. + +GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. + +I do not know when I have had happier times in my soul, than when I have +been sitting at work, with nothing before me but a candle and a white +cloth, and hearing no sound but that of my own breath, with God in my soul +and heaven in my eye... I rejoice in being exactly what I am,--a creature +capable of loving God, and who, as long as God lives, must be happy. I get +up and look for a while out of the window, and gaze at the moon and stars, +the work of an Almighty hand. I think of the grandeur of the universe, and +then sit down, and think myself one of the happiest beings in it. + +A POOR METHODIST WOMAN, 18TH CENTURY. + + + +January 20 + + +_The Lord taketh pleasure In His people: He will beautify the meek with +salvation_.--PS. cxlix. 4. + + Long listening to Thy words, + My voice shall catch Thy tone, + And, locked in Thine, my hand shall grow + All loving like Thy own. + +B. T. + +It is not in words explicable, with what divine lines and lights the +exercise of godliness and charity will mould and gild the hardest and +coldest countenance, neither to what darkness their departure will consign +the loveliest. For there is not any virtue the exercise of which, even +momentarily, will not impress a new fairness upon the features; neither on +them only, but on the whole body the moral and intellectual faculties +have operation, for all the movements and gestures, however slight, are +different in their modes according to the mind that governs them--and on +the gentleness and decision of right feeling follows grace of actions, and, +through continuance of this, grace of form. + +J. RUSKIN. + +There is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behavior, like the wish +to scatter joy and not pain around us. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +January 21 + + +_Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly +fall: but they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they +shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and +they shall walk and not faint_.--ISA. xl. 30, 31. + + Lord, with what courage and delight + I do each thing, + When Thy least breath sustains my wing! + I shine and move + Like those above, + And, with much gladness + Quitting sadness, + Make me fair days of every night. + +H. VAUGHAN. + +Man, by living wholly in submission to the Divine Influence, becomes +surrounded with, and creates for himself, internal pleasures infinitely +greater than any he can otherwise attain to--a state of heavenly Beatitude. + +J. P. GREAVES. + +By persisting in a habit of self-denial, we shall, beyond what I can +express, increase the inward powers of the mind, and shall produce that +cheerfulness and greatness of spirit as will fit us for all good purposes; +and shall not have lost pleasure, but _changed_ it; the soul being then +filled with its own intrinsic pleasures. + +HENRY MORE. + + + +January 22 + + +_Then shall we know, if we follow on to know the Lord_.--HOSEA vi. 3. + + And, as the path of duty is made plain, + May grace be given that I may walk therein, + Not like the hireling, for his selfish gain, + With backward glances and reluctant tread, + Making a merit of his coward dread,-- + But, cheerful, in the light around me thrown, + Walking as one to pleasant service led; + Doing God's will as if it were my own, + Yet trusting not in mine, but in His strength alone! + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +It is by doing our duty that we learn to do it. So long as men dispute +whether or no a thing is their duty, they get never the nearer. Let them +set ever so weakly about doing it, and the face of things alters. They find +in themselves strength which they knew not of. Difficulties which it seemed +to them they could not get over, disappear. For He accompanies it with the +influences of His blessed Spirit, and each performance opens our minds for +larger influxes of His grace, and places them in communion with Him. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +That which is called considering what is our duty in a particular case, is +very often nothing but endeavoring to explain it away. + +JOSEPH BUTLER. + + + +January 23 + + +_If thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul; +then shall thy light rise in obscurity, and thy darkness be as the noonday; +and the Lord shall guide thee continually_.--ISA. lviii. 10, 11. + + If thou hast Yesterday thy duty done, + And thereby cleared firm footing for To-day, + Whatever clouds make dark To-morrow's sun, + Thou shall not miss thy solitary way. + +J. W. VON GOETHE. + +O Lord, who art our Guide even unto death, grant us, I pray Thee, grace to +follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest. In little daily duties to which Thou +callest us, bow down our wills to simple obedience, patience under pain or +provocation, strict truthfulness of word and manner, humility, kindness; in +great acts of duty or perfection, if Thou shouldest call us to them, uplift +us to self-sacrifice, heroic courage, laying down of life for Thy truth's +sake, or for a brother. Amen. + +C. G. ROSSETTI. + + + +January 24 + + +_I will bless the Lord, who bath given me counsel_.--PS. xvi. 7. + +_Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord_.--ROM. xii. +11. + + Mine be the reverent, listening love + That waits all day on Thee, + With the service of a watchful heart + Which no one else can see. + +A. L. WARING. + +Nothing is small or great in God's sight; whatever He wills becomes great +to us, however seemingly trifling, and if once the voice of conscience +tells us that He requires anything of us, we have no right to measure its +importance. On the other hand, whatever He would not have us do, however +important we may think it, is as nought to us. + +How do you know what you may lose by neglecting this duty, which you think +so trifling, or the blessing which its faithful performance may bring? Be +sure that if you do your very best in that which is laid upon you daily, +you will not be left without sufficient help when some weightier occasion +arises. Give yourself to Him, trust Him, fix your eye upon Him, listen to +His voice, and then go on bravely and cheerfully. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +January 25 + + +_If ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them_.--JOHN xiii. 17. + +_Therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is +sin_.--JAMES iv. 17. + + We cannot kindle when we will + The fire that in the heart resides, + The spirit bloweth and is still, + In mystery our soul abides: + But tasks in hours of insight willed + Can be through hours of gloom fulfilled. + +MATTHEW ARNOLD. + +Hurt not your conscience with any known sin. + +S. RUTHERFORD. + +Deep-rooted customs, though wrong, are not easily altered; but it is the +duty of all to be firm in that which they certainly know is right for them. + +JOHN WOOLMAN. + +He often acts unjustly who does not do a certain thing; not only he who +does a certain thing. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + +Every duty we omit obscures some truth we should have known. + +JOHN RUSKIN. + + + +January 26 + + +_O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how +unsearchable are His judgments, and His--ways past finding out_!--ROM. xi. +33. + +_It doth not yet appear what we shall be_.--I JOHN iii. 2. + + No star is ever lost we once have seen, + We always may be what we might have been. + Since Good, though only thought, has life and breath, + God's life--can always be redeemed from death; + And evil, in its nature, is decay, + And any hour can blot it all away; + The hopes that lost in some far distance seem, + May be the truer life, and this the dream. + +A. A. PROCTER. + +St. Bernard has said: "Man, if thou desirest a noble and holy life, and +unceasingly prayest to God for it, if thou continue constant in this thy +desire, it will be granted unto thee without fail, even if only in the day +or hour of thy death; and if God should not give it to thee then, thou +shalt find it in Him in eternity: of this be assured." Therefore do not +relinquish your desire, though it be not fulfilled immediately, or though +ye may swerve from your aspirations, or even forget them for a time.... The +love and aspiration which once really existed live forever before God, and +in Him ye shall find the fruit thereof; that is, to all eternity it shall +be better for you than if you had never felt them. + +J. TAULER. + + + +January 27 + + +_For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name +is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a +contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to +revive the heart of the contrite ones_.--ISA. lvii. 15. + + Without an end or bound + Thy life lies all outspread in light; + Our lives feel Thy life all around, + Making our weakness strong, our darkness bright; + Yet is it neither wilderness nor sea, + But the calm gladness of a full eternity. + +F. W. FABER. + +O truth who art Eternity! And Love who art Truth! And Eternity who art +Love! Thou art my God, to Thee do I sigh night and day. When I first knew +Thee, Thou liftedst me up, that I might see there was somewhat for me to +see, and that I was not yet such as to see. And Thou streaming forth Thy +beams of light upon me most strongly, didst beat back the weakness of my +sight, and I trembled with love and awe: and I perceived myself to be far +off from Thee in the region of unlikeness. + +ST. AUGUSTINE. + + + +January 28 + + +_O fear the Lord, ye His saints: for there is no want to them that fear +Him_--PS. xxxiv. 9. + +_Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living +thing_.--PS. cxlv. 16. + + What Thou shalt to-day provide, + Let me as a child receive; + What to-morrow may betide, + Calmly to Thy wisdom leave. + 'Tis enough that Thou wilt care; + Why should I the burden bear? + +J. NEWTON. + +Have we found that anxiety about possible consequences increased the +clearness of our judgment, made us wiser and braver in meeting the present, +and arming ourselves for the future? If we had prayed for this day's bread, +and left the next to itself, if we had not huddled our days together, +not allotting to each its appointed task, but ever deferring that to the +future, and drawing upon the future for its own troubles, which must be +met when they come whether we have anticipated them or not, we should +have found a simplicity and honesty in our lives, a capacity for work, an +enjoyment in it, to which we are now, for the most part, strangers. + +F. D. MAURICE. + + + +January 29 + + +_I the Lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, Fear not; I will +help thee_.--ISA. xli. 13. + +_Show Thy marvellous loving-kindness, O Thou that savest by Thy right hand +them which put their trust in Thee_.--PS. xvii. 7. + + Take Thy hand, and fears grow still; + Behold Thy face, and doubts remove; + Who would not yield his wavering will + To perfect Truth and boundless Love? + +S. JOHNSON. + +Do not look forward to the changes and chances of this life in fear; rather +look to them with full hope that, as they arise, God, whose you are, will +deliver you out of them. He has kept you hitherto,--do you but hold fast to +His dear hand, and He will lead you safely through all things; and, when +you cannot stand, He will bear you in His arms. Do not look forward to what +may happen to-morrow; the same everlasting Father who cares for you to-day, +will take care of you to-morrow, and every day. Either he will shield you +from suffering, or He will give you unfailing strength to bear it. Be at +peace then, and put aside all anxious thoughts and imaginations. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +January 30 + + +_If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of +the sea: even there shall Thy hand lead me, and Thy right hand shall hold +me_.--PS. cxxxix. 9, 10. + + I cannot lose Thee! Still in Thee abiding, + The end is clear, how wide soe'er I roam; + The Hand that holds the worlds my steps is guiding, + And I must rest at last in Thee, my home. + +E. SCUDDER. + +How can we come to perceive this direct leading of God? By a careful +looking at home, and abiding; within the gates of thy own soul. Therefore, +let a man be at home in his own heart, and cease from his restless chase of +and search after outward things. If he is thus at home while on earth, he +will surely come to see what there is to do at home,--what God commands +him inwardly without means, and also outwardly by the help of means; and +then let him surrender himself, and follow God along whatever path his +loving Lord thinks fit to lead him: whether it be to contemplation or +action, to usefulness or enjoyment; whether in sorrow or in joy, let him +follow on. And if God do not give him thus to feel His hand in all things, +let him still simply yield himself up, and go without, for God's sake, out +of love, and still press forward. + +J. TAULER. + + + +January 31 + + +_In all thy ways acknowledge Him, and He shall direct thy paths_.--PROV. +iii. 6. + +_He leadeth me_.--PS. xxiii. 2. + + In "pastures green"? Not always; sometimes He + Who knoweth best, in kindness leadeth me + In weary ways, where heavy shadows be. + + So, whether on the hill-tops high and fair + I dwell, or in the sunless valleys, where + The shadows lie, what matter? He is there. + +HENRY H. BARRY. + +The Shepherd knows what pastures are best for his sheep, and they must not +question nor doubt, but trustingly follow Him. Perhaps He sees that the +best pastures for some of us are to be found in the midst of opposition or +of earthly trials. If He leads you there, you may be sure they are green +for you, and you will grow and be made strong by feeding there. Perhaps He +sees that the best waters for you to walk beside will be raging waves of +trouble and sorrow. If this should be the case, He will make them still +waters for you, and you must go and lie down beside them, and let them have +all their blessed influences upon you. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +February 1 + + +_Now the God of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one +toward another, according to Christ Jesus_.--ROM. xv. 5. + +_Let patience have her perfect work_.--JAMES i. 4. + + Make me patient, kind, and gentle, + Day by day; + Teach me how to live more nearly + As I pray. + +SHARPE'S MAGAZINE. + +The exercise of patience involves a continual practice of the presence of +God; for we may be come upon at any moment for an almost heroic display of +good temper, and it is a short road to unselfishness, for nothing is left +to self; all that seems to belong most intimately to self, to be self's +private property, such as time, home, and rest, are invaded by these +continual trials of patience. The family is full of such opportunities. + +F. W. FABER. + +Only as we know what it is to cherish love when sore at some unkindness, to +overmaster ourselves when under provocation, to preserve gentleness during +trial and unmerited wrong,--only then can we know in any degree the "manner +of spirit" that was in Christ. + +T. T. CARTER. + + + +February 2 + + +_Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the +feeble-minded, support the weak, be patient toward all men_.--I THESS. v. +14. + + The little worries which we meet each day + May lie as stumbling-blocks across our way, + Or we may make them stepping-stones to be + Of grace, O Lord, to Thee. + +A. E. HAMILITON. + +We must be continually sacrificing our own wills, as opportunity serves, to +the will of others; bearing, without notice, sights and sounds that annoy +us; setting about this or that task, when we had far rather be doing +something very different; persevering in it, often, when we are thoroughly +tired of it; keeping company for duty's sake, when it would be a great joy +to us to be by ourselves; besides all the trifling untoward accidents of +life; bodily pain and weakness long continued, and perplexing us often +when it does not amount to illness; losing what we value, missing what +we desire; disappointment in other persons, wilfulness, unkindness, +ingratitude, folly, in cases where we least expect it. + +J. KEBLE. + + + +February 3 + + +_Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: and see +if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting_.--PS. +cxxxix. 23, 24. + + Save us from the evil tongue, + From the heart that thinketh wrong, + From the sins, whate'er they be, + That divide the soul from Thee. + +ANON. + +Such as are thy habitual thoughts, such also will be the character of thy +mind; for the soul is dyed by the thoughts. Dye it then with a continuous +series of such thoughts as these: for instance, that where a man can live, +there he can also live well. But he must live in a palace: well, then, he +can also live well in a palace. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + +Who is there that sets himself to the task of steadily watching his +thoughts for the space of one hour, with the view of preserving his mind +in a simple, humble, healthful condition, but will speedily discern in the +multiform, self-reflecting, self-admiring emotions, which, like locusts, +are ready to "eat up every green thing in his land," a state as much +opposed to simplicity and humility as night is to day? + +M. A. KELTY. + + + +February 4 + + +_If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to +bridle the whole body_.--JAMES iii. 2 + +_Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips_.--PS. +cxli. 3. + + What! never speak one evil word, + Or rash, or idle, or unkind! + Oh, how shall I, most gracious Lord, + This mark of true perfection find? + +C. WESLEY. + +When we remember our temptations to give quick indulgence to disappointment +or irritation or unsympathizing weariness, and how hard a thing it is +from day to day to meet our fellow-men, our neighbors, or even our own +households, in all moods, in all discordances between the world without +us and the frames within, in all states of health, of solicitude, +of preoccupation, and show no signs of impatience, ungentleness, or +unobservant self-absorption,--with only kindly feeling finding expression, +and ungenial feeling at least inwardly imprisoned;--we shall be ready to +acknowledge that the man who has thus attained is master of himself, and in +the graciousness of his power is fashioned upon the style of a Perfect Man. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +February 5 + + +_Blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at +all times_.--PS. cvi. 3. + +_Thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: because thou shalt forget thy +misery, and remember it as waters that pass away_.--JOB xi. 15, 16. + + In the bitter waves of woe, + Beaten and tossed about + By the sullen winds that blow + From the desolate shores of doubt, + Where the anchors that faith has cast + Are dragging in the gale, + I am quietly holding fast + To the things that cannot fail. + +WASHINGTON GLADDEN. + +In the darkest hour through which a human soul can pass, whatever else is +doubtful, this at least is certain. If there be no God and no future state, +yet even then, it is better to be generous than selfish, better to be +chaste than licentious, better to be true than false, better to be brave +than to be a coward. Blessed beyond all earthly blessedness is the man who, +in the tempestuous darkness of the soul, has dared to hold fast to these +venerable landmarks. Thrice blessed is he, who, when all is drear and +cheerless within and without, when his teachers terrify him, and his +friends shrink from him, has obstinately clung to moral good. Thrice +blessed, because _his_ night shall pass into clear, bright day. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +February 6 + + +_Whoso putteth his trust in the Lord shall be safe_.--PROV. xxix. 25. + +_I will cry unto God most high; unto God, that performeth all things for +me_.--PS. lvii. 2. + + Only thy restless heart keep still, + And wait in cheerful hope; content + To take whate'er His gracious will, + His all-discerning love hath sent; + Nor doubt our inmost wants are known + To Him who chose us for His own. + +G. NEUMARK. + +God has brought us into this time; He, and not ourselves or some dark +demon. If we are not fit to cope with that which He has prepared for us, +we should have been utterly unfit for any condition that we imagine for +ourselves. In this time we are to live and wrestle, and in no other. Let us +humbly, tremblingly, manfully look at it, and we shall not wish that the +sun could go back its ten degrees, or that we could go back with it. If +easy times are departed, it is that the difficult times may make us more +in earnest; that they may teach us not to depend upon ourselves. If easy +belief is impossible, it is that we may learn what belief is, and in whom +it is to be placed. + +F. D. MAURICE. + + + +February 7 + + +_Obey my voice, and I will be your God, and ye shall be my people: and walk +ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto +you_.--JER. vii. 23. + + And oft, when in my heart was heard + Thy timely mandate, I deferred + The task, in smoother walks to stray; + But thee I now would serve more strictly, if I may. + +W. WORDSWORTH. + +Pray Him to give you what Scripture calls "an honest and good heart," or "a +perfect heart;" and, without waiting, begin at once to obey Him with the +best heart you have. Any obedience is better than none. You have to seek +His face; obedience is the only way of seeing Him. All your duties are +obediences. To do what He bids is to obey Him, and to obey Him is to +approach Him. Every act of obedience is an approach--an approach to Him who +is not far off, though He seems so, but close behind this visible screen of +things which hides Him from us. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +As soon as we lay ourselves entirely at His feet, we have enough light +given us to guide our own steps; as the foot-soldier, who hears nothing of +the councils that determine the course of the great battle he is in, hears +plainly enough the word of command which he must himself obey. + +GEORGE ELIOT. + + + +February 8 + + +_He leadeth me beside the still waters. He restoreth my soul: He leadeth me +in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake_.--PS. xxiii. 2, 3. + + He leads me where the waters glide, + The waters soft and still, + And homeward He will gently guide + My wandering heart and will. + +J. KEBLE. + +Out of obedience and devotion arises an habitual faith, which makes Him, +though unseen, a part of all our life. He will guide us in a sure path, +though it be a rough one: though shadows hang upon it, yet He will be +with us. He will bring us home at last. Through much trial it may be, +and weariness, in much fear and fainting of heart, in much sadness and +loneliness, in griefs that the world never knows, and under burdens that +the nearest never suspect. Yet He will suffice for all. By His eye or by +His voice He will guide us, if we be docile and gentle; by His staff and +by His rod, if we wander or are wilful: any how, and by all means, He will +bring us to His rest. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +February 9 + + +_I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou +hast that is thine_.--MATT. xxv. 25. + + Time was, I shrank from what was right, + From fear of what was wrong; + I would not brave the sacred fight, + Because the foe was strong. + + But now I cast that finer sense + And sorer shame aside; + Such dread of sin was indolence, + Such aim at heaven was pride. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +If he falls into some error, he does not fret over it, but rising up with a +humble spirit, he goes on his way anew rejoicing. Were he to fall a hundred +times in the day, he would not despair,--he would rather cry out lovingly +to God, appealing to His tender pity. The really devout man has a horror of +evil, but he has a still greater love of that which is good; he is more +set on doing what is right, than avoiding what is wrong. Generous, +large-hearted, he is not afraid of danger in serving God, and would rather +run the risk of doing His will imperfectly than not strive to serve Him +lest he fail in the attempt. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +February 10 + + +_We have waited for Him, and He will save us: this is the Lord; we have +waited for Him, we will be glad and rejoice in His salvation_.--ISA. xxv. +9. + + Blest are the humble souls that wait + With sweet submission to His will; + Harmonious all their passions move, + And in the midst of storms are still. + +P. DODDRIDGE. + +Do not be discouraged at your faults; bear with yourself in correcting +them, as you would with your neighbor. Lay aside this ardor of mind, which +exhausts your body, and leads you to commit errors. Accustom yourself +gradually to carry prayer into all your daily occupations. Speak, move, +work, in peace, as if you were in prayer, as indeed you ought to be. Do +everything without excitement, by the spirit of grace. As soon as you +perceive your natural impetuosity gliding in, retire quietly within, where +is the kingdom of God. Listen to the leadings of grace, then say and do +nothing but what the Holy Spirit shall put in your heart. You will find +that you will become more tranquil, that your words will be fewer and more +effectual, and that, with less effort, you will accomplish more good. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +February 11 + + +_I have finished the work which Thou gavest me to do_.--JOHN xvii. 4. + +_She hath done what she could_.--MARK xiv. 8. + + He who God's will has borne and done, + And his own restless longings stilled, + What else he does, or has foregone, + His mission he has well fulfilled. + +FROM THE GERMAN. + +Cheered by the presence of God, I will do at each moment, without anxiety, +according to the strength which He shall give me, the work that His +Providence assigns me. I will leave the rest without concern; it is not my +affair. I ought to consider the duty to which I am called each day, as the +work that God has given me to do, and to apply myself to it in a manner +worthy of His glory, that is to say, with exactness and in peace. I must +neglect nothing; I must be violent about nothing. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +It is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty, too, to +leave undone what thou wouldst do. + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + + + +February 12 + + +_Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits_.--PS. lxviii. 19. + +_Nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly +all things to enjoy_.--I TIM. vi. 17. + + Source of my life's refreshing springs, + Whose presence in my heart sustains me, + Thy love ordains me pleasant things, + Thy mercy orders all that pains me. + +A. L. WARING. + +And to be true, and speak my soul, when I survey the occurrences of my +life, and call into account the finger of God, I can perceive nothing +but an abyss and mass of mercies, either in general to mankind, or in +particular to myself; and whether out of the prejudice of my affection, +or an inverting and partial conceit of His mercies, I know not; but those +which others term crosses, afflictions, judgments, misfortunes, to me who +inquire farther into them than their visible effects, they both appear, +and in event have ever proved, the secret and dissembled favors of His +affection. + +SIR T. BROWNE. + + + +February 13 + + +_Let Him do to me as seemeth good unto Him_.--2 SAM. xv. 26. + + To have, each day, the thing I wish, + Lord, that seems best to me; + But not to have the thing I wish, + Lord, that seems best to Thee. + Most truly, then, Thy will is done, + When mine, O Lord, is crossed; + It is good to see my plans o'erthrown, + My ways in Thine all lost. + +H. BONAR. + +O Lord, Thou knowest what is best for us; let this or that be done, as Thou +shalt please. Give what Thou wilt, and how much Thou wilt, and when Thou +wilt. Deal with me as Thou thinkest good. Set me where Thou wilt, and deal +with me in all things just as Thou wilt. Behold, I am Thy servant, prepared +for all things: for I desire not to live unto myself, but unto Thee; and +oh, that I could do it worthily and perfectly! + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + +Dare to look up to God, and say, "Make use of me for the future as Thou +wilt. I am of the same mind; I am one with Thee. I refuse nothing which +seems good to Thee. Lead me whither Thou wilt, clothe me in whatever +dress Thou wilt. Is it Thy will that I should be in a public or a private +condition, dwell here, or be banished, be poor or rich? Under all these +circumstances, I will testify unto Thee before men." + +EPICTETUS. + + + +February 14 + + +_I would have you without carefulness_.--I COR. vii. 32. + + O Lord, how happy should we be + If we could cast our care on Thee, + If we from self could rest; + And feel at heart that One above, + In perfect wisdom, perfect love, + Is working for the best. + +J. ANSTICE. + +Cast all thy care on God. See that all thy cares be such as thou canst cast +on God, and then hold none back. Never brood over thyself; never stop short +in thyself; but cast thy whole self, even this very care which distresseth +thee, upon God. Be not anxious about little things, if thou wouldst learn +to trust God with thine all. Act upon faith in little things; commit thy +daily cares and anxieties to Him; and He will strengthen thy faith for any +greater trials. Rather, give thy whole self into God's hands, and so trust +Him to take care of thee in all lesser things, as being His, for His own +sake, whose thou art. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +February 15 + + +_If ye fulfil the royal law according to the Scripture, Thou shalt love thy +neighbor as thyself, ye do well_.--JAMES ii. 8. + + Come, children, let us go! + We travel hand in hand; + Each in his brother finds his joy + In this wild stranger land. + The strong be quick to raise + The weaker when they fall; + Let love and peace and patience bloom + In ready help for all. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +It is a sad weakness in us, after all, that the thought of a man's death +hallows him anew to us; as if life were not sacred too,--as if it were +comparatively a light thing to fail in love and reverence to the brother +who has to climb the whole toilsome steep with us, and all our tears and +tenderness were due to the one who is spared that hard journey. + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +Would we codify the laws that should reign in households, and whose daily +transgression annoys and mortifies us, and degrades our household life,--we +must learn to adorn every day with sacrifices. Good manners are made up +of petty sacrifices. Temperance, courage, love, are made up of the same +jewels. Listen to every prompting of honor. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +February 16 + + +_Serve Him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind_.--I CHRON. +xxviii. 9. + + And if some things I do not ask, + In my cup of blessing be, + I would have my spirit filled the more + With grateful love to Thee,-- + More careful,--not to serve Thee much, + But to please Thee perfectly. + +A. L. WARING. + +Little things come daily, hourly, within our reach, and they are not less +calculated to set forward our growth in holiness, than are the greater +occasions which occur but rarely. Moreover, fidelity in trifles, and an +earnest seeking to please God in little matters, is a test of real devotion +and love. Let your aim be to please our dear Lord perfectly in little +things, and to attain a spirit of childlike simplicity and dependence. In +proportion as self-love and self-confidence are weakened, and our will +bowed to that of God, so will hindrances disappear, the internal troubles +and contests which harassed the soul vanish, and it will be filled with +peace and tranquillity. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +February 17 + + +_My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations +[or "trials"], knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh +patience_.--JAMES i. 2, 3. + + For patience, when the rough winds blow! + For patience, when our hopes are fading,-- + When visible things all backward go, + And nowhere seems the power of aiding! + God still enfolds thee with His viewless hand, + And leads thee surely to the Fatherland. + +N. L. FROTHINGHAM, _from the German_. + +We have need of patience with ourselves and with others; with those below, +and those above us, and with our own equals; with those who love us and +those who love us not; for the greatest things and for the least; against +sudden inroads of trouble, and under our daily burdens; disappointments as +to the weather, or the breaking of the heart; in the weariness of the body, +or the wearing of the soul; in our own failure of duty, or others' failure +toward us; in every-day wants, or in the aching of sickness or the decay +of age; in disappointment, bereavement, losses, injuries, reproaches; in +heaviness of the heart; or its sickness amid delayed hopes. In all these +things, from childhood's little troubles to the martyr's sufferings, +patience is the grace of God, whereby we endure evil for the love of God. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +February 18 + + +_It is good for me that I have been afflicted; that I might learn Thy +statutes_.--PS. cxix. 71. + +_But though He cause grief yet will He have compassion, according to the +multitude of His mercies_.--LAM. iii. 32. + + And yet these days of dreariness are sent us from above; + They do not come in anger, but in faithfulness and love; + They come to teach us lessons which bright ones could not yield, + And to leave us blest and thankful when their purpose is fulfilled. + +ANON. + +Heed not distressing thoughts when they rise ever so strongly in thee; nay, +though they have entered thee, fear them not, but be still awhile, not +believing in the power which thou feelest they have over thee, and it will +fall on a sudden. It is good for thy spirit, and greatly to thy advantage, +to be much and variously exercised by the Lord. Thou dost not know what the +Lord hath already done, and what He is yet doing for thee therein. + +I. PENINGTON. + +Why should I start at the plough of my Lord, that maketh deep furrows on my +soul? I know He is no idle husbandman, He purposeth a crop. + +S. RUTHERFORD. + + + +February 19 + + +_My meat is to do the will of Him that sent me and to finish His +work_.--JOHN iv. 34. + + I am glad to think + I am not bound to make the world go right; + But only to discover and to do, + With cheerful heart, the work that God appoints. + I will trust in Him, + That He can hold His own; and I will take + His will, above the work He sendeth me, + To be my chiefest good. + +J. INGELOW. + +Don't object that your duties are so insignificant; they are to be reckoned +of infinite significance, and alone important to you. Were it but the more +perfect regulation of your apartments, the sorting-away of your clothes and +trinkets, the arranging of your papers,--"Whatsoever thy hand findeth to +do, _do it_ with all thy might," and all thy worth and constancy. Much +more, if your duties are of evidently higher, wider scope; if you have +brothers, sisters, a father, a mother, weigh earnestly what claim does lie +upon you, on behalf of each, and consider it as the one thing needful, to +pay _them_ more and more honestly and nobly what you owe. What matter +how miserable one is, if one can do that? That is the sure and steady +disconnection and extinction of whatsoever miseries one has in this world. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +February 20 + + +_Let us not therefore judge one another any more: but judge this rather, +that no man put a stumbling-block, or an occasion to fall, in his brother's +way_.--ROM. xiv. 13. + +_Them that were entering in, ye hindered_.--LUKE xi. 52. + + My mind was ruffled with small cares to-day, + And I said pettish words, and did not keep + Long-suffering patience well, and now how deep + My trouble for this sin! in vain I weep + For foolish words I never can unsay. + +H. S. SUTTON. + +A vexation arises, and our expressions of impatience hinder others from +taking it patiently. Disappointment, ailment, or even weather depresses +us; and our look or tone of depression hinders others from maintaining +a cheerful and thankful spirit. We say an unkind thing, and another is +hindered in learning the holy lesson of charity that thinketh no evil. We +say a provoking thing, and our sister or brother is hindered in that day's +effort to be meek. How sadly, too, we may hinder without word or act! For +wrong feeling is more infectious than wrong doing; especially the +various phases of ill temper,--gloominess, touchiness, discontent, +irritability,--do we not know how catching these are? + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +February 21 + + +_If ye then, being evil, know bow to give good gifts unto your children, +bow much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good gifts to them +that ask Him_?--MATT. vii. 11. + + For His great love has compassed + Our nature, and our need + We know not; but He knoweth, + And He will bless indeed. + Therefore, O heavenly Father, + Give what is best to me; + And take the wants unanswered, + As offerings made to Thee. + +ANON. + +Whatsoever we ask which is not for our good, He will keep it back from us. +And surely in this there is no less of love than in the granting what we +desire as we ought. Will not the same love which prompts you to give a +good, prompt you to keep back an evil, thing? If, in our blindness, not +knowing what to ask, we pray for things which would turn in our hands to +sorrow and death, will not our Father, out of His very love, deny us? +How awful would be our lot, if our wishes should straightway pass into +realities; if we were endowed with a power to bring about all that we +desire; if the inclinations of our will were followed by fulfilment of our +hasty wishes, and sudden longings were always granted. One day we shall +bless Him, not more for what He has granted than for what He has denied. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +February 22 + + +_Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with +thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God_.--PHIL. iv. 6. + + We tell Thee of our care, + Of the sore burden, pressing day by day, + And in the light and pity of Thy face, + The burden melts away. + + We breathe our secret wish, + The importunate longing which no man may see; + We ask it humbly, or, more restful still, + We leave it all to Thee. + +SUSAN COOLIDGE. + +That prayer which does not succeed in moderating our wish, in changing +the passionate desire into still submission, the anxious, tumultuous +expectation into silent surrender, is no true prayer, and proves that we +have not the spirit of true prayer. That life is most holy in which there +is least of petition and desire, and most of waiting upon God; that in +which petition most often passes into thanksgiving. Pray till prayer makes +you forget your own wish, and leave it or merge it in God's will. The +Divine wisdom has given us prayer, not as a means whereby to obtain the +good things of earth, but as a means whereby we learn to do without them; +not as a means whereby we escape evil, but as a means whereby we become +strong to meet it. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +February 23 + + +_Let the Lord do that which is good in His sight_.--I CHRON. xix. 13. + +_Let Thy mercy O Lord, be upon us, according as we hope in Thee_.--PS. +XXXIII. 22. + + I cannot feel + That all is well, when darkening clouds conceal + The shining sun; + But then, I know + He lives and loves; and say, since it is so, + Thy will be done. + +S. G. BROWNING. + +No felt evil or defect becomes divine until it is inevitable; and only when +resistence to it is exhausted and hope has fled, does surrender cease to +be premature. The hardness of our task lies _here_; that we have to strive +against the grievous things of life, while hope remains, as if they were +evil; and then, when the stroke has fallen, to accept them from the hand of +God, and doubt not they are good. But to the loving, trusting heart, all +things are possible; and even this instant change, from overstrained will +to sorrowful repose, from fullest resistance to complete surrender is +realized without convulsion. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +February 24 + + +_These things I have spoken unto you that in me ye might have peace. In the +world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the +world_.--JOHN xvi. 33. + + O Thou, the primal fount of life and peace, + Who shedd'st Thy breathing quiet all around, + In me command that pain and conflict cease, + And turn to music every jarring sound. + +J. STERLING. + +Accustom yourself to unreasonableness and injustice. Abide in peace in the +presence of God, who sees all these evils more clearly than you do, and who +permits them. Be content with doing with calmness the little which depends +upon yourself, and let all else be to you as if it were not. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +It is rare when injustice, or slights patiently borne, do not leave the +heart at the close of the day filled with marvellous joy and peace. + +GOLD DUST. + + + +February 25 + + +_But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and He that formed +thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by +thy name; thou art mine_.--ISA. xliii. I. + + Thou art as much His care as if beside + Nor man nor angel lived in heaven or earth; + Thus sunbeams pour alike their glorious tide, + To light up worlds, or wake an insect's mirth. + +J. KEBLE. + +God beholds thee individually, whoever thou art. "He calls thee by thy +name." He sees thee, and understands thee. He knows what is in thee, all +thy own peculiar feelings and thoughts, thy dispositions and likings, thy +strength and thy weakness. He views thee in thy day of rejoicing and thy +day of sorrow. He sympathizes in thy hopes and in thy temptations; He +interests himself in all thy anxieties and thy remembrances, in all the +risings and fallings of thy spirit. He compasses thee round, and bears +thee in His arms; He takes thee up and sets thee down. Thou dost not love +thyself better than He loves thee. Thou canst not shrink from pain more +than He dislikes thy bearing it, and if He puts it on thee, it is as thou +wilt put it on thyself, if thou art wise, for a greater good afterwards. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + + + +February 26 + + +_The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon Him, to all that call upon +Him in truth_.--PS. cxlv. 18. + +_I sought the Lord, and He heard me, and delivered me from all my +fears_.--PS. xxxiv. 4. + + Be Thou, O Rock of Ages, nigh! + So shall each murmuring thought be gone; + And grief and fear and care shall fly, + As clouds before the mid-day sun. + +C. WESLEY. + +Take courage, and turn your troubles, which are without remedy, into +material for spiritual progress. Often turn to our Lord, who is watching +you, poor frail little being as you are, amid your labors and distractions. +He sends you help, and blesses your affliction. This thought should enable +you to bear your troubles patiently and gently, for love of Him who only +allows you to be tried for your own good. Raise your heart continually to +God, seek His aid, and let the foundation stone of your consolation be your +happiness in being His. All vexations and annoyances will be comparatively +unimportant while you know that you have such a Friend, such a Stay, such a +Refuge. May God be ever in your heart. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +February 27 + + +_Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and +verily thou shalt be fed_.--PS. xxxvii. 3. + + Build a little fence of trust + Around to-day; + Fill the space with loving work, + And therein stay; + Look not through the sheltering bars + Upon to-morrow, + God will help thee bear what comes, + Of joy or sorrow. + +MARY FRANVES BUTTS. + +Let us bow our souls and say, "Behold the handmaid of the Lord!" Let us +lift up our hearts and ask, "Lord, what wouldst thou have me to do?" Then +light from the opened heaven shall stream on our daily task, revealing the +grains of gold, where yesterday all seemed dust; a hand shall sustain us +and our daily burden, so that, smiling at yesterday's fears, we shall say, +"_This is easy, this is light;_" every "lion in the way," as we come up +to it, shall be seen chained, and leave open the gates of the Palace +Beautiful; and to us, even to us, feeble and fluctuating as we are, +ministries shall be assigned, and through our hands blessings shall be +conveyed in which the spirits of just men made perfect might delight. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + + + +February 28 + + +_Beloved, let us love one another: for love is of God; and every one that +loveth is born of God, and knoweth God_.--I JOHN iv. 7. + + So to the calmly gathered thought + The innermost of life is taught, + The mystery dimly understood, + That love of God is love of good; + That to be saved is only this,-- + Salvation from our selfishness. + +J. G. Whittler. + +The Spirit of Love, wherever it is, is its own blessing and happiness, +because it is the truth and reality of God in the soul; and therefore is +in the same joy of life, and is the same good to itself everywhere and on +every occasion. Would you know the blessing of all blessings? It is this +God of Love dwelling in your soul, and killing every root of bitterness, +which is the pain and torment of every earthly, selfish love. For all wants +are satisfied, all disorders of nature are removed, no life is any longer a +burden, every day is a day of peace, everything you meet becomes a help +to you, because everything you see or do is all done in the sweet, gentle +element of Love. + +WM. LAW. + + + +February 29 + + +_Unto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with +healing in his wings_.--MAL. iv. 2. + +_O send out Thy light and Thy truth: let them lead me_.--PS. xliii. 3. + + Open our eyes, thou Sun of life and gladness, + That we may see that glorious world of Thine! + It shines for us in vain, while drooping sadness + Enfolds us here like mist; come, Power benign, + Touch our chilled hearts with vernal smile, + Our wintry course do Thou beguile, + Nor by the wayside ruins let us mourn, + Who have th' eternal towers for our appointed bourn. + +J. KEBLE. + +Because all those scattered rays of beauty and loveliness which we behold +spread up and down over all the world, are only the emanations of that +inexhausted light which is above; therefore should we love them all in +that, and climb up always by those sunbeams unto the eternal Father of +lights: we should look upon Him, and take from Him the pattern of our +lives, and always eying Him, should, as Hierocles speaks, "polish and shape +our souls into the clearest resemblance of Him;" and in all our behavior +in this world (that great temple of His) deport ourselves decently and +reverently, with that humility, meekness, and modesty that becomes His +house. + +DR. JOHN SMITH. + + + +March 1 + + +_Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; +nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on_.--MATT. vi. 25. + + One there lives whose guardian eye + Guides our earthly destiny; + One there lives, who, Lord of all, + Keeps His children lest they fall; + Pass we, then, in love and praise, + Trusting Him through all our days, + Free from doubt and faithless sorrow,-- + God provideth for the morrow. + +R. HEBER. + +It has been well said that no man ever sank under the burden of the day. It +is when to-morrow's burden is added to the burden of to-day that the weight +is more than a man can bear. Never load yourselves so, my friends. If you +find yourselves so loaded, at least remember this: it is your own doing, +not God's. He begs you to leave the future to Him, and mind the present. + +G. MACDONALD. + +_Cast thy burdens upon the Lord_,--hand it over, heave it upon Him,--_and +He shall sustain thee_; shall bear both, if thou trust Him with both, both +thee and thy burden: _He shall never suffer the righteous to be moved_. + +ROBERT LEIGHTON. + + + +March 2 + + +_But to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices God +is well pleased_.--HEB. xiii. 16. + +_For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should +love one another_.--I JOHN iii. 11. + + Be useful where thou livest, that they may + Both want and wish thy pleasing presence still. + ...Find out men's wants and will, + And meet them there. All worldly joys go less + To the one joy of doing kindnesses. + +G. HERBERT. + +Let the weakest, let the humblest remember, that in his daily course +he can, if he will, shed around him almost a heaven. Kindly words, +sympathizing attentions, watchfulness against wounding men's +sensitiveness,--these cost very little, but they are priceless in their +value. Are they not almost the staple of our daily happiness? From hour to +hour, from moment to moment, we are supported, blest, by small kindnesses. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + +Small kindnesses, small courtesies, small considerations, habitually +practised in our social intercourse, give a greater charm to the character +than the display of great talents and accomplishments. + +M. A. KELTY. + + + +March 3 + + +_I made haste, and delayed not to keep Thy commandments_.--PS. cxix. 60. + +_Ye know not what shall be on the morrow_.--JAMES iv. 14. + + Never delay + To do the duty which the hour brings, + Whether it be in great or smaller things; + For who doth know + What he shall do the coming day? + +ANON. + +It is quite impossible that an idle, floating spirit can ever look up with +clear eye to God; spreading its miserable anarchy before the symmetry of +the creative Mind; in the midst of a disorderly being, that has neither +centre nor circumference, kneeling beneath the glorious sky, that +everywhere has both; and for a life that is _all_ failure, turning to the +Lord of the silent stars, of whose punctual thought it is, that "not one +faileth." The heavens, with their everlasting faithfulness, look down on no +sadder contradiction, than the sluggard and the slattern in their prayers. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +March 4 + + +_But the souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall +no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and +their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter +destruction: but they are in peace_.--WISDOM OF SOLOMON iii. 1-3. + + But souls that of His own good life partake, + He loves as His own self; dear as His eye + They are to Him: He 'll never them forsake: + When they shall die, then God Himself shall die; + They live, they live in blest eternity. + +HENRY MORE. + +Though every good man is not so logically subtile as to be able by fit +mediums to demonstrate his own immortality, yet he sees it in a higher +light: his soul, being purged and enlightened by true sanctity, is +more capable of those divine irradiations, whereby it feels itself in +conjunction with God. It knows that God will never forsake His own life +which He hath quickened in it; He will never deny those ardent desires of +a blissful fruition of Himself, which the lively sense of His own goodness +hath excited within it: those breathings and gaspings after an eternal +participation of Him are but the energy of His own breath within us; if He +had had any mind to destroy it, He would never have shown it such things as +He hath done. + +DR. JOHN SMITH. + + + +March 5 + + +_And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as He is +pure_.--I JOHN iii. 3. + + Now, Lord, what wait I for? + On Thee alone + My hope is all rested,-- + Lord, seal me Thine own! + Only Thine own to be, + Only to live to Thee. + Thine, with each day begun, + Thine, with each set of sun, + Thine, till my work is done. + +ANNA WARNER. + +Now, believe me, God hides some ideal in every human soul. At some time in +our life we feel a trembling, fearful longing to do some good thing. Life +finds its noblest spring of excellence in this hidden impulse to do our +best. There is a time when we are not content to be such merchants or +doctors or lawyers as we see on the dead level or below it. The woman longs +to glorify her womanhood as sister, wife, or mother. Here is God,--God +standing silently at the door all day long,--God whispering to the soul, +that to be pure and true is to succeed in life, and whatever we get short +of that will burn up like stubble, though the whole world try to save it. + +ROBERT COLLYER. + + + +March 6 + + +_The shadow of a great rock in a weary land_.--ISA. xxxii. 2. + +_In returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence +shall be your strength_.--ISA. xxx. 15. + + O Shadow in a sultry land! + We gather to Thy breast, + Whose love, enfolding like the night, + Brings quietude and rest, + Glimpse of the fairer life to be, + In foretaste here possessed. + +C. M. PACKARD. + +Strive to see God in all things without exception, and-acquiesce in His +will with absolute submission. Do everything for God, uniting yourself to +Him by a mere upward glance, or by the overflowing of your heart towards +Him. Never be in a hurry; do everything quietly and in a calm spirit. Do +not lose your inward peace for anything whatsoever, even if your whole +world seems upset. Commend all to God, and then lie still and be at rest in +His bosom. Whatever happens, abide steadfast in a determination to cling +simply to God, trusting to His eternal love for you; and if you find that +you have wandered forth from this shelter, recall your heart quietly and +simply. Maintain a holy simplicity of mind, and do not smother yourself +with a host of cares, wishes, or longings, under any pretext. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +March 7 + + +_There are diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh +all in all_.--I COR. xii. 6. + +_I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I +the Lord do all these things_.--ISA. xlv. 7. + + "All is of God that is, and is to be; + And God is good." Let this suffice us still, + Resting in childlike trust upon His will, + Who moves to His great ends, unthwarted by the ill. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +This, then, is of faith, that everything, the very least, or what seems to +us great, every change of the seasons, everything which touches us in mind, +body, or estate, whether brought about through this outward senseless +nature, or by the will of man, good or bad, is overruled to each of us by +the all-holy and all-loving will of God. Whatever befalls us, however it +befalls us, we must receive as the will of God. If it befalls us through +man's negligence, or ill-will, or anger, still it is, in every the least +circumstance, to us the will of God. For if the least thing could happen to +us without God's permission, it would be something out of God's control. +God's providence or His love would not be what they are. Almighty God +Himself would not be the same God; not the God whom we believe, adore, and +love. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +March 8 + + +_Study to show thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be +ashamed_.--2 TIM. ii. 15. + +_And let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap if +we faint not_.--GAL. vi. 9. + + The task Thy wisdom hath assigned, + Oh, let me cheerfully fulfil; + In all my works Thy presence find, + And prove Thine acceptable will. + +C. WESLEY. + +"What is my next duty? What is the thing that lies nearest to me?" "That +belongs to your every-day history. No one can answer that question but +yourself. Your next duty is just to determine what your next duty is. Is +there nothing you neglect? Is there nothing you know you ought not to do? +You would know your duty, if you thought in earnest about it, and were not +ambitious of great things." "Ah, then," responded she, "I suppose it is +something very commonplace, which will make life more dreary than ever. +That cannot help me." "It will, if it be as dreary as reading the +newspapers to an old deaf aunt. It will soon lead you to something more. +Your duty will begin to comfort you at once, but will at length open the +unknown fountain of life in your heart." + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +March 9 + + +_Thou shalt rejoice before the Lord thy God in all that thou puttest thine +hands unto_.--DEUT. xii. 18. + +_Be ye thankful_.--COL. iii. 15. + + Thou that hast given so much to me, + Give one thing more, a grateful heart. + Not thankful when it pleaseth me, + As if thy blessings had spare days; + But such a heart, whose pulse may be + Thy praise. + +G. HERBERT. + +If any one would tell you the shortest, surest way to all happiness and all +perfection, he must tell you to make it a rule to yourself to thank and +praise God for everything that happens to you. For it is certain that +whatever seeming calamity happens to you, if you thank and praise God for +it, you turn it into a blessing. Could you, therefore, work miracles, you +could not do more for yourself than by this thankful spirit; for it heals +with a word speaking, and turns all that it touches into happiness. + +WM. LAW. + + + +March 10 + + +_When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the +rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, +thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee_.--ISA. +xliii. 2. + +_I am with thee to deliver thee_.--JER. i. 8. + + When through the deep waters I call thee to go, + The rivers of sorrow shall not overflow; + For I will be with thee thy troubles to bless, + And sanctify to thee thy deepest distress. + +ANON. + +Turn it as thou wilt, thou must give thyself to suffer what is appointed +thee. But if we did that, God would bear us up at all times in all our +sorrows and troubles, and God would lay His shoulder under our burdens, +and help us to bear them. For if, with a cheerful courage, we submitted +ourselves to God, no suffering would be unbearable. + +J. TAULER. + +Learn to be as the angel, who could descend among the miseries of Bethesda +without losing his heavenly purity or his perfect happiness. Gain healing +from troubled waters. Make up your mind to the prospect of sustaining a +certain measure of pain and trouble in your passage through life. By the +blessing of God this will prepare you for it; it will make you thoughtful +and resigned without interfering with your cheerfulness. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + + + +March 11 + + +_Cast thy burden upon the Lord, and He shall sustain thee: He shall never +suffer the righteous to be moved_.--PS. lv. 22. + + Now our wants and burdens leaving + To His care who cares for all, + Cease we fearing, cease we grieving, + At His touch our burdens fall. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +The circumstances of her life she could not alter, but she took them to the +Lord, and handed them over into His management; and then she believed that +He took it, and she left all the responsibility and the worry and anxiety +with Him. As often as the anxieties returned she took them back; and the +result was that, although the circumstances remained unchanged, her soul +was kept in perfect peace in the midst of them. And the secret she found so +effectual in her outward affairs, she found to be still more effectual in +her inward ones, which were in truth even more utterly unmanageable. She +abandoned her whole self to the Lord, with all that she was and all that +she had; and, believing that He took that which she had committed to Him, +she ceased to fret and worry, and her life became all sunshine in the +gladness of belonging to Him. H. W. SMITH. + + + +March 12 + + +_The Lord bless thee, and keep thee: the Lord make His face shine upon +thee, and be gracious unto thee: the Lord lift up His countenance upon +thee, and give thee peace_.--NUM. vi. 24-26. + + O Love, how cheering is Thy ray! + All pain before Thy presence flies; + Care, anguish, sorrow, melt away, + Where'er Thy healing beams arise. + O Father, nothing may I see, + Nothing desire, or seek, but Thee. + +P. GERHARDT. + +There is a faith in God, and a clear perception of His will and designs, +and providence, and glory, which gives to its possessor a confidence and +patience and sweet composure, under every varied and troubling aspect of +events, such as no man can realize who has not felt its influences in his +own heart. There is a communion with God, in which the soul feels the +presence of the unseen One, in the profound depths of its being, with a +vivid distinctness and a holy reverence, such as no words can describe. +There is a state of union with God, I do not say often reached, yet it has +been attained in this world, in which all the past and present and future +seem reconciled, and eternity is won and enjoyed; and God and man, earth +and heaven, with all their mysteries, are apprehended in truth as they lie +in the mind of the Infinite. + +SAMUEL D. ROBBINS. + + + +March 13 + + +_He that abideth in me, and I in him, bringeth forth much fruit_.--JOHN xv. +5. + +_Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us_.--PS. xc. 17. + + As some rare perfume in a vase of clay + Pervades it with a fragrance not its own, + So, when Thou dwellest in a mortal soul, + All Heaven's own sweetness seems around it thrown. + +H. B. STOWE. + +Some glances of real beauty may be seen in their faces, who dwell in true +meekness. There is a harmony in the sound of that voice to which Divine +love gives utterance, and some appearance of right order in their temper +and conduct whose passions are regulated. + +JOHN WOOLMAN. + +I believe that no Divine truth can truly dwell in any heart, without an +external testimony in manner, bearing, and appearance, that must reach the +witness within the heart of the beholder, and bear an unmistakable, though +silent, evidence to the eternal principle from which it emanates. + +M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. + + + +March 14 + + +_I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt hear me, O God: incline Thine ear +unto me, and hear my speech_.--PS. xvii. 6. + +_Ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us_.--PS. +lxii. 8. + + Whate'er the care which breaks thy rest, + Whate'er the wish that swells thy breast; + Spread before God that wish, that care, + And change anxiety to prayer. + +JANE CREWDSON. + +Trouble and perplexity drive us to prayer, and prayer driveth away trouble +and perplexity. + +P. MELANCTHON. + +Whatsoever it is that presses thee, go tell thy Father; put over the matter +into His hand, and so thou shalt be freed from that dividing, perplexing +care that the world is full of. When thou art either to do or suffer +anything, when thou art about any purpose or business, go tell God of it, +and acquaint Him with it; yea, burden Him with it, and thou hast done for +matter of caring; no more care, but quiet, sweet diligence in thy duty, +and dependence on Him for the carriage of thy matters. Roll thy cares, and +thyself with them, as one burden, all on thy God. + +R. LEIGHTON. + + + +March 15 + + +_Hear me, O Lord. for Thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according +to the multitude of Thy tender mercies_.--PS. lxix. 16. + +_Let, I pray Thee, Thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to +Thy word unto Thy servant_.--PS. cxix. 76. + + Love divine has seen and counted + Every tear it caused to fall; + And the storm which Love appointed + Was its choicest gift of all. + +ANON. + +O that thou couldst dwell in the knowledge and sense of this! even, that +the Lord beholds thy sufferings with an eye of pity; and is able, not only +to uphold thee under them, but also to do thee good by them. Therefore, +grieve not at thy lot, be not discontented, look not out at the hardness of +thy condition; but, when the storm and matters of vexation are sharp, look +up to Him who can give meekness and patience, can lift up thy head over +all, and cause thy life to grow, and be a gainer by all. If the Lord God +help thee proportionably to thy condition of affliction and distress, thou +wilt have no cause to complain, but to bless His name. + +I. PENINGTON. + + +March 16 + + +_Whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the +glory of God_.--I COR. x. 31. + +_With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not unto men_.--EPH. vi. +7. + + A Servant, with this clause, + Makes drudgery divine: + Who sweeps a room, as for Thy laws, + Makes that and th' action fine. + +G. HERBERT. + +Surely the truth must be, that whatsoever in our daily life is lawful and +right for us to be engaged in, is in itself a part of our obedience to +God; a part, that is, of our very religion. Whensoever we hear people +complaining of obstructions and hindrances put by the duties of life in the +way of devoting themselves to God, we may be sure they are under some false +view or other. They do not look upon their daily work as the task God has +set them, and as obedience due to Him. We may go farther; and say, not only +that the duties of life, be they never so toilsome and distracting, are no +obstructions to a life of any degree of inward holiness; but that they are +even direct means, when rightly used, to promote our sanctification. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +March 17 + + +_Where hast thou gleaned to-day_?--RUTH ii. 19. + + What have I learnt where'er I've been, + From all I've heard, from all I've seen? + What know I more that's worth the knowing? + What have I done that's worth the doing? + What have I sought that I should shun? + What duties have I left undone? + +PYTHAGORAS. + +All of this world will soon have passed away. But God will remain, and +thou, whatever thou hast become, good or bad. Thy deeds now are the +seed-corn of eternity. Each single act, in each several day, good or bad, +is a portion of that seed. Each day adds some line, making thee more or +less like Him, more or less capable of His love. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +There is something very solemn in the thought that that part of our work +which we have left undone may first be revealed to us at the end of a life +filled up, as we had fondly hoped, with useful and necessary employments. + +SARAH W. STEPHEN. + + + +March 18 + + +_Finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as +brethren, be pitiful, be courteous_.--I PETER iii. 8. + + Make us of one heart and mind; + Courteous, pitiful, and kind; + Lowly, meek, in thought and word, + Altogether like our Lord. + +C. WESLEY. + +A little thought will show you how vastly your own happiness depends on the +way other people bear themselves toward you. The looks and tones at your +breakfast-table, the conduct of your fellow-workers or employers, the +faithful or unreliable men you deal with, what people say to you on the +street, the way your cook and housemaid do their work, the letters you +get, the friends or foes you meet,--these things make up very much of the +pleasure or misery of your day. Turn the idea around, and remember that +just so much are you adding to the pleasure or the misery of other people's +days. And this is the half of the matter which you can control. Whether +any particular day shall bring to you more of happiness or of suffering is +largely beyond your power to determine. Whether each day of your life shall +give happiness or suffering rests with yourself. + +GEORGE S. MERRIAM. + + +March 19 + + +_Showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of God our +Saviour in all things_.--TITUS ii. 10. + + If on our daily course our mind + Be set to hallow all we find, + New treasures still, of countless price, + God will provide for sacrifice. + +J. KEBLE + +If content and thankfulness, if the patient bearing of evil, be duties to +God, they are the duties of every day, and in every circumstance of our +life. If we are to follow Christ, it must be in our common way of spending +every day. + +WM. LAW. + +He who is faithful over a few things is a lord of cities. It does not +matter whether you preach in Westminster Abbey, or teach a ragged class, so +you be faithful. The faithfulness is all. + +G. MACDONALD. + +I would have you invoke God often through the day, asking Him to kindle a +love for your vocation within you, and saying with St. Paul, "'Lord, what +wouldst Thou have me to do?' Wouldst Thou have me serve Thee in the lowest +ministries of Thy house? too happy if I may but serve Thee anyhow." And +when any special thing is repugnant to you, ask "Wouldst Thou have me do +it? Then, unworthy though I be, I will do it gladly." + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +March 20 + + +_Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and Him only shalt thou +serve_.--MATT. iv. 10. + +_Blessed are they that keep His testimonies, and that seek Him with the +whole heart_.--PS. cxix. 2. + + The comfort of a mind at rest + From every care Thou hast not blest; + A heart from all the world set free, + To worship and to wait on Thee. + +A. L. WARING. + +Resign every forbidden joy; restrain every wish that is not referred to His +will; banish all eager desires, all anxiety. Desire only the will of God; +seek Him alone, and you will find peace. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +"I've been a great deal happier since I have given up thinking about what +is easy and pleasant, and being discontented because I couldn't have my own +will. Our life is determined for us; and it makes the mind very free when +we give up wishing, and only think of bearing what is laid upon us, and +doing what is given us to do." + +GEORGE ELIOT. + + + +March 21 + + +_Your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these +things_.--MATT. vi. 32. + + All as God wills, who wisely heeds + To give or to withhold; + And knoweth more of all my needs + Than all my prayers have told. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Lord, I know not what I ought to ask of Thee; Thou only knowest what I +need; Thou lovest me better than I know how to love myself. O Father! give +to Thy child that which he himself knows not how to ask. I dare not ask +either for crosses or consolations; I simply present myself before Thee; I +open my heart to Thee. Behold my needs which I know not myself; see, and do +according to Thy tender mercy. Smite, or heal; depress me, or raise me up; +I adore all Thy purposes without knowing them; I am silent; I offer myself +in sacrifice; I yield myself to Thee; I would have no other desire than to +accomplish Thy will. Teach me to pray; pray Thyself in me. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +March 22 + + +_He that contemneth small things shall fall by little and +little_.--ECCLESIASTICUS xix. I. + + One finger's-breadth at hand will mar + A world of light in heaven afar, + A mote eclipse a glorious star, + An eyelid hide the sky. + +J. KEBLE. + +A single sin, however apparently trifling, however hidden in some +obscure corner of our consciousness,--a sin _which we do not intend to +renounce_,--is enough to render real prayer impracticable. A course of +action not wholly upright and honorable, feelings not entirely kind and +loving, habits not spotlessly chaste and temperate,--any of these are +impassable obstacles. If we know of a kind act which we might, but do not +intend to, perform,--if we be aware that our moral health requires the +abandonment of some pleasure which yet we do not intend to abandon, here is +cause enough for the loss of all spiritual power. + +F. P. COBBE. + +It is astonishing how soon the whole conscience begins to unravel, if a +single stitch drops; one little sin indulged makes a hole you could put +your head through. + +CHARLES BUXTON. + + + +March 23 + + +_Beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest_.--3 JOHN 5. + +_And this also we wish, even your perfection_.--2 COR. xiii. 9. + + In all the little things of life, + Thyself, Lord, may I see; + In little and in great alike + Reveal Thy love to me. + + So shall my undivided life + To Thee, my God, be given; + And all this earthly course below + Be one dear path to heaven. + +H. BONAR. + +In order to mould thee into entire conformity to His will, He must have +thee pliable in His hands, and this pliability is more quickly reached +by yielding in the little things than even by the greater. Thy one great +desire is to follow Him fully; canst thou not say then a continual "yes" to +all His sweet commands, whether small or great, and trust Him to lead thee +by the shortest road to thy fullest blessedness? + +H. W. SMITH. + +With meekness, humility, and diligence, apply yourself to the duties of +your condition. They are the seemingly little things which make no noise +that do the business. + +HENRY MORE. + + + +March 24 + + +_I will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest +me dwell in safety_.--PS. iv. 8. + +_He giveth His beloved sleep_.--PS. cxxvii. 2. + + He guides our feet, He guards our way, + His morning smiles bless all the day; + He spreads the evening veil, and keeps + The silent hours while Israel sleeps. + +I. WATTS. + +We sleep in peace in the arms of God, when we yield ourselves up to His +providence, in a delightful consciousness of His tender mercies; no more +restless uncertainties, no more anxious desires, no more impatience at the +place we are in; for it is God who has put us there, and who holds us in +His arms. Can we be unsafe where He has placed us? + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +One evening when Luther saw a little bird perched on a tree, to roost there +for the night, he said, "This little bird has had its supper, and now it +is getting ready to go to sleep here, quite secure and content, never +troubling itself what its food will be, or where its lodging on the morrow. +Like David, it 'abides under the shadow of the Almighty.' It sits on its +little twig content, and lets God take care." + +MARTIN LUTHER. + + + +March 25 + + +_I will hear what God the Lord will speak: for He will speak peace unto His +people_.--PS. lxxxv. 8. + + There is a voice, "a still, small voice" of love, + Heard from above; + But not amidst the din of earthly sounds, + Which here confounds; + By those withdrawn apart it best is heard, + And peace, sweet peace, breathes in each gentle word. + +ANONYMOUS. + +He speaketh, but it is with us to hearken or no. It is much, yea, it is +everything, not to turn away the ear, to be willing to hearken, not to +drown His voice. "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him." It is +a secret, hushed voice, a gentle intercourse of heart to heart, a still, +small voice, whispering to the inner ear. How should we hear it, if we fill +our ears and our hearts with the din of this world, its empty tumult, its +excitement, its fretting vanities, or cares, or passions, or anxieties, or +show, or rivalries, and its whirl of emptinesses? + +E. B. PUSEY. + + +March 26 + + +_Are they not all ministering spirits_?--HEB. i. 14 + + May I reach + That purest heaven, be to other souls + The cup of strength in some great agony, + Enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, + Be the sweet presence of a good diffused, + And in diffusion ever more intense! + So shall I join the choir invisible + Whose music is the gladness of the world. + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +Certainly, in our own little sphere it is not the most active people to +whom we owe the most. Among the common people whom we know, it is not +necessarily those who are busiest, not those who, meteor-like, are ever +on the rush after some visible charge and work. It is the lives, like the +stars, which simply pour down on us the calm light of their bright and +faithful being, up to which we look and out of which we gather the deepest +calm and courage. It seems to me that there is reassurance here for many of +us who seem to have no chance for active usefulness. We can do nothing for +our fellow-men. But still it is good to know that we can be something for +them; to know (and this we may know surely) that no man or woman of the +humblest sort can really be strong, gentle, pure, and good, without the +world being better for it, without somebody being helped and comforted by +the very existence of that goodness. + +PHILLIPS BROOKS. + + + +March 27 + + +_If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and His love is perfected in +us_.--I JOHN iv. 12. + +_And he that keepeth His commandments dwelleth in Him, and He in him. And +hereby we know that He abideth in us, by the Spirit which He hath given +us_.--I JOHN iii. 24. + + Abide in me; o'ershadow by Thy love + Each half-formed purpose and dark thought of sin; + Quench, ere it rise, each selfish, low desire, + And keep my soul as Thine, calm and divine. + +H. B. STOWE. + +The Spirit of Love must work the works, and speak the tones, of Love. It +cannot exist and give no sign, or a false sign. It cannot be a spirit of +Love, and mantle into irritable and selfish impatience. It cannot be a +spirit of Love, and at the same time make self the prominent object. It +cannot rejoice to lend itself to the happiness of others, and at the same +time be seeking its own. It cannot be generous, and envious. It cannot be +sympathizing, and unseemly; self-forgetful, and vain-glorious. It cannot +delight in the rectitude and purity of other hearts, as the spiritual +elements of their peace, and yet unnecessarily suspect them. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +March 28 + + +_Giving thanks always for all things unto God_.--EPH. v. 20. + + For blessings of the fruitful season, + For work and rest, for friends and home, + For the great gifts of thought and reason,-- + To praise and bless Thee, Lord, we come. + + Yes, and for weeping and for wailing, + For bitter hail and blighting frost, + For high hopes on the low earth trailing, + For sweet joys missed, for pure aims crossed. + +E. SCUDDER. + +Notwithstanding all that I have suffered, notwithstanding all the pain and +weariness and anxiety and sorrow that necessarily enter into life, and the +inward errings that are worse than all, I would end my record with a devout +thanksgiving to the great Author of my being. For more and more am +I unwilling to make my gratitude to Him what is commonly called "a +thanksgiving for mercies,"--for any benefits or blessings that are +peculiar to myself, or my friends, or indeed to any man. Instead of this, +I would have it to be gratitude for _all_ that belongs to my life and +being,--for joy and sorrow, for health and sickness, for success and +disappointment, for virtue and for temptation, for life and death; because +I believe that all is meant for good. + +ORVILLE DEWEY. + + + +March 29 + + +_There shall no evil befall thee_.--PS. xci. 10. + +_Whoso hearkeneth unto Me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear +of evil_.--PROV. i. 33. + + I ask not, "Take away this weight of care;" + No, for that love I pray that all can bear, + And for the faith that whatsoe'er befall + Must needs be good, and for my profit prove, + Since from my Father's heart most rich in love, + And from His bounteous hands it cometh all. + +C. J. P. SPITTA. + +Be like the promontory, against which the waves continually break; but +it stands firm, and tames the fury of the water around it. Unhappy am I, +because this has happened to me? Not so, but happy am I, though this has +happened to me, because I continue free from pain, neither crushed by the +present, nor fearing the future. Will then this which has happened prevent +thee from being just, magnanimous, temperate, prudent, secure against +inconsiderate opinions and falsehood? Remember, too, on every occasion +which leads thee to vexation to apply this principle: that this is not a +misfortune, but that to bear it nobly is good fortune. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +March 30 + + +_Thou shall guide me with Thy counsel, and afterward receive me to +glory_.--PS. lxxiii. 24. + +_There remaineth therefore a rest to the people of God_.--HEB. iv. 9. + + Guide us through life; and when at last + We enter into rest, + Thy tender arms around us cast, + And fold us to Thy breast. + +H. F. LYTE. + +Go forth to meet the solemnities and to conquer the trials of existence, +believing in a Shepherd of your souls. Then faith in Him will support you +in duty, and duty firmly done will strengthen faith; till at last, when all +is over here, and the noise and strife of the earthly battle fades upon +your dying ear, and you hear, instead thereof, the deep and musical sound +of the ocean of eternity, and see the lights of heaven shining on its +waters still and fair in their radiant rest, your faith will raise the song +of conquest, and in its retrospect of the life which has ended, and its +forward glance upon the life to come, take up the poetic inspiration of the +Hebrew king, "Surely goodness and mercy have followed me all the days of my +life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." + +STOPFORD A. BROOKE. + + + +March 31 + + +_Thou shalt be in league with the stones of the field, and the beasts +of the field shall be at peace with thee. And thou shalt know that thy +tabernacle shall be in peace_.--JOB v. 23, 24. + + Love had he found in huts where poor men lie; + His daily teachers had been woods and rills, + The silence that is in the starry sky, + The sleep that is among the lonely hills. + + W. Wordsworth. + +That spirit which suffices quiet hearts, which seems to come forth to +such from every dry knoll of sere grass, from every pine-stump, and +half-embedded stone, on which the dull March sun shines, comes forth to the +poor and hungry, and to such as are of simple taste. If thou fill thy brain +with Boston and New York, with fashion and covetousness, and wilt stimulate +thy jaded senses with wine and French coffee, thou shall find no radiance +of wisdom in the lonely waste of the pine-woods. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +As a countenance is made beautiful by the soul's shining through it, so the +world is beautiful by the shining through it of a God. + +FRIEDRICH HEINRICH JACOBI. + + + +April 1 + + +_For Thou Invest all the things that are, and abhorrest nothing which Thou +hast made: for never wouldest Thou have made any thing, if Thou hadst +hated it. But Thou sparest all: for they are Thine, O Lord, Thou lover of +souls_.--WISDOM OF SOLOMON xi. 24, 26. + + He prayeth well who loveth well + Both man and bird and beast; + He prayeth best who loveth best + All things both great and small; + For the dear God who loveth us, + He made and loveth all. + +S. T. COLERIDGE. + +To know that Love alone was the beginning of nature and creature, that +nothing but Love encompasses the whole universe of things, that the +governing Hand that overrules all, the watchful Eye that sees through all, +is nothing but omnipotent and omniscient Love, using an infinity of wisdom, +to save every misguided creature from the miserable works of its own hands, +and make happiness and glory the perpetual inheritance of all the creation, +is a reflection that must be quite ravishing to every intelligent creature +that is sensible of it. + +WM. LAW. + + + +April 2 + + +_Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God +dwelleth in you_?--I COR. iii. 16. + + Father! replenish with Thy grace + This longing heart of mine; + Make it Thy quiet dwelling-place, + Thy sacred inmost shrine! + +JOHANN SCHEFFLER. + +Not man's manifold labors, but his manifold cares, hinder the presence of +God. Whatsoever thou doest, hush thyself to thine own feverish vanities, +and busy thoughts, and cares; in silence seek thy Father's face, and the +light of His countenance will stream down upon thee. He will make a secret +cell in thine heart, and when thou enterest there, there shalt thou find +Him. And if thou hast found Him there, all around shall reflect Him, all +shall speak to Him, and He will speak through all. Outwardly thou mayest be +doing the work of thy calling; inwardly if thou commend thy work to God, +thou mayest be with Him in the third Heaven. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +April 3 + + +_As for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee so to do_.--DEUT. +xviii. 14. + + Lord, for the erring thought + Not into evil wrought; + Lord, for the wicked will + Betrayed and baffled still; + For the heart from itself kept, + Our Thanksgiving accept. + +W. D. HOWELLS. + +What an amazing, what a blessed disproportion between the evil we do, and +the evil we are capable of doing, and seem sometimes on the very verge +of doing! If my soul has grown tares, when it was full of the seeds of +nightshade, how happy ought I to be! And that the tares have not wholly +strangled the wheat, what a wonder it is! We ought to thank God daily for +the sins we have not committed. + +F. W. FABER. + +We give thanks often with a tearful, doubtful voice, for our spiritual +mercies _positive_; but what an almost infinite field there is for mercies +negative! We cannot even imagine all that God has suffered us _not_ to do, +_not_ to be. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +You are surprised at your imperfections--why? I should infer from that, +that your self-knowledge is small. Surely, you might rather be astonished +that you do not fall into more frequent and more grievous faults, and thank +God for His upholding grace. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +April 4 + + +_Well done, good and faithful servant; thou hast been faithful over a few +things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of +thy Lord_.--MATT. xxv. 23. + + O father! help us to resign + Our hearts, our strength, our wills to Thee; + Then even lowliest work of Thine + Most noble, blest, and sweet will be. + +H. M. KIMBALL. + +Nothing is too little to be ordered by our Father; nothing too little in +which to see His hand; nothing, which touches our souls, too little to +accept from Him; nothing too little to be done to Him. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +A soul occupied with great ideas best performs small duties; the divinest +views of life penetrate most clearly into the meanest emergencies; so far +from petty principles being best proportioned to petty trials, a heavenly +spirit taking up its abode with us can alone sustain well the daily toils, +and tranquilly pass the humiliations of our condition. + +J. MARTINEAU. + +Whoso neglects a thing which he suspects he ought to do, because it seems +to him too small a thing, is deceiving himself; it is not too little, but +too great for him, that he doeth it not. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +April 5 + + +_Yet I have left me seven thousand in Israel, all the knees which have not +bowed unto Baal, and every mouth which hath not kissed him_.--I KINGS xix. +18. + +He went down to the great school with a glimmering of another lesson in +his heart,--the lesson that he who has conquered his own coward spirit has +conquered the whole outward world; and that other one which the old prophet +learnt in the cave in Mount Horeb, when he hid his face, and the still +small voice asked, "What doest thou here, Elijah?" that however we may +fancy ourselves alone on the side of good, the King and Lord of men is +nowhere without His witnesses; for in every society, however seemingly +corrupt and godless, there are those who have not bowed the knee to Baal. + +THOMAS HUGHES. + +So, then, Elijah's life had been no failure, after all. Seven thousand at +least in Israel had been braced and encouraged by his example, and silently +blessed him, perhaps, for the courage which they felt. In God's world, for +those who are in earnest there is no failure. No work truly done, no word +earnestly spoken, no sacrifice freely made, was ever made in vain. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +April 6 + + +_In the multitude of my thoughts within me Thy comforts delight my +soul_.--PS. xciv. 19. + +_Perplexed, but not in despair; cast down, but not destroyed_.--2 COR. iv. +8, 9. + + Discouraged in the work of life, + Disheartened by its load, + Shamed by its failures or its fears, + I sink beside the road;-- + But let me only think of Thee, + And then new heart springs up in me. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +Discouragement is an inclination to give up all attempts after the devout +life, in consequence of the difficulties by which it is beset, and our +already numerous failures in it. We lose heart; and partly in ill-temper, +partly in real doubt of our own ability to persevere, we first grow +querulous and peevish with God, and then relax in our efforts to mortify +ourselves and to please Him. It is a sort of shadow of despair, and will +lead us into numberless venial sins the first half-hour we give way to it. + +F. W. FABER. + +Never let us be discouraged with ourselves; it is not when we are conscious +of our faults that we are the most wicked; on the contrary, we are less so. +We see by a brighter light; and let us remember, for our consolation, that +we never perceive our sins till we begin to cure them. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +April 7 + + +_That ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of +God_.--ROM. xii. 2. + + Thou knowest what is best; + And who but Thee, O God, hath power to know? + In Thy great will my trusting heart shall rest; + Beneath that will my humble head shall bow. + +T. C. UPHAM. + +To those who are His, all things are not only easy to be borne, but even to +be gladly chosen. Their will is united to that will which moves heaven and +earth, which gives laws to angels, and rules the courses of the world. It +is a wonderful gift of God to man, of which we that know so little +must needs speak little. To be at the centre of that motion, where is +everlasting rest; to be sheltered in the peace of God; even now to dwell in +heaven, where all hearts are stayed, and all hopes fulfilled. "Thou shalt +keep him in perfect peace whose mind is stayed on Thee." + +H. E. MANNING. + +Study to follow His will in all, to have no will but His. This is thy duty, +and thy wisdom. Nothing is gained by spurning and struggling but to hurt +and vex thyself; but by complying all is gained--sweet peace. It is the +very secret, the mystery of solid peace within, to resign all to His will, +to be disposed of at His pleasure, without the least contrary thought. + +R. LEIGHTON. + + + +April 8 + + +_The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want_.--PS. xxiii. 1. + +_They that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing_.--PS. xxxiv. 10. + + God, who the universe doth hold + In his fold, + Is my shepherd kind and heedful, + Is my shepherd, and doth keep + Me, his sheep, + Still supplied with all things needful. + + F. Davison. + +_Who_ is it that is your shepherd? The Lord! Oh, my friends, what a +wonderful announcement! The Lord God of heaven and earth, the almighty +Creator of all things, He who holds the universe in His hand as though it +were a very little thing,--HE is your shepherd, and has charged Himself +with the care and keeping of you, as a shepherd is charged with the care +and keeping of his sheep. If your hearts could really take in this thought, +you would never have a fear or a care again; for with such a shepherd, how +could it be possible for you ever to want any good thing? + +H. W. Smith. + + + +April 9 + + +_Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation_.--MATT. xxvi. 41. + + I want a sober mind, + A self-renouncing will, + That tramples down and casts behind + The baits of pleasing ill; + A spirit still prepared, + And armed with jealous care, + Forever standing on its guard, + And watching unto prayer. + +C. WESLEY. + +When you say, "Lead us not into temptation," you must in good earnest mean +to avoid in your daily conduct those temptations which you have already +suffered from. When you say, "Deliver us from evil," you must mean to +struggle against that evil in your hearts, which you are conscious of, and +which you pray to be forgiven. To watch and pray are surely in our power, +and by these means we are certain of getting strength. You feel your +weakness; you fear to be overcome by temptation; then keep out of the way +of it. This is watching. Avoid society which is likely to mislead you; flee +from the very shadow of evil; you cannot be too careful; better be a little +too strict than a little too easy,--it is the safer side. Abstain from +reading books which are dangerous to you. Turn from bad thoughts when they +arise. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + + + +April 10 + + +_Not with eye-service, as men-pleasers; but in singleness of heart, fearing +God. Whatsoever ye do, do it heartily, as to the Lord, and not unto +men_.--COL. iii. 22, 23. + + Teach me, my God and King, + In all things Thee to see, + And what I do in anything, + To do it as for Thee. + +G. HERBERT. + +There is no action so slight nor so mean but it may be done to a great +purpose, and ennobled thereby; nor is any purpose so great but that +slight actions may help it, and may be so done as to help it much, most +especially, that chief of all purposes--the pleasing of God. + +J. RUSKIN. + +Every duty, even the least duty, involves the whole principle of obedience. +And little duties make the will _dutiful_, that is, supple and prompt to +obey. Little obediences lead into great. The daily round of duty is full of +probation and of discipline; it trains the will, heart, and conscience. +We need not to be prophets or apostles. The commonest life may be full +of perfection. The duties of home are a discipline for the ministries of +heaven. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +April 11 + + +_Wherefore, beloved... be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, +without spot, and blameless_,--2 PETER iii. 14. + + His conscience knows no secret stings, + While grace and joy combine + To form a life whose holy springs + Are hidden and divine. + +I. WATTS + +Even the smallest discontent of conscience may render turbid the whole +temper of the mind; but only produce the effort that restores its peace, +and over the whole atmosphere a breath of unexpected purity is spread; +doubt and irritability pass as clouds away; the withered sympathies of +earth and home open their leaves and live; and through the clearest blue +the deep is seen of the heaven where God resides. + +J. MARTINEAU. + +The state of mind which is described as meekness, or quietness of spirit, +is characterized in a high degree by inward harmony. There is not, as +formerly, that inward jarring of thought contending with thought, and +conscience asserting rights which it could not maintain. + +T. C. UPHAM. + + + +April 12 + + +_Be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the God +of love and peace shall be with you_.--2 COR. xiii. 11. + +_He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom +he hath not seen_?--I JOHN iv. 20. + + Lord! subdue our selfish will; + Each to each our tempers suit, + By Thy modulating skill, + Heart to heart, as lute to lute. + +C. WESLEY. + +It requires far more of the constraining love of Christ to love our cousins +and neighbors as members of the heavenly family, than to feel the heart +warm to our suffering brethren in Tuscany or Madeira. To love the whole +Church is one thing; to love--that is, to delight in the graces and veil +the defects--of the person who misunderstood me and opposed my plans +yesterday, whose peculiar infirmities grate on my most sensitive feelings, +or whose natural faults are precisely those from which my natural character +most revolts, is quite another. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + + + +April 13 + + +_In all these things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved +us_.--ROM. viii. 37. + + Thus my soul before her God + Lieth still, nor speaketh more, + Conqueror thus o'er pain and wrong, + That once smote her to the core; + Like a silent ocean, bright + With her God's great praise and light. + +J. J. WINCKLER. + +My mind is forever closed against embarrassment and perplexity, against +uncertainty, doubt, and anxiety; my heart against grief and desire. Calm +and unmoved, I look down on all things, for I know that I cannot explain a +single event, nor comprehend its connection with that which alone concerns +me. In His world all things prosper; this satisfies me, and in this belief +I stand fast as a rock. My breast is steeled against annoyance on account +of personal offences and vexations, or exultation in personal merit; for my +whole personality has disappeared in the contemplation of the purpose of my +being. + +J. G. FICHTE. + + +April 14 + + +_All thing are yours; whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or +life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; and ye +are Christ's; and Christ is God's_.--I COR. iii. 21, 22, 23. + +_As having nothing, and yet possessing all things_,--2 COR. vi. 10. + + Old friends, old scenes, will lovelier be, + As more of heaven in each we see: + Some softening gleam of love and prayer + Shall dawn on every cross and care. + +J. KEBLE. + +Out of love and hatred, out of earnings, and borrowings, and lendings, and +losses; out of sickness and pain, out of wooing and worshipping; out of +travelling, and voting, and watching, and caring; out of disgrace and +contempt, comes our tuition in the serene and beautiful laws. Let him not +slur his lesson; let him learn it by heart. Let him endeavor exactly, +bravely, and cheerfully, to solve the problem of that life which is set +before _him_. And this, by punctual action, and not by promises or dreams. +Believing, as in God, in the presence and favor of the grandest influences, +let him deserve that favor, and learn how to receive and use it, by +fidelity also to the lower observances. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +April 15 + + +_We know that all things work together for good to them that love +God_.--ROM. viii. 28. + +_As for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good_.--GEN. +1. 20. + + Ill that He blesses is our good, + And unblest good is ill; + And all is right that seems most wrong, + If it be His sweet Will. + +F. W. FABER. + +To those who know themselves, all things work together for good, and all +things seem to be, as they are to them, good. The goods which God gives +seem "very good," and God Himself in them, because they know that they +deserve them not. The evils which God allows and overrules seem also "very +good," because they see in them His loving hand, put forth to heal them of +what shuts out God from the soul. They love God intensely, in that He is so +good to them in each, and every, the least good, because it is more than +they deserve: how much more in the greatest! They love God for every, and +each, the very greatest of what seem evils, knowing them to be, from His +love, real goods. For He by whom "all the hairs of our head are numbered," +and who "knoweth whereof we are made," directs everything which befalls us +in life, in perfect wisdom and love, to the well-being of our souls. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + +April 16 + + +_The very God of peace sanctify you wholly, and I pray God your whole +spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless. Faithful is He that +calleth you, who also will do it_.--I THESS. v. 23, 24. + + Be still, my soul!--the Lord is on thy side; + Bear patiently the cross of grief and pain; + Leave to thy God to order and provide,-- + In every change He faithful will remain. + +HYMNS FROM THE LAND OF LUTHER. + +It was no relief from temporal evils that the Apostle promised. No; the +mercy of God might send them to the stake, or the lions; it was still His +mercy, if it but kept them "unspotted from the world." It might expose +them to insult, calumny, and wrong; they received it still as mercy, if it +"established them in every good word and work." O brethren! how many of +_you_ are content with _such_ faithfulness as this on the part of your +heavenly Father? Is this, indeed, the tone and tenor of your prayers? + +WM. ARCHER BUTLER. + +The highest pinnacle of the spiritual life is not happy joy in unbroken +sunshine, but absolute and undoubting trust in the love of God. + +A. W. THOROLD. + + + +April 17 + + +_Blessed is that man that maketh the Lord his trust_.--PS. xl. 4. + +_That we may lead a quiet and peaceable life_.--I TIM. ii. 2. + + Just to let thy Father do + What He will; + Just to know that He is true, + And be still; + Just to trust Him, this is all! + Then the day will surely be + Peaceful, whatsoe'er befall, + Bright and blessed, calm and free. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +Every morning compose your soul for a tranquil day, and all through it be +careful often to recall your resolution, and bring yourself back to it, so +to say. If something discomposes you, do not be upset, or troubled; but +having discovered the fact, humble yourself gently before God, and try to +bring your mind into a quiet attitude. Say to yourself, "Well, I have made +a false step; now I must go more carefully and watchfully." Do this each +time, however frequently you fall. When you are at peace use it profitably, +making constant acts of meekness, and seeking to be calm even in the most +trifling things. Above all, do not be discouraged; be patient; wait; strive +to attain a calm, gentle spirit. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +April 18 + + +_What doth the Lord thy God require of thee, but to fear the Lord thy God, +to walk in all His ways, and to love Him, and to serve the Lord thy God +with all thy heart and with all thy soul_?--DEUT. x. 12. + + What asks our Father of His children save + Justice and mercy and humility, + A reasonable service of good deeds, + Pure living, tenderness to human needs, + Reverence, and trust, and prayer for light to see + The Master's footprints in our daily ways? + No knotted scourge, nor sacrificial knife, + But the calm beauty of an ordered life + Whose every breathing is unworded praise. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Give up yourself to God without reserve; in singleness of heart meeting +everything that every day brings forth, as something that comes from God, +and is to be received and gone through by you, in such an heavenly use +of it, as you would suppose the holy Jesus would have done in such +occurrences. This is an attainable degree of perfection. + +WM. LAW. + +We ought to measure our actual lot, and to fulfil it; to be with all our +strength that which our lot requires and allows. What is beyond it, is no +calling of ours. How much peace, quiet, confidence, and strength, would +people attain, if they would go by this plain rule. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +April 19 + + +_The hand of our God is upon all them for good that seek Him_.--EZRA viii. +22. + +_Into Thy hand I commit my spirit_.--PS. xxxi. 5. + + Thou layest Thy hand on the fluttering heart, + And sayest, "Be still!" + The silence and shadow are only a part + Of Thy sweet will; + Thy presence is with me, and where Thou art + I fear no ill. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +Be still and cool in thy own mind and spirit from thy own thoughts, and +then thou wilt feel the principle of God, to turn thy mind to the Lord God, +from whom life comes; whereby thou mayest receive His strength, and power +to allay all blustering storms and tempests. That is it which works up into +patience, into innocency, into soberness, into stillness, into stayedness, +into quietness, up to God with His power. Therefore be still awhile from +thy own thoughts, searching, seeking, desires, and imaginations, and be +stayed in the principle of God in thee, that it may raise thy mind up to +God, and stay it upon God; and thou wilt find strength from Him, and find +Him to be a God at hand, a present help in the time of trouble and need. + +GEORGE FOX. + + + +April 20 + + +_I waited patiently for the Lord; and He inclined unto me, and heard my +cry_.--PS. xl. 1. + +_Tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, +hope,_--ROM. v. 3, 4. + + Lord, we have wandered forth through doubt and sorrow, + And Thou hast made each step an onward one; + And we will ever trust each unknown morrow,-- + Thou wilt sustain us till its work is done. + +S. JOHNSON. + +It is possible, when the future is dim, when our depressed faculties can +form no bright ideas of the perfection and happiness of a better world,--it +is possible still to cling to the conviction of God's merciful purpose +towards His creatures, of His parental goodness even in suffering; still +to feel that the path of duty, though trodden with a heavy heart, leads +to peace; still to be true to conscience; still to do our work, to resist +temptation, to be useful, though with diminished energy, to give up our +wills when we cannot rejoice under God's mysterious providence. In this +patient, though uncheered obedience, we become prepared for light. The soul +gathers force. + +WM. E. CHANNING. + + + +April 21 + + +_Be ye therefore perfect, even as your Father which is in heaven is +perfect_.--MATT. v. 48. + +_As for me, I will behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, +when I awake, with Thy likeness_.--PS. xvii. 15. + + The righteousness he marks in Thee + His will to right doth win; + Delighting in Thy purity, + He deeply drinks it in. + +T. H. GILL. + +To love God is to love His character. For instance, God is Purity. And +to be pure in thought and look, to turn away from unhallowed books and +conversation, to abhor the moments in which we have not been pure, is +to love God. God is Love; and to love men till private attachments have +expanded into a philanthropy which embraces all,--at last even the evil and +enemies with compassion,--that is to love God. God is Truth. To be true, +to hate every form of falsehood, to live a brave, true, real life,--that is +to love God. God is Infinite; and to love the boundless, reaching on from +grace to grace, adding charity to faith, and rising upwards ever to see the +Ideal still above us, and to die with it unattained, aiming insatiably to +be perfect even as the Father is perfect,--that is to love God. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +April 22 + + +_Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see Him not, yet +believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory_.--I PETER i. +8. + + If our love were but more simple, + We should take Him at His word; + And our lives would be all sunshine + In the sweetness of our Lord. + +F. W. FABER. + +What would it be to love absolutely a Being absolutely lovely,--to be able +to give our whole existence, every thought, every act, every desire, to +that adored One,--to know that He accepts it all, and loves us in return as +God alone can love? This happiness grows forever. The larger our natures +become, the wider our scope of thought, the stronger our will, the more +fervent our affections, the deeper must be the rapture of such God-granted +prayer. Every sacrifice _resolved on_ opens wide the gate; every sacrifice +_accomplished_ is a step towards the paradise within. Soon it will be no +transitory glimpse, no rapture of a day, to be followed by clouds and +coldness. Let us but labor, and pray, and wait, and the intervals of human +frailty shall grow shorter and less dark, the days of our delight in God +longer and brighter, till at last life shall be nought but His love, our +eyes shall never grow dim, His smile never turn away. + +F. B. COBBE. + + + +April 23 + + +_These were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: +there they dwelt with the king for his work_.--I CHRON. iv. 23. + + A lowlier task on them is laid, + With love to make the labor light; + And there their beauty they must shed + On quiet homes, and lost to sight. + Changed are their visions high and fair, + Yet, calm and still, they labor there. + +HYMNS OF THE AGES. + +Anywhere and everywhere we may dwell "with the King for His work." We may +be in a very unlikely or unfavorable place for this; it may be in a literal +country life, with little enough to be seen of the "goings" of the +King around us; it may be among hedges of all sorts, hindrances in all +directions; it may be, furthermore, with our hands full of all manner of +pottery for our daily task. No matter! The King who placed us "there" will +come and dwell there with us; the hedges are all right, or He would soon do +away with them; and it does not follow that what seems to hinder our way +may not be for its very protection; and as for the pottery, why, that is +just exactly what He has seen fit to put into our hands, and therefore it +is, for the present, "His work." + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +April 24 + + +_Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ_.--GAL. vi. +2. + + Is thy cruse of comfort wasting? + Rise and share it with another, + And through all the years of famine, + It shall serve thee and thy brother. + Is thy burden hard and heavy? + Do thy steps drag heavily? + Help to bear thy brother's burden; + God will bear both it and thee. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + +However perplexed you may at any hour become about some question of truth, +one refuge and resource is always at hand: you can do something for some +one besides yourself. When your own burden is heaviest, you can always +lighten a little some other burden. At the times when you cannot see God, +there is still open to you this sacred possibility, to _show_ God; for it +is the love and kindness of human hearts through which the divine reality +comes home to men, whether they name it or not. Let this thought, then, +stay with you: there may be times when you cannot find help, but there is +no time when you cannot give help. + +GEORGE S. MERRIAM. + + + +April 25 + + +_Surely, I have behaved and quieted myself, as a child that is weaned of +his mother: my soul is even as a weaned child_.--PS. cxxxi. 2. + + Quiet, Lord, my froward heart, + Make me teachable and mild, + Upright, simple, free from art, + Make me as a weaned child; + From distrust and envy free, + Pleased with all that pleaseth Thee. + +J. NEWTON. + +Oh! look not after great things: small breathings, small desires after +the Lord, if true and pure, are sweet beginnings of life. Take heed +of despising "the day of small things," by looking after some great +visitation, proportionable to thy distress, according to thy eye. Nay, thou +must become a child; thou must lose thy own will quite by degrees. Thou +must wait for life to be measured out by the Father, and be content with +what proportion, and at what time, He shall please to measure. + +I. PENINGTON. + +"When Israel was a child, then I loved him" (Hosea xi. 1). Aim to be ever +this little child, contented with what the Father gives of pleasure or of +play; and when restrained from pleasure or from play, and led for a season +into the chamber of sorrow, rest quiet on His bosom, and be patient, and +smile, as one who is nestled in a sweet and secure asylum. + +ANON. + + + +April 26 + + +_If we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for +it_.--ROM. viii. 25. + +_One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one +day_.--2 PETER iii. 8. + + Lord! who Thy thousand years dost wait + To work the thousandth part + Of Thy vast plan, for us create + With zeal a patient heart. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +I believe that if we could only see beforehand what it is that our heavenly +Father means us to be,--the _soul_ beauty and perfection and glory, the +glorious and lovely spiritual body that this soul is to dwell in through +all eternity,--if we could have a glimpse of _this_, we should not grudge +all the trouble and pains He is taking with us now, to bring us up to that +ideal, which is His thought of us. We know that it is God's way to work +slowly, so we must not be surprised if He takes a great many years of +discipline to turn a mortal being into an immortal, glorious angel. + +ANNIE KEARY. + + + +April 27 + + +_Speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor_,--ZECH. viii. 16. + +_For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in +simplicity and godly sincerity... we have had our conversation in the +world_.--2 COR. i. 12. + + Appear I always what I am? + And am I what I am pretending? + Know I what way my course is bending? + And sound my word and thought the same? + +ANON. + +Am I acting in simplicity, from a germ of the Divine life within, or am +I shaping my path to obtain some immediate result of expediency? Am I +endeavoring to compass effects, amidst a tangled web of foreign influences +I cannot calculate; or am I seeking simply to do what is right, and leaving +the consequences to the good providence of God? + +M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. + +Let it not be in any man's power to say truly of thee that thou art not +simple, or that thou art not good; but let him be a liar whoever shall +think anything of this kind about thee; and this is altogether in thy +power. For who is he that shall hinder thee from being good and simple? + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +April 28 + + +_The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand_.--PS. +cxxi. 5. + +_Great peace have they which love Thy law: and nothing shall offend +them_.--PS. cxix. 165. + + I rest beneath the Almighty's shade, + My griefs expire, my troubles cease; + Thou, Lord, on whom my soul is stayed, + Wilt keep me still in perfect peace. + +C. WESLEY. + +One great sign of the practical recognition of the "divine moment," and of +our finding God's habitation in it, is constant calmness and peace of mind. +Events and things come with the moment; but God comes with them too. So +that if He comes in the sunshine, we find rest and joy; and if He comes +in the storm, we know He is King of the storms, and our hearts are not +troubled. God Himself, though possessing a heart filled with the tenderest +feelings, is, nevertheless, an everlasting tranquillity; and when we enter +into His holy tabernacle, our souls necessarily enter into the tabernacle +of rest. + +T. C. UPHAM. + +My soul was not only brought into harmony with itself and with God, but +with God's providences. In the exercise of faith and love, I endured +and performed whatever came in God's providence, in submission, in +thankfulness, and silence. + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +April 29 + + +_I will arise and go to my Father_.--LUKE xv. 18. + + O my God, my Father! hear, + And help me to believe; + Weak and weary I draw near; + Thy child, O God, receive. + I so oft have gone astray; + To the perfect Guide I flee; + Thou wilt turn me not away, + Thy love is pledged to me. + +HYMNS OF THE SPIRIT. + +O child, hast thou fallen? arise, and go, with childlike trust, to thy +Father, like the prodigal son, and humbly say, with heart and mouth, +"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before Thee, and am no more +worthy to be called Thy son; make me as one of Thy hired servants." And +what will thy heavenly Father do but what that father did in the parable? +Assuredly He will not change His essence, which is love, for the sake of +thy misdoings. Is it not His own precious treasure, and a small thing with +Him to forgive thee thy trespasses, if thou believe in Him? for His hand is +not shortened that it cannot make thee fit to be saved. + +JOHN TAULER. + + + +April 30 + + +_Speak unto the children of Israel, that they go forward_.--EX. xiv. 15. + +_No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for +the kingdom of God_.--LUKE ix. 62. + + Be trustful, be steadfast, whatever betide thee, + Only one thing do thou ask of the Lord,-- + Grace to go forward wherever He guide thee, + Simply believing the truth of His word. + +ANON. + +The soul ceases to weary itself with planning and foreseeing, giving itself +up to God's Holy Spirit within, and to the teachings of His providence +without. He is not forever fretting as to his progress, or looking back to +see how far he is getting on; rather he goes steadily and quietly on, and +makes all the more progress because it is unconscious. So he never gets +troubled and discouraged; if he falls he humbles himself, but gets up at +once, and goes on with renewed earnestness. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +May 1 + + +_I will bless the Lord at all times: His praise shall continually be in my +mouth_.--PS. xxxiv. I. + +_I will praise Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all Thy +marvellous works_.--PS. ix. I. + + Thrice blest will all our blessings be, + When we can look through them to Thee; + When each glad heart its tribute pays + Of love and gratitude and praise. + +JANE COTTERILL. + +That which befits us, embosomed in beauty and wonder as we are, is +cheerfulness, and courage, and the endeavor to realize our aspirations. +Shall not the heart which has received so much, trust the Power by which +it lives? May it not quit other leadings, and listen to the Soul that has +guided it so gently, and taught it so much, secure that the future will be +worthy of the past? + +R. W. EMERSON. + +I have experienced that the habit of taking out of the hand of our Lord +every little blessing and brightness on our path, confirms us, in an +especial manner, in communion with His love. + +M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. + + + +May 2 + + +_The ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of +great price_.--I PETER iii. 4. + +_To present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in His +sight_.--COL. i. 22. + + Thy sinless mind in us reveal, + Thy spirit's plenitude impart! + Till all my spotless life shall tell + The abundance of a loving heart. + +C. WESLEY. + +Holiness appeared to me to be of a sweet, pleasant, charming, serene, calm +nature. It seemed to me, it brought an inexpressible purity, brightness, +peacefulness, and ravishment to the soul; and that it made the soul like a +field or garden of God, with all manner of pleasant flowers, that is all +pleasant, delightful, and undisturbed; enjoying a sweet calm, and the +gently vivifying beams of the sun. The soul of a true Christian appeared +like such a little white flower, as we see in the spring of the year, low +and humble on the ground, opening its bosom to receive the pleasant beams +of the sun's glory; rejoicing, as it were, in a calm rapture; diffusing +around a sweet fragrancy; standing peacefully and lovingly in the midst of +other flowers round about, all in like manner opening their bosoms to drink +in the light of the sun. + +JONATHAN EDWARDS. + + + +May 3 + + +_The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and He knoweth them +that trust in Him_.--NAHUM i. 7. + + Leave God to order all thy ways, + And hope in Him, whate'er betide; + Thou 'It find Him in the evil days + Thy all-sufficient strength and guide; + Who trusts in God's unchanging love, + Builds on the rock that nought can move. + +G. NEUMARK. + +Our whole trouble in our lot in this world rises from the disagreement +of our mind therewith. Let the mind be brought to the lot, and the whole +tumult is instantly hushed; let it be kept in that disposition, and the man +shall stand at ease, in his affliction, like a rock unmoved with waters +beating upon it. + +T. BOSTON. + +How does our will become sanctified? By conforming itself unreservedly to +that of God. We will all that He wills, and will nothing that He does not +will; we attach our feeble will to that all-powerful will which performs +everything. Thus, nothing can ever come to pass against our will; for +nothing can happen save that which God wills, and we find in His good +pleasure an inexhaustible source of peace and consolation. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +May 4 + + +_Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained +promises, stopped the mouths of lions, out of weakness were made +strong_.--HEB xi. 33, 34. + + She met the hosts of Sorrow with a look + That altered not beneath the frown they wore, + And soon the lowering brood were tamed, and took, + Meekly, her gentle rule, and frowned no more. + Her soft hand put aside the assaults of wrath, + And calmly broke in twain + The fiery shafts of pain, + And rent the nets of passion from her path. + By that victorious hand despair was slain; + With love she vanquished hate, and overcame + Evil with good, in her great Master's name. + +W. C. BRYANT. + +As to what may befall us outwardly, in this confused state of things, shall +we not trust our tender Father, and rest satisfied in His will? Shall +anything hurt us? Can tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, +nakedness, peril, or sword, come between the love of the Father to the +child, or the child's rest, content, and delight in His love? And doth not +the love, the rest, the peace, the joy felt, swallow up all the bitterness +and sorrow of the outward condition? + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +May 5 + + +_If thou hast run with the footmen, and they have wearied thee, then how +canst thou contend with horses? and if in the land of peace, wherein thou +trustedst, they wearied thee, then how wilt thou do in the swelling of +Jordan_?--JER. xii. 5. + + How couldst thou hang upon the cross, + To whom a weary hour is loss? + Or how the thorns and scourging brook, + Who shrinkest from a scornful look? + +J. KEBLE. + +A heart unloving among kindred has no love towards God's saints and angels. +If we have a cold heart towards a servant or a friend, why should we wonder +if we have no fervor towards God? If we are cold in our private prayers, we +should be earthly and dull in the most devout religious order; if we cannot +bear the vexations of a companion, how should we bear the contradiction of +sinners? if a little pain overcomes us, how could we endure a cross? if we +have no tender, cheerful, affectionate love to those with whom our daily +hours are spent, how should we feel the pulse and ardor of love to the +unknown and the evil, the ungrateful and repulsive? + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +May 6 + + +_Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love_.--ROM. xii. 10. + +_In her tongue is the law of kindness_.--PROV. xxxi. 26. + + Since trifles make the sum of human things, + And half our misery from our foibles springs; + Since life's best joys consist in peace and ease, + And though but few can serve, yet all can please; + Oh, let the ungentle spirit learn from hence, + A small unkindness is a great offence. + +HANNAH MORE. + +All usefulness and all comfort may be prevented by an unkind, a sour, +crabbed temper of mind,--a mind that can bear with no difference of opinion +or temperament. A spirit of fault-finding; an unsatisfied temper; a +constant irritability; little inequalities in the look, the temper, or the +manner; a brow cloudy and dissatisfied--your husband or your wife cannot +tell why--will more than neutralize all the good you can do, and render +life anything but a blessing. + +ALBERT BARNES. + +You have not fulfilled every duty, unless you have fulfilled that of being +pleasant. + +CHARLES BUXTON. + + + +May 7 + + +_He healeth the broken in heart, and bindeth up their wounds. He telleth +the number of the stars; He calleth them all by their names_.--PS. cxlvii. +3, 4. + + Teach me your mood, O patient stars! + Who climb each night the ancient sky, + Leaving on space no shade, no scars, + No trace of age, no fear to die. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +I looked up to the heavens once more, and the quietness of the stars seemed +to reproach me. "We are safe up here," they seemed to say; "we shine, +fearless and confident, for the God who gave the primrose its rough leaves +to hide it from the blast of uneven spring, hangs us in the awful hollows +of space. We cannot fall out of His safety. Lift up your eyes on high, and +behold! Who hath created these things--that bringeth out their host by +number? He calleth them all by names. By the greatness of His might, for +that He is strong in power, not one faileth. Why sayest thou, O Jacob! and +speakest, O Israel! my way is hid from the Lord, and my judgment is passed +over from my God?" + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +May 8 + + +_This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in +it_.--PS. cxviii. 24. + +_Why stand ye here all the day idle_?--MATT. xx. 6. + + So here hath been dawning another blue day; + Think, wilt thou let it slip useless away? + Out of eternity this new day is born; + Into eternity at night will return. + +T. CARLYLE. + +Small cares, some deficiencies in the mere arrangement and ordering of our +lives, daily fret our hearts, and cross the clearness of our faculties; and +these entanglements hang around us, and leave us no free soul able to give +itself up, in power and gladness, to the true work of life. The +severest training and self-denial,--a superiority to the servitude of +indulgence,--are the indispensable conditions even of genial spirits, of +unclouded energies, of tempers free from morbidness,--much more of the +practised and vigorous mind, ready at every call, and thoroughly furnished +unto all good works. + +J. H. THOM. + +True, we can never be at peace till we have performed the highest duty of +all,--till we have arisen, and gone to our Father; but the performance +of smaller duties, yes, even of the smallest, will do more to give us +temporary repose, will act more as healthful anodynes, than the greatest +joys that can come to us from any other quarter. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + + +May 9 + + +_The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the +Lord_.--JOB i. 21. + + What Thou hast given, Thou canst take, + And when Thou wilt new gifts can make. + All flows from Thee alone; + When Thou didst give it, it was Thine; + When Thou retook'st it, 't was not mine. + Thy will in all be done. + +JOHN AUSTIN. + +We are ready to praise when all shines fair; but when life is overcast, +when all things seem to be against us, when we are in fear for some +cherished happiness, or in the depths of sorrow, or in the solitude of a +life which has no visible support, or in a season of sickness, and with the +shadow of death approaching,--then to praise God; then to say, This fear, +loneliness, affliction, pain, and trembling awe are as sure tokens of love, +as life, health, joy, and the gifts of home: "The Lord gave, and the Lord +hath taken away;" on either side it is He, and all is love alike; "blessed +be the name of the Lord,"--this is the true sacrifice of praise. What can +come amiss to a soul which is so in accord with God? What can make so much +as one jarring tone in all its harmony? In all the changes of this fitful +life, it ever dwells in praise. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +May 10 + + +_The Lord redeemeth the soul of His servants; and none of them that trust +in Him shall be desolate_.--PS. xxxiv. 22. + +_Though He slay me, yet will I trust in Him_.--JOB xiii. 15. + + I praise Thee while my days go on; + I love Thee while my days go on: + Through dark and dearth, through fire and frost, + With emptied arms and treasure lost, + I thank Thee while my days go on. + +E. B. BROWNING. + +The sickness of the last week was fine medicine; pain disintegrated the +spirit, or became spiritual. I rose,--I felt that I had given to God more +perhaps than an angel could,--had promised Him in youth that to be a blot +on this fair world, at His command, would be acceptable. Constantly offer +myself to continue the obscurest 'and loneliest thing ever heard of, with +one proviso,--His agency. Yes, love Thee, and all Thou dost, while Thou +sheddest frost and darkness on every path of mine. + +MARY MOODY EMERSON. + + + +May 11 + + +_Shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we not receive +evil_?--JOB ii. 10. + +_Thou hast dealt well with Thy servant, O Lord, according to Thy +word_.--PS. cxix. 65. + + Whatsoe'er our lot may be, + Calmly in this thought we'll rest,-- + Could we see as Thou dost see, + We should choose it as the best. + +WM. GASKELL. + +It is a proverbial saying, that every one makes his own destiny; and this +is usually interpreted, that every one, by his wise or unwise conduct, +prepares good or evil for himself: but we may also understand it, that +whatever it be that he receives from the hand of Providence, he may so +accommodate himself to it, that he will find his lot good for him, however +much may seem to others to be wanting. + +WM. VON HUMBOLDT. + +Evil, once manfully fronted, ceases to be evil; there is generous +battle-hope in place of dead, passive misery; the evil itself has become a +kind of good. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +May 12 + + +_Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer:... ye shall have +tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a +crown of life_.--REV. ii. 10. + + Then, O my soul, be ne'er afraid, + On Him who thee and all things made + Do thou all calmly rest; + Whate'er may come, where'er we go, + Our Father in the heavens must know + In all things what is best. + +PAUL FLEMMING. + +Guide me, O Lord, in all the changes and varieties of the world; that in +all things that shall happen, I may have an evenness and tranquillity +of spirit; that my soul may be wholly resigned to Thy divinest will +and pleasure, never murmuring at Thy gentle chastisements and fatherly +correction. Amen. + +JEREMY TAYLOR. + +Thou art never at any time nearer to God than when under tribulation; which +He permits for the purification and beautifying of thy soul. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + +Prize inward exercises, griefs, and troubles; and let faith and patience +have their perfect work in them. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +May 13 + + +_I pray not that Thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that Thou +shouldest keep them from the evil_.--JOHN xvii. 15. + + In busy mart and crowded street, + No less than in the still retreat, + Thou, Lord, art near, our souls to bless, + With all a Father's tenderness. + +I. WILLIAMS. + +Only the individual conscience, and He who is greater than the conscience, +can tell where worldliness prevails. Each heart must answer for itself, and +at its own risk. That our souls are committed to our own keeping, at our +own peril, in a world so mixed as this, is the last reason we should +slumber over the charge, or betray the trust. If only that outlet to the +Infinite is kept open, the inner bond with eternal life preserved, while +not one movement of this world's business is interfered with, nor one +pulse-beat of its happiness repressed, with all natural associations dear +and cherished, with all human sympathies fresh and warm, we shall yet be +near to the kingdom of heaven, within the order of the Kosmos of God--in +the world, but not of the world--not taken out of it, but kept from its +evil. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +May 14 + + +_And what doth the Lord require of thee, but to do justly, and to love +mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God_?--MICAH vi. 8. + +_Put on therefore... kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, +long-suffering_.--COL. iii. 12. + + Plant in us an humble mind, + Patient, pitiful, and kind; + Meek and lowly let us be, + Full of goodness, full of Thee. + +C. WESLEY. + +There is no true and constant gentleness without humility; while we are so +fond of ourselves, we are easily offended with others. Let us be persuaded +that nothing is due to us, and then nothing will disturb us. Let us often +think of our own infirmities, and we shall become indulgent towards those +of others. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +Endeavor to be patient in bearing with the defects and infirmities of +others, of what sort soever they be; for that thyself also hast many +failings which must be borne with by others. If thou canst not make thyself +such an one as thou wouldest, how canst thou expect to have another in all +things to thy liking? + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + + + +May 15 + + +_My presence shall go with thee, and I will give thee rest_.--EX. xxxiii. +14. + +_Thou wilt show me the path of life: in Thy presence is fulness of joy; at +Thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore_.--PS. xvi. 11. + + Thy presence fills my mind with peace, + Brightens the thoughts so dark erewhile, + Bids cares and sad forebodings cease, + Makes all things smile. + +CHARLOTTE ELLIOTT. + +How shall we rest in God? By giving ourselves wholly to Him. If you give +yourself by halves, you cannot find full rest; there will ever be a lurking +disquiet in that half which is withheld. Martyrs, confessors, and saints +have tasted this rest, and "counted themselves happy in that they endured." +A countless host of God's faithful servants have drunk deeply of it under +the daily burden of a weary life,--dull, commonplace, painful, or desolate. +All that God has been to them He is ready to be to you. The heart once +fairly given to God, with a clear conscience, a fitting rule of life, and +a steadfast purpose of obedience, you will find a wonderful sense of rest +coming over you. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +May 16 + + +_Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His +might_.--EPH. vi. 10. + +_No man can serve two masters_.--MATT. vi. 24. + + Oh, there are heavenly heights to reach + In many a fearful place, + Where the poor timid heir of God + Lies blindly on his face; + Lies languishing for grace divine + That he shall never see + Till he go forward at Thy sign, + And trust himself to Thee. + +A. L. WARING. + +Reservations lie latent in the mind concerning some unhallowed sentiments +or habits in the present, some possibly impending temptations in the +future; and thus do we cheat ourselves of inward and outward joys together. +We give up many an indulgence for conscience' sake, but stop short at that +point of entire faithfulness wherein conscience could reward us. If we +would but give ourselves wholly to God,--give up, for the present and the +future, every act, and, above all, every thought and every feeling, to be +all purified to the uttermost, and rendered the best, noblest, holiest we +can conceive,--then would sacrifice bear with it a peace rendering itself, +I truly believe, far easier than before. + +F. P. COBBE. + + + +May 17 + + +_Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also +ye do_.--I THESS. v. 11. + +_Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself_.--MATT. xix. 19. + + So others shall + Take patience, labor, to their heart and hand, + From thy hand, and thy heart, and thy brave cheer, + And God's grace fructify through thee to all. + The least flower with a brimming cup may stand, + And share its dewdrop with another near. + +E. B. BROWNING. + +What is meant by our neighbor we cannot doubt; it is every one with whom we +are brought into contact. First of all, he is literally our neighbor who +is next to us in our own family and household; husband to wife, wife to +husband, parent to child, brother to sister, master to servant, servant to +master. Then it is he who is close to us in our own neighborhood, in our +own town, in our own parish, in our own street. With these all true charity +begins. To love and be kind to these is the very beginning of all true +religion. But, besides these, as our Lord teaches, it is every one who +is thrown across our path by the changes and chances of life; he or she, +whosoever it be, whom we have any means of helping,--the unfortunate +stranger whom we may meet in travelling, the deserted friend whom no one +else cares to look after. + +A. P. STANLEY. + + + +May 18 + + +_We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the +brethren_.--I JOHN iii. 14. + +_He that loveth not knoweth not God; for God is love_.--I JOHN iv. 8. + + Mutual love the token be, + Lord, that we belong to Thee; + Love, Thine image, love impart; + Stamp it on our face and heart; + Only love to us be given; + Lord, we ask no other heaven. + +C WESLEY. + +Oh, how many times we can most of us remember when we would gladly have +made any compromise with our consciences, would gladly have made the most +costly sacrifices to God, if He would only have excused us from this duty +of loving, of which our nature seemed utterly incapable. It is far easier +to feel kindly, to act kindly, toward those with whom we are seldom brought +into contact, whose tempers and prejudices do not rub against ours, whose +interests do not clash with ours, than to keep up an habitual, steady, +self-sacrificing love towards those whose weaknesses and faults are always +forcing themselves upon us, and are stirring up our own. A man may pass +good muster as a philanthropist who makes but a poor master to his +servants, or father to his children. + +F. D. MAURICE. + + + +May 19 + + +_Rest in the Lord, and wait patiently for Him_.--PS. xxxvii. 7. + +_Trust in Him at all times_.--PS. lxii. 8. + + Dost thou ask when comes His hour? + Then, when it shall aid thee best. + Trust His faithfulness and power, + Trust in Him, and quiet rest. + +ANON. + +I had found [communion with God] to consist, not only in the silencing of +the outward man, but in the silencing also of every thought, and in the +concentration of the soul and all its powers into a simple, quiet watching +and waiting for the food which its heavenly Father might see fit either +to give or to withhold. In no case could it be sent empty away; for, if +comfort, light, or joy were withheld, the act of humble waiting at the gate +of heavenly wisdom could not but work patience in it, and thus render it, +by humility and obedience, more "meet to be a partaker of the inheritance +of the saints in light," and also more blessed in itself. + +M. A. KELTY. + +"REST IN THE LORD; WAIT PATIENTLY FOR HIM." In Hebrew, "be silent to God, +and let Him mould thee." Keep still, and He will mould thee to the right +shape. + +MARTIN LUTHER. + + + +May 20 + + +_To be spiritually minded is life and peace_.--ROM. viii. 6. + + Stilled now be every anxious care; + See God's great goodness everywhere; + Leave all to Him in perfect rest: + He will do all things for the best. + +FROM THE GERMAN. + +We should all endeavor and labor for a calmer spirit, that we may the +better serve God in praying to Him and praising Him; and serve one another +in love, that we may be fitted to do and receive good; that we may make our +passage to heaven more easy and cheerful, without drooping and hanging the +wing. So much as we are quiet and cheerful upon good ground, so much we +live, and are, as it were, in heaven. + +R. SIBBES. + +Possess yourself as much as you possibly can in peace; not by any effort, +but by letting all things fall to the ground which trouble or excite you. +This is no work, but is, as it were, a setting down a fluid to settle that +has become turbid through agitation. + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +May 21 + + +_The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by Him; and the Lord shall +cover him all the day long_.--DEUT. xxxiii. 12. + + Whate'er events betide, + Thy will they all perform; + Safe in Thy breast my head I hide, + Nor fear the coming storm. + +H. F. LYTE. + +I have seemed to see a need of everything God gives me, and want nothing +that He denies me. There is no dispensation, though afflictive, but either +in it, or after it, I find that I could not be without it. Whether it +be taken from or not given me, sooner or later God quiets me in Himself +without it. I cast all my concerns on the Lord, and live securely on the +care and wisdom of my heavenly Father. My ways, you know, are, in a sense, +hedged up with thorns, and grow darker and darker daily; but yet I distrust +not my good God in the least, and live more quietly in the absence of all +by faith, than I should do, I am persuaded, if I possessed them. + +JOSEPH ELIOT, 1664. + + + +May 22 + + +_He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under +the shadow of the Almighty_.--PS. xci. I. + + They who on the Lord rely, + Safely dwell though danger's nigh; + Lo! His sheltering wings are spread + O'er each faithful servant's head. + When they wake, or when they sleep, + Angel guards their vigils keep; + Death and danger may be near, + Faith and love have nought to fear. + +HARRIET AUBER. + +"There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy +dwelling," is a promise to the fullest extent verified in the case of all +"who dwell in the secret place of the Most High." To them sorrows are not +"evils," sicknesses are not "plagues;" the shadow of the Almighty extending +far around those who abide under it, alters the character of all things +which come within its influence. + +ANON. + +It is faith's work to claim and challenge loving-kindness out of all the +roughest strokes of God. + +S. RUTHERFORD. + + + +MAY 23 + + +_Be content with such things as ye have_.--HEB. xiii. 5. + +_I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therein to be content_.--PHIL. +iv. 11 ( R. V.). + + No longer forward nor behind + I look in hope or fear; + But, grateful, take the good I find, + The best of now and here. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +If we wished to gain contentment, we might try such rules as these:-- + +1. Allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather. + +2. Never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou +art not. + +3. Never compare thine own lot with that of another. + +4. Never allow thyself to dwell on the wish that this or that had been, or +were, otherwise than it was, or is. God Almighty loves thee better and more +wisely than thou dost thyself. + +5. Never dwell on the morrow. Remember that it is God's, not thine. The +heaviest part of sorrow often is to look forward to it. "The Lord will +provide." + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +May 24 + + +_Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: +nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness +unto them which are exercised thereby_.--HEB. xii. I1. + + I cannot say, + Beneath the pressure of life's cares to-day, + I joy in these; + But I can say + That I had rather walk this rugged way, + If Him it please. + +S. G. BROWNING. + +The particular annoyance which befell you this morning; the vexatious words +which met your ear and "grieved" your spirit; the disappointment which was +His appointment for to-day; the slight but hindering ailment; the presence +of some one who is "a grief of mind" to you,--whatever this day seemeth not +joyous, but grievous, is linked in "the good pleasure of His goodness" with +a corresponding afterward of "peaceable fruit," the very seed from which, +if you only do not choke it, this shall spring and ripen. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +May 25 + + +_O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless +not as I will, but as Thou wilt_.--MATT. xxvi. 39. + + O Lord my God, do Thou Thy holy will,-- + I will lie still. + I will not stir, lest I forsake Thine arm, + And break the charm + Which lulls me, clinging to my Father's breast, + In perfect rest. + +J. KEBLE. + +Resignation to the will of God is the whole of piety; it includes in it all +that is good; and is a source of the most settled quiet and composure of +mind. Our resignation to the will of God may be said to be perfect, when +our will is lost and resolved up into His; when we rest in His will as +our end, as being itself most just, and right, and good. And where is the +impossibility of such an affection to what is just and right and good, such +a loyalty of heart to the Governor of the universe, as shall prevail over +all sinister indirect desires of our own? + +JOSEPH BUTLER. + +There are no disappointments to those whose wills are buried in the will of +God. + +F. W. FABER. + +Lord, Thy will be done in father, mother, child, in everything and +everywhere; without a reserve, without a BUT, an IF, or a limit. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +May 26 + + +_The Lord beareth your murmurings, which ye murmur against Him_.--EX. xvi. +8. + + Without murmur, uncomplaining + In His hand, + Leave whatever things thou canst not + Understand. + +K. R. HAGENBACH. + +One great characteristic of holiness is never to be exacting--never to +complain. Each complaint drags us down a degree, in our upward course. +If you would discern in whom God's spirit dwells, watch that person, and +notice whether you ever hear him murmur. + +GOLD DUST. + +When we wish things to be otherwise than they are, we lose sight of the +great practical parts of the life of godliness. We wish, and wish--when, if +we have done all that lies on us, we should fall quietly into the hands of +God. Such wishing cuts the very sinews of our privileges and consolations. +You are leaving me for a time; and you say that you wish you could leave me +better, or leave me with some assistance: but, if it is right for you to +go, it is right for me to meet what lies on me, without a wish that I had +less to meet, or were better able to meet it. + +R. CECIL. + + + +May 27 + + +_He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in +much_.--LUKE xvi, 10. + +_The Lord preserveth the faithful_.--PS. xxxi. 23 + + The trivial round, the common task, + Would furnish all we ought to ask; + Room to deny ourselves; a road + To bring us, daily, nearer God. + +J. KEBLE. + +Exactness in little duties is a wonderful source of cheerfulness. + +F. W. FABER. + +The unremitting retention of simple and high sentiments in obscure duties +is hardening the character to that temper which will work with honor, if +need be, in the tumult or on the scaffold. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +We are too fond of our own will. We want to be doing what we fancy mighty +things; but the great point is, to do small things, when called to them, in +a right spirit. + +R. CECIL. + +It is not on great occasions only that we are required to be faithful to +the will of God; occasions constantly occur, and we should be surprised to +perceive how much our spiritual advancement depends on small obediences. + +MADAME SWETCHINE. + + + +May 28 + + +_Strengthened with all might, according to His glorious power, unto all +patience and long-suffering with joyfulness_.--COL. I. 11. + + God doth not need + Either man's works or His own gifts; who best + Bear His mild yoke, they serve Him best; His state + Is kingly; thousands at His bidding speed, + And post o'er land and ocean without rest; + They also serve who only stand and wait. + +J. MILTON. + +We cannot always be doing a great work, but we can always be doing +something that belongs to our condition. To be silent, to suffer, to +pray when we cannot act, is acceptable to God. A disappointment, a +contradiction, a harsh word, an annoyance, a wrong received and endured as +in His presence, is worth more than a long prayer; and we do not lose time +if we bear its loss with gentleness and patience, provided the loss was +inevitable, and was not caused by our own fault. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +May 29 + + +_Be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience +inherit the promises_.--HEB. vi. 12. + + Where now with pain thou treadest, trod + The whitest of the saints of God! + To show thee where their feet were set, + The light which led them shineth yet. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +LET us learn from this communion of saints to live in hope. Those who are +now at rest were once like ourselves. They were once weak, faulty, sinful; +they had their burdens and hindrances, their slumbering and weariness, +their failures and their falls. But now they have overcome. Their life was +once homely and common-place. Their day ran out as ours. Morning and noon +and night came and went to them as to us. Their life, too, was as lonely +and sad as yours. Little fretful circumstances and frequent disturbing +changes wasted away their hours as yours. There is nothing in your life +that was not in theirs; there was nothing in theirs but may be also in your +own. They have overcome, each one, and one by one; each in his turn, when +the day came, and God called him to the trial. And so shall you likewise. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +May 30 + + +_And thus this man died, leaving his death for an example of a noble +courage, and a memorial of virtue, not only unto young men, but unto all +his nation_.--2 MAC. vi. 31. + +_Zebulon and Naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the +death in the high places of the field_.--JUDGES v. 18. + + Though Love repine, and Reason chafe, + There came a voice without reply,-- + 'Tis man's perdition to be safe, + When for the truth he ought to die. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Some say that the age of chivalry is past. The age of chivalry is never +past, so long as there is a wrong left unredressed on earth, or a man or +woman left to say, "I will redress that wrong, or spend my life in the +attempt." The age of chivalry is never past, so long as we have faith +enough to say, "God will help me to redress that wrong; or, if not me, He +will help those that come after me, for His eternal Will is to overcome +evil with good." + +C. KINGSLEY. + +Thus man is made equal to every event. He can face danger for the right. A +poor, tender, painful body, he can run into flame or bullets or pestilence, +with duty for his guide. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +May 31 + + +_Let all those that put their trust in Thee rejoice: ... let them also that +love Thy name be joyful in Thee_.--PS. v. 11. + +_He maketh me to lie down in green pastures_.--PS. xxiii. 2. + + I can hear these violets chorus + To the sky's benediction above; + And we all are together lying + On the bosom of Infinite Love. + + Oh, the peace at the heart of Nature! + Oh, the light that is not of day! + Why seek it afar forever, + When it cannot be lifted away? + +W. C. GANNETT. + +What inexpressible joy for me, to look up through the apple-blossoms and +the fluttering leaves, and to see God's love there; to listen to the thrush +that has built his nest among them, and to feel God's love, who cares for +the birds, in every note that swells his little throat; to look beyond +to the bright blue depths of the sky, and feel they are a canopy of +blessing,--the roof of the house of my Father; that if clouds pass over +it, it is the unchangeable light they veil; that, even when the day itself +passes, I shall see that the night itself only unveils new worlds of light; +and to know that if I could unwrap fold after fold of God's universe, I +should only unfold more and more blessing, and see deeper and deeper into +the love which is at the heart of all. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + + + +June 1 + + +_One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may +dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the +beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple_.--PS. xxvii. 4. + + Thy beauty, O my Father! All is Thine; + But there is beauty in Thyself, from whence + The beauty Thou hast made doth ever flow + In streams of never-failing affluence. + + Thou art the Temple! and though I am lame,-- + Lame from my birth, and shall be till I die,-- + I enter through the Gate called Beautiful, + And am alone with Thee, O Thou Most High! + +J. W. CHADWICK. + +Consider that all which appears beautiful outwardly, is solely derived from +the invisible Spirit which is the source of that external beauty, and +say joyfully, "Behold, these are streamlets from the uncreated Fountain; +behold, these are drops from the infinite Ocean of all good! Oh! how does +my inmost heart rejoice at the thought of that eternal, infinite Beauty, +which is the source and origin of all created beauty!" + +L. SCUPOLI. + + + +June 2 + + +_We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are +changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of +the Lord_.--2 COR. iii. 18. + + Then every tempting form of sin, + Shamed in Thy presence, disappears, + And all the glowing, raptured soul + The likeness it contemplates wears. + +P. DODDRIDGE. + +Then does a good man become the tabernacle of God, wherein the divine +Shechinah does rest, and which the divine glory fills, when the frame of +his mind and life is wholly according to that idea and pattern which he +receives from the mount. We best glorify Him when we grow most like to +Him: and we then act most for His glory, when a true spirit of sanctity, +justice, and meekness, runs through all our actions; when we so live in the +world as becomes those that converse with the great Mind and Wisdom of the +whole world, with that Almighty Spirit that made, supports, and governs all +things, with that Being from whence all good flows, and in which there is +no spot, stain, or shadow of evil; and so being captivated and overcome by +the sense of the Divine loveliness and goodness, endeavor to be like Him, +and conform ourselves, as much as may be, to Him. + +DR. JOHN SMITH. + + + +June 3 + + +_The righteous shall be glad in the Lord, and shall trust in Him_.--PS. +lxiv. 10. + +_Whoso trusteth in the Lord, happy is he_.--PROV. xvi. 20. + + The heart that trusts forever sings, + And feels as light as it had wings, + A well of peace within it springs,-- + Come good or ill, + Whatever to-day, to-morrow brings, + It is His will. + +I. WILLIAMS. + +He will weave no longer a spotted life of shreds and patches, but he will +live with a divine unity. He will cease from what is base and frivolous +in his life, and be content with all places, and with any service he can +render. He will calmly front the morrow, in the negligency of that trust +which carries God with it, and so hath already the whole future in the +bottom of the heart. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +He who believes in God is not careful for the morrow, but labors joyfully +and with a great heart. "For He giveth His beloved, as in sleep." They must +work and watch, yet never be careful or anxious, but commit all to Him, and +live in serene tranquillity; with a quiet heart, as one who sleeps safely +and quietly. + +MARTIN LUTHER. + + + +June 4 + + +_Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always +abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labor is +not in vain in the Lord_.--I COR. xv. 58. + + Say not, 'Twas all in vain, + The anguish and the darkness and the strife; + Love thrown upon the waters comes again + In quenchless yearnings for a nobler life. + +ANNA SHIPTON. + +Did you ever hear of a man who had striven all his life faithfully and +singly toward an object and in no measure obtained it? If a man constantly +aspires, is he not elevated? Did ever a man try heroism, magnanimity, +truth, sincerity, and find that there was no advantage in them,--that it +was a vain endeavor? + +H. D. THOREAU. + +Do right, and God's recompense to you will be the power of doing more +right. Give, and God's reward to you will be the spirit of giving more: +a blessed spirit, for it is the Spirit of God himself, whose Life is the +blessedness of giving. Love, and God will pay you with the capacity of more +love; for love is Heaven--love is God within you. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +June 5 + + +_Speak, Lord; for Thy servant heareth_.--I SAM. iii. 9. + + Though heralded with nought of fear, + Or outward sign or show: + Though only to the inward ear + It whispers soft and low; + Though dropping, as the manna fell, + Unseen, yet from above, + Noiseless as dew-fall, heed it well,-- + Thy Father's call of love. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +This is one result of the attitude into which we are put by humility, by +disinterestedness, by purity, by calmness, that we have the opportunity, +the disengagement, the silence, in which we may watch what is the will of +God concerning us. If we think no more of ourselves than we ought to think, +if we seek not our own but others' welfare, if we are prepared to take all +things as God's dealings with us, then we may have a chance of catching +from time to time what God has to tell us. In the Mussulman devotions, one +constant gesture is to put the hands to the ears, as if to listen for the +messages from the other world. This is the attitude, the posture which our +minds assume, if we have a standing-place above and beyond the stir and +confusion and dissipation of this mortal world. + +A. P. STANLEY. + + + +June 6 + + +_Him that overcometh will I make a pillar in the temple of my God_.--REV. +iii. 12. + +_In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the +Spirit_.--EPH. ii. 22. + + None the place ordained refuseth, + They are one, and they are all, + Living stones, the Builder chooseth + For the courses of His wall. + +JEAN INGELOW. + +Slowly, through all the universe, that temple of God is being built. +Wherever, in any world, a soul, by free-willed obedience, catches the fire +of God's likeness, it is set into the growing walls, a living stone. +When, in your hard fight, in your tiresome drudgery, or in your terrible +temptation, you catch the purpose of your being, and give yourself to God, +and so give Him the chance to give Himself to you, your life, a living +stone, is taken up and set into that growing wall. Wherever souls are being +tried and ripened, in whatever commonplace and homely ways;--there God is +hewing out the pillars for His temple. Oh, if the stone can only have some +vision of the temple of which it is to be a part forever, what patience +must fill it as it feels the blows of the hammer, and knows that success +for it is simply to let itself be wrought into what shape the Master wills. + +PHILLIPS BROOKS. + + + +June 7 + + +_Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day_.--I THESS. +v. 5. + +_Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in +heart_.--PS. xcvii. 11. + + Serene will be our days and bright, + And happy will our nature be, + When love is an unerring light, + And joy its own security. + +W. WORDSWORTH. + +Nothing can produce so great a serenity of life, as a mind free from guilt, +and kept untainted, not only from actions, but purposes that are wicked. +By this means the soul will be not only unpolluted, but not disturbed; the +fountain will run clear and unsullied, and the streams that flow from it +will be just and honest deeds, ecstasies of satisfaction, a brisk energy of +spirit, which makes a man an enthusiast in his joy, and a tenacious memory, +sweeter than hope. For as shrubs which are cut down with the morning dew +upon them do for a long time after retain their fragrancy, so the good +actions of a wise man perfume his mind, and leave a rich scent behind them. +So that joy is, as it were, watered with these essences, and owes its +flourishing to them. + +PLUTARCH. + + + +June 8 + + +_Who hath despised the day of small things_? ZECH. iv. 10. + + Little things + On little wings + Bear little souls to heaven. + +ANON. + +An occasional effort even of an ordinary holiness may accomplish great acts +of sacrifice, or bear severe pressure of unwonted trial, specially if it be +the subject of observation. But constant discipline in unnoticed ways, and +the spirit's silent unselfishness, becoming the hidden habit of the life, +give to it its true saintly beauty, and this is the result of care and +lowly love in little things. Perfection is attained most readily by +this constancy of religious faithfulness in all minor details of life, +consecrating the daily efforts of self-forgetting love. + +T. T. CARTER. + +Love's secret is to be always doing things for God, and not to mind because +they are such very little ones. + +F. W. FABER. + +There may be living and habitual conversation in heaven, under the aspect +of the most simple, ordinary life. Let us always remember that holiness +does not consist in doing uncommon things, but in doing everything with +purity of heart. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +June 9 + + +_He that is slow to anger is better than the mighty; and he that ruleth his +spirit than he that taketh a city_.--PROV. xvi. 32. + + Purge from our hearts the stains so deep and foul, + Of wrath and pride and care; + Send Thine own holy calm upon the soul, + And bid it settle there! + +ANON. + +Let this truth be present to thee in the excitement of anger,--that to be +moved by passion is not manly, but that mildness and gentleness, as they +are more agreeable to human nature, so also are they more manly. For in the +same degree in which a man's mind is nearer to freedom from all passion, in +the same degree also is it nearer to strength. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + +It is no great matter to associate with the good and gentle, for this is +naturally pleasing to all, and every one willingly enjoyeth peace, and +loveth those best that agree with him. But to be able to live peaceably +with hard and perverse persons, or with the disorderly, or with such as go +contrary to us, is a great grace, and a most commendable and manly thing. + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + + + +June 10 + + +_Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His +servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light? let him trust in the +name of the Lord, and stay upon his God_.--ISA. I. 10. + +_The Lord my God will enlighten my darkness_.--PS. xviii. 28. + + When we in darkness walk, + Nor feel the heavenly flame, + Then is the time to trust our God, + And rest upon His name. + +A. M. TOPLADY. + +He has an especial tenderness of love towards thee for that thou art in the +dark and hast no light, and His heart is glad when thou dost arise and say, +"I will go to my Father." For He sees thee through all the gloom through +which thou canst not see Him. Say to Him, "My God, I am very dull and low +and hard; but Thou art wise and high and tender, and Thou art my God. I am +Thy child. Forsake me not." Then fold the arms of thy faith, and wait in +quietness until light goes up in the darkness. Fold the arms of thy Faith, +I say, but not of thy Action: bethink thee of something that thou oughtest +to do, and go and do it, if it be but the sweeping of a room, or the +preparing of a meal, or a visit to a friend; heed not thy feelings: do thy +work. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +June 11 + + +_In the day when I cried Thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with +strength in my soul_.--PS. cxxxviii. 3. + + It is not that I feel less weak, but Thou + Wilt be my strength; it is not that I see + Less sin; but more of pardoning love with Thee, + And all-sufficient grace. Enough! And now + All fluttering thought is stilled; I only rest, + And feel that Thou art near, and know that I am blest. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +Yea, though thou canst not believe, yet be not dismayed thereat; only do +thou sink into, or at least pant after the hidden measure of life, which is +not in that which distresseth, disturbeth, and filleth thee with thoughts, +fears, troubles, anguish, darknesses, terrors, and the like; no, no! but in +that which inclines to the patience, to the stillness, to the hope, to the +waiting, to the silence before the Father. + +I. PENINGTON. + +We have only to be patient, to pray, and to do His will, according to our +present light and strength, and the growth of the soul will go on. The +plant grows in the mist and under clouds as truly as under sunshine. So +does the heavenly principle within. + +W. E. CHANNING. + + + +June 12 + + +_Then answered he me, and said, This is the condition of the battle which +man that is born upon the earth shall fight; that, if he be overcome, he +shall suffer as thou hast said: but if he get the victory, he shall receive +the thing that I say_.--2 ESDRAS vii. 57, 58. + + One holy Church, one army strong, + One steadfast high intent, + One working band, one harvest-song, + One King omnipotent. + +S. JOHNSON. + +We listened to a man whom we felt to be, with all his heart and soul and +strength, striving against whatever was mean and unmanly and unrighteous in +our little world. It was not the cold clear voice of one giving advice and +warning from serene heights to those who were struggling and sinning below, +but the warm living voice of one who was fighting for us and by our sides, +and calling on us to help him and ourselves and one another. And so, +wearily and little by little, but surely and steadily on the whole, was +brought home to the young boy, for the first time, the meaning of his life; +that it was no fool's or sluggard's paradise into which he had wandered +by chance, but a battle-field ordained from of old, where there are no +spectators, but the youngest must take his side, and the stakes are life +and death. + +THOMAS HUGHES. + + + +June 13 + + +_If we walk in the light as He is in the light, we have fellowship one with +another_.--I JOHN i. 7. + +_God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love, which ye +have showed toward His name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and +do minister_.--HEB. vi. 10. + + Wherever in the world I am, + In whatsoe'er estate, + I have a fellowship with hearts, + To keep and cultivate, + And a work of lowly love to do + For the Lord on whom I wait. + +A. L. WARING. + +We do not always perceive that even the writing of a note of +congratulation, the fabrication of something intended as an offering +of affection, our necessary intercourse with characters which have no +congeniality with our own, or hours apparently trifled away in the domestic +circle, may be made by us the performance of a most sacred and blessed +work; even the carrying out, after our feeble measure, of the design of God +for-the increase of happiness. + +SARAH W. STEPHEN. + +Definite work is not always that which is cut and squared for us, but that +which comes as a claim upon the conscience, whether it's nursing in a +hospital, or hemming a handkerchief. + +ELIZABETH M. SEWELL. + + + +June 14 + + +_The Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from thy fear, and from +the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve_.--ISA. xiv. 3. + + To-day, beneath Thy chastening eye, + I crave alone for peace and rest; + Submissive in Thy hand to lie, + And feel that it is best. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +O Lord, who art as the Shadow of a great Rock in a weary land, who +beholdest Thy weak creatures weary of labor, weary of pleasure, weary of +hope deferred, weary of self; in Thine abundant compassion, and unutterable +tenderness, bring us, I pray Thee, unto Thy rest. Amen. + +CHRISTINA G. ROSSETTI. + +Grant to me above all things that can be desired, to rest in Thee, and in +Thee to have my heart at peace. Thou art the true peace of the heart, Thou +its only rest; out of Thee all things are hard and restless. In this very +peace, that is, in Thee, the One Chiefest Eternal Good, I will sleep and +rest. Amen. + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + +Thou hast made us for Thyself, O Lord; and our heart is restless until it +rests in Thee. + +ST. AUGUSTINE. + + + +June 15 + + +_God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore +will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be +carried into the midst of the sea_.--PS. xlvi. 1,2. + + Though waves and storms go o'er my head, + Though strength and health and friends be gone, + Though joys be withered all, and dead, + Though every comfort be withdrawn, + On this my steadfast soul relies,-- + Father! Thy mercy never dies. + +JOHANN A. ROTHE. + +Your external circumstances may change, toil may take the place of rest, +sickness of health, trials may thicken within and without. Externally, you +are the prey of such circumstances; but if your heart is stayed on God, no +changes or chances can touch it, and all that may befall you will but draw +you closer to Him. Whatever the present moment may bring, your knowledge +that it is His will, and that your future heavenly life will be influenced +by it, will make all not only tolerable, but welcome to you, while no +vicissitudes can affect you greatly, knowing that He who holds you in His +powerful hand cannot change, but abideth forever. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +June 16 + + +_Now unto Him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask +or think, according to the power that worketh in us, unto Him be glory +in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. +Amen_.--EPH. iii. 20, 21. + + We would not meagre gifts down-call + When Thou dost yearn to yield us all; + But for this life, this little hour, + Ask all Thy love and care and power. + +J. INGELOW. + +God so loveth us that He would make all things channels to us and +messengers of His love. Do for His sake deeds of love, and He will give +thee His love. Still thyself, thy own cares, thy own thoughts for Him, and +He will speak to thy heart. Ask for Himself, and He will give thee Himself. +Truly, a secret hidden thing is the love of God, known only to them who +seek it, and to them also secret, for what man can have of it here is how +slight a foretaste of that endless ocean of His love! + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +June 17 + + +_Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow_.--MATT. vi. 28. + + They do not toil: + Content with their allotted task + They do but grow; they do not ask + A richer lot, a higher sphere, + But in their loveliness appear, + And grow, and smile, and do their best, + And unto God they leave the rest. + +MARIANNE FARNINGHAM. + +Interpose no barrier to His mighty life-giving power, working in you all +the good pleasure of His will. Yield yourself up utterly to His sweet +control. Put your growing into His hands as completely as you have put all +your other affairs. Suffer Him to manage it as He will. Do not concern +yourself about it, nor even think of it. Trust Him absolutely and always. +Accept each moment's dispensation as it comes to you from His dear hands, +as being the needed sunshine or dew for that moment's growth. Say a +continual "yes" to your Father's will. + +H. W. SMITH. + +Thine own self-will and anxiety, thy hurry and labor, disturb thy peace, +and prevent Me from working in thee. Look at the little flowers, in the +serene summer days; they quietly open their petals, and the sun shines into +them with his gentle influences. So will I do for thee, if thou wilt yield +thyself to Me. + +G. TERSTEEGEN, + + + +June 18 + + +_Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to-day is, and +to-morrow is cast into the oven, shall He not much more clothe you, O ye of +little faith_?--MATT. vi. 30. + +_I trust in the mercy of God for ever and ever_--PS. lii. 8. + + Calmly we look behind us, on joys and sorrows past, + We know that all is mercy now, and shall be well at last; + Calmly we look before us,--we fear no future ill, + Enough for safety and for peace, if Thou art with us still. + +JANE BORTHWICK. + +Neither go back in fear and misgiving to the past, nor in anxiety and +forecasting to the future; but lie quiet under His hand, having no will but +His. + +H. E. MANNING. + +I saw a delicate flower had grown up two feet high, between the horses' +path and the wheel-track. An inch more to right or left had sealed its +fate, or an inch higher; and yet it lived to flourish as much as if it had +a thousand acres of untrodden space around it, and never knew the danger +it incurred. It did not borrow trouble, nor invite an evil fate by +apprehending it. + +HENRY D. THOREAU. + + + +June 19 + + +_The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: He shall preserve thy +soul_.--PS. cxxi. 7. + + Under Thy wings, my God, I rest, + Under Thy shadow safely lie; + By Thy own strength in peace possessed, + While dreaded evils pass me by. + +A. L. WARING. + +A heart rejoicing in God delights in all His will, and is surely provided +with the most firm joy in all estates; for if nothing can come to pass +beside or against His will, then cannot that soul be vexed which delights +in Him and hath no will but His, but follows Him in all times, in all +estates; not only when He shines bright on them, but when they are clouded. +That flower which follows the sun doth so even in dark and cloudy days: +when it doth not shine forth, yet it follows the hidden course and motion +of it. So the soul that moves after God keeps that course when He hides His +face; is content, yea, even glad at His will in all estates or conditions +or events. + +R. LEIGHTON. + +Let God do with me what He will, anything He will; whatever it be, it will +be either heaven itself or some beginning of it. + +WM. MOUNTFORD. + + + +June 20 + + +_Be merciful unto me, O God, be merciful unto me; for my soul trusteth in +Thee: yea, in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these +calamities be overpast_.--PS. lvii. I. + + My God! in whom are all the springs + Of boundless love and grace unknown, + Hide me beneath Thy spreading wings, + Till the dark cloud is overblown. + +I. WATTS. + +In time of trouble go not out of yourself to seek for aid; for the whole +benefit of trial consists in silence, patience, rest, and resignation. In +this condition divine strength is found for the hard warfare, because God +Himself fights for the soul. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + +In vain will you let your mind run out after help in times of trouble; +it is like putting to sea in a storm. Sit still, and feel after your +principles; and, if you find none that furnish you with somewhat of a stay +and prop, and which point you to quietness and silent submission, depend +upon it you have never yet learned Truth from the Spirit of Truth, whatever +notions thereof you may have picked up from this and the other description +of it. + +M. A. KELTY. + + + +June 21 + + +_Thou calledst in trouble, and. I delivered thee_.--PS. lxxxi. 7. + +_Be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed_.--I CHRON. +xxii. 13. + + Thou canst calm the troubled mind, + Thou its dread canst still; + Teach me to be all resigned + To my Father's will. + +HEINRICH PUCHTA. + +Though this patient, meek resignation is to be exercised with regard to all +outward things and occurrences of life, yet it chiefly respects our own +inward state, the troubles, perplexities, weaknesses, and disorders of our +own souls. And to stand turned to a patient, meek, humble resignation to +God, when your own impatience, wrath, pride, and irresignation attack +yourself, is a higher and more beneficial performance of this duty, than +when you stand turned to meekness and patience, when attacked by the pride, +or wrath, or disorderly passions of other people. + +WM. LAW. + + + +June 22 + + +_There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to man: but God +is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; +but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able +to bear it_.--I COR. x. 13, 14. + + Not so, not so, no load of woe + Need bring despairing frown; + For while we bear it, we can bear, + Past that, we lay it down. + +SARAH WILLIAMS. + +Everything which happens, either happens in such wise that them art formed +by nature to bear it, or that thou art not formed by nature to bear it. If +then, it happens to thee in such way that thou art formed by nature to bear +it, do not complain, but bear it as thou art formed by nature to bear it. +But, if it happens in such wise that thou art not able to bear it, do not +complain; for it will perish after it has consumed thee. Remember, however, +that thou art formed by nature to bear everything, with respect to which it +depends on thy own opinion to make it endurable and tolerable, by thinking +that it is either thy interest or thy duty to do this. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +June 23 + + +_Why art than cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted within +me? hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him, who is the health of my +countenance, and my God_.--PS. xlii. 11. + + Ah! why by passing clouds oppressed, + Should vexing thoughts distract thy breast? + Turn thou to Him in every pain, + Whom never suppliant sought in vain; + Thy strength in joy's ecstatic day, + Thy hope, when joy has passed away. + +H. F. LYTE. + +Beware of letting your care degenerate into anxiety and unrest; tossed as +you are amid the winds and waves of sundry troubles, keep your eyes fixed +on the Lord, and say, "Oh, my God, I look to Thee alone; be Thou my guide, +my pilot;" and then be comforted. When the shore is gained, who will heed +the toil and the storm? And we shall steer safely through every storm, so +long as our heart is right, our intention fervent, our courage steadfast, +and our trust fixed on God. If at times we are somewhat stunned by the +tempest, never fear; let us take breath, and go on afresh. Do not be +disconcerted by the fits of vexation and uneasiness which are sometimes +produced by the multiplicity of your domestic worries. No indeed, dearest +child, all these are but opportunities of strengthening yourself in the +loving, forbearing graces which our dear Lord sets before us. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +June 24 + + +_Even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight_.--MATT. xi. 26. + + Let nothing make thee sad or fretful, + Or too regretful; + Be still; + What God hath ordered must be right, + Then find in it thine own delight, + My will. + +P. FLEMMING. + +If we listen to our self-love, we shall estimate our lot less by what it +is, than by what it is not; shall dwell on its hindrances, and be blind +to its possibilities; and, comparing it only with imaginary lives, shall +indulge in flattering dreams of what we should do, if we had but power; and +give, if we had but wealth; and be, if we had no temptations. We shall be +forever querulously pleading our difficulties and privations as excuses for +our unloving temper and unfruitful life; and fancying ourselves injured +beings, virtually frowning at the dear Providence that loves us, and +chafing with a self-torture which invites no pity. If we yield ourselves +unto God, and sincerely accept our lot as assigned by Him, we shall count +up its contents, and disregard its omissions; and be it as feeble as a +cripple's, and as narrow as a child's, shall find in it resources of good +surpassing our best economy, and sacred claims that may keep awake our +highest will. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +June 25 + + +_My times are in Thy hand_.--PS. xxxi. 15. + +_Every purpose of the Lord shall be performed_.--JER. li. 29. + + I am so glad! It is such rest to know + That Thou hast ordered and appointed all, + And wilt yet order and appoint my lot. + For though so much I cannot understand, + And would not choose, has been, and yet may be, + Thou choosest, Thou performest, THOU, my Lord. + This is enough for me. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +"We mustn't be in a hurry to fix and choose our own lot; we must wait to be +guided. We are led on, like the little children, by a way that we know not. +It is a vain thought to flee from the work that God appoints us, for the +sake of finding a greater blessing to our own souls; as if we could choose +for ourselves where we shall find the fulness of the Divine Presence, +instead of seeking it where alone it is to be found, in loving obedience." + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +Everywhere and at all times it is in thy power piously to acquiesce in thy +present condition, and to behave justly to those who are about thee. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +June 26 + + +_And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that +your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. But if +ye do not forgive, neither will your Father which is in heaven forgive your +trespasses_.--MARK xi. 25, 26. + + 'Tis not enough to weep my sins, + 'Tis but one step to heaven:-- + When I am kind to others,--then + I know myself forgiven. + +F. W. FABER. + +Every relation to mankind, of hate or scorn or neglect, is full of +vexation and torment. There is nothing to do with men but to love them; +to contemplate their virtues with admiration, their faults with pity and +forbearance, and their injuries with forgiveness. Task all the ingenuity of +your mind to devise some other thing, but you never can find it. To hate +your adversary will not help you; to kill him will not help you; nothing +within the compass of the universe can help you, but to love him. But let +that love flow out upon all around you, and what could harm you? How many a +knot of mystery and misunderstanding would be untied by one word spoken in +simple and confiding truth of heart! How many a solitary place would be +made glad if love were there; and how many a dark dwelling would be filled +with light! + +ORVILLE DEWEY. + + + +June 27 + + +_The kingdom of God is within you_.--LUKE xvii. 21. + + Oh, take this heart that I would give + Forever to be all Thine own; + I to myself no more would live,-- + Come, Lord, be Thou my King alone. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +Herein is the work assigned to the individual soul, to have life in itself, +to make our sphere, whatever it is, sufficient for a reign of God +within ourselves, for a true and full reign of our Father's abounding +spirit,--thankful, unutterably thankful, if with the place and the +companionship assigned to us we are permitted to build an earthly +tabernacle of grace and goodness and holy love, a home like a temple; but, +should this be denied us, resolved for our own souls that God shall reign +there, for ourselves at least that we will not, by sin or disobedience or +impious distrust, break with our own wills, our filial connection with our +Father,--that whether joyful or sorrowing, struggling with the perplexity +and foulness of circumstance, or in an atmosphere of peace, whether in dear +fellowship or alone, our desire and prayer shall be that God may have in us +a realm where His will is law, and where obedience and submission spring, +not from calculating prudence or ungodly fear, but from communion of +spirit, ever humble aspiration, and ever loving trust. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +June 28 + + +_The Lord preserveth the simple_.--PS. cxvi. 6. + + Thy home is with the humble, Lord! + The simple are Thy rest; + Thy lodging is in childlike hearts; + Thou makest there Thy nest. + +F. W. FABER. + +This deliverance of the soul from all useless and selfish and unquiet +cares, brings to it an unspeakable peace and freedom; this is true +simplicity. This state of entire resignation and perpetual acquiescence +produces true liberty; and this liberty brings perfect simplicity. The soul +which knows no self-seeking, no interested ends, is thoroughly candid; it +goes straight forward without hindrance; its path opens daily more and +more to "perfect day," in proportion as its self-renunciation and its +self-forgetfulness increase; and its peace, amid whatever troubles beset +it, will be as boundless as the depths of the sea. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +June 29 + + +_Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth +it off_.--I KINGS xx. 11. + +_Put on the whole armor of God_.--EPH. vi. 11. + + Was I not girded for the battle-field? + Bore I not helm of pride and glittering sword? + Behold the fragments of my broken shield, + And lend to me Thy heavenly armor, Lord! + +ANON. + +Oh, be at least able to say in that day,--Lord, I am no hero. I have been +careless, cowardly, sometimes all but mutinous. Punishment I have deserved, +I deny it not. But a traitor I have never been; a deserter I have never +been. I have tried to fight on Thy side in Thy battle against evil. I have +tried to do the duty which lay nearest me; and to leave whatever Thou didst +commit to my charge a little better than I found it. I have not been good, +but I have at least tried to be good. Take the will for the deed, good +Lord. Strike not my unworthy name off the roll-call of the noble and +victorious army, which is the blessed company of all faithful people; and +let me, too, be found written in the Book of Life; even though I stand the +lowest and last upon its list. Amen. + +C. KINGSLEY. + + + +June 30 + + +_And the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of +righteousness, quietness and assurance forever_.--ISA. xxxii. 17. + + The heart that ministers for Thee + In Thy own work will rest; + And the subject spirit of a child + Can serve Thy children best. + +A. L. WARING. + +It matters not where or what we are, so we be His servants. They are +happy who have a wide field and great strength to fulfil His missions of +compassion; and they, too, are blessed who, in sheltered homes and narrow +ways of duty, wait upon Him in lowly services of love. Wise or simple, +gifted or slender in knowledge, in the world's gaze or in hidden paths, +high or low, encompassed by affections and joys of home, or lonely and +content in God alone, what matters, so that they bear the seal of the +living God? Blessed company, unknown to each other, unknowing even +themselves! + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +July 1 + + +_In the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the Lord_.--EX. xvi. 7. + +_Serving the Lord; rejoicing in hope_.--ROM. xii. 11, 12. + + Every day is a fresh beginning, + Every morn is the world made new. + You who are weary of sorrow and sinning, + Here is a beautiful hope for you; + A hope for me and a hope for you. + +SUSAN COOLIDGE. + +Be patient with every one, but above all with yourself. I mean, do not be +disturbed because of your imperfections, and always rise up bravely from +a fall. I am glad that you make a daily new beginning; there is no better +means of progress in the spiritual life than to be continually beginning +afresh, and never to think that we have done enough. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + +Because perseverance is so difficult, even when supported by the grace of +God, thence is the value of new beginnings. For new beginnings are the life +of perseverance. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +July 2 + + +_Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence +toward God, and toward men_.--ACTS xxiv. 16. + +_I will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: I will +guide thee with mine eye_.--PS. xxxii. 8. + + Oh, keep thy conscience sensitive; + No inward token miss; + And go where grace entices thee;-- + Perfection lies in this. + +F. W. FABER. + +We need only obey. There is guidance for each of us, and by lowly listening +we shall hear the right word. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +The heights of Christian perfection can only be reached by faithfully each +moment following the Guide who is to lead you there, and He reveals your +way to you one step at a time, in the little things of your daily lives, +asking only on your part that you yield yourselves up to His guidance. If +then, in anything you feel doubtful or troubled, be sure that it is the +voice of your Lord, and surrender it at once to His bidding, rejoicing with +a great joy that He has begun thus to lead and guide you. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +July 3 + + +_He shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities_.--PS. cxxx. 8. + + Be it according to Thy word; + Redeem me from all sin; + My heart would now receive Thee, Lord, + Come in, my Lord, come in! + +C. WESLEY. + +When you wake, or as soon as you are dressed, offer up your whole self to +God, soul and body, thoughts and purposes and desires, to be for that day +what He wills. Think of the occasions of the sin likely to befall you, +and go, as a child, to your Father which is in heaven, and tell Him +in childlike, simple words, your trials--in some such simple words as +these--"Thou knowest, good Lord, that I am tempted to--[_then name the +temptations to it, and the ways in which you sin, as well as you know +them_]. But, good Lord, for love of Thee, I would this day keep wholly from +all [_naming the sin_] and be very [naming the opposite grace]. I will not, +by Thy grace, do one [N.] act, or speak one [N.] word, or give one [N.] +look, or harbor one [N.] thought in my soul. If Thou allow any of these +temptations to come upon me this day, I desire to think, speak, and do only +what Thou willest. Lord, without Thee I can do nothing; with Thee I can do +all." + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +July 4 + + +_Look at the generations of old, and see; did ever any trust in the Lord, +and was confounded? or did any abide in His fear, and was forsaken? or whom +did He ever despise, that called upon Him_?--ECCLESIASTICUS ii. 10. + +_Remember, O Lord, Thy tender mercies, and Thy loving-kindnesses; for they +have been ever of old_.--PS. xxv. 6. + + My Father! see + I trust the faithfulness displayed of old, + I trust the love that never can grow cold-- + I trust in Thee. + +CHRISTIAN INTELLIGENCER. + +Be not so much discouraged in the sight of what is yet to be done, as +comforted in His good-will towards thee. 'Tis true, He hath chastened +thee with rods and sore afflictions; but did He ever take away His +loving-kindness from thee? or did His faithfulness ever fail in the sorest, +blackest, thickest, darkest night that ever befell thee? + +I. PENINGTON. + +WE call Him the "_God of our fathers_;" and we feel that there is some +stability at centre, while we can tell our cares to One listening at our +right hand, by whom theirs are remembered and removed. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +July 5 + + +_He stayeth His rough wind in the day of the east wind_.--ISA. xxvii. 8. + +_A bruised reed shall He not break_.--ISA. xlii. 3. + + All my life I still have found, + And I will forget it never; + Every sorrow hath its bound, + And no cross endures forever. + All things else have but their day, + God's love only lasts for aye. + +P. GERHARDT. + +We never have more than we can bear. The present hour we are always able to +endure. As our day, so is our strength. If the trials of many years were +gathered into one, they would overwhelm us; therefore, in pity to our +little strength, He sends first one, then another, then removes both, +and lays on a third, heavier, perhaps, than either; but all is so wisely +measured to our strength that the bruised reed is never broken. We do not +enough look at our trials in this continuous and successive view. Each one +is sent to teach us something, and altogether they have a lesson which is +beyond the power of any to teach alone. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +July 6 + + +_I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, +and will keep thee_.--ISA. xlii. 6. + +_O keep my soul, and deliver me: for I put my trust in Thee_.--PS. xxv. 20. + + I do not ask my cross to understand, + My way to see; + Better in darkness just to feel Thy hand, + And follow Thee. + +ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. + +O Lord, if only my will may remain right and firm towards Thee, do with +me whatsoever it shall please Thee. For it cannot be anything but good, +whatsoever Thou shalt do with me. If it be Thy will I should be in +darkness, be Thou blessed; and, if it be Thy will I should be in light, be +Thou again blessed. If Thou vouchsafe to comfort me, be Thou blessed; and, +if Thou wilt have me afflicted, be Thou equally blessed. O Lord! for +Thy sake I will cheerfully suffer whatever shall come on me with Thy +permission. + +THOMAS À KEMPIS. + +My soul could not incline itself on the one side or the other, since +another will had taken the place of its own; but only nourished itself with +the daily providences of God. + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +July 7 + + +_The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? The Lord is the +strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid_?--PS. xxvii. I. + + Thou hidden Source of calm repose, + Thou all-sufficient Love divine, + My Help and Refuge from my foes, + Secure I am while Thou art mine: + And lo! from sin, and grief, and shame, + I hide me, Father, in Thy name. + +C. WESLEY. + +Whatever troubles come on you, of mind, body, or estate, from within or +from without, from chance or from intent, from friends or foes--whatever +your trouble be, though you be lonely, O children of a heavenly Father, be +not afraid! + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +Whatsoever befalleth thee, receive it not from the hand of any creature, +but from Him alone, and render back all to Him, seeking in all things His +pleasure and honor, the purifying and subduing of thyself. What can harm +thee, when all must first touch God, within whom thou hast enclosed +thyself? + +R. LEIGHTON. + +How God rejoices over a soul, which, surrounded on all sides by suffering +and misery, does that upon earth which the angels do in heaven; namely, +loves, adores, and praises God! + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + + + +July 8 + + +_Be ye kind one to another_.--EPH. iv. 32. + + She doeth little kindnesses + Which most leave undone or despise; + For nought which sets one heart at ease, + And giveth happiness or peace, + Is low-esteemed in her eyes. + +J. R. LOWELL. + +What was the secret of such a one's power? What had she done? Absolutely +nothing; but radiant smiles, beaming good-humor, the tact of divining what +every one felt and every one wanted, told that she had got out of self +and learned to think of others; so that at one time it showed itself in +deprecating the quarrel, which lowering brows and raised tones already +showed to be impending, by sweet words; at another, by smoothing an +invalid's pillow; at another, by soothing a sobbing child; at another, by +humoring and softening a father who had returned weary and ill-tempered +from the irritating cares of business. None but she saw those things. None +but a loving heart _could_ see them. That was the secret of her heavenly +power. The one who will be found in trial capable of great acts of love, is +ever the one who is always doing considerate small ones. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +July 9 + + +_Love is of God; and every one that loveth is born of God, and knoweth +God_.--I JOHN iv. 7. + +_Forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a +quarrel (or "complaint") against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also +do ye_.--COL. iii. 13. + + Oh, might we all our lineage prove, + Give and forgive, do good and love; + By soft endearments, in kind strife, + Lightening the load of daily life. + +J. KEBLE. + +We may, if we choose, make the worst of one another. Every one has his weak +points; every one has his faults: we may make the worst of these; we may +fix our attention constantly upon these. But we may also make the best of +one another. We may forgive, even as we hope to be forgiven. We may put +ourselves in the place of others, and ask what we should wish to be done +to us, and thought of us, were we in their place. By loving whatever is +lovable in those around us, love will flow back from them to us, and life +will become a pleasure instead of a pain; and earth will become like +heaven; and we shall become not unworthy followers of Him whose name is +Love. + +A. P. STANLEY. + + + +July 10 + + +_The Lord will perfect that which concerneth me: Thy mercy, O Lord, +endureth forever: forsake not the--works of Thine own hands_.--PS. +cxxxviii. 8. + + As God leads me, will I go,-- + Nor choose my way; + Let Him choose the joy or woe + Of every day: + They cannot hurt my soul, + Because in His control: + I leave to Him the whole,-- + His children may. + +L. GEDICKE. + +Why is it that we are so busy with the future? It is not _our_ province; +and is there not a criminal interference with Him to whom it belongs, in +our feverish, anxious attempts to dispose of it, and in filling it up with +shadows of good and evil shaped by our own wild imaginations? To do God's +will as fast as it is made known to us, to inquire hourly--I had almost +said each moment--what He requires of us, and to leave ourselves, our +friends, and every interest at His control, with a cheerful trust that the +path which He marks out leads to our perfection and to Himself,--this is at +once our duty and happiness; and why will we not walk in the plain, simple +way? + +WILLIAM E. CHANNING. + + + +July 11 + + +_When He giveth quietness, who then can make trouble_?--JOB xxxiv. 29. + +_None of these things move me_.--ACTS xx. 24. + + I've many a cross to take up now, + And many left behind; + But present troubles move me not, + Nor shake my quiet mind. + And what may be to-morrow's cross + I never seek to find; + My Father says, "Leave that to me, + And keep a quiet mind." + +ANON. + +Let us then think only of the present, and not even permit our minds to +wander with curiosity into the future. This future is not yet ours; perhaps +it never will be. It is exposing ourselves to temptation to wish to +anticipate God, and to prepare ourselves for things which He may not +destine for us. If such things should come to pass, He will give us +light and strength according to the need. Why should we desire to meet +difficulties prematurely, when we have neither strength nor light as yet +provided for them? Let us give heed to the present, whose duties are +pressing; it is fidelity to the present which prepares us for fidelity in +the future. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +Every hour comes with some little fagot of God's will fastened upon its +back. + +F. W. FABER. + + + +July 12 + + +_Be strong, and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid ... for the +Lord thy God, He it is that doth go with thee; He will not fail thee, nor +forsake thee_.--DEUT. xxxi. 6. + + The timid it concerns to ask their way, + And fear what foe in caves and swamps can stray, + To make no step until the event is known, + And ills to come as evils past bemoan. + Not so the wise; no coward watch he keeps + To spy what danger on his pathway creeps; + Go where he will, the wise man is at home, + His hearth the earth,--his hall the azure dome; + Where his clear spirit leads him, there's his road, + By God's own light illumined and foreshowed. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Though I sympathize, I do not share in the least the feeling of being +disheartened and cast down. It is not things of this sort that depress me, +or ever will. The contrary things, praise, openings, the feeling of the +greatness of my work, and my inability in relation to it, these things +oppress and cast me down; but little hindrances, and closing up of +accustomed or expected avenues, and the presence of difficulties to be +overcome,--I'm not going to be cast down by trifles such as these. + +JAMES HINTON. + + + +July 13 + + +_And the Lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in +drought_.--ISA. lviii. 11. + + Wherever He may guide me, + No want shall turn me back; + My Shepherd is beside me, + And nothing can I lack. + His wisdom ever waketh, + His sight is never dim,-- + He knows the way He taketh, + And I will walk with Him. + +A. L. WARING. + +Abandon yourself to His care and guidance, as a sheep in the care of a +shepherd, and trust Him utterly. No matter though you may seem to yourself +to be in the very midst of a desert, with nothing green about you, inwardly +or outwardly, and may think you will have to make a long journey before you +can get into the green pastures. Our Shepherd will turn that very place +where you are into green pastures, for He has power to make the desert +rejoice and blossom as a rose. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +July 14 + + +_Be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of +your mind_.--ROM. xii. 2. + + Father, let our faithful mind + Rest, on Thee alone inclined; + Every anxious thought repress, + Keep our souls in perfect peace. + +C. WESLEY. + +Retirement from anxieties of every kind; entering into no disputes; +avoiding all frivolous talk; and simplifying everything we engage in, +whether in a way of doing or suffering; denying the, imagination its false +activities, and the intellect its false searchings after what it cannot +obtain,--these seem to be some of the steps that lead to obedience to the +holy precept in our text. + +JAMES P. GREAVES. + +Retire inwardly; wait to feel somewhat of God's Spirit, discovering and +drawing away from that which is contrary to His holy nature, and leading +into that which is acceptable to Him. As the mind is joined to this, some +true light and life is received. + +I. PENINGTON. + +Act up faithfully to your convictions; and when you have been unfaithful, +bear with yourself, and resume always with calm simplicity your little +task. Suppress, as much as you possibly can, all recurrence to yourself, +and you will suppress much vanity. Accustom yourself to much calmness and +an indifference to events. + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +July 15 + + +_Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; +and the King of glory shall come in_.--PS. xxiv. 9. + +_Ye are the temple of the living God_.--2 COR. vi. 16. + + Fling wide the portals of your heart, + Make it a temple set apart + From earthly use for Heaven's employ, + Adorned with prayer, and love, and joy. + So shall your Sovereign enter in, + And new and nobler life begin. + +G. WEISSEL. + +Thou art to know that thy soul is the centre, habitation, and kingdom of +God. That, therefore, to the end the sovereign King may rest on that throne +of thy soul, thou oughtest to take pains to keep it clean, quiet, and +peaceable,--clean from guilt and defects; quiet from fears; and peaceable +in temptations and tribulations. Thou oughtest always, then, to keep thine +heart in peace, that thou mayest keep pure that temple of God; and with a +right and pure intention thou art to work, pray, obey, and suffer (without +being in the least moved), whatever it pleases the Lord to send unto thee. + +M. DE MOLINOS + + + +July 16 + + +_Oh how great is Thy goodness, which Thou hast laid up for them that fear +Thee; which Thou hast wrought for them that trust in Thee_.--PS. xxxi. 19. + +_I will sing unto the Lord, because He hath dealt bountifully with +me_.--PS. xiii. 6. + + Thy calmness bends serene above + My restlessness to still; + Around me flows Thy quickening life, + To nerve my faltering will; + Thy presence fills my solitude; + Thy providence turns all to good. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +With a heart devoted to God and full of God, no longer seek Him in the +heavens above or the earth beneath, or in the things under the earth, but +recognize Him as the great fact of the universe, separate from no place or +part, but revealed in all places and in all things and events, _moment by +moment_. And as eternity alone will exhaust this momentary revelation, +which has sometimes been called the ETERNAL Now, thou shalt thus find God +ever present and ever new; and thy soul shall adore Him and feed upon Him +in the things and events which each new moment brings; and thou shalt never +be absent from Him, and He shall never be absent from thee. + +T. C. UPHAM. + + + +July 17 + + +_For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be +compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us_.--ROM. viii. 18. + +_The power of an endless life_.--HEB. vii. 16. + + Believ'st thou in eternal things? + Thou knowest, in thy inmost heart, + Thou art not clay; thy soul hath wings, + And what thou seest is but part. + Make this thy med'cine for the smart + Of every day's distress; be dumb, + In each new loss thou truly art + Tasting the power of things that come. + +T. W. Parsons. + +Every contradiction of our will, every little ailment, every petty +disappointment, will, if we take it patiently, become a blessing. So, +walking on earth, we may be in heaven; the ill-tempers of others, the +slights and rudenesses of the world, ill-health, the daily accidents +with which God has mercifully strewed our paths, instead of ruffling or +disturbing our peace, may cause His peace to be shed abroad in our hearts +abundantly. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +July 18 + + +_A new commandment I give unto you, That ye love one another; as I have +loved you, that ye also love one another_.--JOHN xiii. 34. + +_And the Lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another, +and toward all men_.--I THESS. iii. 12. + + Let love through all my conduct shine, + An image fair, though faint, of Thine; + Thus let me His disciple prove, + Who came to manifest Thy love. + +Simon Browne. + +We should arrive at a fulness of love extending to the whole creation, a +desire to impart, to pour out in full and copious streams the love and +goodness we bear to all around us. + +J. P. GREAVES. + +Goodness and love mould the form into their own image, and cause the joy +and beauty of love to shine forth from every part of the face. When this +form of love is seen, it appears ineffably beautiful, and affects with +delight the inmost life of the soul. + +E. SWEDENBORG. + +The soul within had so often lighted up her countenance with its own full +happiness and joy, that something of a permanent radiance remained upon it. + +SARAH W. STEPHEN. + + + +July 19 + + +_The Lord is good to all: and His tender mercies are over all His +works_.--PS. cxlv. 9. + +_For every beast of the forest is Mine, and the cattle upon a thousand +hills_.--PS. 1. 10. + + Maker of earth and sea and sky, + Creation's sovereign Lord and King, + Who hung the starry worlds on high, + And formed alike the sparrow's wing; + Bless the dumb creatures of Thy care, + And listen to their voiceless prayer. + +ANON. + +I believe where the love of God is verily perfected, and the true spirit of +government watchfully attended to, a tenderness towards all creatures made +subject to us will be experienced; and a care felt in us, that we do not +lessen that sweetness of life in the animal creation, which the great +Creator intends for them under our government. To say we love God as +unseen, and at the same time exercise cruelty toward the least creature +moving by His life, or by life derived from Him, was a contradiction in +itself. + +JOHN WOOLMAN. + +I would give nothing for that man's religion whose very dog and cat are not +the better for it. + +ROWLAND HILL. + + + +July 20 + + +_Then I said, I have labored in vain, I have spent my strength for naught, +and in vain_.--ISA. xlix. 4. + + Because I spent the strength Thou gavest me + In struggle which Thou never didst ordain, + And have but dregs of life to offer Thee-- + O Lord, I do repent. + +SARAH WILLIAMS. + +Mind, it is our best work that He wants, not the dregs of our exhaustion. I +think He must prefer quality to quantity. + +GEORGE MACDONALD. + +If the people about you are carrying on their business or their benevolence +at a pace which drains the life out of you, resolutely take a slower pace; +be called a laggard, make less money, accomplish less work than they, but +be what you were meant to be and can be. You have your natural limit of +power as much as an engine,--ten-horse power, or twenty, or a hundred. You +are fit to do certain kinds of work, and you need a certain kind and amount +of fuel, and a certain kind of handling. + +GEORGE S. MERRIAM. + +In your occupations, try to possess your soul in peace. It is not a good +plan to be in haste to perform any action that it may be the sooner over. +On the contrary, you should accustom yourself to do whatever you have to do +with tranquillity, in order that you may retain the possession of yourself +and of settled peace. + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +July 21 + + +_For which cause we faint not; but, though our outward man perish, yet the +inward man is renewed day by day_.--2 COR. iv. 16. + + Let my soul beneath her load + Faint not through the o'erwearied flesh; + Let me hourly drink afresh + Love and peace from Thee, my God! + +C. F. RICHTER. + +In my attempts to promote the comfort of my family, the quiet of my spirit +has been disturbed. Some of this is doubtless owing to physical weakness; +but, with every temptation, there is a way of escape; there is _never_ any +_need_ to sin. Another thing I have suffered loss from,--entering into the +business of the day without seeking to have my spirit quieted and directed. +So many things press upon me, this is sometimes neglected; shame to me that +it should be so. + +This is of great importance, to watch carefully,--now I am so weak--not to +over-fatigue myself, because then I cannot contribute to the pleasure of +others; and a placid face and a gentle tone will make my family more happy +than anything else I can do for them. Our own will gets sadly into the +performance of our duties sometimes. + +ELIZABETH T. KING. + + + +July 22 + + +_Whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand +the loving-kindness of the Lord_.--PS. cvii. 43. + + What channel needs our faith, except the eyes? + God leaves no spot of earth unglorified; + Profuse and wasteful, lovelinesses rise; + New beauties dawn before the old have died. + + Trust thou thy joys in keeping of the Power + Who holds these changing shadows in His hand; + Believe and live, and know that hour by hour + Will ripple newer beauty to thy strand. + +T. W. HIGGINSON. + +I wondered over again for the hundredth time what could be the principle +which, in the wildest, most lawless, fantastically chaotic, apparently +capricious work of nature, always kept it beautiful. The beauty of holiness +must be at the heart of it somehow, I thought. Because our God is so free +from stain, so loving, so unselfish, so good, so altogether what He wants +us to be, so holy, therefore all His works declare Him in beauty; His +fingers can touch nothing but to mould it into loveliness; and even the +play of His elements is in grace and tenderness of form. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +July 23 + + +_Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy +soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind_.--LUKE x. 27. + + O God, what offering shall I give + To Thee, the Lord of earth and skies? + My spirit, soul, and flesh receive, + A holy, living sacrifice. + +J. LANGE. + +To love God "with all our heart," is to know the spiritual passion of +measureless gratitude for loving-kindness, and self-devotedness to +goodness; to love Him "with all our mind," is to know the passion for Truth +that is the enthusiasm of Science, the passion for Beauty that inspires +the poet and the artist, when all truth and beauty are regarded as the +self-revealings of God; to love Him "with all our soul," is to know the +saint's rapture of devotion and gaze of penitential awe into the face of +the All-holy, the saint's abhorrence of sin, and agony of desire to save +a sinner's soul; and to love Him "with all our strength," is the supreme +spiritual passion that tests the rest; the passion for reality, for worship +in spirit and in truth, for being what we adore, for doing what we know +to be God's word; the loyalty that exacts the living sacrifice, the whole +burnt-offering that is our reasonable service, and in our coldest hours +keeps steadfast to what seemed good when we were aglow. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +July 24 + + +_Walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto His kingdom and glory_.--I +THESS. ii. 12. + +_Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it not_.--GEN. xxviii. 16. + + Thou earnest not to thy place by accident, + It is the very place God meant for thee; + And shouldst thou there small scope for action see, + Do not for this give room to discontent. + +R. C. TRENCH. + +Accept the place the divine providence has found for you, the society of +your contemporaries, the connection of events. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Adapt thyself to the things with which thy lot has been cast; and love the +men with whom it is thy portion to live, and that with a sincere affection. +No longer be either dissatisfied with thy present lot, or shrink from the +future. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + +I love best to have each thing in its season, doing without it at all other +times. I have never got over my surprise that I should have been born into +the most estimable place in all the world, and in the very nick of time +too. + +H. D. THOREAU. + + + +July 25 + + +_He knoweth the way that I take_.--JOB xxiii. 10. + +_Man's goings are of the Lord; how can a man then understand his own +way_?--PROV. xx. 24. + + Be quiet, why this anxious heed + About thy tangled ways? + God knows them all, He giveth speed, + And He allows delays. + +E. W. + +We complain of the slow, dull life we are forced to lead, of our humble +sphere of action, of our low position in the scale of society, of our +having no room to make ourselves known, of our wasted energies, of our +years of patience. So do we say that we have no Father who is directing our +life; so do we say that God has forgotten us; so do we boldly judge what +life is best for us, and so by our complaining do we lose the use and +profit of the quiet years. O men of little faith! Because you are not sent +out yet into your labor, do you think God has ceased to remember you? +Because you are forced to be outwardly inactive, do you think you, also, +may not be, in your years of quiet, "about your Father's business"? It is a +period given to us in which to mature ourselves for the work which God will +give us to do. + +STOPFORD A. BROOKE. + + + +July 26 + + +_They that trust in the Lord shall be as Mount Zion, which cannot be +removed, but abideth for ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, +so the Lord is round about His people from henceforth even for ever_.--PS. +cxxv. I, 2. + + How on a rock they stand, + Who watch His eye, and hold His guiding hand! + Not half so fixed amid her vassal hills, + Rises the holy pile that Kedron's valley fills. + +J. KEBLE. + +That is the way to be immovable in the midst of troubles, as a rock amidst +the waves. When God is in the midst of a kingdom or city, He makes it firm +as Mount Sion, that cannot be removed. When He is in the midst of a soul, +though calamities throng about it on all hands, and roar like the billows +of the sea, yet there is a constant calm within, such a peace as the world +can neither give nor take away. What is it but want of lodging God in the +soul, and that in His stead the world is in men's hearts, that makes them +shake like leaves at every blast of danger? + +R. LEIGHTON. + + + +July 27 + + +_He that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, +and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an +hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty_.--MATT. xiii. 23. + + Then bless thy secret growth, nor catch + At noise, but thrive unseen and dumb; + Keep clean, bear fruit, earn life, and watch + Till the white-winged reapers come. + +H. VAUGHAN. + +He does not need to transplant us into a different field, but right where +we are, with just the circumstances that surround us, He makes His sun to +shine and His dew to fall upon us, and transforms the very things that were +before our greatest hindrances, into the chiefest and most blessed means +of our growth. No difficulties in your case can baffle Him. No dwarfing +of your growth in years that are past, no apparent dryness of your +inward springs of life, no crookedness or deformity in any of your past +development, can in the least mar the perfect work that He will accomplish, +if you will only put yourselves absolutely into His hands, and let Him have +His own way with you. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +July 28 + + +_But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which +are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope_.--I +THESS. iv. 13. + + Yet Love will dream, and Faith will trust + (Since He who knows our need is just), + That somehow, somewhere, meet we must. + Alas for him who never sees + The stars shine through his cypress trees; + Who hath not learned in hours of faith, + The truth to flesh and sense unknown, + That life is ever Lord of Death, + And Love can never lose its own. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +While we poor wayfarers still toil, with hot and bleeding feet, along the +highway and the dust of life, our companions have but mounted the divergent +path, to explore the more sacred streams, and visit the diviner vales, and +wander amid the everlasting Alps, of God's upper province of creation. And +so we keep up the courage of our hearts, and refresh ourselves with the +memories of love, and travel forward in the ways of duty, with less weary +step, feeling ever for the hand of God, and listening for the domestic +voices of the immortals whose happy welcome waits us. Death, in short, +under the Christian aspect, is but God's method of colonization; the +transition from this mother-country of our race to the fairer and newer +world of our emigration. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +July 29 + + +_But this I say, brethren, the time is short_.--I COR. vii. 29. + + I sometimes feel the thread of life is slender, + And soon with me the labor will be wrought; + Then grows my heart to other hearts more tender. + The time is short. + +D. M. CRAIK. + +Oh, my dear friends, you who are letting miserable misunderstandings run on +from year to year, meaning to clear them up some day; you who are keeping +wretched quarrels alive because you cannot quite make up your mind that now +is the day to sacrifice your pride and kill them; you who are passing men +sullenly upon the street, not speaking to them out of some silly spite, and +yet knowing that it would fill you with shame and remorse if you heard +that one of those men were dead tomorrow morning; you who are letting your +neighbor starve, till you hear that he is dying of starvation; or letting +your friend's heart ache for a word of appreciation or sympathy, which you +mean to give him some day,--if you only could know and see and feel, all of +a sudden, that "the time is short," how it would break the spell! How you +would go instantly and do the thing which you might never have another +chance to do. + +PHILLIPS BROOKS. + + + +July 30 + + +_Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions: according to Thy +mercy remember Thou me for Thy goodness' sake, O Lord_.--PS. XXV. 7. + + When on my aching, burdened heart + My sins lie heavily, + My pardon speak, new peace impart, + In love remember me. + +T. HAWEIS. + +We need to know that our sins are forgiven. And how shall we know this? By +feeling that we have peace with God,--by feeling that we are able so to +trust in the divine compassion and infinite tenderness of our Father, as +to arise and go to Him, whenever we commit sin, and say at once to Him, +"Father, I have sinned; forgive me." To know that we are forgiven, it is +only necessary to look at our Father's love till it sinks into our heart, +to open our soul to Him till He shall pour His love into it; to wait on Him +till we find peace, till our conscience no longer torments us, till the +weight of responsibility ceases to be an oppressive burden to us, till we +can feel that our sins, great as they are, cannot keep us away from our +Heavenly Father. + +J. F. CLARKE. + + + +July 31 + + +_I have blotted out, as a thick cloud, thy transgressions, and, as a cloud, +thy sins: return unto Me; for I have redeemed thee_.--ISA. xliv. 22. + +_He will turn again, He will have compassion upon us; He will subdue our +iniquities; and Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the +sea_.--MICAH vii. 19. + + If my shut eyes should dare their lids to part, + I know how they must quail beneath the blaze + Of Thy Love's greatness. No; I dare not raise + One prayer, to look aloft, lest it should gaze + On such forgiveness as would break my heart. + +H. S. SUTTON. + +O Lord God gracious and merciful, give us, I entreat Thee, a humble trust +in Thy mercy, and suffer not our heart to fail us. Though our sins be +seven, though our sins be seventy times seven, though our sins be more in +number than the hairs of our head, yet give us grace in loving penitence to +cast ourselves down into the depth of Thy compassion. Let us fall into the +hand of the Lord. Amen. + +C. G. ROSSETTI. + + + +August 1 + + +_Be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of +fools_.--ECCLES. vii. 9. + +_Let not the sun go down upon your wrath_--EPH. iv. 26. + + Quench thou the fires of hate and strife, + The wasting fever of the heart; + From perils guard our feeble life, + And to our souls Thy peace impart. + +J. H. NEWMAN, _Tr. from Latin_. + +When thou art offended or annoyed by others, suffer not thy thoughts to +dwell thereon, or on anything relating to them. For example, "that they +ought not so to have treated thee; who they are, or whom they think +themselves to be;" or the like; for all this is fuel and kindling of wrath, +anger, and hatred. + +L. SCUPOLI. + +Struggle diligently against your impatience, and strive to be amiable and +gentle, in season and out of season, towards every one, however much they +may vex and annoy you, and be sure God will bless your efforts. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +August 2 + + +_Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the Lord +Jehovah is my strength and my song; He also is become my salvation_.--ISA. +xii. 2. + +_Why are ye so fearful? How is it that ye have no faith_?--MARK. iv. 40. + + Still heavy is thy heart? + Still sink thy spirits down? + Cast off the weight, let fear depart, + And every care be gone. + +P. GERHARDT. + +Go on in all simplicity; do not be so anxious to win a quiet mind, and it +will be all the quieter. Do not examine so closely into the progress of +your soul. Do not crave so much to be perfect, but let your spiritual life +be formed by your duties, and by the actions which are called forth by +circumstances. Do not take overmuch thought for to-morrow. God, who has led +you safely on so far, will lead you on to the end. Be altogether at rest +in the loving holy confidence which you ought to have in His heavenly +Providence. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +August 3 + + +_Thou hast made him exceeding glad with Thy countenance_.--PS. xxi. 6. + + MY heart for gladness springs, + It cannot more be sad, + For very joy it laughs and sings, + Sees nought but sunshine glad. + +P. GERHARDT. + +A new day rose upon me. It was as if another sun had risen into the sky; +the heavens were indescribably brighter, and the earth fairer; and that day +has gone on brightening to the present hour. I have known the other joys of +life, I suppose, as much as most men; I have known art and beauty, music +and gladness; I have known friendship and love and family ties; but it is +certain that till we see GOD in the world--GOD in the bright and boundless +universe--we never know the highest joy. It is far more than if one were +translated to a world a thousand times fairer than this; for that supreme +and central Light of Infinite Love and Wisdom, shining over this world +and all worlds, alone can show us how noble and beautiful, how fair and +glorious they are. + +ORVILLE DEWEY. + +When I look like this into the blue sky, it seems so deep, so peaceful, so +full of a mysterious tenderness, that I could lie for centuries and wait +for the dawning of the face of God out of the awful loving-kindness. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +August 4 + + +_He satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul He filleth with +good_.--PS. cvii. 9 (R. V.). + +_That ye might be filled with all the fulness of God_.--EPH. iii. 19. + + Enough that He who made can fill the soul + Here and hereafter till its deeps o'erflow; + Enough that love and tenderness control + Our fate where'er in joy or doubt we go. + +ANON. + +O God, the Life of the Faithful, the Bliss of the righteous, mercifully +receive the prayers of Thy suppliants, that the souls which thirst for Thy +promises may evermore be filled from Thy abundance. Amen. + +GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 490. + +God makes every common thing serve, if thou wilt, to enlarge that capacity +of bliss in His love. Not a prayer, not an act of faithfulness in your +calling, not a self-denying or kind word or deed, done out of love for +Himself; not a weariness or painfulness endured patiently; not a duty +performed; not a temptation resisted; but it enlarges the whole soul for +the endless capacity of the love of God. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +August 5 + + +_O receive the gift that is given you, and be glad, giving thanks unto Him +that hath called you to the heavenly kingdom_.--2 ESDRAS ii. 37. + +_Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift_.--2 COR. ix. 15. + + O Giver of each perfect gift! + This day our daily bread supply; + While from the Spirit's tranquil depths + We drink unfailing draughts of joy. + +LYRA CATHOLICA. + +The best way for a man rightly to enjoy himself, is to maintain a +universal, ready, and cheerful compliance with the divine and uncreated +Will in all things; as knowing that nothing can issue and flow forth from +the fountain of goodness but that which is good; and therefore a good man +is never offended with any piece of divine dispensation, nor hath he any +reluctancy against that Will that dictates and determines all things by +an eternal rule of goodness; as knowing that there is an unbounded and +almighty Love that, without any disdain or envy, freely communicates itself +to everything He made; that always enfolds those in His everlasting arms +who are made partakers of His own image, perpetually nourishing and +cherishing them with the fresh and vital influences of His grace. + +DR. JOHN SMITH. + + + +August 6 + + +_Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits_.--PS. ciii. 2. + + Wiser it were to welcome and make ours + Whate'er of good, though small, the Present brings,-- + Kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers, + With a child's pure delight in little things. + +R. C. TRENCH. + +Into all our lives, in many simple, familiar, homely ways, God infuses this +element of joy from the surprises of life, which unexpectedly brighten our +days, and fill our eyes with light. He drops this added sweetness into His +children's cup, and makes it to run over. The success we were not counting +on, the blessing we were not trying after, the strain of music, in the +midst of drudgery, the beautiful morning picture or sunset glory thrown +in as we pass to or from our daily business, the unsought word of +encouragement or expression of sympathy, the sentence that meant for us +more than the writer or speaker thought,--these and a hundred others that +every one's experience can supply are instances of what I mean. You may +call it accident or chance--it often is; you may call it human goodness--it +often is; but always, always call it God's love, for that is always in it. +These are the overflowing riches of His grace, these are His free gifts. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + + + +August 7 + + +_If thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that +believeth_.--MARK ix. 23. + +_Nothing shall be impossible unto you_.--MATT. xvii. 20. + + So nigh is grandeur to our dust, + So near is God to man, + When Duty whispers low, _Thou must_, + The youth replies, _I can_. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Know that "impossible," where truth and mercy and the everlasting voice of +nature order, has no place in the brave man's dictionary. That when all men +have said "Impossible," and tumbled noisily elsewhither, and thou alone art +left, then first thy time and possibility have come. It is for thee now: do +thou that, and ask no man's counsel, but thy own only and God's. Brother, +thou hast possibility in thee for much: the possibility of writing on the +eternal skies the record of a heroic life. + +T. CARLYLE. + +In the moral world there is nothing impossible, if we bring a thorough will +to it. Man can do everything with himself; but he must not attempt to do +too much with others. + +WM. VON HUMBOLDT. + + + +August 8 + + +_Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, +and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage_.--GAL. v. i. + +_I believed, and therefore have I spoken_.--2 COR. iv. 13. + + They are slaves who fear to speak + For the fallen and the weak; + They are slaves who will not choose + Hatred, scoffing, and abuse, + Rather than in silence shrink + From the truth they needs must think; + They are slaves who dare not be + In the right with two or three. + +J. R. LOWELL. + +The real corrupters of society may be, not the corrupt, but those who have +held back the righteous leaven, the salt that has lost its savor, the +innocent who have not even the moral courage to show what they think of the +effrontery of impurity,--the serious, who yet timidly succumb before +some loud-voiced scoffer,--the heart trembling all over with religious +sensibilities that yet suffers itself through false shame to be beaten down +into outward and practical acquiescence by some rude and worldly nature. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +August 9 + + +_The things which are impossible with men are possible with God_.--LUKE +xviii. 27. + +_Unless the Lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in +silence_.--PS. xciv. 17. + + When obstacles and trials seem + Like prison-walls to be, + I do the little I can do, + And leave the rest to Thee. + +F. W. FABER. + +The mind never puts forth greater power over itself than when, in great +trials, it yields up calmly its desires, affections, interests to God. +There are seasons when to be _still_ demands immeasurably higher strength +than to act. Composure is often the highest result of power. Think you it +demands no power to calm the stormy elements of passion, to moderate the +vehemence of desire, to throw off the load of dejection, to suppress every +repining thought, when the dearest hopes are withered, and to turn the +wounded spirit from dangerous reveries and wasting grief, to the quiet +discharge of ordinary duties? Is there no power put forth, when a man, +stripped of his property, of the fruits of a life's labors, quells +discontent and gloomy forebodings, and serenely and patiently returns to +the tasks which Providence assigns? + +WM. E. CHANNING. + + + +August 10 + + +_The cup which my Father has given me, shall I not drink it_?--JOHN xviii. +11. + +_Whatsoever is brought upon thee, take cheerfully_.--ECCLESIASTICUS ii. 4. + + Every sorrow, every smart, + That the Eternal Father's heart + Hath appointed me of yore, + Or hath yet for me in store, + As my life flows on, I 'll take + Calmly, gladly, for His sake, + No more faithless murmurs make + +P. GERHARDT. + +The very least and the very greatest sorrows that God ever suffers to +befall thee, proceed from the depths of His unspeakable love; and such +great love were better for thee than the highest and best gifts besides +that He has given thee, or ever could give thee, if thou couldst but see it +in this light. So that if your little finger only aches, if you are cold, +if you are hungry or thirsty, if others vex you by their words or deeds, or +whatever happens to you that causes you distress or pain, it will all help +to fit you for a noble and blessed state. + +J. TAULER. + + + +AUGUST 11 + + +_The Lord thy God shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou +puttest thine hand unto_.--DEUT. xv. 10. + + My place of lowly service, too, + Beneath Thy sheltering wings I see; + For all the work I have to do + Is done through strengthening rest in Thee. + +A. L. WARING. + +I think I find most help in trying to look on all interruptions and +hindrances to work that one has planned out for oneself as discipline, +trials sent by God to help one against getting selfish over one's +work. Then one can feel that perhaps one's true work--one's work for +God--consists in doing some trifling haphazard thing that has been thrown +into one's day. It is not waste of time, as one is tempted to think, it +is the most important part of the work of the day,--the part one can best +offer to God. After such a hindrance, do not rush after the planned work; +trust that the time to finish it will be given sometime, and keep a quiet +heart about it. + +ANNIE KEARY. + + + +August 12 + + +_Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life_?--LUKE x. 25. + +_Whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might_.--ECCLES. ix. 10. + + "What shall I do to gain eternal life?" + "Discharge aright + The simple dues with which each day is rife, + Yea, with thy might." + +F. VON SCHILLER. + +A man is relieved and gay when he has put his heart into his work, and done +his best; but what he has said or done otherwise, shall give him no peace. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Be diligent, after thy power, to do deeds of love. Think nothing too +little, nothing too low, to do lovingly for the sake of God. Bear with +infirmities, ungentle tempers, contradictions; visit, if thou mayest, the +sick; relieve the poor; forego thyself and thine own ways for love; and He +whom in them thou lovest, to whom in them thou ministerest, will own thy +love, and will pour His own love into thee. + +E. B. PUSEY. + + + +August 13 + + +_In your patience possess ye your souls_.--LUKE xxi. 19. + + What though thy way be dark, and earth + With ceaseless care do cark, till mirth + To thee no sweet strain singeth; + Still hide thy life above, and still + Believe that God is love; fulfil + Whatever lot He bringeth. + +ALBERT E. EVANS. + +The soul loses command of itself when it is impatient. Whereas, when it +submits without a murmur it possesses itself in peace, and possesses God. +To be impatient, is to desire what we have not, or not to desire what we +have. When we acquiesce in an evil, it is no longer such. Why make a real +calamity of it by resistance? Peace does not dwell in outward things, but +within the soul. We may preserve it in the midst of the bitterest pain, +if our will remains firm and submissive. Peace in this life springs from +acquiescence even in disagreeable things, not in an exemption from bearing +them. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +The chief pang of most trials is not so much the actual suffering itself, +as our own spirit of resistance to it. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +August 14 + + +_I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help_.--PS. +cxxi. 1. + +_My grace is sufficient for thee_.--2 COR. xii. 9. + + I look to Thee in every need, + And never look in vain; + I feel Thy touch, Eternal Love, + And all is well again: + The thought of Thee is mightier far + Than sin and pain and sorrow are. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +How can you live sweetly amid the vexatious things, the irritating things, +the multitude of little worries and frets, which lie all along your way, +and which you cannot evade? You cannot at present change your surroundings. +Whatever kind of life you are to live, must be lived amid precisely the +experiences in which you are now moving. Here you must win your victories +or suffer your defeats. No restlessness or discontent can change your lot. +Others may have other circumstances surrounding them, but here are yours. +You had better make up your mind to accept what you cannot alter. You can +live a beautiful life in the midst of your present circumstances. + +J. R. MILLER. + +Strive to realize a state of inward happiness, independent of +circumstances. + +J. P. GREAVES. + + + +August 15 + + +_God hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and +of a sound mind_.--2 TIM. i. 7. + + We cast behind fear, sin, and death; + With Thee we seek the things above; + Our inmost souls Thy spirit breathe, + Of power, of calmness, and of love. + +HYMNS OF THE SPIRIT. + +I must conclude with a more delightful subject,--my most dear and blessed +sister. I never saw a more perfect instance of the spirit of power and of +love, and of a sound mind; intense love, almost to the annihilation of +selfishness--a daily martyrdom for twenty years, during which she adhered +to her early-formed resolution of never talking about herself; thoughtful +about the very pins and ribands of my wife's dress, about the making of a +doll's cap for a child,--but of herself, save only as regarded her ripening +in all goodness, wholly thoughtless; enjoying everything lovely, graceful, +beautiful, high-minded, whether in God's works or man's, with the keenest +relish; inheriting the earth to the very fulness of the promise, though +never leaving her crib, nor changing her posture; and preserved through the +very valley of the shadow of death, from all fear or impatience, or from +every cloud of impaired reason, which might mar the beauty of Christ's +spirit's glorious work. + +THOMAS ARNOLD. + + + +August 16 + + +_Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap_.--GAL. vi. 7. + + The life above, when this is past, + Is the ripe fruit of life below. + + Sow love, and taste its fruitage pure; + Sow peace, and reap its harvest bright; + Sow sunbeams on the rock and moor, + And find a harvest-home of light. + +H. BONAR. + +The dispositions, affections, inclinations of soul, which shall issue +hereafter in perfection, must be trained and nurtured in us throughout the +whole course of this earthly life. When shall we bear in mind this plain +truth, that the future perfection of the saints is not a translation from +one state or disposition of soul into another, diverse from the former; but +the carrying out, and, as it were, the blossom and the fruitage of one and +the same principle of spiritual life, which, through their whole career on +earth, has been growing with an even strength, putting itself forth in +the beginnings and promise of perfection, reaching upward with steadfast +aspirations after perfect holiness? + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +August 17 + + +_O turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give Thy strength unto Thy +servant, and save the son of Thy handmaid_.--PS. lxxxvi. 16. + + Thou art my King-- + My King henceforth alone; + And I, Thy servant, Lord, am all Thine own. + Give me Thy strength; oh! let Thy dwelling be + In this poor heart that pants, my Lord, for Thee! + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +When it is the one ruling, never-ceasing desire of our hearts, that God may +be the beginning and end, the reason and motive, the rule and measure, of +our doing or not doing, from morning to night; then everywhere, whether +speaking or silent, whether inwardly or outwardly employed, we are equally +offered up to the eternal Spirit, have our life in Him and from Him, and +are united to Him by that Spirit of Prayer which is the comfort, the +support, the strength and security of the soul, travelling, by the help of +God, through the vanity of time into the riches of eternity. Let us have no +thought or care, but how to be wholly His devoted instruments; everywhere, +and in everything, His adoring, joyful, and thankful servants. + +WM. LAW. + + + +August 18 + + +_Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward +God_--I JOHN iii. 21. + + O Lord, how happy is the time + When in Thy love I rest: + When from my weariness I climb + E'en to Thy tender breast. + The night of sorrow endeth there, + Thy rays outshine the sun; + And in Thy pardon and Thy care + The heaven of heavens is won. + +W. C. DESSLER. + +Nothing doth so much establish the mind amidst the rollings and turbulency +of present things, as both a look above them, and a look beyond them; above +them to the good and steady Hand by which they are ruled, and beyond them +to the sweet and beautiful end to which, by that Hand, they shall be +brought. Study pure and holy walking, if you would have your confidence +firm, and have boldness and joy in God. You will find that a little sin +will shake your trust and disturb your peace more than the greatest +sufferings: yea, in those sufferings, your assurance and joy in God will +grow and abound most if sin be kept out. So much sin as gets in, so much +peace will go out. + +R. LEIGHTON. + + + +August 19 + + +_Teach me Thy way, O Lord, and lead me in a plain path_.--PS. xxvii. 11. + + Lead, kindly Light, amid the encircling gloom, + Lead Thou me on; + The night is dark, and I am far from home, + Lead Thou me on. + Keep Thou my feet; I do not ask to see + The distant scene; one step enough for me. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +God only is holy; He alone knows how to lead His children in the paths of +holiness. He knows every aspect of your soul, every thought of your heart, +every secret of your character, its difficulties and hindrances; He +knows how to mould you to His will, and lead you onwards to perfect +sanctification; He knows exactly how each event, each trial, each +temptation, will tell upon you, and He disposes all things accordingly. The +consequences of this belief, if fully grasped, will influence your whole +life. You will seek to give yourself up to God more and more unreservedly, +asking nothing, refusing nothing, wishing nothing, but what He wills; not +seeking to bring things about for yourself, taking all He sends joyfully, +and believing the "one step" set before you to be enough for you. You will +be satisfied that even though there are clouds around, and your way seems +dark, He is directing all, and that what seems a hindrance will prove a +blessing, since He wills it. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +August 20 + + +_Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and He shall strengthen thine heart: +wait, I say, on the Lord_.--PS. xxvii. 14. + +_He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might He increaseth +strength_.--ISA. xl. 29. + + Leaning on Him, make with reverent meekness + His own thy will, + And with strength from Him shall thy utter weakness + Life's task fulfil. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Should we feel at times disheartened and discouraged, a confiding thought, +a simple movement of heart towards God will renew our powers. Whatever +He may demand of us, He will give us at the moment the strength and the +courage that we need. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +We require a certain firmness in all circumstances of life, even the +happiest, and perhaps contradictions come in order to prove and exercise +this; and, if we can only determine so to use them, the very effort brings +back tranquillity to the soul, which always enjoys having exercised its +strength in conformity to duty. + +WM. VON HUMBOLDT. + + + +August 21 + + +_We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not +to please ourselves_.--ROM. xv. 1. + +_The Lord God hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know +how to speak a word in season to him that is weary_. + + If there be some weaker one, + Give me strength to help him on; + If a blinder soul there be, + Let me guide him nearer Thee. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Ask Him to increase your powers of sympathy: to give you more quickness +and depth of sympathy, in little things as well as great. Opportunities of +doing a kindness are often lost from mere want of thought. Half a dozen +lines of kindness may bring sunshine into the whole day of some sick +person. Think of the pleasure you might give to some one who is much shut +up, and who has fewer pleasures than you have, by sharing with her some +little comfort or enjoyment that you have learnt to look upon as a +necessary of life,--the pleasant drive, the new book, flowers from the +country, etc. Try to put yourself in another's place. Ask "What should I +like myself, if I were hard-worked, or sick, or lonely?" Cultivate the +_habit_ of sympathy. + +G. H. WILKINSON. + + + +August 22 + + +_I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present +your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your +reasonable service_.--ROM. xii. 1. + + Thou hast my flesh, Thy hallowed shrine, + Devoted solely to Thy will; + Here let Thy light forever shine, + This house still let Thy presence fill; + O Source of Life, live, dwell, and move + In me, till all my life be love! + +JOACHIM LANCE. + +May it not be a comfort to those of us who feel we have not the mental +or spiritual power that others have, to notice that the living sacrifice +mentioned in Rom. xii. 1, is our "bodies"? Of course, that includes the +mental power, but does it not also include the loving, sympathizing glance, +the kind, encouraging word, _the ready errand for another_, the work of our +hands, opportunities for all of which come oftener in the day than for +the mental power we are often tempted to envy? May we be enabled to offer +willingly that which we have. + +ANON. + + + +August 23 + + +_Seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not_.--JER. xlv. 5. + + I would not have the restless will + That hurries to and fro, + Seeking for some great thing to do, + Or secret thing to know; + I would be treated as a child, + And guided where I go. + +A. L. WARING. + +Oh! be little, be little; and then thou wilt be content with little; and +if thou feel, now and then, a check or a secret smiting,--in _that_ is +the Father's love; be not over-wise, nor over-eager, in thy own willing, +running, and desiring, and thou mayest feel it so; and by degrees come to +the knowledge of thy Guide, who will lead thee, step by step, in the +path of life, and teach thee to follow. Be still, and wait for light and +strength. + +I. PENINGTON. + +Sink into the sweet and blessed littleness, where thou livest by grace +alone. Contemplate with delight the holiness and goodness in God, which +thou dost not find in thyself. How lovely it is to be nothing when God is +all! + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + + + +August 24 + + +_And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go +forth, and are choked with cares, and riches and pleasures of this life, +and bring no fruit to perfection_.--LUKE viii. 14. + + Preserve me from my calling's snare, + And hide my simple heart above, + Above the thorns of choking care, + The gilded baits of worldly love. + +C. WESLEY. + +Anything allowed in the heart which is contrary to the will of God, let it +seem ever so insignificant, or be ever so deeply hidden, will cause us to +fall before our enemies. Any root of bitterness cherished towards another, +any self-seeking, any harsh judgments indulged in, any slackness in obeying +the voice of the Lord, any doubtful habits or surroundings, any one of +these things will effectually cripple and paralyze our spiritual life. I +believe our blessed Guide, the indwelling Holy Spirit, is always secretly +discovering these things to us by continual little twinges and pangs of +conscience, so that we are left without excuse, + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +August 25 + + +_See that ye refuse not Him that speaketh_.--HEB. xii. 25. + + From the world of sin and noise + And hurry I withdraw; + For the small and inward voice + I wait with humble awe; + Silent am I now and still, + Dare not in Thy presence move; + To my waiting soul reveal + The secret of Thy love. + +C. WESLEY. + +When therefore the smallest instinct or desire of thy heart calleth thee +towards God, and a newness of life, give it time and leave to speak; and +take care thou refuse not Him that speaketh. Be retired, silent, passive, +and humbly attentive to this new risen light within thee. + +WM. LAW. + +It is hardly to be wondered at that he should lose the finer consciousness +of higher powers and deeper feelings, not from any behavior in itself +wrong, but from the hurry, noise, and tumult in the streets of life, that, +penetrating too deep into the house of life, dazed and stupefied the silent +and lonely watcher in the chamber of conscience, far apart. He had no time +to think or feel. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +August 26 + + +_Be silent, O all flesh, before the Lord_.--ZECH. ii. 13. + + Be earth, with all her scenes, withdrawn; + Let noise and vanity be gone: + In secret silence of the mind, + My heaven, and there my God, I find. + +I. WATTS. + +It is only with the pious affection of the will that we can be spiritually +attentive to God. As long as the noisy restlessness of the thoughts goes +on, the gentle and holy desires of the new nature are overpowered and +inactive. + +J. P. GREAVES. + +There is hardly ever a complete silence in our soul. God is whispering to +us wellnigh incessantly. Whenever the sounds of the world die out in the +soul, or sink low, then we hear these whisperings of God. He is always +whispering to us, only we do not always hear, because of the noise, hurry, +and distraction which life causes as it rushes on. + +F. W. FABER. + +The prayer of faith is a sincere, sweet, and quiet view of divine, eternal +truth. The soul rests quiet, perceiving and loving God; sweetly rejecting +all the imaginations that present themselves, calming the mind in the +Divine presence, and fixing it only on God. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + + + +August 27 + + +_Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work +in you will perform it_.--PHIL. i. 6. + +_He that endureth to the end shall be saved_.--MATT. x. 22. + + Fill with inviolable peace; + Stablish and keep my settled heart; + In Thee may all my wanderings cease, + From Thee no more may I depart: + Thy utmost goodness called to prove, + Loved with an everlasting love! + +C. WESLEY. + +If any sincere Christian cast himself with his whole will upon the Divine +Presence which dwells within him, he shall be kept safe unto the end. What +is it that makes us unable to persevere? Is it want of strength? By no +means. We have with us the strength of the Holy Spirit. When did we ever +set ourselves sincerely to any work according to the will of God, and fail +for want of strength? It was not that strength failed the will, but that +the will failed first. If we could but embrace the Divine will with the +whole love of ours; cleaving to it, and holding fast by it, we should be +borne along as upon "the river of the water of life." We open only certain +chambers of our will to the influence of the Divine will. We are afraid of +being wholly absorbed into it. And yet, if we would have peace, we must be +altogether united to Him. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +August 28 + + +_They that know Thy name will put their trust in Thee: for Thou, Lord, hast +not forsaken them that seek Thee_.--PS. ix. 10. + +_Yea, the Lord shall give that which is good_.--PS. lxxxv. 12. + + In Thee I place my trust, + On Thee I calmly rest; + I know Thee good, I know Thee just, + And count Thy choice the best. + +H. F. LYTE. + +The souls that would really be richer in duty in some new position, are +precisely those who borrow no excuses from the old one; who even esteem +it full of privileges, plenteous in occasions of good, frequent in divine +appeals, which they chide their graceless and unloving temper for not +heeding more. Wretched and barren is the discontent that quarrels with its +tools instead of with its skill; and, by criticising Providence, manages +to keep up complacency with self. How gentle should we be, if we were not +provoked; how pious, if we were not busy; the sick would be patient, only +he is not in health; the obscure would do great things, only he is not +conspicuous! + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +August 29 + + +_Am I my brother's keeper_?--GEN. iv. 9. + + Because I held upon my selfish, road, + And left my brother wounded by the way, + And called ambition duty, and pressed on-- + O Lord, I do repent. + +SARAH WILLIAMS. + +How many are the sufferers who have fallen amongst misfortunes along +the wayside of life! "By _chance_" we come that way; chance, accident, +Providence, has thrown them in our way; we see them from a distance, like +the Priest, or we come upon them suddenly, like the Levite; our business, +our pleasure, is interrupted by the sight, is troubled by the delay; what +are our feelings, what our actions towards them? "Who is thy neighbor?" It +is the sufferer, wherever, whoever, whatsoever he be. Wherever thou hearest +the cry of distress, wherever thou seest any one brought across thy path by +the chances and changes of life (that is, by the Providence of God), whom +it is in thy power to help,--he, stranger or enemy though he be,--_he_ is +thy neighbor. + +A. P. STANLEY. + + + +August 30 + + +_Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness +and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--EPH. +iv. 1, 2. + + Help us, O Lord, with patient love to bear + Each other's faults, to suffer with true meekness; + Help us each other's joys and griefs to share, + But let us turn to Thee alone in weakness. + +ANON. + +You should make a special point of asking God every morning to give you, +before all else, that true spirit of meekness which He would have His +children possess. You must also make a firm resolution to practise yourself +in this virtue, especially in your intercourse with those persons to whom +you chiefly owe it. You must make it your main object to conquer yourself +in this matter; call it to mind a hundred times during the day, commending +your efforts to God. It seems to me that no more than this is needed in +order to subject your soul entirely to His will, and then you will become +more gentle day by day, trusting wholly in His goodness. You will be very +happy, my dearest child, if you can do this, for God will dwell in your +heart; and where He reigns all is peace. But if you should fail, and commit +some of your old faults, do not be disheartened, but rise up and go on +again, as though you had not fallen. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + +August 31 + + +_Now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage +that which hath befallen thee_.--2 ESDRAS x. 15. + + Go, bury thy sorrow, + The world hath its share; + Go, bury it deeply, + Go, hide it with care. + Go, bury thy sorrow, + Let others be blest; + Go, give them the sunshine, + And tell God the rest. + +ANON. + +Our veiled and terrible guest [Trouble] brings for us, if we will accept +it, the boon of fortitude, patience, self-control, wisdom, sympathy, faith. +If we reject that, then we find in our hands the other gift,--cowardice, +weakness, isolation, despair. If your trouble seems to have in it no other +possibility of good, at least set yourself to bear it like a man. Let none +of its weight come on other shoulders. Try to carry it so that no one shall +even see it. Though your heart be sad within, let cheer go out from you to +others. Meet them with a kindly presence, considerate words, helpful acts. + +G. S. MERRIAM. + + + +September 1 + + +_Let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of +their souls to Him in welldoing, as unto a faithful Creator_.--I PETER iv. +19. + +_The Lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy_.--JAMES v. 11. + + On Thy compassion I repose + In weakness and distress: + I will not ask for greater ease, + Lest I should love Thee less; + Oh, 'tis a blessed thing for me + To need Thy tenderness. + +A. L. WARING. + +Oh, look not at thy pain or sorrow, how great soever; but look from them, +look off them, look beyond them, to the Deliverer! whose power is over +them, and whose loving, wise, and tender spirit is able to do thee good by +them. The Lord lead thee, day by day, in the right way, and keep thy mind +stayed upon Him, in whatever befalls thee; that the belief of His love and +hope in His mercy, when thou art at the lowest ebb, may keep up thy head +above the billows. + +ISAAC PENINGTON + + +September 2 + + +_Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of +God_.--MATT. v. 6. + + Grant us Thy peace, down from Thy presence falling, + As on the thirsty earth cool night-dews sweet; + Grant us Thy peace, to Thy pure paths recalling, + From devious ways, our worn and wandering feet. + +E. SCUDDER. + +O God, who art Peace everlasting, whose chosen reward is the gift of peace, +and who hast taught us that the peacemakers are Thy children, pour Thy +sweet peace into our souls, that everything discordant may utterly vanish, +and all that makes for peace be sweet to us forever. Amen. + +GELASIAN SACRAMENTARY, A. D. 492. + +Have you ever thought seriously of the meaning of that blessing given to +the peacemakers? People are always expecting to get peace in heaven; but +you know whatever peace they get there will be ready-made. Whatever making +of peace _they_ can be blest for, must be on the earth here: not the taking +of arms against, but the building of nests amidst, its "sea of troubles" +[like the halcyons]. Difficult enough, you think? Perhaps so, but I do not +see that any of us try. We complain of the want of many things--we want +votes, we want liberty, we want amusement, we want money. Which of us feels +or knows that he wants peace? + +J. RUSKIN. + + +September 3 + + +_The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due +season_.--PS. cxlv. 15. + +_What time I am afraid, I will trust in Thee_.--PS. lvi. 3. + + Late on me, weeping, did this whisper fall: + "Dear child, there is no need to weep at all! + Why go about to grieve and to despair? + Why weep now through thy Future's eyes, and bear + In vain to-day to-morrow's load of care?" + +H. S. SUTTON. + +The crosses of the present moment always bring their own special grace and +consequent comfort with them; we see the hand of God in them when it is +laid upon us. But the crosses of anxious foreboding are seen out of the +dispensation of God; we see them without grace to bear them; we see them +indeed through a faithless spirit which banishes grace. So, everything in +them is bitter and unendurable; all seems dark and helpless. Let us throw +self aside; no more self-interest, and then God's will, unfolding every +moment in everything, will console us also every moment for all that He +shall do around us, or within us, for our discipline. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +September 4 + + +_His delight is in the law of the Lord. And he shall be like a tree planted +by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his +leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper_.--PS. i. +2, 3. + + The wind that blows can never kill + The tree God plants; + It bloweth east; it bloweth west; + The tender leaves have little rest, + But any wind that blows is best. + The tree God plants + Strikes deeper root, grows higher still, + Spreads wider boughs, for God's good-will + Meets all its wants. + +LILLIE E. BARR. + +It is a fatal mistake to suppose that we cannot be holy except on the +condition of a situation and circumstances in life such as shall suit +ourselves. It is one of the first principles of holiness to leave our times +and our places, our going out and our coming; in, our wasted and our goodly +heritage entirely with the Lord. Here, O Lord, hast Thou placed us, and we +will glorify Thee here! + +T. C. UPHAM. + +It is not by change of circumstances, but by fitting our spirits to the +circumstances in which God has placed us, that we can be reconciled to life +and duty. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +September 5 + + +_O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me_.--ISA. xxxviii. 14. + + Being perplexed, I say, + Lord, make it right! + Night is as day to Thee, + Darkness is light. + I am afraid to touch + Things that involve so much;-- + My trembling hand may shake, + My skill-less hand may break: + Thine can make no mistake. + +ANNA B. WARNER. + +The many troubles in your household will tend to your edification, if you +strive to bear them all in gentleness, patience, and kindness. Keep this +ever before you, and remember constantly that God's loving eyes are upon +you amid all these little worries and vexations, watching whether you +take them as He would desire. Offer up all such occasions to Him, and +if sometimes you are put out, and give way to impatience, do not be +discouraged, but make haste to regain your lost composure. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +September 6 + + +_If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross +daily, and follow me_.--LUKE ix. 23. + + There lies thy cross; beneath it meekly bow; + It fits thy stature now; + Who scornful pass it with averted eye, + 'Twill crush them by and by. + +J. KEBLE. + +To take up the cross of Christ is no great action done once for all; it +consists in the continual practice of small duties which are distasteful to +us. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +On one occasion an intimate friend of his was fretting somewhat at not +being able to put a cross on the grave of a relation, because the rest of +the family disliked it. "Don't you see," he said to her, "that by giving up +your own way, you will be virtually putting a cross on the grave? You 'll +have it in its effect. The one is but a stone cross, the other is a true +spiritual cross." + +LIFE OF JAMES HINTON. + +I would have you, one by one, ask yourselves, Wherein do I take up the +cross daily? + +E. B. PUSEY. + +Every morning, receive thine own special cross from the hands of thy +heavenly Father. + +L. SCUPOLI. + + + +September 7 + + +_Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit +the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep himself +unspotted from the world_.--JAMES i. 27. + + Not to ease and aimless quiet + Doth that inward answer tend, + But to works of love and duty + As our being's end. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +It is surprising how practical duty enriches the fancy and the heart, and +action clears and deepens the affections. Indeed, no one can have a true +idea of right, until he does it; any genuine reverence for it, till he has +done it often and with cost; any peace ineffable in it, till he does it +always and with alacrity. Does any one complain, that the best affections +are transient visitors with him, and the heavenly spirit a stranger to +his heart? Oh, let him not go forth, on any strained wing of thought, in +distant quest of them; but rather stay at home, and set his house in the +true order of conscience; and of their own accord the divinest guests will +enter. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +September 8 + + +_Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving_.--COL. iv. 2. + +_Watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong_.--I COR. +xvi. 13. + + We kneel how weak, we rise how full of power. + Why therefore should we do ourselves this wrong, + Or others--that we are not always strong, + That we are ever overborne with care, + That we should ever weak or heartless be, + Anxious or troubled, when with us is prayer, + And joy and strength and courage are with Thee? + +R. C. TRENCH. + +It is impossible for us to make the duties of our lot minister to our +sanctification without a habit of devout fellowship with God. This is the +spring of all our life, and the strength of it. It is prayer, meditation, +and converse with God, that refreshes, restores, and renews the temper of +our minds, at all times, under all trials, after all conflicts with the +world. By this contact with the world unseen we receive continual accesses +of strength. As our day, so is our strength. Without this healing and +refreshing of spirit, duties grow to be burdens, the events of life chafe +our temper, employments lower the tone of our minds, and we become fretful, +irritable, and impatient. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +September 9 + + +_This is a faithful saying, and these things I will that thou affirm +constantly, that they which have believed in God might be careful to +maintain good works_.--TITUS iii. 8. + + Faith's meanest deed more favor bears + Where hearts and wills are weighed, + Than brightest transports, choicest prayers, + Which bloom their hour and fade. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +One secret act of self-denial, one sacrifice of inclination to duty, is +worth all the mere good thoughts, warm feelings, passionate prayers, in +which idle people indulge themselves. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +It is impossible for us to live in fellowship with God without holiness in +all the duties of life. These things act and react on each other. Without a +diligent and faithful obedience to the calls and claims of others upon us, +our religious profession is simply dead. To disobey conscience when it +points to relative duties irritates the whole temper, and quenches the +first beginnings of devotion. We cannot go from strife, breaches, and angry +words, to God. Selfishness, an imperious will, want of sympathy with +the sufferings and sorrows of other men, neglect of charitable offices, +suspicions, hard censures of those with whom our lot is cast, will +miserably darken our own hearts, and hide the face of God from us. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +September 10 + + +_Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head_.--JOHN xiii. 9. + + Take my hands, and let them move + At the impulse of Thy love. + + Take my feet, and let them be + Swift and "beautiful" for Thee. + + Take my intellect, and use + Every power as Thou shall choose. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +If a man may attain thereunto, to be unto God as his hand is to a man, let +him be therewith content, and not seek further. That is to say, let him +strive and wrestle with all his might to obey God and His commandments so +thoroughly at all times, and in all things, that in him there be nothing, +spiritual or natural, which opposeth God; and that his whole soul and body, +with all their members, may stand ready and willing for that to which God +hath created them; as ready and willing as his hand is to a man, which is +so wholly in his power, that in the twinkling of an eye, he moveth and +turneth it whither he will. And when we find it otherwise with us, we must +give our whole diligence to amend our state. + +THEOLOGIA GERMANICA. + +When the mind thinks nothing, when the soul covets nothing, and the body +acteth nothing that is contrary to the will of God, this is perfect +sanctification. + +ANONYMOUS, _in an old Bible_, 1599. + + + +September 11 + + +_Thy kingdom come_.--MATT. vi. 10. + + The kingdom of established peace, + Which can no more remove; + The perfect powers of godliness, + The omnipotence of love. + +C. WESLEY. + +My child, thou mayest not measure out thine offering unto me by what others +have done or left undone; but be it thine to seek out, even to the last +moment of thine earthly life, what is the utmost height of pure devotion to +which I have called _thine own self_. Remember that, if thou fall short of +this, each time thou utterest in prayer the words, "Hallowed be Thy name, +Thy kingdom come," thou dost most fearfully condemn thyself, for is it +not a mockery to ask for that thou wilt not seek to promote even unto the +uttermost, within the narrow compass of thine own heart and spirit? + +THE DIVINE MASTER. + +If you do not wish for His kingdom, don't pray for it. But if you do, you +must do more than pray for it; you must work for it. + +J. RUSKIN. + + + +September 12 + + +_She obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not In +the Lord; she drew not near to her God_.--ZEPH. iii. 2. + + Oh! let us not this thought allow; + The heat, the dust upon our brow, + Signs of the contest, we may wear; + Yet thus we shall appear more fair + In our Almighty Master's eye, + Than if in fear to lose the bloom, + Or ruffle the soul's lightest plume, + We from the strife should fly. + +R. C. TRENCH. + +If God requires anything of us, we have no right to draw back under the +pretext that we are liable to commit some fault in obeying. It is better +to obey imperfectly than not at all. Perhaps you ought to rebuke some +one dependent on you, but you are silent for fear of giving way to +vehemence;--or you avoid the society of certain persons, because they make +you cross and impatient. How are you to attain self-control, if you shun +all occasions of practising it? Is not such self-choosing a greater fault +than those into which you fear to fall? Aim at a steady mind to do right, +go wherever duty calls you, and believe firmly that God will forgive the +faults that take our weakness by surprise in spite of our sincere desire to +please Him. + +JEAN NICOLAS GROU. + + + +September 13 + + +_It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation +of the Lord_.--LAM. iii. 26. + +_Truly my soul waiteth upon God: from Him cometh my salvation_.--PS. lxii. +I. + + Not so in haste, my heart; + Have faith in God, and wait; + Although He linger long, + He never comes too late. + +ANON. + +The true use to be made of all the imperfections of which you are conscious +is neither to justify, nor to condemn them, but to present them before +God, conforming your will to His, and remaining in peace; for peace is the +divine order, in whatever state we may be. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +You will find it less easy to uproot faults, than to choke them by gaining +virtues. Do not think of your faults; still less of others' faults; in +every person who comes near you look for what is good and strong: honor +that; rejoice in it; and, as you can, try to imitate it; and your faults +will drop off, like dead leaves, when their time comes. + +J. RUSKIN. + + + +September 14 + + +_Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty +things which thou knowest not_.--JER. xxxiii. 3. + +_And I have also given thee that which thou hast not asked_.--I KINGS iii. +13. + + No voice of prayer to Thee can rise, + But swift as light Thy Love replies; + Not always what we ask, indeed, + But, O most Kind! what most we need. + +H. M. KIMBALL. + +If you have any trial which seems intolerable, pray,--pray that it be +relieved or changed. There is no harm in that. We may pray for anything, +not wrong in itself, with perfect freedom, if we do not pray selfishly. +One disabled from duty by sickness may pray for health, that he may do his +work; or one hemmed in by internal impediments may pray for utterance, that +he may serve better the truth and the right. Or, if we have a besetting +sin, we may pray to be delivered from it, in order to serve God and man, +and not be ourselves Satans to mislead and destroy. But the answer to +the prayer may be, as it was to Paul, not the removal of the thorn, but, +instead, a growing insight into its meaning and value. The voice of God in +our soul may show us, as we look up to Him, that His strength is enough to +enable us to bear it. + +J. F. CLARKE. + + + +September 15 + + +_Can ye drink of the cup that I drink of? and be baptized with the baptism +that I am baptized with_?--MARK. x. 38. + + Whate'er my God ordains is right; + Though I the cup must drink + That bitter seems to my faint heart, + I will not fear nor shrink. + +S. RODIGAST. + +The worst part of martyrdom is not the last agonizing moment; it is the +wearing, daily steadfastness. Men who can make up their minds to hold out +against the torture of an hour have sunk under the weariness and the harass +of small prolonged vexations. And there are many Christians who have the +weight of some deep, incommunicable grief pressing, cold as ice, upon their +hearts. To bear that cheerfully and manfully is to be a martyr. There is +many a Christian bereaved and stricken in the best hopes of life. For such +a one to say quietly, "Father, not as I will, but as Thou wilt," is to be a +martyr. There is many a Christian who feels the irksomeness of the duties +of life, and feels his spirit revolting from them. To get up every morning +with the firm resolve to find pleasure in those duties, and do them well, +and finish the work which God has given us to do, that is to drink Christ's +cup. The humblest occupation has in it materials of discipline for the +highest heaven. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +September 16 + + +_For the whole world before thee is as a little grain of the balance, yea, +as a drop of the morning dew that falleth down upon the earth. But Thou +hast mercy upon all. For Thou lovest all the things that are_.--WISDOM OF +SOLOMON xi. 22-24. + + Oh! Source divine, and Life of all, + The Fount of Being's fearful sea, + Thy depth would every heart appal, + That saw not love supreme in Thee. + +J. STERLING. + +He showed a little thing, the quantity of a hazel-nut, lying in the palm of +my hand, as meseemed, and it was as round as a ball. I looked thereon with +the eye of my understanding, and thought, "What may this be?" and it was +answered generally thus, "It is all that is made." I marvelled how it might +last; for methought it might suddenly have fallen to naught for littleness. +And I was answered in my understanding, "It lasteth, and ever shall: For +God loveth it. And so hath all thing being by the Love of God." In this +little thing I saw three properties. The first is, that God made it. The +second is, that God loveth it. The third is, that God keepeth it. For this +is the cause which we be not all in ease of heart and soul: for we seek +here rest in this thing which is so little, where no rest is in: and we +know not our God that is all Mighty, all Wise, and all Good, for He is very +rest. + +MOTHER JULIANA, 1373. + + + +September 17 + + +_Whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever +of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of +man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a +ransom for many_.--MARK x. 43-45. + + A child's kiss + Set on thy sighing lips, shall make thee glad; + A poor man served by thee, shall make thee rich; + A sick man helped by thee, shall make thee strong; + Thou shalt be served thyself by every sense + Of service which thou renderest. + +E. B. BROWNING. + +Let every man lovingly cast all his thoughts and cares, and his sins too, +as it were, on the Will of God. Moreover, if a man, while busy in this +lofty inward work, were called by some duty in the Providence of God to +cease therefrom, and cook a broth for some sick person, or any other such +service, he should do so willingly and with great joy. If I had to forsake +such work, and go out to preach or aught else, I should go cheerfully, +believing not only that God would be with me, but that he would vouchsafe +me it may be even greater grace and blessing in that external work +undertaken out of true love in the service of my neighbor, than I should +perhaps receive in my season of loftiest contemplation. + +JOHN TAULER. + + + +September 18 + + +_All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep His +covenant and His testimonies_.--PS. xxv. 10. + + Speak, Lord, for Thy servant heareth, + Speak peace to my anxious soul, + And help me to feel that all my ways + Are under Thy wise control; + That He who cares for the lily, + And heeds the sparrows' fall, + Shall tenderly lead His loving child: + For He made and loveth all. + +ANON. + +It is not by seeking more fertile regions where toil is lighter--happier +circumstances free from difficult complications and troublesome people--but +by bringing the high courage of a devout soul, clear in principle and aim, +to bear upon what is given to us, that we brighten our inward light, lead +something of a true life, and introduce the kingdom of heaven into the +midst of our earthly day. If we cannot work out the will of God where God +has placed us, then why has He placed us there? + +J. H. THOM. + + + +September 19 + + +_Pray for us unto the Lord thy God... that the Lord thy God may show us the +way wherein we may walk, and the thing that we may do_.--JER. xlii. 2, 3. + +_That which I see not, teach Thou me_.--JOB xxxiv. 32. + + O father, hear! + The way is dark, and I would fain discern + What steps to take, into which path to turn; + Oh! make it clear. + +CHRISTIAN INTELLIGENCER. + +"We can't choose happiness either for ourselves or for another; we can't +tell where that will lie. We can only choose whether we will indulge +ourselves in the present moment, or whether we will renounce that, for the +sake of obeying the Divine voice within us,--for the sake of being true to +all the motives that sanctify our lives. I know this belief is hard; it has +slipped away from me again and again; but I have felt that if I let it go +forever, I should have no light through the darkness of this life." + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +There was a care on my mind so to pass my time, that nothing might hinder +me from the most steady attention to the voice of the true Shepherd. + +JOHN WOOLMAN. + + + +September 20 + + +_Thou shalt hide them in the secret of Thy presence from the pride of +man: Thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of +tongues_.--PS. xxxi. 20. + + The praying spirit breathe, + The watching power impart, + From all entanglements beneath + Call off my anxious heart. + My feeble mind sustain, + By worldly thoughts oppressed; + Appear, and bid me turn again + To my eternal rest. + +C. WESLEY. + +As soon as we are with God in faith and in love, we are in prayer. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +If you could once make up your mind in the fear of God never to undertake +more work of any sort than you can carry on calmly, quietly, without hurry +or flurry, and the instant you feel yourself growing nervous and like one +out of breath, would stop and take breath, you would find this simple +common-sense rule doing for you what no prayers or tears could ever +accomplish. + +ELIZABETH PRENTISS. + + + +September 21 + + +_How excellent is Thy loving-kindness, O God! therefore the children of men +put their trust under the shadow of Thy wings_.--PS. xxxvi. 7. + +_The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting +arms_.--DEUT. xxxiii. 27. + + Within Thy circling arms we lie, + O God! in Thy infinity: + Our souls in quiet shall abide, + Beset with love on every side. + +ANON. + +"The Everlasting Arms." I think of that whenever rest is sweet. How the +whole earth and the strength of it, that is almightiness, is beneath every +tired creature to give it rest; _holding_ us, always! No thought of God +is closer than that. No human tenderness of patience is greater than +that which gathers in its arms a little child, and holds it, heedless of +weariness. And He fills the great earth, and all upon it, with this +unseen force of His love, that never forgets or exhausts itself, so that +everywhere we may lie down in His bosom, and be comforted. + +A. D. T. WHITNEY. + + + +September 22 + + +_The word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou +mayest do it_.--DEUT. xxx. 14. + + But, above all, the victory is most sure + For him, who, seeking faith by virtue, strives + To yield entire obedience to the Law + Of Conscience; Conscience reverenced and obeyed, + As God's most intimate presence in the soul, + And His most perfect image in the world. + +W. WORDSWORTH. + +What we call Conscience is the voice of Divine love in the deep of +our being, desiring union with our will; and which, by attracting the +affections inward, invites them to enter into the harmonious contentment, +and "fulness of joy" which attends the being joined by "one spirit to the +Lord." + +J. P. GREAVES. + +I rejoice that God has bestowed upon you a relish and inclination for the +inner life. To be called to this precious and lofty life is a great +and undeserved grace of God, to which we ought to respond with great +faithfulness. God invites us to His fellowship of love, and wishes to +prepare our spirit to be His own abode and temple. + +GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. + + + +September 23 + + +_Show me Thy ways, O Lord; teach me Thy paths_--PS. xxv. 4. + + When we cannot see our way, + Let us trust and still obey; + He who bids us forward go, + Cannot fail the way to show. + Though the sea be deep and wide, + Though a passage seem denied; + Fearless let us still proceed, + Since the Lord vouchsafes to lead. + +ANON. + +That which is often asked of God, is not so much His will and way, as His +approval of our way. + +S. F. SMILEY. + +There is nothing like the first glance we get at duty, before there has +been any special pleading of our affections or inclinations. Duty is never +uncertain at first. It is only after we have got involved in the mazes and +sophistries of wishing that things were otherwise than they are, that it +seems indistinct. Considering a duty is often only explaining it away. +Deliberation is often only dishonesty. God's guidance is plain, when we are +true. + +F. W, ROBERTSON. + + + +September 24 + + +_When I awake, I am still with Thee_.--PS. cxxxix. 18. + + Let the glow of love destroy + Cold obedience faintly given; + Wake our hearts to strength and joy + With the flushing eastern heaven. + +C. K. VON ROSENROTH. + +With his first waking consciousness, he can set himself to take a serious, +manly view of the day before him. He ought to know pretty well on what +lines his difficulty is likely to come, whether in being irritable, or +domineering, or sharp in his bargains, or self-absorbed, or whatever it be; +and now, in this quiet hour, he can take a good, full look at his enemy, +and make up his mind to beat him. It is a good time, too, for giving +his thoughts a range quite beyond himself,--beyond even his own moral +struggles,--a good time, there in the stillness, for going into the realm +of other lives. His wife,--what needs has she for help, for sympathy, that +he can meet? His children,--how can he make the day sweeter to them? This +acquaintance, who is having a hard time; this friend, who dropped a word to +you yesterday that you hardly noticed in your hurry, but that comes up to +you now, revealing in him some finer trait, some deeper hunger, than you +had guessed before,--now you can think these things over. + +G. S. MERRIAM. + + + +September 25 + + +_Ye shall rejoice in all that ye put your hand unto, ye and your +households, wherein the Lord thy God hath blessed thee_.--DEUT. xii. 7. + + Sweet is the smile of home; the mutual look + When hearts are of each other sure; + Sweet all the joys that crowd the household nook, + The haunt of all affections pure. + +J. KEBLE. + +Is there any tie which absence has loosened, or which the wear and tear +of every-day intercourse, little uncongenialities, unconfessed +misunderstandings, have fretted into the heart, until it bears something of +the nature of a fetter? Any cup at our home-table whose sweetness we have +not fully tasted, although it might yet make of our daily bread a continual +feast? Let us reckon up these treasures while they are still ours, in +thankfulness to God. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + +We ought daily or weekly to dedicate a little time to the reckoning up of +the virtues of our belongings,--wife, children, friends,--contemplating +them then in a beautiful collection. And we should do so now, that we may +not pardon and love in vain and too late, after the beloved one has been +taken away from us to a better world. + +JEAN PAUL RICHTER. + + + +September 26 + + +_Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear +no evil: for Thou art with me; Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me_.--PS. +xxiii. 4. + + O will, that wiliest good alone, + Lead Thou the way, Thou guides! best; + A silent child, I follow on, + And trusting lean upon Thy breast. + And if in gloom I see Thee not, + I lean upon Thy love unknown; + In me Thy blessed will is wrought, + If I will nothing of my own. + +GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. + +The devout soul is always safe in every state, if it makes everything an +occasion either of rising up, or falling down into the hands of God, and +exercising faith, and trust, and resignation to Him. The pious soul, that +eyes only God, that means nothing but being His alone, can have no stop put +to its progress; light and darkness equally assist him: in the light he +looks up to God, in the darkness he lays hold on God, and so they both do +him the same good. + +WM. LAW. + + + +September 27 + + +_When I sit in darkness, the Lord shall be a light unto me_.--MICAH vii. 8. + +_There be many that say, Who will show us any good? Lord, lift Thou up the +light of Thy countenance upon us_.--PS. iv. 6. + + How oft a gleam of glory sent + Straight through the deepest, darkest night, + Has filled the soul with heavenly light, + With holy peace and sweet content. + +ANON. + +Suppose you are bewildered and know not what is right nor what is true. Can +you not cease to regard whether you do or not, whether you be bewildered, +whether you be happy? Cannot you utterly and perfectly love, and rejoice +to be in the dark, and gloom-beset, because that very thing is the fact of +God's Infinite Being as it is to you? Cannot you take this trial also into +your own heart, and be ignorant, not because you are obliged, but because +that being God's will, it is yours also? Do you not see that a person who +truly loves is one with the Infinite Being--cannot be uncomfortable or +unhappy? It is that which is that he wills and desires and holds best of +all to be. To know God is utterly to sacrifice self. + +JAMES HINTON. + + + +September 28 + + +_My little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in +deed, and in truth_.--I JOHN iii. 18. + +_But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own +selves_.--JAMES i. 22. + + Thrice blest whose lives are faithful prayers, + Whose loves in higher love endure; + What souls possess themselves so pure, + Or is there blessedness like theirs? + +A. TENNYSON. + +Let every creature have your love. Love, with its fruits of meekness, +patience, and humility, is all that we can wish for to ourselves, and our +fellow-creatures; for this is to live in God, united to Him, both for time +and eternity. To desire to communicate good to every creature, in the +degree we can, and it is capable of receiving from us, is a divine temper; +for thus God stands unchangeably disposed towards the whole creation. + +WM. LAW. + +What shall be our reward for loving our neighbor as ourselves in this life? +That, when we become angels, we shall be enabled to love him better than +ourselves. + +E. SWEDENBORG. + + + +September 29 + + +_Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God_.--MATT. v. 8. + +_Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see +the Lord_.--HEB. xii. 14. + + Since Thou Thyself dost still display + Unto the pure in heart, + Oh, make us children of the day + To know Thee as Thou art. + For Thou art light and life and love; + And Thy redeemed below + May see Thee as Thy saints above, + And know Thee as they know. + +J. MONTGOMERY. + +Doubt, gloom, impatience, have been expelled; joy has taken their place, +the hope of heaven and the harmony of a pure heart, the triumph of +self-mastery, sober thoughts, and a contented mind. How can charity towards +all men fail to follow, being the mere affectionateness of innocence and +peace? Thus the Spirit of God creates in us the simplicity and warmth of +heart which children have, nay, rather the perfections of His heavenly +hosts, high and low being joined together in His mysterious work; for what +are implicit trust, ardent love, abiding purity, but the mind both of +little children and of the adoring seraphim! + +J. H. NEWMAN. + + + +September 30 + + +_Lord, who shall abide in Thy tabernacle? who shall dwell in Thy holy hill? +He that walketh uprightly, and worketh righteousness, and speaketh the +truth in his heart_.--PS. xv. 1, 2. + + How happy is he born or taught, + That serveth not another's will, + Whose armor is his honest thought, + And simple truth his utmost skill. + +H. WOTTON. + +If thou workest at that which is before thee, following right reason, +seriously, vigorously, calmly, without allowing anything else to distract +thee, but keeping thy divine part pure as if thou shouldest be bound to +give it back immediately,--if thou boldest to this, expecting nothing, +fearing nothing, but satisfied with thy present activity according to +nature, and with heroic truth in every word and sound which thou utterest, +thou wilt live happy. And there is no man who is able to prevent this. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +October 1 + + +_Be strong, all ye people of the land, saith the Lord, and work: for I am +with you, saith the Lord of hosts_.--HAGGAI ii. 4, + + Yet the world is Thy field, Thy garden; + On earth art Thou still at home. + When Thou bendest hither Thy hallowing eye, + My narrow work-room seems vast and high, + Its dingy ceiling a rainbow-dome,-- + Stand ever thus at my wide-swung door, + And toil will be toil no more. + +L. LARCOM. + +The situation that has not its duty, its ideal, was never yet occupied +by man. Yes, here, in this poor, miserable, hampered, despicable Actual, +wherein thou even now standest, here or nowhere is thy Ideal: work it out +therefrom; and working, believe, live, be free. Fool! the Ideal is in +thyself, the impediment too is in thyself: thy condition is but the stuff +thou art to shape that same Ideal out of: what matters whether such stuff +be of this sort or that, so the form thou givest it be heroic, be poetic. O +thou that pinest in the imprisonment of the Actual, and criest bitterly to +the gods for a kingdom wherein to rule and create, know this of a truth: +the thing thou seekest is already with thee, "here or nowhere," couldst +thou only see! + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +October 2 + + +_I am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress_.--PS. xvii. 3. + +_In the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth +his lips is wise_.--PROV. x. 19. + + Prune thou thy words; the thoughts control + That o'er thee swell and throng; + They will condense within thy soul, + And change to purpose strong. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +Few men suspect how much mere talk fritters away spiritual energy,--that +which should be spent in action, spends itself in words. Hence he who +restrains that love of talk, lays up a fund of spiritual strength. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + +Do not flatter yourself that your thoughts are under due control, your +desires properly regulated, or your dispositions subject as they should be +to Christian principle, if your intercourse with others consists mainly of +frivolous gossip, impertinent anecdotes, speculations on the character and +affairs of your neighbors, the repetition of former conversations, or a +discussion of the current petty scandal of society; much less, if you allow +yourself in careless exaggeration on all these points, and that grievous +inattention to exact truth, which is apt to attend the statements of those +whose conversation is made up of these materials. + +H. WARE, JR. + + + +October 3 + + +_Judge not, that ye be not judged_.--MATT. vii. 1. + +_Why beboldest thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, but perceivest +not the beam that is in thine own eye_?--LUKE vi. 41. + + Judge not; the workings of his brain + And of his heart thou canst not see; + What looks to thy dim eyes a stain, + In God's pure light may only be + A scar, brought from some well-won field, + Where thou wouldst only faint and yield. + +ADELAIDE A. PROCTER. + +When you behold an aspect for whose constant gloom and frown you +cannot account, whose unvarying cloud exasperates you by its apparent +causelessness, be sure that there is a canker somewhere, and a canker not +the less deeply corroding because concealed. + +CHARLOTTE BRONTE. + +While we are coldly discussing a man's career, sneering at his mistakes, +blaming his rashness, and labelling his opinions--"Evangelical and narrow," +or "Latitudinarian and Pantheistic," or "Anglican and supercilious"--that +man, in his solitude, is perhaps shedding hot tears because his sacrifice +is a hard one, because strength and patience are failing him to speak the +difficult word, and do the difficult deed. + +GEORGE ELIOT. + + + +October 4 + + +_Be strong, and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou dismayed: +for the Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest_.--JOSH. i. 9. + + By Thine unerring Spirit led, + We shall not in the desert stray; + We shall not full direction need, + Nor miss our providential way; + As far from danger as from fear, + While love, almighty love, is near. + +CHARLES WESLEY. + +Watch your way then, as a cautious traveller; and don't be gazing at that +mountain or river in the distance, and saying, "How shall I ever get over +them?" but keep to the present _little inch_ that is before you, and +accomplish _that_ in the little moment that belongs to it. The mountain and +the river can only be passed in the same way; and, when you come to them, +you will come to the light and strength that belong to them. + +M. A. KELTY. + +Let not future things disturb thee, for thou wilt come to them, if it shall +be necessary, having with thee the same reason which thou now usest for +present things. + +MARCUS ANTONINUS. + + + +October 5 + + +_Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not_.--ISA. xxxv. +4. + + Why shouldst them fill to-day with sorrow + About to-morrow, + My heart? + One watches all with care most true, + Doubt not that He will give thee too + Thy part. + +PAUL FLEMMING. + +The crosses which we make for ourselves by a restless anxiety as to the +future, are not crosses which come from God. We show want of faith in Him +by our false wisdom, wishing to forestall His arrangements, and struggling +to supplement His Providence by our own providence. The future is not yet +ours; perhaps it never will be. If it comes, it may come wholly different +from what we have foreseen. Let us shut our eyes, then, to that which God +hides from us, and keeps in reserve in the treasures of His deep counsels. +Let us worship without seeing; let us be silent; let us abide in peace. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +October 6 + + +_I had fainted, unless I bad believed to see the goodness of the Lord in +the land of the living_--PS. xxvii. 13. + +_I will surely do thee good_.--GEN. xxxii. 12. + + Thou know'st not what is good for thee, + But God doth know,-- + Let Him thy strong reliance be, + And rest thee so. + +C. F. GELLERT. + +Let us be very careful of thinking, on the one hand, that we have no work +assigned us to do, or, on the other hand, that what we have assigned to us +is not the right thing for us. If ever we can say in our hearts to God, +in reference to any daily duty, "This is not my place; I would choose +something dearer; I am capable of something higher;" we are guilty not only +of rebellion, but of blasphemy. It is equivalent to saying, not only, "My +heart revolts against Thy commands," but "Thy commands are unwise; Thine +Almighty guidance is unskilful; Thine omniscient eye has mistaken the +capacities of Thy creature; Thine infinite love is indifferent to the +welfare of Thy child." + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + + + +October 7 + + +_And because ye are sons, God hath sent the Spirit of His Son into your +hearts, crying, Abba, Father_.--GAL. iv. 6. + + O Lord, forgive my sin, + And deign to put within + A calm, obedient heart, a patient mind; + That I may murmur not, + Though bitter seem my lot; + For hearts unthankful can no blessing find. + +M. RUTILIUS, 1604. + +Resignation to the Divine Will signifies a cheerful approbation and +thankful acceptance of everything that comes from God. It is not enough +patiently to submit, but we must thankfully receive and fully approve of +everything that, by the order of God's providence, happens to us. For there +is no reason why we should be patient, but what is as good and as strong a +reason why we should be thankful. Whenever, therefore, you find yourself +disposed to uneasiness or murmuring at any thing that is the effect of +God's providence over you, you must look upon yourself as denying either +the wisdom or goodness of God. + +WM. LAW. + + + +October 8 + + +_Ye shall not go out in haste, for the Lord will go before you; and the God +of Israel will be your rearward_.--ISA. lii. 12. (R. V.). + +_He that believeth shall not make haste_.--ISA. xxviii. 16. + + Holy Spirit, Peace divine! + Still this restless heart of mine; + Speak to calm this tossing sea, + Stayed in Thy tranquillity. + +S. LONGFELLOW. + +In whatever you are called upon to do, endeavor to maintain a calm, +collected, and prayerful state of mind. Self-recollection is of great +importance. "It is good for a man to quietly wait for the salvation of the +Lord." He who is in what may be called a spiritual hurry, or rather who +runs without having evidence of being spiritually sent, makes haste to no +purpose. + +T. C. UPHAM. + +There is great fret and worry in always running after work; it is not good +intellectually or spiritually. + +ANNIE KEARY. + +Whenever we are outwardly excited we should cease to act; but whenever we +have a message from the spirit within, we should execute it with calmness. +A fine day may excite one to act, but it is much better that we act from +the calm spirit in any day, be the outward what it may. + +J. P. GREAVES. + + + +October 9 + + +_As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord_.--JOSH. xxiv. 15. + + O happy house I and happy servitude! + Where all alike one Master own; + Where daily duty, in Thy strength pursued, + Is never hard or toilsome known; + Where each one serves Thee, meek and lowly, + Whatever Thine appointment be, + Till common tasks seem great and holy, + When they are done as unto Thee. + +C. J. P. SPITTA. + +At Dudson there was no rushing after anything, either worldly or +intellectual. It was a home of constant activity, issuing from, and +retiring to, a centre of deep repose. There was an earnest application of +excellent sense to the daily duties of life, to the minutest courtesy and +kindness, as well as to the real interests of others. Everything great and +everything little seemed done in the same spirit, and with the same degree +of fidelity, because it was the will of God; and that which could not +be traced to His will was not undertaken at all. Nothing at Dudson was +esteemed too little to be cared for, and nothing too great to be undertaken +at the command of God; and for this they daily exercised their mental and +bodily powers on the things around them; knowing that our Lord thoroughly +furnishes each of His soldiers for his work, and places before each the +task he has to do. + +M. A. SCHIMMELPENNINCK. + + + +October 10 + + +_Now the Lord of peace Himself give you peace always by all means_.--2 +THESS. iii. 16. + +_The Lord will give strength unto His people; the Lord will bless His +people with peace_.--PS. xxix. 11. + + In the heart's depths a peace serene and holy + Abides, and when pain seems to have its will, + Or we despair,--oh, may that peace rise slowly, + Stronger than agony, and we be still. + +S. JOHNSON. + +But if a man ought and is willing to lie still under God's hand, he must +and ought also to lie still under all things, whether they come from God, +himself, or the creatures, nothing excepted. And he who would be obedient, +resigned, and submissive to God, must and ought to be also resigned, +obedient, and submissive to all things, in a spirit of yielding, and not of +resistance; and take them in silence, resting on the hidden foundations of +his soul, and having a secret inward patience, that enableth him to take +all chances or crosses willingly; and, whatever befalleth, neither to call +for nor desire any redress, or deliverance, or resistance, or revenge, but +always in a loving, sincere humility to cry, "Father, forgive them, for +they know not what they do!" + +THEOLOGIA GERMANICA. + + + +October 11 + + +_And when the people complained, it displeased the Lord_.--NUM. xi. 1. + + When thou hast thanked thy God + For every blessing sent, + What time will then remain + For murmurs or lament? + +R. C. TRENCH. + +Let him, with a cheerful and thankful spirit, yield himself up to suffer +whatever God shall appoint unto him, and to fulfil, according to his power, +by the grace of God, all His holy will to the utmost that he can discern +it, and never complain of his distresses but to God alone, with entire +and humble resignation, praying that he may be strong to endure all his +sufferings according to the will of God. + +JOHN TAULER. + +He who complains, or thinks he has a right to complain, because he is +called in God's Providence to suffer, has something within him which needs +to be taken away. A soul whose will is lost in God's will, can never do +this. Sorrow may exist; but complaint never. + +CATHERINE ADORNA. + + + +October 12 + + +_Singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord_.--EPH. v. 19. + +_Sanctify the Lord God in your hearts_.--I PETER iii. 15. + + There are in this loud stunning tide + Of human care and crime, + With whom the melodies abide + Of th' everlasting chime; + Who carry music in their heart + Through dusky lane and wrangling mart, + Plying their daily task with busier feet, + Because their secret souls a holy strain repeat. + +J. KEBLE. + +Strive to carry thyself with a total resignation to the Divine Will, that +God may do with thee and all thine according to His heavenly pleasure, +relying on Him as on a kind and loving Father. Never recall that intention, +and though thou be taken up about the affairs of the condition wherein God +hath placed thee, yet thou wilt still be in prayer, in the presence of God, +and in perpetual acts of resignation. "A just man leaves not off to pray +unless he leaves off to be just." He always prays who always does well. +The good desire is prayer, and if the desire be continued so also is the +prayer. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + + + +October 13 + + +_We desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full +assurance of hope unto the end_.--HEB. vi. 11. + +_The Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil_.--2 +THESS. iii. 3. + + Long though my task may be, + Cometh the end. + God't is that helpeth me, + His is the work, and He + New strength will lend. + +ANON. + +Set yourself steadfastly to those duties which have the least attractive +exterior; it matters not whether God's holy will be fulfilled in great or +small matters. Be patient with yourself and your own failings; never be in +a hurry, and do not yield to longings after that which is impossible to +you. My dear sister, go on steadily and quietly; if our dear Lord means you +to run, He will "strengthen your heart." + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + +Always begin by doing that which costs me most, unless the easier duty is +a pressing one. Examine, classify, and determine at night the work of +the morrow; arrange things in the order of their importance, and act +accordingly. Dread, above all things, bitterness and irritation. Never say, +or indirectly recall anything to my advantage. + +MADAME SWET CHINE, + + + +October 14 + + +_He that sinneth against Me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate Me +love death_.--PROV. viii. 36. + +_But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your +fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. For the wages of sin +is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our +Lord_.--ROM. vi. 22, 23. + + O Sovereign Love, to Thee I cry! + Give me Thyself, or else I die! + Save me from death; from hell set free! + Death, hell, are but the want of Thee. + Quickened by Thy imparted flame, + Saved when possessed of Thee, I am: + My life, my only heaven Thou art; + O might I feel Thee in my heart! + +C. WESLEY. + +Sin itself is hell, and death, and misery to the soul, as being a departure +from goodness and holiness itself; I mean from God, in conjunction with +whom the happiness, and blessedness, and heaven of a soul doth consist. +Avoid it, therefore, as you would avoid being miserable. + +SAMUEL SHAW. + +"I could n't live in peace if I put the shadow of a wilful sin between +myself and God." + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +Unholy tempers are always unhappy tempers. + +JOHN WESLEY. + + + +October 15 + + +_Mine iniquities have taken hold upon me, so that I am not able to look up; +therefore my heart faileth me. Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me: O Lord, +make haste to help me_.--PS. xl. 12, 13. + +_Sin shall not have dominion over you_.--ROM. vi. 14. + + O Thou, to whose all-searching sight + The darkness shineth as the light! + Search, prove my heart; it pants for Thee; + Oh, burst these bonds, and set it free! + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +Yes, this sin which has sent me weary-hearted to bed and desperate in heart +to morning work, that has made my plans miscarry until I am a coward, that +cuts me off from prayer, that robs the sky of blueness and the earth +of springtime, and the air of freshness, and human faces of +friendliness,--this blasting sin which perhaps has made my bed in hell for +me so long,--this can be conquered. I do not say annihilated, but, better +than that, conquered, captured and transfigured into a friend: so that I +at last shall say, "My temptation has become my strength! for to the very +fight with it I owe my force." + +W. C. GANNETT. + + + +October 16 + + +_I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth, +which Thou hast showed unto Thy servant_.--GEN. xxxii. 10. + + Some murmur if their sky is clear, + And wholly bright to view, + If one small speck of dark appear + In their great heaven of blue: + And some with thankful love are filled, + If but one streak of light, + One ray of God's good mercy, gild + The darkness of their night. + +R. C. TRENCH. + +Habitual sufferers are precisely those who least frequently doubt the +Divine benevolence, and whose faith and love rise to the serenest +cheerfulness. Possessed by no idea of a prescriptive right to be happy, +their blessings are not benumbed by anticipation, but come to them fresh +and brilliant as the first day's morning and evening light to the dwellers +in Paradise. With the happy it is their constant peace that seems to come +by nature, and to be blunted by its commonness,--and their griefs to come +from God, sharpened by their sacred origin; with the sufferer, it is his +pain that appears to be a thing of course, and to require no explanation, +while his relief is reverently welcomed as a divine interposition, and, as +a breath of Heaven, caresses the heart into melodies of praise. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +October 17 + + +_Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as +in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than +sacrifice_.--I SAM. XV. 22. + +_Fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, which He will +show to you to-day_--EX. xiv. 13. + + The folded hands seem idle: + If folded at His word, + 'Tis a holy service, trust me, + In obedience to the Lord. + +ANNA SHIPTON. + +It is not the multitude of hard duties, it is not constraint and contention +that advance us in our Christian course. On the contrary, it is the +yielding of our wills without restriction and without choice, to tread +cheerfully every day in the path in which Providence leads us, to seek +nothing, to be discouraged by nothing, to see our duty in the present +moment, to trust all else without reserve to the will and power of God. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +Godliness is the devotion of the soul to God, as to a living person whose +will is to be its law, whose love is to be its life. It is the habit of +living before the face of God, and not the simply doing certain things. + +J. B. BROWN. + + + +October 18 + + +_Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the +scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no case enter into the kingdom of +heaven_.--MATT. v. 20. + + The freedom from all wilful sin, + The Christian's daily task,-- + Oh these are graces far below + What longing love would ask! + Dole not thy duties out to God. + +F. W. FABER. + +You perhaps will say that all people fall short of the perfection of the +Gospel, and therefore you are content with your failings. But this is +saying nothing to the purpose: for the question is not whether Gospel +perfection can be fully attained, but whether you come as near it as a +sincere intention and careful diligence can carry you. Whether you are +not in a much lower state than you might be if you sincerely intended and +carefully labored to advance yourself in all Christian virtues. + +WM. LAW. + +We know not exactly how low the least degree of obedience is, which will +bring a man to heaven; but this we are quite sure of, that he who aims +no higher will be sure to fall short even of that, and that he who goes +farthest beyond it will be most blessed. + +JOHN KEBLE. + + + +October 19 + + +_Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel; I am the Lord +thy God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that +thou shouldest go_.--ISA. xlviii. 17. + + I seek Thy aid, I ask direction, + Teach me to do what pleaseth Thee; + I can bear toil, endure affliction, + Only Thy leadings let me see. + +ANON. + +Of all paths a man could strike into, there is, at any given moment, a +_best path_ for every man; a thing which, here and now, it were of all +things _wisest_ for him to do; which could he but be led or driven to do, +he were then doing "like a man," as we phrase it. His success, in such +case, were complete, his felicity a maximum. This path, to find this path, +and walk in it, is the one thing needful for him. + +T. CARLYLE. + +Every man has his own vocation. There is one direction in which all space +is open to him. He has faculties silently inviting him thither to endless +exertion. He is like a ship in a river; he runs against obstructions on +every side but one; on that side all obstruction is taken away, and he +sweeps serenely over a deepening channel into an infinite sea. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +October 20 + + +_Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good_.--ROM. xii. 21. + + Come, in this accepted hour; + Bring Thy heavenly kingdom in; + Fill us with Thy glorious power, + Rooting out the seeds of sin. + +C. WESLEY. + +If we wish to overcome evil, we must overcome it by good. There are +doubtless many ways of overcoming the evil in our own hearts, but the +simplest, easiest, most universal, is to overcome it by active occupation +in some good word or work. The best antidote against evil of all kinds, +against the evil thoughts which haunt the soul, against the needless +perplexities which distract the conscience, is to keep hold of the good we +have. Impure thoughts will not stand against pure words, and prayers, and +deeds. Little doubts will not avail against great certainties. Fix your +affections on things above, and then you will be less and less troubled by +the cares, the temptations, the troubles of things on earth. + +A. P. STANLEY. + + + +October 21 + + +_I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect_.--GEN. xvii. +I. + +_Consecrate yourselves to-day to the Lord_.--EX. xxxii. 29. + + Take my life, and let it be + Consecrated, Lord, to Thee. + + Take my moments and my days; + Let them flow in ceaseless praise. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +I have noticed that wherever there has been a faithful following of the +Lord in a consecrated soul, several things have inevitably followed, +sooner or later. Meekness and quietness of spirit become in time the +characteristics of the daily life. A submissive acceptance of the will of +God as it comes in the hourly events of each day; pliability in the hands +of God to do or to suffer all the good pleasure of His will; sweetness +under provocation; calmness in the midst of turmoil and bustle; +yieldingness to the wishes of others, and an insensibility to slights and +affronts; absence of worry or anxiety; deliverance from care and fear;--all +these, and many similar graces, are invariably found to be the natural +outward development of that inward life which is hid with Christ in God. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +October 22 + + +_Father, if Thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my +will, but Thine, be done_.--LUKE xxii. 42. + + Just as Thou wilt is just what I would will; + Give me but this, the heart to be content, + And, if my wish is thwarted, to lie still, + Waiting till puzzle and till pain are spent, + And the sweet thing made plain which the Lord meant. + +SUSAN COOLIDGE. + +Let your will be one with His will, and be glad to be disposed of by Him. +He will order all things for you. What can cross your will, when it is one +with His will, on which all creation hangs, round which all things revolve? +Keep your hearts clear of evil thoughts; for as evil choices estrange the +will from His will, so evil thoughts cloud the soul, and hide Him from +us. Whatever sets us in opposition to Him makes our will an intolerable +torment. So long as we will one thing and He another, we go on piercing +ourselves through and through with a perpetual wound; and His will advances +moving on in sanctity and majesty, crushing ours into the dust. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +October 23 + + +_Teach me to do Thy will; for Thou art my God: Thy spirit is good; lead me +into the land of uprightness_.--PS. cxliii. 10. + + The battle of our life is won, + And heaven begun, + When we can say, "Thy will be done!" + But, Lord, until + These restless hearts in Thy deep love are still, + We pray Thee, "Teach us how to do Thy will!" + +LUCY LARCOM. + +"You are seeking your own will, my daughter. You are seeking some good +other than the law you are bound to obey. But how will you find good? It +is not a thing of choice; it is a river that flows from the foot of the +Invisible Throne, and flows by the path of obedience. I say again, man +cannot choose his duties. You may choose to forsake your duties, and +choose not to have the sorrow they bring. But you will go forth, and what +will you find, my daughter? Sorrow without duty--bitter herbs, and no +bread with them." + +GEORGE ELIOT. + +However dark and profitless, however painful and weary, existence may have +become, life is not done, and our Christian character is not won, so long +as God has anything left for us to suffer, or anything left for us to do. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +October 24 + + +_The Lord is my strength, and my shield; my heart trusted in Him, and I +am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I +praise Him_.--PS. xxviii. 7. + + Well may Thy happy children cease + From restless wishes, prone to sin, + And, in Thy own exceeding peace, + Yield to Thy daily discipline. + +A. L. WARING. + +Talk of hair-cloth shirts, and scourgings, and sleeping on ashes, as means +of saintship! There is no need of them in our country. Let a woman +once look at her domestic trials as her hair-cloth, her ashes, her +scourges,--accept them,--rejoice in them,--smile and be quiet, silent, +patient, and loving under them,--and the convent can teach her no more; she +is a victorious saint. + +H. B. STOWE. + +Perhaps it is a greater energy of Divine Providence, which keeps the +Christian from day to day, from year to year--praying, hoping, running, +believing--against all hindrances--which maintains him as a _living +martyr_, than that which bears him up for an hour in sacrificing himself at +the stake. + +R. CECIL. + + + +October 25 + + +_For I am persuaded that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor +principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor +height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us +from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord_.--ROM. viii. 38, +39. + + I know not what the future hath + Of marvel or surprise, + Assured alone that life and death + His mercy underlies. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +Be of good faith, my dear Friends, look not out at any thing; fear none of +those things ye may be exposed to suffer, either outwardly or inwardly; but +trust the Lord over all, and your life will spring, and grow, and refresh +you, and ye will learn obedience and faithfulness daily more and more, even +by your exercises and sufferings; yea, the Lord will teach you the very +mystery of faith and obedience; the wisdom, power, love, and goodness of +the Lord ordering _every_ thing for you, and ordering _your_ hearts in +every thing. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +October 26 + + +_Turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope_.--ZECH. ix. 12. + + O power to do; O baffled will! + O prayer and action! ye are one. + Who may not strive, may yet fulfil + The harder task of standing still, + And good but wished with God is done. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +That God has circumscribed our life may add a peculiar element of trial, +but often it defines our way and cuts off many tempting possibilities that +perplex the free and the strong; whilst it leaves intact the whole body +of spiritual reality, with the Beatitude thereon, "that if we know these +things, happy are we if we do them." We know that God orders the lot; and +to meet it with the energies it requires and permits, neither more nor +less,--to fill it at every available point with the light and action of an +earnest and spiritually inventive mind, though its scene be no wider than +a sick chamber, and its action narrowed to patient suffering, and gentle, +cheerful words, and all the light it can emit the thankful quiet of a +trustful eye,--without chafing as though God had misjudged our sphere, and +placed us wrong, and did not know where we could best serve Him,--this is +what, in that condition, we _have to do_. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +October 27 + + +_Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in necessities, +in persecutions, in distresses for Christ's sake: for when I am weak, then +am I strong_.--2 COR. xii. 10. + + Whatever God does is well! + In patience let us wait; + He doth Himself our burdens bear, + He doth for us take care, + And He, our God, knows all our weary days. + Come, give Him praise. + +B. SCHMOLCK. + +Nothing else but this seeing God in everything will make us loving and +patient with those who annoy and trouble us. They will be to us then only +the instruments for accomplishing His tender and wise purposes towards us, +and we shall even find ourselves at last inwardly thanking them for the +blessings they bring us. Nothing else will completely put an end to all +murmuring or rebelling thoughts. + +H. W. SMITH. + +The subjection of the will is accomplished by calmly resigning thyself in +everything that internally or externally vexes thee; for it is thus only +that the soul is prepared for the reception of divine influences. Prepare +the, heart like clean paper, and the Divine Wisdom will imprint on it +characters to His own liking. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + + + +October 28 + + +_I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of +peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end_.--JER. xxix. 11. + + Thy thoughts are good, and Thou art kind, + E'en when we think it not; + How many an anxious, faithless mind + Sits grieving o'er its lot, + And frets, and pines by day and night, + As God had lost it out of sight, + And all its wants forgot. + +P. GERHARDT. + +You are never to complain of your birth, your training, your employments, +your hardships; never to fancy that you could be something if only you had +a different lot and sphere assigned you. God understands His own plan, and +He knows what you want a great deal better than you do. The very things +that you most deprecate, as fatal limitations or obstructions, are probably +what you most want. What you call hindrances, obstacles, discouragements, +are probably God's opportunities. Bring down your soul, or, rather, bring +it up to receive God's will and do His work, in your lot, in your sphere, +under your cloud of obscurity, against your temptations, and then you +shall find that your condition is never opposed to your good, but really +consistent with it. + +H. BUSHNELL. + + + +October 29 + + +_Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in +the furnace of affliction_--ISA. xlviii. 10. + + Be patient, suffering soul! I hear thy cry. + The trial fires may glow, but I am nigh. + I see the silver, and I will refine + Until My image shall upon it shine. + Fear not, for I am near, thy help to be; + Greater than all thy pain, My love for thee. + +H. W. C. + +God takes a thousand times more pains with us than the artist with his +picture, by many touches of sorrow, and by many colors of circumstance, to +bring man into the form which is the highest and noblest in His sight, if +only we received His gifts and myrrh in the right spirit. But when the cup +is put away, and these feelings are stifled or unheeded, a greater injury +is done to the soul than can ever be amended. For no heart can conceive in +what surpassing love God giveth us this myrrh; yet this which we ought +to receive to our soul's good, we suffer to pass by us in our sleepy +indifference, and nothing comes, of it. Then we come and complain: "Alas, +Lord! I am so dry, and it is so dark within me!" I tell thee, dear child, +open thy heart to the pain, and it will do thee more good than if thou wert +full of feeling and devoutness. + +J. TAULER. + + + +October 30 + + +_That good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the Holy Ghost which +dwelleth in us_.--2 TIM. i. 14. + + Oh that the Comforter would come! + Nor visit as a transient guest, + But fix in me His constant home, + And keep possession of my breast: + And make my soul His loved abode, + The temple of indwelling God! + +C. WESLEY. + +Thy spirit should become, while yet on earth, the peaceful throne of the +Divine Being; think, then, how quiet, how gentle and pure, how reverent, +thou shouldst be. + +GERHARD TERSTEEGEN. + +I cannot tell you how much I love you. But that which of all things I have +most at heart, with regard to you, is the real progress of your soul in the +divine life. Heaven seems to be awakened in you. It is a tender plant. It +requires stillness, meekness, and the unity of the heart, totally given up +to the unknown workings of the Spirit of God, which will do all its work in +the calm soul, that has no hunger or desire but to escape out of the mire +of its earthly life into its lost union and life in God. I mention this, +out of a fear of your giving in to an eagerness about many things, which, +though seemingly innocent, yet divide and weaken the workings of the divine +life within you. + +WM. LAW. + + + +October 31 + + +_And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him_.--GEN. v. 24. + + Oh for a closer walk with God, + A calm and heavenly frame; + A light to shine upon the road + That leads me to the Lamb! + +W. COWPER. + +Is it possible for any of us in these modern days to so live that we may +walk with God? Can we walk with God in the shop, in the office, in the +household, and on the street? When men exasperate us, and work wearies us, +and the children fret, and the servants annoy, and our best-laid plans fall +to pieces, and our castles in the air are dissipated like bubbles that +break at a breath, then can we walk with God? That religion which fails us +in the every-day trials and experiences of life has somewhere in it a flaw. +It should be more than a plank to sustain us in the rushing tide, and land +us exhausted and dripping on the other side. It ought, if it come from +above, to be always, day by day, to our souls as the wings of a bird, +bearing us away from and beyond the impediments which seek to hold us down. +If the Divine Love be a conscious presence, an indwelling force with us, it +will do this. + +CHRISTIAN UNION. + + + +November 1 + + +_Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named_.--EPH. iii. 15. + + One family, we dwell in Him; + One church above, beneath; + Though now divided by the stream,-- + The narrow stream of death. + + One army of the living God, + To His command we bow: + Part of His host has crossed the flood, + And part is crossing now. + +C. WESLEY. + +Let us, then, learn that we can never be lonely or forsaken in this life. +Shall they forget us because they are "made perfect"? Shall they love us +the less because they now have power to love us more? If we forget them +not, shall they not remember us with God? No trial, then, can isolate us, +no sorrow can cut us off from the Communion of Saints. Kneel down, and you +are with them; lift up your eyes, and the heavenly world, high above all +perturbation, hangs serenely overhead; only a thin veil, it may be, floats +between. All whom we loved, and all who loved us, whom we still love no +less, while they love us yet more, are ever near, because ever in His +presence in whom we live and dwell. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +November 2 + + +_Wherefore seeing we also are compassed about with so great a cloud of +witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so +easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before +us_.--HEB. xii. i. + + When the powers of hell prevail + O'er our weakness and unfitness, + Could we lift the fleshly veil, + Could we for a moment witness + Those unnumbered hosts that stand + Calm and bright on either hand; + + Oh, what joyful hope would cheer, + Oh, what faith serene would guide us! + Great may be the danger near, + Greater are the friends beside us. + +ANON. + +We are compassed about by a cloud of witnesses, whose hearts throb in +sympathy with every effort and struggle, and who thrill with joy at every +success. How should this thought check and rebuke every worldly feeling +and unworthy purpose, and enshrine us, in the midst of a forgetful and +un-spiritual world, with an atmosphere of heavenly peace! They have +overcome--have risen--are crowned, glorified; but still they remain to us, +our assistants, our comforters, and in every hour of darkness their voice +speaks to us: "So we grieved, so we struggled, so we fainted, so we +doubted; but we have overcome, we have obtained, we have seen, we have +found,--and in our victory behold the certainty of thy own." + +H. B. STOWE. + + + +November 3 + + +_Wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for +we are members one of another_.--EPH. iv. 25. + + In conversation be sincere; + Keep conscience as the noontide clear; + Think how All-seeing God thy ways + And all thy secret thoughts surveys. + +THOMAS KEN. + +The essence of lying is in deception, not in words; a lie may be told by +silence, by equivocation, by the accent on a syllable, by a glance of the +eye attaching a peculiar significance to a sentence; and all these kinds of +lies are worse and baser by many degrees than a lie plainly worded; so that +no form of blinded conscience is so far sunk as that which comforts itself +for having deceived because the deception was by gesture or silence, +instead of utterance. + +J. RUSKIN. + +He that is habituated to deceptions and artificialities in trifles, will +try in vain to be true in matters of importance; for truth is a thing of +habit rather than of will. You cannot in any given case by any sudden +and single effort will to be true, if the habit of your life has been +insincerity. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + +November 4 + + +_A soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up +anger_.--PROV. xv. i, + +_Doest thou well to be angry_?--JONAH iv. 4. + + Renew Thine image, Lord, in me, + Lowly and gentle may I be; + No charms but these to Thee are dear; + No anger mayst Thou ever find, + No pride in my unruffled mind, + But faith, and heaven-born peace be there. + +P. GERHARDT. + +Neither say nor do aught displeasing to thy neighbor; and if thou hast been +wanting in charity, seek his forgiveness, or speak to him with gentleness. +Speak always with mildness and in a low tone of voice. + +L. SCUPOLI. + +Injuries hurt not more in the receiving than in the remembrance. A small +injury shall go as it comes; a great injury may dine or sup with me; but +none at all shall lodge with me. Why should I vex myself because another +hath vexed me? Grief for things past that cannot be remedied, and care for +things to come that cannot be prevented, may easily hurt, can never benefit +me. I will therefore commit myself to God in both, and enjoy the present. + +JOSEPH HALL. + + + +November 5 + + +_The temple of God is holy, which temple ye are_.--I COR. iii. 17. + + Now shed Thy mighty influence abroad + On souls that would their Father's image bear; + Make us as holy temples of our God, + Where dwells forever calm, adoring prayer. + +C. J. P. SPITTA. + +This pearl of eternity is the church or temple of God within thee, the +consecrated place of divine worship, where alone thou canst worship God +in spirit and in truth. When once thou art well grounded in this inward +worship, thou wilt have learned to live unto God above time and place. For +every day will be Sunday to thee, and, wherever thou goest, thou wilt have +a priest, a church, and an altar along with thee. For when God has all that +He should have of thy heart, when thou art wholly given up to the obedience +of the light and spirit of God within thee, to will only in His will, to +love only in His love, to be wise only in His wisdom, then it is that +everything thou dost is as a song of praise, and the common business of thy +life is a conforming to God's will on earth as angels do in heaven. + +WM. LAW. + + + +November 6 + + +_He will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him: He also will hear their +cry, and will save them_;--PS. cxlv. 19. + +_Delight thyself also in the Lord; and He shall give thee the desires of +thine heart_.--PS. xxxvii. 4. + + Though to-day may not fulfil + All thy hopes, have patience still; + For perchance to-morrow's sun + Sees thy happier days begun. + +P. GERHARDT. + +His great desire and delight is God; and by desiring and delighting, he +hath Him. _Delight thou in the Lord, and He shall give thee thy heart's +desire,_--HIMSELF; and then surely thou shall have all. Any other thing +_commit it to Him_, and He shall bring it to pass. + +R. LEIGHTON. + +All who call on God in true faith, earnestly from the heart, will certainly +be heard, and will receive what they have asked and desired, although not +in the hour or in the measure, or the very thing which they ask; yet they +will obtain something greater and more glorious than they had dared to ask. + +MARTIN LUTHER. + + + +November 7 + + +_I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision_.--ACTS xxvi. 19. + +_The Lord our God will we serve, and His voice will we obey_.--JOSH. xxiv. +24. + + I will shun no toil or woe, + Where Thou leadest I will go, + Be my pathway plain or rough; + If but every hour may be + Spent in work that pleases Thee, + Ah, dear Lord, it is enough! + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +All these longings and doubts, and this inward distress, are the voice of +the Good Shepherd in your heart, seeking to call you out of all that is +contrary to His will. Oh, let me entreat of you not to turn away from His +gentle pleadings. + +H. W. SMITH. + +The fear of man brings a snare. By halting in our duty and giving back in +the time of trial, our hands grow weaker, our ears grow dull as to hearing +the language of the true Shepherd; so that when we look at the way of the +righteous, it seems as though it was not for us to follow them. + +J. WOOLMAN. + + + +November 8 + + +_Lo, I come to do Thy will, O God_.--HEB. x. 9. + +_Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God_.--PS. cxliii. 10. + + Lo! I come with joy to do + The Father's blessed will; + Him in outward works pursue, + And serve His pleasure still. + Faithful to my Lord's commands, + I still would choose the better part; + Serve with careful Martha's hands, + And loving Mary's heart. + +C. WESLEY. + +A soul cannot be regarded as truly subdued and consecrated in its will, +and as having passed into union with the Divine will, until it has a +disposition to do promptly and faithfully all that God requires, as well as +to endure patiently and thankfully all that He imposes. + +T. C. UPHAM. + +When we have learned to offer up every duty connected with our situation +in life as a sacrifice to God, a settled employment becomes just a settled +habit of prayer. + +THOMAS ERSKINE. + +"_Do the duty which lies nearest thee_," which thou knowest to be a duty. +Thy second duty will already have become clearer. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +November 9 + + +_Say not thou, I will hide myself from the Lord: shall any remember me from +above? I shall not be remembered among so many people: for what is my soul +among such an infinite number of creatures_?--ECCLESIASTICUS xvi. 17. + + Among so many, can He care? + Can special love be everywhere? + A myriad homes,--a myriad ways,-- + And God's eye over every place? + + I asked: my soul bethought of this;-- + In just that very place of His + Where He hath put and keepeth you, + God hath no other thing to do! + +A. D. T. WHITNEY. + +Give free and bold play to those instincts of the heart which believe that +the Creator must care for the creatures He has made, and that the only real +effective care for them must be that which takes each of them into His +love, and knowing it separately surrounds it with His separate sympathy. +There is not one life which the Life-giver ever loses out of His sight; not +one which sins so that He casts it away; not one which is not so near to +Him that whatever touches it touches Him with sorrow or with joy. + +PHILLIPS BROOKS. + + + +November 10 + + +_In Him we live, and move, and have our being_.--ACTS xvii. 28. + +_Whither shall I go from Thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from Thy +presence_?--PS. cxxxix. 7. + + Yea! In Thy life our little lives are ended, + Into Thy depths our trembling spirits fall; + In Thee enfolded, gathered, comprehended, + As holds the sea her waves--Thou hold'st us all. + +E. SCUDDER. + +Where then is _our_ God? You say, He is _everywhere:_ then show me +_anywhere_ that you have met Him. You declare Him _everlasting:_ then tell +me _any moment_ that He has been with you. You believe Him ready to succor +them that are tempted, and to lift those that are bowed down: then in what +passionate hour did you subside into His calm grace? in what sorrow lose +yourself in His "more exceeding" joy? These are the testing questions by +which we may learn whether we too have raised our altar to an "unknown God" +and pay the worship of the blind; or whether we commune with Him "in whom +we live, and move, and have our being." + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +November 11 + + +_Walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good +work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; strengthened with all might, +according to His glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with +joyfulness_.--COL. i. 10, ii. + + To be the thing we seem, + To do the thing we deem + Enjoined by duty; + To walk in faith, nor dream + Of questioning God's scheme + Of truth and beauty. + +ANON. + +To shape the whole Future is not our problem; but only to shape faithfully +a small part of it, according to rules already known. It is perhaps +possible for each of us, who will with due earnestness inquire, to +ascertain clearly what he, for his own part, ought to do; this let him, +with true heart, do, and continue doing. The general issue will, as it has +always done, rest well with a Higher Intelligence than ours. This day thou +knowest ten commanded duties, seest in thy mind ten things which should be +done for one that thou doest! _Do_ one of them; this of itself will show +thee ten others which can and shall be done. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +November 12 + + +_I must work the works of Him that sent me, while it is day: the night +cometh, when no man can work_.--JOHN ix. 4. + +_Wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task_?--EX. v. 14. + + He who intermits + The appointed task and duties of the day + Untunes full oft the pleasures of the day; + Checking the finer spirits that refuse + To flow, when purposes are lightly changed. + +W. WORDSWORTH. + +By putting off things beyond their proper times, one duty treads upon the +heels of another, and all duties are felt as irksome obligations,--a yoke +beneath which we fret and lose our peace. In most cases the consequence of +this is, that we have no time to do the work as it ought to be done. It is +therefore done precipitately, with eagerness, with a greater desire simply +to get it done, than to do it well, and with very little thought of God +throughout. + +F. W. FABER. + +Sufficient for each day is the _good_ thereof, equally as the evil. We must +do at once, and with our might, the merciful deed that our hand findeth to +do,--else it will never be done, for the hand will find other tasks, and +the arrears fall through. And every unconsummated good feeling, every +unfulfilled purpose that His spirit has prompted, shall one day charge us +as faithless and recreant before God. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +November 13 + + +_Blessed is the man whom Thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of +Thy law_.--PS. xciv + +_Truly this is a grief, and I must bear it_.--JER. x. 19. + + Hold in thy murmurs, heaven arraigning! + The patient see God's loving face; + Who bear their burdens uncomplaining, + 'Tis they that win the Father's grace. + +ANON. + +Do not run to this and that for comfort when you are in trouble, but bear +it. Be uncomfortably quiet--be uneasily silent--be patiently unhappy. + +J.P. GREAVES. + +Hard words _will_ vex, unkindness _will_ pierce; neglect _will_ wound; +threatened evils _will_ make the soul quiver; sharp pain or weariness +_will_ rack the body, or make it restless. But what says the Psalmist? +"When my heart is vexed, I will complain." To whom? Not _of_ God, but _to_ +God. + +E.B. PUSEY. + +Surely, I have thought, I do not want to have a grief which would not be +a grief. I feel that I shall be able to take up my cross in a religious +spirit soon, and then it will be all right. + +JAMES HINTON. + + + +November 14 + + +_Thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, +thou shalt not be forgotten of me_.--ISA. xliv. 21. + + Oh, give Thy servant patience to be still, + And bear Thy will; + Courage to venture wholly on the arm + That will not harm; + The wisdom that will never let me stray + Out of my way; + The love, that, now afflicting, knoweth best + When I should rest. + +J. M. NEALE. + +Supposing that you were never to be set free from such trials, what would +you do? You would say to God, "I am Thine--if my trials are acceptable to +Thee, give me more and more." I have full confidence that this is what you +would say, and then you would not think more of it--at any rate, you would +not be anxious. Well, do the same now. Make friends with your trials, as +though you were always to live together; and you will see that when you +cease to take thought for your own deliverance, God will take thought for +you; and when you cease to help yourself eagerly, He will help you. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + +Ah, if you knew what peace there is in an accepted sorrow! + +MADAME GUYON. + + + +November 15 + + +_Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I +will strengthen thee; yea, I will help thee; yea, I will uphold thee with +the right hand of my righteousness_.--ISA. xli. 10. + + Lord, be Thou near and cheer my lonely way; + With Thy sweet peace my aching bosom fill; + Scatter my cares and fears; my griefs allay, + And be it mine each day + To love and please Thee still. + +P. CORNEILLE. + +What if the wicked nature, which is as a sea casting out mire and dirt, +rage against thee? There is a river, a sweet, still, flowing river, the +streams whereof will make glad thy heart. And, learn but in quietness and +stillness to retire to the Lord, and wait upon Him; in whom thou shall feel +peace and joy, in the midst of thy trouble from the cruel and vexatious +spirit of this world. So, wait to know thy work and service to the Lord +every day, in thy place and station; and the Lord make thee faithful +therein, and thou wilt want neither help, support, nor comfort. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +November 16 + + +_Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because +he trusteth in Thee_.--ISA. xxvi. 3. + + What comforts, Lord, to those are given, + Who seek in Thee their home and rest! + They find on earth an opening heaven, + And in Thy peace are amply blest. + +W. C. DESSLER. + +God is a tranquil Being, and abides in a tranquil eternity. So must thy +spirit become a tranquil and clear little pool, wherein the serene light +of God can be mirrored. Therefore shun all that is disquieting and +distracting, both within and without. Nothing in the whole world is worth +the loss of thy peace; even the faults which thou hast committed should +only humble, but not disquiet thee. God is full of joy, peace, and +happiness. Endeavor then to obtain a continually joyful and peaceful +spirit. Avoid all anxious care, vexation, murmuring, and melancholy, which +darken thy soul, and render thee unfit for the friendship of God. If thou +dost perceive such feelings arising, turn gently away from them. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + + + +November 17 + + +_Every day will I bless Thee; and I will praise Thy name for ever and +ever_.--PS. cxlv. 2. + +_Commit thy works unto the Lord, and thy thoughts shall be +established_.--PROV. xvi. 3. + + Lord, I my vows to Thee renew; + Disperse my sins as morning dew; + Guard my first springs of thought and will, + And with Thyself my spirit fill. + +THOMAS KEN. + +Morning by morning think, for a few moments, of the chief employments of +the day, any one thing of greater moment than others, thine own especial +trial, any occasions of it which are likely to come that day, and by one +short strong act commend thyself beforehand in all to God; offer all thy +thoughts, words, and deeds to Him--to be governed, guided, accepted by Him. +Choose some great occasions of the day, such as bring with them most trial +to thee, on which, above others, to commend thyself to God. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +Will you not, before venturing away from your early quiet hour, "commit thy +works" to Him definitely, the special things you have to do to-day, and the +unforeseen work which He may add in the course of it? + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +November 18 + + +_Hereby know we that we dwell in Him, and He in us, because He bath given +us of His Spirit_.--I JOHN iv. 13. + + Within! within, oh turn + Thy spirit's eyes, and learn + Thy wandering senses gently to control; + Thy dearest Friend dwells deep within thy soul, + And asks thyself of thee, + That heart, and mind, and sense, He may make whole + In perfect harmony. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +Wait patiently, trust humbly, depend only upon, seek solely to a God of +Light and Love, of Mercy and Goodness, of Glory and Majesty, ever dwelling +in the inmost depth and spirit of your soul. There you have all the secret, +hidden, invisible Upholder of all the creation, whose blessed operation +will always be found by a humble, faithful, loving, calm, patient +introversion of your heart to Him, who has His hidden heaven within you, +and which will open itself to you, as soon as your heart is left wholly to +His eternal, ever-speaking Word, and ever-sanctifying Spirit within you. +Beware of all eagerness and activity of your own natural spirit and temper. +Run not in any hasty ways of your own. Be patient under the sense of your +own vanity and weakness; and patiently wait for God to do His own work, and +in His own way. + +WM. LAW. + + + +November 19 + + +_If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridleth not his tongue, +but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is vain_.--JAMES i. 26. + +_I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue_.--PS. +xxxix. I. + + No sinful word, nor deed of wrong, + Nor thoughts that idly rove; + But simple truth be on our tongue, + And in our hearts be love. + +ST. AMBROSE. + +Let us all resolve,--First, to attain the grace of SILENCE; Second, to deem +all FAULT-FINDING that does no good a SIN, and to resolve, when we are +happy ourselves, not to poison the atmosphere for our neighbors by calling +on them to remark every painful and disagreeable feature of their daily +life; Third, to practise the grace and virtue of PRAISE. + +HARRIET B. STOWE. + +Surrounded by those who constantly exhibit defects of character and +conduct, if we yield to a complaining and impatient spirit, we shall mar +our own peace without having the satisfaction of benefiting others. + +T. C. UPHAM. + + + +November 20 + + +_Ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the--will of God, ye +might receive the promise_.--HEB. x. 36. + + Sweet Patience, come: + Not from a low and earthly source,-- + Waiting, till things shall have their course,-- + Not as accepting present pain + In hope of some hereafter gain,-- + Not in a dull and sullen calm,-- + But as a breath of heavenly balm, + Bidding my weary heart submit + To bear whatever God sees fit: + Sweet Patience, come! + +HYMNS OF THE CHURCH MILITANT. + +Patience endues her scholars with content of mind, and evenness of temper, +preventing all repining grumbling, and impatient desires, and inordinate +affections; disappointments here are no crosses, and all anxious thoughts +are disarmed of their sting; in her habitations dwell quietness, +submission, and long-suffering, all fierce turbulent inclinations are +hereby allayed. The eyes of the patient fixedly wait the inward power of +God's providence, and they are thereby mightily enabled towards their +salvation and preservation. + +THOMAS TRYON. + + + +November 21 + + +_Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out +of the mouth of God_.--MATT. iv. 4. + +_A man's life conisteth not in the abundance of the things which he +possesseth_.--LUKE xii. 15. + + Whate'er God does is well, + Whether He gives or takes! + And what we from His hand receive + Suffices us to live. + He takes and gives, while yet He loves us still; + Then love His will. + +B. SCHMOLCK. + +Is that beast better, that hath two or three mountains to graze on, than +a little bee, that feeds on dew or manna, and lives upon what falls every +morning from the storehouse of heaven, clouds, and providence? + +JEREMY TAYLOR. + +For myself I am certain that the good of human life cannot lie in the +possession of things which for one man to possess is for the rest to lose, +but rather in things which all can possess alike, and where one man's +wealth promotes his neighbor's. + +B. SPINOZA. + +Every lot is happy to a person who bears it with tranquillity. + +BOETHIUS. + + + +November 22 + + +_Your Father knoweth what things ye have need of_.--MATT. vi. 8. + +_Seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness; and all these +things shall be added unto you_.--MATT. vi. 33. + + Thy kingdom come, with power and grace, + To every heart of man; + Thy peace, and joy, and righteousness + In all our bosoms reign. + +C. WESLEY. + +God bids us, then, by past mercies, by present grace, by fears of coming +ill, by hopes in His goodness, earnestly, with our whole hearts, seek Him +and His righteousness, and all these things, all ye need for soul and body, +peace, comfort, joy, the overflowing of His consolations, shall be added +over and above to you. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +Grant us, O Lord, we beseech Thee, always to seek Thy kingdom and +righteousness, and of whatsoever Thou seest us to stand in need, mercifully +grant us an abundant portion. Amen. + +Be content to be a child, and let the Father proportion out daily to thee +what light, what power, what exercises, what straits, what fears, what +troubles He sees fit for thee. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +November 23 + + +_I have taught thee In the way of wisdom; I have led thee in right +paths_.--PROV. iv. 11. + + We know not what the path may be + As yet by us untrod; + But we can trust our all to Thee, + Our Father and our God. + +WM. J. IRONS. + +We have very little command over the circumstances in which we may be +called by God to bear our part--unlimited command over the temper of our +souls, but next to no command over the outward forms of trial. The most +energetic will cannot order the events by which our spirits are to be +perilled and tested. Powers quite beyond our reach--death, accident, +fortune, another's sin--may change in a moment all the conditions of our +life. With to-morrow's sun existence may have new and awful aspects for any +of us. + +J. H. THOM. + +Oh, my friend, look not _out_ at what stands in the way; what if it look +dreadfully as a lion, is not the Lord stronger than the mountains of prey? +but look _in_, where the law of life is written, and the will of the Lord +revealed, that thou mayest know what is the Lord's will concerning thee. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +November 24 + + +_Be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope +in the Lord_.--PS. xxxi. 24. + +_Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid_.--JOHN xiv. 27. + + In heavenly love abiding, + No change my heart shall fear; + And safe is such confiding, + For nothing changes here. + +A. L. WARING. + +A true Christian, that hath power over his own will, may live nobly and +happily, and enjoy a clear heaven within the serenity of his own mind +perpetually. When the sea of this world is most rough and tempestuous +about him, then can he ride safely at anchor within the haven, by a sweet +compliance of his will with God's will. He can look about him, and with an +even and indifferent mind behold the world either to smile or frown upon +him; neither will he abate of the least of his contentment for all the ill +and unkind usage he meets withal in this life. He that hath got the mastery +over his own will feels no violence from without, finds no contests within; +and when God calls for him out of this state of mortality, he finds in +himself a power to lay down his own life; neither is it so much taken from +him, as quietly and freely surrendered up by him. + +DR. JOHN SMITH. + + + +November 25 + + +_And the Lord, He it is that doth go before thee; He will be with thee, +He will not fail thee, neither forsake thee: fear not, neither be +dismayed_.--DEUT. xxxi. 8. + + Know well, my soul, God's hand controls + Whatever thou fearest; + Round Him in calmest music rolls + Whate'er thou hearest. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +The lessons of the moral sentiment are, once for all, an emancipation from +that anxiety which takes the joy out of all life. It teaches a great peace. +It comes itself from the highest place. It is that, which being in all +sound natures, and strongest in the best and most gifted men, we know to be +implanted by the Creator of men. It is a commandment at every moment, and +in every condition of life, to do the duty of that moment, and to abstain +from doing the wrong. + +R. W. EMERSON. + +Go face the fire at sea, or the cholera in your friend's house, or the +burglar in your own, or what danger lies in the way of duty, knowing you +are guarded by the cherubim of Destiny. + +R. W. EMERSON. + + + +November 26 + + +_Behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou +guest_.--GEN. xxviii. 15. + + Be quiet, soul: + Why shouldst thou care and sadness borrow, + Why sit in nameless fear and sorrow, + The livelong day? + God will mark out thy path to-morrow + In His best way. + +ANON. + +I had hoped, Madame, to find you here, and was rejoicing in that hope; but +God has sent you elsewhere. The best place is wherever He puts us, and +any other would be undesirable, all the worse because it would please our +fancy, and would be of our own choice. Do not think about distant events. +This uneasiness about the future is unwholesome for you. We must leave to +God all that depends on Him, and think only of being faithful in all that +depends upon ourselves. When God takes away that which He has given you, He +knows well how to replace it, either through other means or by Himself. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + + + +November 27 + + +_The Lord hath been mindful of us: He will bless us_.--PS. cxv. 12. + + My Father! what am I, that all + Thy mercies sweet like sunlight fall + So constant o'er my way? + That Thy great love should shelter me, + And guide my steps so tenderly + Through every changing day? + +ANON. + +What a strength and spring of life, what hope and trust, what glad, +unresting energy, is in this one thought,--to serve Him who is "my Lord," +ever near me, ever looking on; seeing my intentions before He beholds my +failures; knowing my desires before He sees my faults; cheering me to +endeavor greater things, and yet accepting the least; inviting my poor +service, and yet, above all, content with my poorer love. Let us try to +realize this, whatsoever, wheresoever we be. The humblest and the simplest, +the weakest and the most encumbered, may love Him not less than the busiest +and strongest, the most gifted and laborious. If our heart be clear before +Him; if He be to us our chief and sovereign choice, dear above all, and +beyond all desired; then all else matters little. That which concerneth us +He will perfect in stillness and in power. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +November 28 + + +_Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving +kindness have I drawn thee_.--JER. xxxi. 3. + + On the great love of God I lean, + Love of the Infinite, Unseen, + With nought of heaven or earth between. + This God is mine, and I am His; + His love is all I need of bliss. + +H. BONAR. + +If ever human love was tender, and self-sacrificing, and devoted; if ever +it could bear and forbear; if ever it could suffer gladly for its loved +ones; if ever it was willing to pour itself out in a lavish abandonment for +the comfort or pleasure of its objects; then infinitely more is Divine love +tender, and self-sacrificing, and devoted, and glad to bear and forbear, +and to suffer, and to lavish its best of gifts and blessings upon the +objects of its love. Put together all the tenderest love you know of, the +deepest you have ever felt, and the strongest that has ever been poured out +upon you, and heap upon it all the love of all the loving human hearts in +the world, and then multiply it by infinity, and you will begin, perhaps, +to have some faint glimpse of what the love of God is. + +H. W. SMITH. + + + +November 29 + + +_My sons, be not now negligent: for the Lord hath chosen you to stand +before Him, to serve Him_.--2 CHRON. xxix. 11. + + Bright be my prospect as I pass along;-- + An ardent service at the cost of all,-- + Love by untiring ministry made strong, + And ready for the first, the softest call. + +A. L. WARING. + +There are many things that appear trifles, which greatly tend to enervate +the soul, and hinder its progress in the path to virtue and glory. The +habit of indulging in things which our judgment cannot thoroughly approve, +grows stronger and stronger by every act of self-gratification, and we are +led on by degrees to an excess of luxury which must greatly weaken our +hands in the spiritual warfare. If we do not endeavor to do that which is +right in every particular circumstance, though trifling, we shall be in +great danger of letting the same negligence take place in matters more +essential. + +MARGARET WOODS. + +The will can only be made submissive by frequent self-denials, which must +keep in subjection its sallies and inclinations. Great weakness is often +produced by indulgences which seem of no importance. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + + + +November 30 + + +_Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? +hope thou in God; for I shall yet praise Him for the help of His +countenance_.--PS. xlii. 5. + +_We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed_.--2 COR. iv. 8. + + Oh, my soul, why art thou vexed? + Let things go e'en as they will; + Though to thee they seem perplexed, + Yet His order they fulfil. + +A. H. FRANCKE. + +The vexation, restlessness, and impatience which small trials cause, arise +wholly from our ignorance and want of self-control. We may be thwarted +and troubled, it is true, but these things put us into a condition for +exercising patience and meek submission, and the self-abnegation wherein +alone the fulness of God is to be found. + +DE RENTY. + +Every day deny yourself some satisfaction;--bearing all the inconveniences +of life (for the love of God), cold, hunger, restless nights, ill health, +unwelcome news, the faults of servants, contempt, ingratitude of friends, +malice of enemies, calumnies, our own failings, lowness of spirits, the +struggle in overcoming our corruptions;--bearing all these with patience +and resignation to the will of God. Do all this as unto God, with the +greatest privacy. + +THOMAS WILSON. + + + +December 1 + + +_Charity envieth not, ... thinketh no evil_--I COR. xiii. 4, 5. + +_Why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy +brother_?--ROM. xiv. 10. + +_He that despiseth his neighbor sinneth_.--PROV. xiv. 21. + + Look thou with pity on a brother's fall, + But dwell not with stern anger on his fault; + The grace of God alone holds thee, holds all; + Were that withdrawn, thou too wouldst swerve and halt. + +J. EDMESTON. + +If, on hearing of the fall of a brother, however differing or severed from +us, we feel the least inclination to linger over it, instead of hiding it +in grief and shame, or veiling it in the love which covereth a multitude +of sins; if, in seeing a joy or a grace or an effective service given to +others, we do not rejoice, but feel depressed, let us be very watchful; the +most diabolical of passions may mask itself as humility, or zeal for the +glory of God. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + +Love taketh up no malign elements; its spirit prompteth it to cover in +mercy all things that ought not to be exposed, to believe all of good that +can be believed, to hope all things that a good God makes possible, and to +endure all things that the hope may be made good. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +December 2 + + +_Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: +for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that +judgest doest the same things_.--ROM. ii. I. + + Search thine own heart. What paineth thee + In others, in thyself may be; + All dust is frail, all flesh is weak; + Be thou the true man thou dost seek. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +A saint's life in one man may be less than common honesty in another. From +us, whose consciences He has reached and enlightened, God may look for a +martyr's truth, a Christian's unworldly simplicity, before He will place us +on a level even with the average of the exposed classes. We perhaps think +our lives at least harmless. We do not consider what He may think of them, +when compared with the invitations of His that we have slighted, with the +aims of His Providence we are leaving without our help, with the glory for +ourselves we are refusing and casting away, with the vast sum of blessed +work that daily faithfulness in time can rear without overwork on any +single day. + +J. H. THOM. + + + +December 3 + + +_Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye +may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost_.--ROM. xv. 13. + + To heaven I lift my waiting eyes; + There all my hopes are laid; + The Lord that built the earth and skies + Is my perpetual aid. + +I. WATTS. + +Grovel not in things below, among earthly cares, pleasures, anxieties, +toils, if thou wouldst have a good strong hope on high. Lift up thy cares +with thy heart to God, if thou wouldst hope in Him. Then see what in thee +is most displeasing to God. This it is which holdeth thy hope down. Strike +firmly, repeatedly, in the might of God, until it give way. Thy hope will +soar at once with thy thanks to God who delivered thee. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +The snares of the enemy will be so known to thee and discerned, the way of +help so manifest and easy, that their strength will be broken, and the poor +entangled bird will fly away singing, from the nets and entanglements of +the fowler; and praises will spring up, and great love in thy heart to the +Forgiver and Redeemer. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +December 4 + + +_Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou +art also called_.--I TIM. vi. 12. + + Oh, dream no more of quiet life; + Care finds the careless out; more wise to vow + Thy heart entire to faith's pure strife; + So peace will come, thou knowest not when or how. + +LYRA APOSTOLICA. + +Who art thou that complainest of thy life of toil? Complain not. Look +up, my wearied brother; see thy fellow-workmen there, in God's Eternity; +surviving there, they alone surviving; sacred band of the Immortals, +celestial body-guard of the empire of mankind. To thee Heaven, though +severe, is _not_ unkind; Heaven is kind,--as a noble mother; as that +Spartan mother, saying while she gave her son his shield, "With it, my son, +or upon it." Thou too shall return _home_ in honor; to thy far-distant +Home, in honor; doubt it not,--if in the battle thou keep thy shield! +Thou, in the Eternities and deepest death-kingdoms art not an alien; thou +everywhere art a denizen. Complain not. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +December 5 + + +_The God of all grace, who hath called us unto His eternal glory by Christ +Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, +strengthen, settle you_.--I PET. v. 10. + +_Take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted_.--ISA. vii. +4. + + How shall thou bear the cross that now + So dread a weight appears? + Keep quietly to God, and think + Upon the Eternal Years. + +F. W. FABER. + +God forgive them that raise an ill report upon the sweet cross of Christ; +it is but our weak and dim eyes, that look but to the black side, that +makes us mistake; those that can take that crabbed tree handsomely upon +their backs, and fasten it on cannily, shall find it such a burden as wings +unto a bird, or sails to a ship. + +S. RUTHERFORD. + +Blessed is any weight, however overwhelming, which God has been so good as +to fasten with His own hand upon our shoulders. + +F. W. FABER. + +We cannot say this or that trouble shall not befall, yet we may, by help of +the Spirit, say, nothing that doth befall shall make me do that which is +unworthy of a Christian. + +R. SIBBES. + + + +December 6 + + +_This God is our God for ever and ever: He will be our guide even unto +death_.--PS. xlviii. 14. + +_For the Lord shall be thy confidence_.--PROV. iii. 26. + + Be still, my soul! Thy God doth undertake + To guide the future, as He has the past: + Thy hope, thy confidence, let nothing shake, + All now mysterious shall be bright at last. + +J. BORTHWJCK. + +He has kept and folded us from ten thousand ills when we did not know it: +in the midst of our security we should have perished every hour, but that +He sheltered us "from the terror by night and from the arrow that flieth by +day"--from the powers of evil that walk in darkness, from snares of our own +evil will. He has kept us even against ourselves, and saved us even from +our own undoing. Let us read the traces of His hand in all our ways, in all +the events, the chances, the changes of this troubled state. It is He that +folds and feeds us, that makes us to go in and out,--to be faint, or to +find pasture,--to lie down by the still waters, or to walk by the way that +is parched and desert. + +H. E. MANNING. + +We are never without help. We have no right to say of any good work, it is +too hard for me to do, or of any sorrow, it is too hard for me to bear; or +of any sinful habit, it is too hard for me to overcome. + +ELIZABETH CHARLES. + + + +December 7 + + +_Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace_.--JOB xxii. 21. + +_All thy children shall be taught of the Lord; and great shall be the peace +of thy children_.--ISA. liv. 13. + + Unite, my roving thoughts, unite + In silence soft and sweet; + And thou, my soul, sit gently down + At thy great Sovereign's feet. + +P. DODDRIDGE. + +Yes! blessed are those holy hours in which the soul retires from the world +to be alone with God. God's voice, as Himself, is everywhere. Within and +without, He speaks to our souls, if we would hear. Only the din of the +world, or the tumult of our own hearts, deafens our inward ear to it. +Learn to commune with Him in stillness, and He, whom thou hast sought in +stillness, will be with thee when thou goest abroad. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +The great step and direct path to the fear and awful reverence of God, is +to meditate, and with a sedate and silent hush to turn the eyes of the mind +inwards; there to seek, and with a submissive spirit wait at the gates of +Wisdom's temple; and then the Divine Voice and Distinguishing Power will +arise in the light and centre of a man's self. + +THOMAS TRYON. + + + +December 8 + + +_Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed +us with all spiritual blessings_.--EPH. i. 3. + +_As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing_.--2 COR. vi. 10. + + It is not happiness I seek, + Its name I hardly dare to speak; + It is not made for man or earth, + And Heaven alone can give it birth. + + There is a something sweet and pure, + Through life, through death it may endure; + With steady foot I onward press, + And long to win that Blessedness. + +LOUISA J. HALL. + +The elements of _happiness_ in this present life no man can command, even +if he could command himself, for they depend on the action of many wills, +on the purity of many hearts, and by the highest law of God the holiest +must ever bear the sins and sorrows of the rest; but over the _blessedness_ +of his own spirit circumstance need have no control; God has therein given +an unlimited power to the means of preservation, of grace and growth, at +every man's command. + +J. H. THOM. + +There is in man a higher than love of happiness: he can do without +happiness, and instead thereof find blessedness! + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +December 9 + + +_For this shall every one that is godly pray unto Thee in a time when Thou +mayest be found: surely in the floods of great waters they shall not come +nigh unto him_.--PS. xxxii. 6. + + Be not o'ermastered by thy pain, + But cling to God, thou shall not fall; + The floods sweep over thee in vain, + Thou yet shall rise above them all; + For when thy trial seems too hard to bear, + Lo! God, thy King, hath granted all thy prayer: + Be thou content. + +P. GERHARDT. + +It is the Lord's mercy, to give thee breathings after life, and cries unto +Him against that which oppresseth thee; and happy wilt thou be, when He +shall fill thy soul with that which He hath given thee to breathe after. Be +not troubled; for if troubles abound, and there be tossing, and storms, +and tempests, and no peace, nor anything visible left to support; yet, lie +still, and sink beneath, till a secret hope stir, which will stay the heart +in the midst of all these; until the Lord administer comfort, who knows how +and what relief to give to the weary traveller, that knows not where it is, +nor which way to look, nor where to expect a path. + +I. PENINGTON. + + + +December 10 + + +_Behold, we count them happy which endure_.--JAMES v. 11. + +_If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons_.--HEB. xii. 7. + + Trials must and will befall; + But with humble faith to see + Love inscribed upon them all, + This is happiness to me. + +W. COWPER. + +Be not afraid of those trials which God may see fit to send upon thee. It +is with the wind and storm of tribulation that God separates the true wheat +from the chaff. Always remember, therefore, that God comes to thee in thy +sorrows, as really as in thy joys. He lays low, and He builds up. Thou wilt +find thyself far from perfection, if thou dost not find God in everything. + +M. DE MOLINOS. + +God hath provided a sweet and quiet life for His children, could they +improve and use it; a calm and firm conviction in all the storms and +troubles that are about them, however things go, to find content, and be +careful for nothing. + +R. LEIGHTON. + + + +December 11 + + +_Oh, that Thou wouldest bless me indeed, and that Thine hand might be +with me, and that Thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve +me_!--I CHRON. iv. 10. + +_Ye shall serve the Lord your God, and He shall bless thy bread and thy +water_.--EX. xxiii. 25. + + What I possess, or what I crave, + Brings no content, great God, to me, + If what I would, or what I have, + Be not possest, and blest, in Thee; + What I enjoy, O make it mine, + In making me that have it, Thine. + +J. QUARLES. + +Offer up to God all pure affections, desires, regrets, and all the bonds +which link us to home, kindred, and friends, together with all our works, +purposes, and labors. These things, which are not only lawful, but sacred, +become then the matter of thanksgiving and oblation. Memories, plans for +the future, wishes, intentions; works just begun, half done, all but +completed; emotions, sympathies, affections,--all these things throng +tumultuously and dangerously in the heart and will. The only way to master +them is to offer them up to Him, as once ours, under Him, always His by +right. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +December 12 + + +_I delight to do Thy will, O my God: yea, Thy law is within my heart_.--PS. +xl. 8. + + A patient, a victorious mind, + That life and all things casts behind, + Springs forth obedient to Thy call; + A heart that no desire can move, + But still to adore, believe, and love, + Give me, my Lord, my Life, my All. + +P. GERHARDT. + +That piety which sanctifies us, and which is a true devotion to God, +consists in doing all His will precisely at the time, in the situation, and +under the circumstances, in which He has placed us. Perfect devotedness +requires, not only that we do the will of God, but that we do it with love. +God would have us serve Him with delight; it is our hearts that He asks of +us. + +FRANÇOIS DE LA MOTHE FÉNELON. + +Devotion is really neither more nor less than a general inclination and +readiness to do that which we know to be acceptable to God. It is that +"free spirit," of which David spoke when he said, "I will run the way +of Thy commandments, when Thou hast set my heart at liberty." People of +ordinary goodness walk in God's way, but the devout run in it, and at +length they almost fly therein. To be truly devout, we must not only do +God's will, but we must do it cheerfully. + +ST. FRANCIS DE SALES. + + + +December 13 + + +_So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto +wisdom_.--PS. xc. 12. + +_Seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of +doubtful mind_.--LUKE xii. 29. + + Our days are numbered: let us spare + Our anxious hearts a needless care: + 'T is Thine to number out our days; + 'T is ours to give them to Thy praise. + +MADAME GUYON. + +Every day let us renew the consecration to God's service; every day let +us, in His strength, pledge ourselves afresh to do His will, even in the +veriest trifle, and to turn aside from anything that may displease Him. +He does not bid us bear the burdens of tomorrow, next week, or next year. +Every day we are to come to Him in simple obedience and faith, asking +help to keep us, and aid us through that day's work; and to-morrow, and +to-morrow, and to-morrow, through years of long to-morrows, it will be but +the same thing to do; leaving the future always in God's hands, sure that +He can care for it better than we. Blessed trust! that can thus confidingly +say, "This hour is mine with its present duty; the next is God's, and when +it comes, His presence will come with it." + +W. R. HUNTINCTON. + + + +December 14 + + +_And as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, +and upon the Israel of God_.--GAL. vi. 16. + + Lord, I have given my life to Thee, + And every day and hour is Thine,-- + What Thou appointest let them be; + Thy will is better, Lord, than mine. + +A. WARNER. + +Begin at once; before you venture away from this quiet moment, ask your +King to take you wholly into His service, and place all the hours of this +day quite simply at His disposal, and ask Him to make and keep you _ready_ +to do just exactly what He appoints. Never mind about to-morrow; one day +at a time is enough. Try it to-day, and see if it is not a day of strange, +almost curious peace, so sweet that you will be only too thankful, when +to-morrow comes, to ask Him to take it also,--till it will become a +blessed habit to hold yourself simply and "wholly at Thy commandment for +_any_ manner of service." The "whatsoever" is not necessarily active work. +It may be waiting (whether half an hour or half a life-time), learning, +suffering, sitting still. But shall we be less ready for these, if any of +them are His appointments for to-day? Let us ask Him to prepare us for all +that He is preparing for us. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + + + +December 15 + + +_Return unto thy rest, O my soul; for the Lord hath dealt bountifully with +thee_.--PS. cxvi. 7. + +_We which have believed do enter into rest_.--HEB. iv. 3. + + Rest is not quitting + The busy career; + Rest is the fitting + Of self to its sphere. + + 'T is loving and serving + The highest and best! + 'T is onwards, unswerving,-- + And that is true rest. + +J. S. DWIGHT. + +As a result of this strong faith, the inner life of Catherine of Genoa +was characterized, in a remarkable degree, by what may be termed rest, or +quietude; which is only another form of expression for true interior peace. +It was not, however, the quietude of a lazy inaction, but the quietude +of an inward acquiescence; not a quietude which feels nothing and does +nothing, but that higher and divine quietude which exists by feeling and +acting in the time and degree of God's appointment and God's will. It was a +principle in her conduct, to give herself to God in the discharge of duty; +and to leave all results without solicitude in His hands. + +T. C. UPHAM. + + + +December 16 + + +_Thou understandest my thought afar off_.--PS. cxxxix. 2. + +_Who can understand his errors? cleanse Thou me from secret faults_.--PS. +xix. 12. + + My newest griefs to Thee are old; + My last transgression of Thy law, + Though wrapped in thought's most secret fold, + Thine eyes with pitying sadness saw. + +H. M. KIMBALL. + +Lord our God, great, eternal, wonderful in glory, who keepest covenant and +promises for those that love Thee with their whole heart, who art the Life +of all, the Help of those that flee unto Thee, the Hope of those who cry +unto Thee, cleanse us from our sins, secret and open, and from every +thought displeasing to Thy goodness,--cleanse our bodies and souls, our +hearts and consciences, that with a pure heart, and a clear soul, with +perfect love and calm hope, we may venture confidently and fearlessly to +pray unto Thee. Amen. + +COPTIC LITURGY OF ST. BASIL. + +The dominion of any sinful habit will fearfully estrange us from His +presence. A single consenting act of inward disobedience in thought or will +is enough to let fall a cloud between Him and us, and to leave our hearts +cheerless and dark. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +December 17 + + +_The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, +goodness, faith, meekness, temperance_.--GAL. v. 22, 23. + +_Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my +disciples_.--JOHN xv. 8. + + O Breath from out the Eternal Silence! blow + Softly upon our spirits' barren ground; + The precious fulness of our God bestow, + That fruits of faith, love, reverence may abound. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + +Is it possible we should be ignorant whether we feel tempers contrary to +love or no?--whether we rejoice always, or are burdened and bowed down with +sorrow?--whether we have a praying, or a dead, lifeless spirit?--whether +we can praise God, and be resigned in all trials, or feel murmurings, +fretfulness, and impatience under them?--is it not easy to know if we +feel anger at provocations, or whether we feel our tempers mild, gentle, +peaceable, and easy to be entreated, or feel stubbornness, self-will, and +pride? whether we have slavish fears, or are possessed of that perfect love +which casteth out all fear that hath torment? + +HESTER ANN ROGERS. + + + +December 18 + + +_We trust in the living God_.--I TIM. iv. 10. + + Thy secret judgment's depths profound + Still sings the silent night; + The day, upon his golden round, + Thy pity infinite. + +I. WILLIAMS. _Tr. from Latin_. + +Now that I have no longer any sense for the transitory and perishable, the +universe appears before my eyes under a transformed aspect. The dead, heavy +mass which did but stop up space has vanished, and in its place there flows +onward, with the rushing music of mighty waves, an eternal stream of +life, and power, and action, which issues from the original source of all +life,--from Thy life, O Infinite One! for all life is Thy life, and only +the religious eye penetrates to the realm of true Beauty. + +J. G. FICHTE. + +What is Nature? Art thou not the "Living Garment" of God? O Heavens, is it, +in very deed, He then that ever speaks through thee; that lives and +loves in thee, that lives and loves in me? Sweeter than dayspring to the +shipwrecked in Nova Zembla; ah! like the mother's voice to her little child +that strays bewildered, weeping, in unknown tumults; like soft streamings +of celestial music to my too exasperated heart, came that Evangel. The +Universe is not dead and demoniacal, a charnel-house with spectres; but +godlike, and my Father's. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +December 19 + + +_And now, Lord, what wait I for? my hope is in Thee_.--PS. xxxix. 7. + +_O Lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for Thee_.--ISA. xxxiii. 2. + + He never comes too late; + He knoweth what is best; + Vex not thyself in vain; + Until He cometh, rest. + +B. T. + +We make mistakes, or what we call such. The nature that could fall into +such mistake exactly needs, and in the goodness of the dear God is given, +the living of it out, And beyond this, I believe more. That in the pure +and patient living of it out we come to find that we have fallen, not into +hopeless confusion of our own wild, ignorant making; but that the finger +of God has been at work among our lines, and that the emerging is into His +blessed order; that He is forever making up for us our own undoings; that +He makes them up beforehand; that He evermore restoreth our souls. + +A. D. T. WHITNEY. + +THE Lord knows how to make stepping-stones for us of our defects, even; +it is what He lets them be for. He remembereth--He remembered in the +making--that we are but dust; the dust of earth, that He _chose_ to make +something little lower than the angels out of. + +A. D. T. WHITNEY. + + + +December 20 + + +_Take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in +that same hour what ye shall speak_.--MATT. x. 19. + + Just to follow hour by hour + As He leadeth; + Just to draw the moment's power + As it needeth. + +F. R. HAVERGAL. + +You have a disagreeable duty to do at twelve o'clock. Do not blacken nine, +and ten, and eleven, and all between, with the color of twelve. Do the work +of each, and reap your reward in peace. So when the dreaded moment in the +future becomes the present, you shall meet it walking in the light, and +that light will overcome its darkness. The best preparation is the present +well seen to, the last duty done. For this will keep the eye so clear and +the body so full of light that the right action will be perceived at once, +the right words will rush from the heart to the lips, and the man, full of +the Spirit of God because he cares for nothing but the will of God, will +trample on the evil thing in love, and be sent, it may be, in a chariot +of fire to the presence of his Father, or stand unmoved amid the cruel +mockings of the men he loves. + +G. MACDONALD. + + + +December 21 + + +_Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the +Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? +He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth +strength_.--ISA. xl. 28, 29. + + Workman of God! oh, lose not heart, + But learn what God is like; + And in the darkest battle-field + Thou shall know where to strike. + +F. W. FABER. + +For the rest, let that vain struggle to read the mystery of the Infinite +cease to harass us. It is a mystery which, through all ages, we shall only +read here a line of, there another line of. Do we not already know that the +name of the Infinite is GOOD, is GOD? Here on earth we are as soldiers, +fighting in a foreign land, that understand not the plan of the campaign, +and have no need to understand it; seeing well what is at our hand to be +done. Let us do it like soldiers, with submission, with courage, with a +heroic joy. Behind us, behind each one of us, lie six thousand years of +human, effort, human conquest: before us is the boundless Time, with its as +yet uncreated and unconquered continents and Eldorados, which we, even we, +have to conquer, to create; and from the bosom of Eternity there shine for +us celestial guiding stars. + +T. CARLYLE. + + + +December 22 + + +_I will wait upon the Lord, that hideth His face from the house of Jacob, +and I will look for Him_.--ISA. viii. 17. + + What heart can comprehend Thy name, + Or, searching, find Thee out? + Who art within, a quickening flame, + A presence round about. + + Yet though I know Thee but in part, + I ask not, Lord, for more: + Enough for me to know Thou art, + To love Thee and adore. + +F. L. HOSMER. + +Stand up, O heart! and yield not one inch of thy rightful territory to the +usurping intellect. Hold fast to God in spite of logic, and yet not quite +blindly. Be not torn from thy grasp upon the skirts of His garments by any +wrench of atheistic hypothesis that seeks only to hurl thee into utter +darkness; but refuse not to let thy hands be gently unclasped by that +loving and pious philosophy that seeks to draw thee from the feet of God +only to place thee in His bosom. Trustfully, though tremblingly, let go the +robe, and thou shalt rest upon the heart and clasp the very living soul of +God. + +JAMES HINTON. + + + +December 23 + + +_Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ_.--2 +TIM. ii. 3. + + Where our Captain bids us go, + 'T is not ours to murmur, "No," + He that gives the sword and shield, + Chooses too the battle-field + On which we are to fight the foe. + +ANON. + +Of nothing may we be more sure than this; that, if we cannot sanctify our +present lot, we could sanctify no other. Our heaven and our Almighty Father +are there or nowhere. The obstructions of that lot are given for us to +heave away by the concurrent touch of a holy spirit, and labor of strenuous +will; its gloom, for us to tint with some celestial light; its mysteries +are for our worship; its sorrows for our trust; its perils for our courage; +its temptations for our faith. Soldiers of the cross, it is not for us, but +for our Leader and our Lord, to choose the field; it is ours, taking the +station which He assigns, to make it the field of truth and honor, though +it be the field of death. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +December 24 + + +_Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of +the inheritance of the saints in light_.--COL. i. 12. + + The souls most precious to us here + May from this home have fled; + But still we make one household dear; + One Lord is still our head. + Midst cherubim and seraphim + They mind their Lord's affairs; + Oh! if we bring our work to Him + Our work is one with theirs. + +T. H. GILL. + +We are apt to feel as if nothing we could do on earth bears a relation to +what the good are doing in a higher world; but it is not so. Heaven and +earth are not so far apart. Every disinterested act, every sacrifice +to duty, every exertion for the good of "one of the least of Christ's +brethren," every new insight into God's works, every new impulse given to +the love of truth and goodness, associates us with the departed, brings +us nearer to them, and is as truly heavenly as if we were acting, not on +earth, but in heaven. The spiritual tie between us and the departed is not +felt as it should be. Our union with them daily grows stronger, if we daily +make progress in what they are growing in. + +WM. E. CHANNING. + + + +December 25 + + +_That ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with +all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to +know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled +with all the fulness of God_.--EPH. iii. 17-19. + + O love that passeth knowledge, thee I need; + Pour in the heavenly sunshine; fill my heart; + Scatter the cloud, the doubting, and the dread,-- + The joy unspeakable to me impart. + +H. BONAR. + +To examine its evidence is not to try Christianity; to admire its martyrs +is not to try Christianity; to compare and estimate its teachers is not to +try Christianity; to attend its rites and services with more than Mahometan +punctuality is not to try or know Christianity. But for one week, for one +day, to have lived in the pure atmosphere of faith and love to God, of +tenderness to man; to have beheld earth annihilated, and heaven opened +to the prophetic gaze of hope; to have seen evermore revealed behind the +complicated troubles of this strange, mysterious life, the unchanged smile +of an eternal Friend, and everything that is difficult to reason solved by +that reposing trust which is higher and better than reason,--to have known +and felt this, I will not say for a _life_, but for a single blessed hour, +_that_, indeed, is to have made experiment of Christianity. + +WM. ARCHER BUTLER. + + + +December 26 + + +_The peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts +and minds through Christ Jesus_.--PHIL. iv. 7. + +_Let the peace of God rule in your hearts_.--COL. iii. 15. + + Drop Thy still dews of quietness, + Till all our strivings cease; + Take from our souls the strain and stress, + And let our ordered lives confess + The beauty of Thy peace. + +J. G. WHITTIER. + +"These things write we unto you, that your joy may be full." What is +fulness of joy but _peace_? Joy is tumultuous only when it is not full; but +peace is the privilege of those who are "filled with the knowledge of the +glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea." "Thou wilt keep him in +perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee, because he trusteth in Thee." +It is peace, springing from trust and innocence, and then overflowing in +love towards all around him. + +J. H. NEWMAN. + +THROUGH the spirit of Divine Love let the violent, obstinate powers of +thy nature be quieted, the hardness of thy affections softened, and thine +intractable self-will subdued; and as often as anything contrary stirs +within thee, immediately sink into the blessed Ocean of meekness and love. + +G. TERSTEEGEN. + + + +December 27 + + +_Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an +heir of God through Christ_.--GAL. iv. 7. + + Not by the terrors of a slave + God's sons perform His will, + But with the noblest powers they have + His sweet commands fulfil. + +ISAAC WATTS. + +Our thoughts, good or bad, are not in our command, but every one of us has +at all hours duties to _do_, and these he can do negligently, like a +slave, or faithfully, like a true servant. "_Do_ the duty that is nearest +thee"--that first, and that well; all the rest will disclose themselves +with increasing clearness, and make their successive demand. Were your +duties never so small, I advise you, set yourself with double and treble +energy and punctuality, to do them, hour after hour, day after day. + +T. CARLYLE. + +Whatever we are, high or lowly, learned or unlearned, married or single, in +a full house or alone, charged with many affairs or dwelling in quietness, +we have our daily round of work, our duties of affection, obedience, love, +mercy, industry, and the like; and that which makes one man to differ from +another is not so much what things he does, as his manner of doing them. + +H. E. MANNING. + + + +December 28 + + +_Now the God of peace make you perfect in every good work, to do His will, +working in you that which is well-pleasing in His sight, through Jesus +Christ_.--HEB. xiii. 20, 21. + +_Be ready to every good work_.--TITUS iii. I. + + So, firm in steadfast hope, in thought secure, + In full accord to all Thy world of joy, + May I be nerved to labors high and pure, + And Thou Thy child to do Thy work employ. + +J. STERLING. + +Be with God in thy outward works, refer them to Him, offer them to Him, +seek to do them in Him and for Him, and He will be with thee in them, and +they shall not hinder, but rather invite His presence in thy soul. Seek to +see Him in all things, and in all things He will come nigh to thee. + +E. B. PUSEY. + +Nothing less than the majesty of God, and the powers of the world to come, +can maintain the peace and sanctity of our homes, the order and serenity of +our minds, the spirit of patience and tender mercy in our hearts. Then will +even the merest drudgery of duty cease to humble us, when we transfigure it +by the glory of our own spirit. + +J. MARTINEAU. + + + +December 29 + + +_Finally, brethren, whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are +honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever +things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report,--think on these +things_.--PHIL. iv. 8. + +_As he thinketh in his heart, so is he_.--PROV. xxiii. 7. + + Still may Thy sweet mercy spread + A shady arm above my head, + About my paths; so shall I find + The fair centre of my mind + Thy temple, and those lovely walls + Bright ever with a beam that falls + Fresh from the pure glance of Thine eye, + Lighting to eternity. + +R. CRASHAW. + +Make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts. None of us yet know, for none +of us have been taught in early youth, what fairy palaces we may build of +beautiful thought--proof against all adversity. Bright fancies, satisfied +memories, noble histories, faithful sayings, treasure--houses of precious +and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb, nor pain make gloomy, nor +poverty take away from us,--houses built without hands, for our souls to +live in. + +J. RUSKIN. + + + +December 30 + + +_O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man +that walketh to direct his steps_.--JER. x. 23. + +_I will direct all his ways_.--ISA. xlv. 13. + + Come, Light serene and still! + Our darkened spirits fill + With thy clear day: + Guide of the feeble sight, + Star of grief's darkest night, + Reveal the path of right, + Show us Thy way. + +ROBERT II. OF FRANCE. + +There had been solemn appointed seasons in Anna's life, when she was +accustomed to enter upon a full and deliberate survey of her business +in this world. The claims of each relationship, and the results of each +occupation, were then examined in the light of eternity. It was then, +too, her fervent prayer to be enabled to discern the will of God far more +perfectly, not only in the indications given of it for her guidance through +each day's occupations, but as it might concern duties not yet brought home +to her conscience, and therefore unprovided for in her life. + +SARAH W. STEPHEN. + + + +December 31 + + +_Forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those +things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high +calling of God in Christ Jesus_.--PHIL. iii. 13, 14. + + Yet I argue not + Against Heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot + Of heart or hope; but still bear up and steer + Right onward. + +J. MILTON. + +It is not by regretting what is irreparable that true work is to be done, +but by making the best of what we are. It is not by complaining that we +have not the right tools, but by using well the tools we have. What we are, +and where we are, is God's providential arrangement,--God's doing, though +it may be man's misdoing; and the manly and the wise way is to look your +disadvantages in the face, and see what can be made out of them. Life, like +war, is a series of mistakes, and he is not the best Christian nor the best +general who makes the fewest false steps. He is the best who wins the most +splendid victories by the retrieval of mistakes. Forget mistakes; organize +victory out of mistakes. + +F. W. ROBERTSON. + + + + + +End of Project Gutenberg's Daily Strength for Daily Needs, by Mary W. Tileston + +*** END OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK DAILY STRENGTH FOR DAILY NEEDS *** + +This file should be named 8534-8.txt or 8534-8.zip + +Produced by Charles Aldarondo, Tiffany Vergon, +and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team + +Project Gutenberg eBooks are often created from several printed +editions, all of which are confirmed as Public Domain in the US +unless a copyright notice is included. Thus, we usually do not +keep eBooks in compliance with any particular paper edition. + +We are now trying to release all our eBooks one year in advance +of the official release dates, leaving time for better editing. +Please be encouraged to tell us about any error or corrections, +even years after the official publication date. + +Please note neither this listing nor its contents are final til +midnight of the last day of the month of any such announcement. +The official release date of all Project Gutenberg eBooks is at +Midnight, Central Time, of the last day of the stated month. A +preliminary version may often be posted for suggestion, comment +and editing by those who wish to do so. + +Most people start at our Web sites at: +https://gutenberg.org or +http://promo.net/pg + +These Web sites include award-winning information about Project +Gutenberg, including how to donate, how to help produce our new +eBooks, and how to subscribe to our email newsletter (free!). + + +Those of you who want to download any eBook before announcement +can get to them as follows, and just download by date. This is +also a good way to get them instantly upon announcement, as the +indexes our cataloguers produce obviously take a while after an +announcement goes out in the Project Gutenberg Newsletter. + +http://www.ibiblio.org/gutenberg/etext03 or +ftp://ftp.ibiblio.org/pub/docs/books/gutenberg/etext03 + +Or /etext02, 01, 00, 99, 98, 97, 96, 95, 94, 93, 92, 92, 91 or 90 + +Just search by the first five letters of the filename you want, +as it appears in our Newsletters. + + +Information about Project Gutenberg (one page) + +We produce about two million dollars for each hour we work. The +time it takes us, a rather conservative estimate, is fifty hours +to get any eBook selected, entered, proofread, edited, copyright +searched and analyzed, the copyright letters written, etc. Our +projected audience is one hundred million readers. If the value +per text is nominally estimated at one dollar then we produce $2 +million dollars per hour in 2002 as we release over 100 new text +files per month: 1240 more eBooks in 2001 for a total of 4000+ +We are already on our way to trying for 2000 more eBooks in 2002 +If they reach just 1-2% of the world's population then the total +will reach over half a trillion eBooks given away by year's end. + +The Goal of Project Gutenberg is to Give Away 1 Trillion eBooks! +This is ten thousand titles each to one hundred million readers, +which is only about 4% of the present number of computer users. + +Here is the briefest record of our progress (* means estimated): + +eBooks Year Month + + 1 1971 July + 10 1991 January + 100 1994 January + 1000 1997 August + 1500 1998 October + 2000 1999 December + 2500 2000 December + 3000 2001 November + 4000 2001 October/November + 6000 2002 December* + 9000 2003 November* +10000 2004 January* + + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been created +to secure a future for Project Gutenberg into the next millennium. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +As of February, 2002, contributions are being solicited from people +and organizations in: Alabama, Alaska, Arkansas, Connecticut, +Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, +Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Massachusetts, +Michigan, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New +Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, +Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, South +Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, West +Virginia, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. + +We have filed in all 50 states now, but these are the only ones +that have responded. + +As the requirements for other states are met, additions to this list +will be made and fund raising will begin in the additional states. +Please feel free to ask to check the status of your state. + +In answer to various questions we have received on this: + +We are constantly working on finishing the paperwork to legally +request donations in all 50 states. If your state is not listed and +you would like to know if we have added it since the list you have, +just ask. + +While we cannot solicit donations from people in states where we are +not yet registered, we know of no prohibition against accepting +donations from donors in these states who approach us with an offer to +donate. + +International donations are accepted, but we don't know ANYTHING about +how to make them tax-deductible, or even if they CAN be made +deductible, and don't have the staff to handle it even if there are +ways. + +Donations by check or money order may be sent to: + +Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation +PMB 113 +1739 University Ave. +Oxford, MS 38655-4109 + +Contact us if you want to arrange for a wire transfer or payment +method other than by check or money order. + +The Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation has been approved by +the US Internal Revenue Service as a 501(c)(3) organization with EIN +[Employee Identification Number] 64-622154. Donations are +tax-deductible to the maximum extent permitted by law. As fund-raising +requirements for other states are met, additions to this list will be +made and fund-raising will begin in the additional states. + +We need your donations more than ever! + +You can get up to date donation information online at: + +https://www.gutenberg.org/donation.html + + +*** + +If you can't reach Project Gutenberg, +you can always email directly to: + +Michael S. Hart <hart@pobox.com> + +Prof. Hart will answer or forward your message. + +We would prefer to send you information by email. + + +**The Legal Small Print** + + +(Three Pages) + +***START**THE SMALL PRINT!**FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS**START*** +Why is this "Small Print!" statement here? You know: lawyers. +They tell us you might sue us if there is something wrong with +your copy of this eBook, even if you got it for free from +someone other than us, and even if what's wrong is not our +fault. So, among other things, this "Small Print!" statement +disclaims most of our liability to you. It also tells you how +you may distribute copies of this eBook if you want to. + +*BEFORE!* YOU USE OR READ THIS EBOOK +By using or reading any part of this PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm +eBook, you indicate that you understand, agree to and accept +this "Small Print!" statement. If you do not, you can receive +a refund of the money (if any) you paid for this eBook by +sending a request within 30 days of receiving it to the person +you got it from. If you received this eBook on a physical +medium (such as a disk), you must return it with your request. + +ABOUT PROJECT GUTENBERG-TM EBOOKS +This PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook, like most PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBooks, +is a "public domain" work distributed by Professor Michael S. Hart +through the Project Gutenberg Association (the "Project"). +Among other things, this means that no one owns a United States copyright +on or for this work, so the Project (and you!) can copy and +distribute it in the United States without permission and +without paying copyright royalties. Special rules, set forth +below, apply if you wish to copy and distribute this eBook +under the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark. + +Please do not use the "PROJECT GUTENBERG" trademark to market +any commercial products without permission. + +To create these eBooks, the Project expends considerable +efforts to identify, transcribe and proofread public domain +works. Despite these efforts, the Project's eBooks and any +medium they may be on may contain "Defects". Among other +things, Defects may take the form of incomplete, inaccurate or +corrupt data, transcription errors, a copyright or other +intellectual property infringement, a defective or damaged +disk or other eBook medium, a computer virus, or computer +codes that damage or cannot be read by your equipment. + +LIMITED WARRANTY; DISCLAIMER OF DAMAGES +But for the "Right of Replacement or Refund" described below, +[1] Michael Hart and the Foundation (and any other party you may +receive this eBook from as a PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm eBook) disclaims +all liability to you for damages, costs and expenses, including +legal fees, and [2] YOU HAVE NO REMEDIES FOR NEGLIGENCE OR +UNDER STRICT LIABILITY, OR FOR BREACH OF WARRANTY OR CONTRACT, +INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO INDIRECT, CONSEQUENTIAL, PUNITIVE +OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF YOU GIVE NOTICE OF THE +POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. + +If you discover a Defect in this eBook within 90 days of +receiving it, you can receive a refund of the money (if any) +you paid for it by sending an explanatory note within that +time to the person you received it from. If you received it +on a physical medium, you must return it with your note, and +such person may choose to alternatively give you a replacement +copy. If you received it electronically, such person may +choose to alternatively give you a second opportunity to +receive it electronically. + +THIS EBOOK IS OTHERWISE PROVIDED TO YOU "AS-IS". NO OTHER +WARRANTIES OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, ARE MADE TO YOU AS +TO THE EBOOK OR ANY MEDIUM IT MAY BE ON, INCLUDING BUT NOT +LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A +PARTICULAR PURPOSE. + +Some states do not allow disclaimers of implied warranties or +the exclusion or limitation of consequential damages, so the +above disclaimers and exclusions may not apply to you, and you +may have other legal rights. + +INDEMNITY +You will indemnify and hold Michael Hart, the Foundation, +and its trustees and agents, and any volunteers associated +with the production and distribution of Project Gutenberg-tm +texts harmless, from all liability, cost and expense, including +legal fees, that arise directly or indirectly from any of the +following that you do or cause: [1] distribution of this eBook, +[2] alteration, modification, or addition to the eBook, +or [3] any Defect. + +DISTRIBUTION UNDER "PROJECT GUTENBERG-tm" +You may distribute copies of this eBook electronically, or by +disk, book or any other medium if you either delete this +"Small Print!" and all other references to Project Gutenberg, +or: + +[1] Only give exact copies of it. Among other things, this + requires that you do not remove, alter or modify the + eBook or this "small print!" statement. You may however, + if you wish, distribute this eBook in machine readable + binary, compressed, mark-up, or proprietary form, + including any form resulting from conversion by word + processing or hypertext software, but only so long as + *EITHER*: + + [*] The eBook, when displayed, is clearly readable, and + does *not* contain characters other than those + intended by the author of the work, although tilde + (~), asterisk (*) and underline (_) characters may + be used to convey punctuation intended by the + author, and additional characters may be used to + indicate hypertext links; OR + + [*] The eBook may be readily converted by the reader at + no expense into plain ASCII, EBCDIC or equivalent + form by the program that displays the eBook (as is + the case, for instance, with most word processors); + OR + + [*] You provide, or agree to also provide on request at + no additional cost, fee or expense, a copy of the + eBook in its original plain ASCII form (or in EBCDIC + or other equivalent proprietary form). + +[2] Honor the eBook refund and replacement provisions of this + "Small Print!" statement. + +[3] Pay a trademark license fee to the Foundation of 20% of the + gross profits you derive calculated using the method you + already use to calculate your applicable taxes. If you + don't derive profits, no royalty is due. Royalties are + payable to "Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation" + the 60 days following each date you prepare (or were + legally required to prepare) your annual (or equivalent + periodic) tax return. Please contact us beforehand to + let us know your plans and to work out the details. + +WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU DON'T HAVE TO? +Project Gutenberg is dedicated to increasing the number of +public domain and licensed works that can be freely distributed +in machine readable form. + +The Project gratefully accepts contributions of money, time, +public domain materials, or royalty free copyright licenses. +Money should be paid to the: +"Project Gutenberg Literary Archive Foundation." + +If you are interested in contributing scanning equipment or +software or other items, please contact Michael Hart at: +hart@pobox.com + +[Portions of this eBook's header and trailer may be reprinted only +when distributed free of all fees. Copyright (C) 2001, 2002 by +Michael S. Hart. Project Gutenberg is a TradeMark and may not be +used in any sales of Project Gutenberg eBooks or other materials be +they hardware or software or any other related product without +express permission.] + +*END THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN EBOOKS*Ver.02/11/02*END* + diff --git a/8534-8.zip b/8534-8.zip Binary files differnew file mode 100644 index 0000000..06d3e35 --- /dev/null +++ b/8534-8.zip diff --git a/LICENSE.txt b/LICENSE.txt new file mode 100644 index 0000000..6312041 --- /dev/null +++ b/LICENSE.txt @@ -0,0 +1,11 @@ +This eBook, including all associated images, markup, improvements, +metadata, and any other content or labor, has been confirmed to be +in the PUBLIC DOMAIN IN THE UNITED STATES. + +Procedures for determining public domain status are described in +the "Copyright How-To" at https://www.gutenberg.org. + +No investigation has been made concerning possible copyrights in +jurisdictions other than the United States. Anyone seeking to utilize +this eBook outside of the United States should confirm copyright +status under the laws that apply to them. diff --git a/README.md b/README.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..c01079b --- /dev/null +++ b/README.md @@ -0,0 +1,2 @@ +Project Gutenberg (https://www.gutenberg.org) public repository for +eBook #8534 (https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/8534) |