note: project gutenberg also has an html version of this file which includes the original illustration. see -h.htm or -h.zip: (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h/ -h.htm) or (http://www.gutenberg.org/files/ / -h.zip) transcriber's note: text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). small capital text has been replaced with all capitals. character and conduct [illustration: faithful unto death sir e. j. poynter, bart., p.r.a. _this picture represents a roman guard on duty at one of the palaces during the destruction of herculanæum, who, although he might perhaps have made his escape prefers to remain at his post, faithful unto death._] character and conduct a book of helpful thoughts by great writers of past and present ages selected and arranged for daily reading by the author of "being and doing" with a frontispiece by sir e. j. poynter, bart., p.r.a. liverpool henry young & sons london simpkin, marshall, hamilton, kent & co. ltd. first edition, copies, printed november second edition, copies, printed december to _e. k._ _"it is more_ men _that the world wants, not more systems. it is character that our modern life waits for, to redeem and transform it; and conduct as the fruitage of character."_ _the citizen in his relation to the industrial situation_, bishop potter. preface this collection of noble thoughts expressed by men and women of past and present ages who have endeavoured to leave the world a little better than they found it, is similar in arrangement and purpose to my former volume "being and doing"; and has been compiled at the request of several readers who have found that book helpful. it is obvious that without the kindly co-operation of many authors and publishers such books could not exist, and i tender sincere and hearty thanks to those who have made the work possible. all have treated me with unfailing courtesy and generosity. where i have occasionally used short quotations without permission i ask forgiveness. it would be impossible to name separately each one to whom i am a grateful debtor, so special mention must only be made of the more heavily taxed, and of those who have asked for a formal acknowledgment, namely:-- the literary executors of the late mr. ruskin, _per_ mr. george allen, for extracts from mr. ruskin's works. mr. edward arnold for those from _red pottage_, by mary cholmondeley. canon barnett for those from _the service of god_. messrs. deighton bell & co. for those from _pastor pastorum_, by the rev. henry latham. mr. james drummond for those from the writings of professor henry drummond. messrs. kegan paul, trench, trübner & co. for those from sir edwin arnold's _light of asia_. miss may kendall for those from _turkish bonds_, &c. messrs. longmans, green & co. for those from the works of bishop paget, and from canon maccoll's _here and hereafter_. professor maccunn for those from _the making of character_. messrs. macmillan & co. for those from the works of bishop westcott, mrs. bernard bosanquet; tennyson's poems; from the present lord tennyson's life of his father; from the _mettle of the pasture_, by james lane allen; and from mrs. humphry ward's translation of _amiel's journal_. messrs. methuen & co. for one from the _life of r. l. stevenson_. mr. lloyd osbourne for those from r. l. stevenson's works. messrs. wells, gardner, darton & co. for those from bishop winnington ingram's _under the dome_ and _friends of the master_. dr. john watson for those from his writings. permission was kindly given me before by messrs. macmillan to quote from the works of the late archbishop temple and of matthew arnold. by messrs. smith, elder & co. for quotations from robert browning. by mr. c. lewes for quotations from george eliot; and from lord avebury and the rev. stopford brooke for those from their works. in my experience the reading of extracts often leads to the reading of the books from which they were taken, and i hope and believe many of these gleanings will serve as introductions. constance m. whishaw. sunny bank, arnside, carnforth. new year's day january "here you stand at the parting of the ways; some road you are to take; and as you stand here, consider and know how it is that you intend to live. carry no bad habits, no corrupting associations, no enmities and strifes into this new year. leave these behind, and let the dead past bury its dead; leave them behind, and thank god that you are able to leave them." ephraim peabody. "would'st shape a noble life? then cast no backward glances toward the past, and though somewhat be lost and gone, yet do thou act as one new-born; what each day needs, that shalt thou ask, each day will set its proper task." goethe. "no aim is too high, no task too great, no sin too strong, no trial too hard for those who patiently and humbly rest upon god's grace: who wait on him that he may renew their strength." _faculties and difficulties for belief and disbelief_, bishop paget. purpose january "you did not come into this world by chance, you were not born by accident. you all came charged with a mission to use your best efforts to extend the frontier of your master's kingdom by purifying your own hearts and leavening for good the hearts of all who come within the sphere of your influence. your business here is not to enjoy yourselves in those fleeting pleasures which perish in the using; not to sip as many dainties as you can from the moments as they fly; not to gather as many flowers as you can pluck from the garden of this perishing earth; not even to rest in the enjoyment of those nobler delights which come from the exercise of the intellect in the investigation of the works of god and man; but rather to do your best to fit yourselves and others for the new heavens and new earth, which god has prepared for those who love him." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "do not despise your situation; in it you must act, suffer, and conquer. from every point on earth we are equally near to heaven and to the infinite." _amiel's journal._ a noble life january "a man's greatness lies not in wealth and station, as the vulgar believe, nor yet in his intellectual capacity, which is often associated with the meanest moral character, the most abject servility to those in high places, and arrogance to the poor and lowly; but a man's true greatness lies in the consciousness of an honest purpose in life, founded on a just estimate of himself and everything else, on frequent self-examination, and a steady obedience to the rule which he knows to be right, without troubling himself about what others may think or say, or whether they do or do not do that which he thinks and says and does." george long. "whether a life is noble or ignoble depends not on the calling which is adopted, but on the spirit in which it is followed." _the pleasures of life_, lord avebury. "every noble life leaves the fibre of itself interwoven for ever in the work of the world." trench. holiness january "jesus and his apostles teach that the supreme success of life is not to escape pain but to lay hold on righteousness, not to possess but to be holy, not to get things from god but to be like god. they were ever bidding christians beware of ease, ever rousing them to surrender and sacrifice." _the potter's wheel_, dr. john watson. "the end of life is not to deny self, nor to be true, nor to keep the ten commandments--it is simply to do god's will. it is not to get good nor be good, nor even to do good--it is just what god wills, whether that be working or waiting, or winning or losing, or suffering or recovering, or living or dying." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "do not act as if thou wert going to live ten thousand years. death hangs over thee. while thou livest, while it is in thy power, be good." marcus aurelius. the power of the holy spirit january "we are haunted by an ideal life, and it is because we have within us the beginning and the possibility of it." phillips brooks. "the power of the holy spirit!--an everlasting spiritual presence among men. what but that is the thing we want? that is what the old oracles were dreaming of, what the modern spiritualists tonight are fumbling after. the power of the holy ghost, by which every man who is in doubt may know what is right, every man whose soul is sick may be made spiritually whole, every weak man may be made a strong man,--that is god's one sufficient answer to the endless appeal of man's spiritual life; that is god's one great response to the unconscious need of spiritual guidance, which he hears crying out of the deep heart of every man.--i hope that i have made clear to you what i mean. i would that we might understand ourselves, see what we might be; nay, see what we are. while you are living a worldly and a wicked life, letting all sacred things go, caring for no duty, serving no god, there is another self, your possibility, the thing that you might be, the thing that god gave you a chance to be." phillips brooks. a symphony january "to live content with small means; to seek elegance rather than luxury, and refinement rather than fashion; to be worthy, not respectable, and wealthy, not rich; to study hard, think quietly, talk gently, act frankly; to listen to stars and birds, to babes and sages, with open heart; to bear all cheerfully, do all bravely, await occasions, hurry never; in a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious, grow up through the common--this is to be my symphony." william ellery channing. "heed how thou livest. do no act by day which from the night shall drive thy peace away. in months of sun so live that months of rain shall still be happy." whittier, _translation_. patience with ourselves january "to be honest, to be kind--to earn a little and to spend a little less, to make upon the whole a family happier for his presence, to renounce when that shall be necessary and not be embittered, to keep a few friends but these without capitulation--above all, on the same grim condition, to keep friends with himself--here is a task for all that a man has of fortitude and delicacy." _across the plains_, r. l. stevenson. "people who love themselves aright, even as they ought to love their neighbour, bear charitably, though without flattery, with self as with another. they know what needs correction at home as well as elsewhere; they strive heartily and vigorously to correct it, but they deal with self as they would deal with some one else they wished to bring to god. they set to work patiently, not exacting more than is practicable under present circumstances from themselves any more than from others, and not being disheartened because perfection is not attainable in a day." fÉnÉlon. "one is so apt to think that what works smoothest works to the highest ends, having no patience for the results of friction." mrs. ewing. the foot-path to peace january "to be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than by your disgusts; to covet nothing that is your neighbour's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit, in god's out-of-doors--these are little guideposts on the foot-path to peace." henry van dyke. "o lord, that lends me life, lend me a heart replete with thankfulness." shakespeare. purpose january "he who lives without a definite purpose achieves no higher end than to serve as a warning to others. he is a kind of bell-buoy, mournfully tolled by the waves of circumstance, to mark the rocks or shoals which are to be avoided." "surely there is something to be done from morning till night, and to find out _what_ is the appointed work of the onward-tending soul." fanny kemble. "i ask you while hope is still fresh and enthusiasm unchilled to gain some conception of the solemnity, the vastness, the unity, the purpose of life: to pause in the street or on the river bank and ask yourselves what that strange stream of pleasure and frivolity and sorrow and vice means, and means to you: to reflect that you are bound by intelligible bonds to every suffering, sinning man and woman: to learn, while the lesson is comparatively easy, the secret of human sympathy: to search after some of the essential relationships of man to man: to interpret a little of the worth of even trivial labour: to grow sensitive to the feelings of the poor: to grow considerate to the claims of the weak." bishop westcott. life, a school january "all life is a school, a preparation, a purpose: nor can we pass current in a higher college, if we do not undergo the tedium of education in this lower one." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. "life is a succession of lessons, which must be lived to be understood." emerson. "we never know for what god is preparing us in his schools, for what work on earth, for what work in the hereafter. our business is to do our work well in the present place, whatever that may be." lyman abbott. character and service january "never should we forget the close connection between character and service, between inward nobleness and outward philanthropy. we are not here to dream, or even to build up in grace and beauty our individual life; we are responsible, each in our own little way, for trying to leave this sad world happier, this evil world better than we found it. in this way slackness is infamy, and power to the last particle means duty. each of us, in some degree, must have the ambition to be an 'alter christus'--another christ, shouldering with the compassionate son of god to lift our shadowed world from the gates of death." "what men want is not talent, it is purpose; not the power to achieve, but the will to labour." bulwer lytton. "'awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and christ shall give thee light.' this is the principle with which we should look forth upon the world and our own life at the beginning of this year. we look upon the world; it seems as if it were sleeping still, like rome, as if it needed as much as ever to hear the shout, 'awake, thou that sleepest.'" stopford brooke. present circumstances january "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, and to exert thy skill upon thy present thoughts, that nothing shall steal into them without being well examined." marcus aurelius. "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 aurelius. "of nothing can we be more sure than this: that, if we cannot sanctify our present lot, we could sanctify no other." martineau. circumstances january "occasion is the father of most that is good in us. as you have seen the awkward fingers and clumsy tools of a prisoner cut and fashion the most delicate little pieces of carved work; or achieve the most prodigious underground labours, and cut through walls of masonry, and saw iron bars and fetters; 'tis misfortune that awakens ingenuity, or fortitude or endurance, in hearts where these qualities had never come to life but for the circumstance which gave them a being." _esmond_, w. m. thackeray. "it always remains true that if we had been greater, circumstances would have been less strong against us." g. eliot. "a consideration of petty circumstances is the tomb of great things." voltaire. the ifs of life january "if it were--_if_ it might be--_if_ it could be--_if_ it had been. one portion of mankind go through life always regretting, always whining, always imagining. _as_ it is--this is the way in which the other class of people look at the conditions in which they find themselves. i venture to say that if one should count the _ifs_ and the _ases_ in the conversation of his acquaintances, he would find the more able and important persons among them--statesmen, generals, men of business--among the _ases_, and the majority of conspicuous failures among the _ifs_." _over the teacups_, o. w. holmes. "it is sad, indeed, to see how man wastes his opportunities. how many could be made happy, with the blessings which are recklessly wasted or thrown away! happiness is a condition of mind, not a result of circumstances; and, in the words of dugald stewart, the great secret of happiness is to accommodate ourselves to things external, rather than to struggle to accommodate external things to ourselves. hume wisely said that a happy disposition was better than an estate of £ , a year. try to realise all the blessings you have, and you will find perhaps that they are more than you suppose. many a blessing has been recognised too late." lord avebury. "the pleasure of life is according to the man that lives it, and not according to the work or the place." emerson. harmony january "... have good will to all that lives, letting unkindness die and greed and wrath; so that your lives be made like soft airs passing by. ... govern the lips as they were palace-doors, the king within; tranquil and fair and courteous be all words which from that presence win. ... let each act assoil a fault or help a merit grow: like threads of silver seen through crystal beads let love through good deeds show." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. "the past is something, but the present more; will it not, too, be past? nor fail withal to recognise the future in your hopes; unite them in your manhood, each and all, nor mutilate the perfectness of life!-- you can remember; you can also hope." a. h. clough. harmony january ... "this is peace to conquer love of self and lust of life, to tear deep-rooted passion from the breast, to still the inward strife; for love to clasp eternal beauty close; for glory to be lord of self; for pleasure to live beyond the gods; for countless wealth to lay up lasting treasure of perfect service rendered, duties done in charity, soft speech, and stainless days: these riches shall not fade away in life, nor any death dispraise." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. "we are all of us made more graceful by the inward presence of what we believe to be a generous purpose; our actions move to a hidden music--'a melody that's sweetly played in tune.'" george eliot. ideals january "it is not the ideals of earlier years that are the most unattainable. 'the petty done, the undone vast' is not the thought of the youth, but of those who, having done the most, yet count themselves unprofitable servants, because it is to them only that the experience, the knowledge, and the reflection of maturer years have opened up the far vistas of moral possibility." _the making of character_, prof. maccunn. "in doing is this knowledge won, to see what yet remains undone. with this our pride repress, and give us grace, a growing store, that day by day we may do more and may esteem it less." trench. "comfort me not!--for if aught be worse than failure from over-stress of a life's prime purpose, it is to sit down content with a little success." lytton. the celestial surgeon january the celestial surgeon "if i have faltered more or less in my great task of happiness; if i have moved among my race and shown no glorious morning face; if beams from happy human eyes have moved me not; if morning skies, books, and my food, and summer rain knocked on my sullen heart in vain:-- lord, thy most pointed pleasure take and stab my spirit broad awake; or, lord, if too obdurate i, choose thou, before that spirit die, a piercing pain, a killing sin, and to my dead heart run them in." _underwoods_, r. l. stevenson. influence of great men january "the thirst for memoirs and lives and letters is not all to be put down to the hero-worship which is natural to every heart. it means, perhaps, a higher thing than that. it means, in the first place, that great living is being appreciated for its own sake; and, in the second, that great living is being imitated. if it is true that any of us are beginning to appreciate greatness for its own sake--greatness, that is to say, in the sense of great and true living--it is one of the most hopeful symptoms of our history. and, further, if we are going on from the mere admiration of great men to try and live like them, we are obeying one of the happiest impulses of our being. there is indeed no finer influence abroad than the influence of great men in great books, and all that literature can do in supplying the deformed world with worthy and shapely models is entitled to gratitude and respect." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "glimpses into the inner regions of a great soul do one good. contact of this kind strengthens, restores, refreshes. courage returns as we gaze; when we see what has been, we doubt no more that it can be again. at the sight of a man we too say to ourselves, let us also be men." _amiel's journal._ influence of great men january "we cannot look, however imperfectly, upon a great man, without gaining something by him. he is the living life-fountain, which it is good and pleasant to be near; the light which enlightens, which has enlightened, the darkness of the world; and this not as a kindling lamp only, but rather as a natural luminary, shining by the gift of heaven; a flowing light-fountain, as i say, of native original insight, of manhood and heroic nobleness, in whose radiance all souls feel that it is well with them." carlyle. "my sole fear was the fear of doing an unrighteous or unholy thing." socrates. "the truly honest man, here and there to be found, is not only without thought of legal, religious, or social compulsion, when he discharges an equitable claim on him, but he is without thought of self-compulsion. he does the right thing with a simple feeling of satisfaction in doing it; and is, indeed, impatient if anything prevents him from having the satisfaction of doing it." herbert spencer. the habit of admiration january "'we live by admiration, hope, and love,' wordsworth tells us,--not, therefore, by contempt, despondency, and hatred. these contract and narrow the soul, as the others enlarge it. the more a man heartily admires, the more he takes into his nature the goodness and beauty which excite his admiration. his being grows up toward what thus evokes his enthusiasm. and the habit of admiration is the outcome of a moral discipline which represses peevish and fault-finding dispositions, and seeks the admirable in every situation and every person that life brings to us. 'be ye enlarged' implies 'learn to admire and to praise.'" "learn to admire rightly; the great pleasure of life is that. note what the great men admired; they admired great things: narrow spirits admire basely, and worship meanly." thackeray. character of henry drummond january _of henry drummond._--"he seemed to be invariably in good spirits, and invariably disengaged. he was always ready for any and every office of friendship. it should be said that though few men were more criticised or misconceived, he himself never wrote an unkind word about any one, never retaliated, never bore malice, and could do full justice to the abilities and character of his opponents. i have just heard that he exerted himself privately to secure an important appointment for one of his most trenchant critics, and was successful.... the spectacle of his long struggle with a mortal disease was something more than impressive. those who saw him in his illness saw that, as the physical life flickered low, the spiritual energy grew. always gentle and considerate, he became even more careful, more tender, more thoughtful, more unselfish. he never in any way complained. his doctors found it very difficult to get him to talk of his illness. it was strange and painful, but inspiring, to see his keenness, his mental elasticity, his universal interest. dr. barbour says: 'i have never seen pain or weariness, or the being obliged to do nothing, more entirely overcome, treated, in fact, as if they were not. the end came suddenly from failure of the heart. those with him received only a few hours' warning of his critical condition.' it was not like death. he lay on his couch in the drawing-room, and passed away in his sleep, with the sun shining in, and the birds singing at the open window. there was no sadness nor farewell. it recalled what he himself said of a friend's death--'putting by the well-worn tools without a sigh, and expecting elsewhere better work to do.'" _character sketch by_ w. robertson nicoll _in "the ideal life."_ character of r. l. stevenson january "i have referred to his chivalry only to find that in reality i was thinking of every one of the whole group of attributes which are associated with that name. loyalty, honesty, generosity, courage; courtesy, tenderness, and self-devotion; to impute no unworthy motives and to bear no grudge; to bear misfortune with cheerfulness and without a murmur; to strike hard for the right and take no mean advantage; to be gentle to women and kind to all that are weak; to be very rigorous with oneself and very lenient to others--these, and any other virtues ever implied in 'chivalry,' were the traits that distinguished stevenson." _the life of r. l. stevenson_, graham balfour. "through life he did the thing he was doing as if it were the one thing in the world that was worth being done." _the life of r. l. stevenson_, graham balfour. being and doing january "upon the man who desired to be his disciple and a member of god's kingdom were laid the conditions of a pure heart, of a forgiving spirit, of a helpful hand, of a heavenly purpose, of an unworldly mind. christ did not ground his christianity in thinking, or in doing, but, first of all, in being." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "history and literature furnish many instances of men who have made their mark in virtue of a striking _personality_; whose reputation rests, not on any visible tokens,--not on kingdoms conquered, institutions founded, books written, or inventions perfected or anything else that they _did_,--but mainly on what they _were_. their merely having passed along a course on earth, and lived and talked and acted with others, has left lasting effects on mankind." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. being and doing january "perfection is being, not doing--it is not to effect an act, but to achieve a character. if the aim of life were to do something, then, as in an earthly business, except in doing this one thing the business would be at a standstill. the student is not doing the one thing of student-life when he has ceased to think or read. the labourer leaves his work undone when the spade is not in his hand, and he sits beneath the hedge to rest. but in christian life, every moment and every act is an opportunity for doing the one thing of _becoming_ christ-like. every day is full of a most expressive experience. every temptation to evil temper which can assail us to-day will be an opportunity to decide the question whether we shall gain the calmness and the rest of christ, or whether we shall be tossed by the restlessness and agitation of the world. nay, the very vicissitudes of the season, day and night, heat and cold, affecting us variably, and producing exhilaration or depression, are so contrived as to conduce towards the being which we become, and decide whether we shall be masters of ourselves, or whether we shall be swept at the mercy of accident and circumstance, miserably susceptible of merely outward influences. infinite as are the varieties of life, so manifold are the paths to saintly character; and he who has not found out how directly or indirectly to make everything converge towards his soul's sanctification, has as yet missed the meaning of this life." frederick w. robertson. life-giver, not deed-doer january "christ was not primarily the deed-doer or the word-sayer. he was the life-giver. he made men live. wherever he went he brought vitality. both in the days of his incarnation and in the long years of his power which have followed since he vanished from men's sight, his work has been to create the conditions in which all sorts of men should live." phillips brooks. "therefore with all the strength god has given us, let us be fulfillers. let us try to make the life of the world more complete. what can we do? first, each of us can put one more healthy and holy life into the world, and so directly increase the aggregation of righteousness. that is much. to fasten one more link, however small, in the growing chain that is ultimately to bind humanity to god beyond all fear of separation, is very much indeed. and besides that, we can, with sympathy and intelligence, patience and hope, bring up the lagging side in all the vitality around us, and assert for man the worth, the meaning, and the possibility of this his human life." phillips brooks. seeing one's life in perspective january "if we wish to cultivate our higher nature we must have solitude. it is vitally necessary at times that we should be able to get away from every other being on the face of the earth. what thoughtful person does not love to be alone; to be surrounded with no objects but the fields and the trees, the mountains and the waters, to hear nothing but the rustling of the foliage and the songs of the birds, and to feel the fresh breeze of heaven playing upon his cheeks? moreover, when we are very much in contact with human life, when we are mingling with it, we are liable to become too conscious of its turbid side, or drearily oppressed with its commonplace features. to see human life, and weigh it in its many aspects, we need at times to go away and be as it were on a pinnacle, where we can take it all in with one sweeping glance. solitude can affect us somewhat as religious worship does. it can take us out of the consciousness of where we belong, away from the ordinary selfish instincts by which we may be dominated. "too much solitude may be dangerous, just as too much of the sense of mystery may be. yet something of it is essential to our advance in spiritual life. a man must go away where he can feel the mystery of his own being. moreover, a certain degree of solitude seems necessary to the full growth of the mind, and it is in solitude that great principles are first thought out, and the genius of eminent men formed, for solitude is the nurse of enthusiasm, and enthusiasm is the real parent of genius. solitude, moreover, is essential to any depth of meditation or of character, and is the cradle of thoughts and aspirations." h. w. smith. "one sees one's life in perspective when one goes abroad, and to be spectators of ourselves is very solemn." henry drummond. triviality january "triviality is the modern equivalent for worldliness, the regard for the outward and the visible. the trivial mind is enmity with god, and it is of many kinds. there is the triviality which concerns itself with 'nothing,' which gossips about 'him' and 'her,' and becomes serious over a form, a phrase, a dress, a race or a show. there is the triviality to which the working people are forced by the cares of this life, who all day and every day have to think of the bread which perisheth, while their souls starve for lack of knowledge which endureth. the cares of life as often choke the growth of the word as the deceitfulness of riches. there is also that most insidious kind of triviality which tends to haunt the more serious circles, wrapping itself in talk about social schemes, church progress, policies and philosophies, passing itself off as serious, when all the time the concern of the talker is to achieve a wordy success or to get notice for his little self or his little system." _the service of god,_ canon barnett. "i believe that the mind can be profaned by the habit of attending to trivial things, so that all our thoughts shall be tinged with triviality." thoreau. triviality january "they that use to employ their minds too much upon trifles, commonly make themselves incapable of any thing that is serious or great." la rochefoucauld. "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, from whom cometh life; whereby thou mayest receive the strength and power to allay all storms and tempests. that is it which works up into patience, innocency, soberness, into stillness, staidness, quietness up to god, with his power. therefore mind; that is the word of the lord god unto thee, that thou mayest feel the authority of god, and thy faith in that, to work down that which troubles thee; for that is it which keeps peace, and brings up the witness in thee, which hath been transgressed, to feel after god with his power and life, who is a god of order and peace." george fox. "it is not sin so much as triviality which hides god." _the service of god_, canon barnett. the art of being quiet january "it is only when we begin to _think_ about life, and how we should live, that the art of being quiet assumes its real value; to the irrational creature it is nothing, to the rational it is much. in the first place, it removes what de quincey, with his usual grand felicity of expression, calls 'the burden of that distraction which lurks in the infinite littleness of details.' it is the infinite littleness of details which takes the glory and the dignity from our common life, and which we who value that life for its own sake and for the sake of its great giver must strive to make finite. "since unconscious life is not possible to the intellectual adult, as it is to the child--since he cannot go on living without a thought about the nature of his own being, its end and aim--it is good for him to cultivate a habit of repose, that he may think and feel like a man putting away those childish things--the carelessness, the thoughtless joy, 'the tear forgot as soon as shed,' which, however beautiful, because appropriate, in childhood, are not beautiful because not appropriate in mature age. "the art of being quiet is necessary to enable a man to possess his own soul in peace and integrity--to examine himself, to understand what gifts god has endowed him with, and to consider how he may best employ them in the business of the world. this is its universal utility. it is unwholesome activity which requires not repose and thoughtful quiet as its forerunner, and every man should secure some portion of each day for voluntary retirement and repose within himself." the art of being quiet january "one of the special needs of our day is more time for meditation and reflection." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "we are too busy, too encumbered, too much occupied, too active! we read too much! the one thing needful is to throw off all one's load of cares, of preoccupations, of pedantry, and to become again young, simple, child-like, living happily and gratefully in the present hour. we must know how to put occupation aside, which does not mean that we must be idle. in an inaction which is meditative and attentive the wrinkles of the soul are smoothed away, and the soul itself spreads, unfolds, and springs afresh, and, like the trodden grass of the roadside or the bruised leaf of a plant, repairs its injuries, becomes new, spontaneous, true, and original. reverie, like the rain of night, restores colour and force to thoughts which have been blanched and wearied by the heat of the day. with gentle fertilising power it awakens within us a thousand sleeping germs, and, as though in play, gathers round us materials for the future, and images for the use of talent." _amiel's journal._ inward stillness february "let each of us sit still, and keep watch for awhile in the silent house of his spirit.... as near as is the light to one sleeping in the light, so near is christ, the awakener, to every eternal man, deeply as he may be asleep within his outer man." john pulsford. "let us then labour for an inward stillness, an inward stillness and an inward healing; that perfect silence where the lips and heart are still, and we no longer entertain our own imperfect thoughts and vain opinions, but god alone speaks in us, and we wait in singleness of heart that we may know his will, and in the silence of our own spirits, that we may do his will, and that only." longfellow. commune with your own heart and be still february "perhaps one very simple, but alas too often neglected rule, may be suggested to those who are indeed desirous of realising through all the petty vicissitudes and monotonous or trivial round of their daily life, the divine presence and power. 'devotion early in the day _before the day's worries begin._ it is the _only_ way to keep the spirit godward through them all.' devotion, it is needless to add, is not 'saying prayers' in words either of our own or any one else's--nor is it only or chiefly 'making request.' it is pre-eminently _worship_, the deliberate homage of the mind and heart--of the whole being to god who is its source. and here steadfastness of will, showing itself in determined concentration of attention, is the indispensable condition of success; for such concentration is by no means always an easy matter to attain, even when the effort is 'made early in the day before the day's worries begin.' sometimes there are sleepless 'worries' which assert their presence with the first dawn of consciousness; sometimes we are mentally or physically lazy, inert or languid. well, if we habitually give in to such difficulties in a way of which we should be utterly ashamed were any other object of mental effort in question, we must not be surprised if the entirely natural result ensues that we fail to 'realise' what we have never honestly set ourselves to treat as real.... amid the thronging duties, the ceaseless cares, the toilsome or pleasurable round of daily life, we must take and we must keep time to 'commune with our own hearts and in our own chamber, and be still.'" e. m. caillard. the receptive side of life february "to all who are active in christian work i would say, ever remember that there must be fidelity to the receptive side of life if you are to exercise any real abiding influence. how often do we hear men say that they have worked hard in their district, or their school, or their class, and yet there is no result. "perhaps they have worked too hard. there are a multitude of marthas in modern english life; but it were good for such if, at times, they would follow the example of the wiser mary, and sit down quietly at jesus' feet, and draw in from him that power which cannot by any possibility be given out, before it is taken in." canon body. "the problem set before us is to bring our daily task into the temple of contemplation and ply it there, to act as in the presence of god, to interfuse one's little part with religion. so only can we inform the detail of life, all that is passing, temporary, and insignificant, with beauty and nobility. so may we dignify and consecrate the meanest of occupations. so may we feel that we are paying our tribute to the universal work and the eternal will. so are we reconciled with life and delivered from the fear of death. so are we in order and at peace." _amiel's journal._ regulation of time february "no two things differ more than hurry and despatch. hurry is the mark of a weak mind, despatch of a strong one. a weak man in office, like a squirrel in a cage, is labouring eternally, but to no purpose, and in constant motion, without getting on a jot: like a turnstile, he is in everybody's way, but stops nobody: he talks a great deal, but says very little; looks into everything, but sees into nothing; and has a hundred irons in the fire, but very few of them are hot, and with these few that are he burns his fingers." colton. "hurry belongs to the mortal who wants to see the outcome of his work, while eternity is lavish of time." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "unfaithfulness in the keeping of an appointment is an act of clear dishonesty. you may as well borrow a person's money as his time." horace mann. "punctuality is the politeness of kings." louis xiv. business-like habits february "it is very important to cultivate business-like habits. an eminent friend of mine assured me not long ago that when he thought over the many cases he had known of men, even of good ability and high character, who had been unsuccessful in life, by far the most frequent cause of failure was that they were dilatory, unpunctual, unable to work cordially with others, obstinate in small things, and, in fact, what we call unbusiness-like." lord avebury. "a 'bustling' man is, to a man of business, what a monkey is to a man. he is the shadow of despatch, or, rather, the echo thereof; for he maketh noise enough for an alarm. the quickness of a true man of business he imitateth, imitateth excellently well, but neither his silence nor his method; and it is to be noted that he is ever most vehement about matters of no significance. he is always in such headlong haste to overtake the next minute, that he loses half the minute in hand; and yet is full of indignation and impatience at other people's slowness, and wasteth more time in reiterating his love of despatch than would suffice for doing a great deal of business. he never giveth you his quiet attention with a mind centred on what you are saying, but hears you with a restless eye, and a perpetual shifting posture, and is so eager to show his quickness that he interrupteth you a dozen times, misunderstands you as often, and ends by making you and himself lose twice as much time as was necessary." h. rogers. time and method february "the thrift of time will repay in after life with usury of profit beyond your most sanguine dreams, and waste of it will make you dwindle alike in intellectual and moral stature beyond your darkest reckoning." gladstone. "one of the striking characteristics of successful persons is their faculty of readily determining the relative importance of different things. there are many things which it is desirable to do, a few are essential, and there is no more useful quality of the human mind than that which enables its possessor at once to distinguish which the few essential things are. life is so short and time so fleeting that much which one would wish to do must fain be omitted. he is fortunate who perceives at a glance what it will do, and what it will not do, to omit. this invaluable faculty, if not possessed in a remarkable degree naturally, is susceptible of cultivation to a considerable extent. let any one adopt the practice of reflecting, every morning, what must necessarily be done during the day, and then begin by doing the most important things first, leaving the others to take their chance of being done or left undone. in this way attention first to the things of first importance soon acquires the almost irresistible force of habit, and becomes a rule of life. there is no rule more indispensable to success." concentration february "the marked differences of working power among men are due chiefly to differences in the power of concentration. a retentive and accurate memory is conditioned upon close attention. if one gives entire attention to what is passing before him, he is not likely to forget it, or to confuse persons or incidents. the book which one reads with eyes which are continually lifted from the page may furnish entertainment for the moment, but cannot enrich the reader, because it cannot become part of his knowledge. attention is the simplest form of concentration, and its value illustrates the supreme importance of that focussing of all the powers upon the thing in hand which may be called the sustained attention of the whole nature. "here, as everywhere in the field of man's life, there enters that element of sacrifice without which no real achievement is possible. to secure a great end, one must be willing to pay a great price. the exact adjustment of achievement to sacrifice makes us aware, at every step, of the invisible spiritual order with which all men are in every kind of endeavour. if the highest skill could be secured without long and painful effort, it would be wasted through ignorance of its value, or misused through lack of education; but a man rarely attains great skill without undergoing a discipline of self-denial and work which gives him steadiness, restraint, and a certain kind of character. the giving up of pleasures which are wholesome, the turning aside from fields which are inviting, the steady refusal of invitations and claims which one would be glad to accept or recognise, invest the power of concentration with moral quality, and throw a searching light on the nature of genuine success. "to do one thing well, a man must be willing to hold all other interests and activities subordinate; to attain the largest freedom, a man must first bear the cross of self-denial." concentration february "strive constantly to concentrate yourself; never dissipate your powers; incessant activity, of whatever kind, leads finally to bankruptcy." goethe. "all impatience disturbs the circulation, scatters force, makes concentration difficult if not impossible." c. b. newcomb. "they have great powers, and they waste them pitifully, for they have not the greatest power,--the power to rule the use of their powers." f. w. robertson. "concentration is the secret of strength." emerson. readiness february "to know how to be ready--a great thing--a precious gift,--and one that implies calculation, grasp and decision. to be always ready, a man must be able to cut a knot, for everything cannot be untied; he must know how to disengage what is essential from the detail in which it is enwrapped, for everything cannot be equally considered; in a word, he must be able to simplify his duties, his business, and his life. to know how to be ready, is to know how to start. "it is astonishing how all of us are generally cumbered up with the thousand and one hindrances and duties which are not such, but which nevertheless wind us about with their spider threads and fetter the movement of our wings. it is the lack of order which makes us slaves; the confusion of to-day discounts the freedom of to-morrow. "confusion is the enemy of all comfort, and confusion is born of procrastination. to know how to be ready we must be able to finish. nothing is done but what is finished. the things which we leave dragging behind us will start up again later on before us and harass our path. let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own affairs and respect the day which is to follow, and then we shall be always ready. to know how to be ready, is at bottom to know how to die." _amiel's journal._ order february "what comfort, what strength, what economy there is in _order_--material order, intellectual order, moral order. to know where one is going and what one wishes--this is order; to keep one's word and one's engagements--again order; to have everything ready under one's hand, to be able to dispose of all one's forces, and to have all one's means of whatever kind under command--still order; to discipline one's habits, one's efforts, one's wishes; to organise one's life, to distribute one's time, to take the measure of one's duties and make one's rights respected; to employ one's capital and resources, one's talent and one's chances profitably;--all this belongs to and is included in the word _order_. order means light and peace, inward liberty and free command over oneself; order is power. Æsthetic and moral beauty consist, the first in a true conception of order, and the second in submission to it, and in the realisation of it, by, in, and around oneself. order is man's greatest need and his true well-being." _amiel's journal._ "the commissioning of the twelve imposed no particular form of rule; but it taught the lesson that organisation and order and the distribution of duty were essential in things spiritual as well as in things temporal, and that it was well for the children of light to be as 'wise in their generation' as the children of the world." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. the secret of thrift february "the secret of thriving is thrift; saving of force; to get as much work as possible done with the least expenditure of power, the least jar and obstruction, the least wear and tear. and the secret of thrift is knowledge. in proportion as you know the laws and nature of a subject, you will be able to work at it easily, surely, rapidly, successfully, instead of wasting your money or your energies in mistaken schemes, irregular efforts, which end in disappointment and exhaustion." charles kingsley. "it is never enough for us simply to _know_. we must also _weigh_." _the making of character_, prof. maccunn. "doing good, being so divine a privilege, is beset by its own dangers. let us see that our good be not evil spoken of by want of thought, method, and self-denial in the doing of it. the world is waiting for us, with our little store. oh that we might economise it more, devote it more thoroughly, and add to it! every time we pray, or study, or work, we are receiving to give away. men are looking to us in faintness, weariness, and want, and a voice says to us, 'give ye them to eat.' if it is but five loaves, we can offer them to christ, and he will multiply them." phillips brooks. endurance february "'a somewhat varied experience of men has led me, the longer i live,' said huxley, 'to set less value on mere cleverness; to attach more and more importance to industry and physical endurance. indeed, i am much disposed to think that endurance is the most valuable quality of all; for industry, as the desire to work hard, does not come to much if a feeble frame is unable to respond to the desire. no life is wasted unless it ends in sloth, dishonesty, or cowardice. no success is worthy of the name unless it is won by honest industry and brave breasting of the waves of fortune.'" "of all work producing results, nine-tenths must be drudgery. there is no work, from the highest to the lowest, which can be done well by any man who is unwilling to make that sacrifice. part of the very nobility of the devotion of the true workman to his work consists in the fact that a man is not daunted by finding that drudgery must be done, and no man can really succeed in any walk of life without a good deal of what in ordinary english is called pluck. that is the condition of all success, and there is nothing which so truly repays itself as this perseverance against weariness." bishop philpotts. perseverance february "practise thyself even in the things which thou despairest of accomplishing. for even the left hand, which is ineffectual for all other things for want of practice, holds the bridle more vigorously than the right hand; for it has been practised in this." marcus aurelius. "'it is not the spurt at the start, but the continued, unresting, unhasting advance that wins the day.'" "the same law runs in ordinary life, and he only need expect to attain success and win the honour of his fellow-men who is thorough. the reason why men fail is, in five cases out of six, not through want of influence or brains, or opportunity, or good guidance, but because they are slack; and the reason why certain men with few advantages succeed, is that they are diligent, concentrated, persevering and conscientious--because, in fact, they are thorough." _the homely virtues_, dr. john watson. "unto him who works, and feels he works, this same grand year is ever at the doors." tennyson. pleasure in work february "joy or delight in what we are doing is not a mere luxury; it is a means, a help for the more perfect doing of our work. indeed, it may be truly said that no man does any work perfectly who does not enjoy his work. joy in one's work is the consummate tool without which the work may be done indeed, but without which the work will always be done slowly, clumsily, and without its finest perfectness. men who do their work without enjoying it are like men carving statues with hatchets. the statue gets carved perhaps, and is a monument for ever of the dogged perseverance of the artist; but there is a perpetual waste of toil, and there is no fine result in the end." phillips brooks. "efforts to be permanently useful must be uniformly joyous,--a spirit all sunshine; graceful from very gladness, beautiful because bright." carlyle. "every joy is gain, and gain is gain, however small." browning. duty february "in life's small things be resolute and great to keep thy muscle trained: know'st thou when fate thy measure takes, or when she'll say to thee 'i find thee worthy; do this thing for me'?" lowell. "our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires but according to our powers." _amiel's journal._ "i'll bind myself to that which, once being right, will not be less right when i shrink from it." kingsley. "there's life alone in duty done, and rest alone in striving." whittier. duty february "a duty is no sooner divined than from that very moment it becomes binding upon us." _amiel's journal._ "don't waste life in doubts and fears; spend yourself on the work before you, well assured that the right performance of this hour's duties will be the best preparation for the hours or ages that follow it." emerson. "the toppling crags of duty scaled are close upon the shining table-lands to which our god himself is moon and sun." tennyson. the iron chains of duty february "... one conviction i have gained from the experience of the last years--life is not jest and amusement; life is not even enjoyment ... life is hard labour. renunciation, continual renunciation--that is its secret meaning, its solution. not the fulfilment of cherished dreams and aspirations, however lofty they may be--the fulfilment of duty, that is what must be the care of man. without laying on himself chains, the iron chains of duty, he cannot reach without a fall the end of his career." _a lear of the steppes_, ivan turgenev. "granted that life is tragic to the marrow, it seems the proper function of religion to make us accept and serve in that tragedy, as officers in that other and comparable one of war. service is the word, active service, in the military sense; and the religious man is he who has a military joy in duty--not he who weeps over the wounded." _lay morals_, r. l. stevenson. power february "oh, do not pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men! do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. pray for powers equal to your tasks! then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. but you shall be a miracle. every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come in you by the grace of god. "there is nothing which comes to seem more foolish to us, i think, as years go by, than the limitations which have been quietly set to the moral possibilities of man. they are placidly and perpetually assumed. 'you must not expect too much of him,' so it is said. 'you must remember that he is only a man after all.' 'only a man!' that sounds to me as if one said, 'you may launch your boat and sail a little way, but you must not expect to go very far. it is only the atlantic ocean.' why, man's moral range and reach is practically infinite, at least no man has yet begun to comprehend where its limit lies. man's powers of conquering temptation, of despising danger, of being true to principle, have never been even indicated, save in christ." phillips brooks. "virgil said of the winning crew in his boat-race, 'they can, because they believe they can.'" an ideal level february "no man who, being a christian, desires the kingdom of god, can justly neglect giving his energy to the bettering of the social, physical, and educational condition of the poor, the diseased, and the criminal classes. but he is not a christian, or he has not realised the problem fully, if that is all he does. social improvement is a work portions of which any one can do, in which all ought to share; but if we who follow christ desire to do the best work in that improvement, and in the best way, we ought to strive--while we join in the universal movement towards a juster society--to give a spiritual life to that movement; to keep it at an ideal level; to free it from mere materialism; to maintain in it the monarchy of self-sacrifice; to fix its eyes on invisible and unworldly truths; to supply it with noble and spiritual faiths; to base all associations of men on the ground of their spiritual union--all being children of god, and brothers of one another, in the love and faith by which jesus lived; and to maintain the dignity of this spiritual communion of men in faith in their immortal union with god. this is the fight of faith we, as fellow-workers with god, shall have to wage; and this not only binds us up with the poor, but with the rich, not only with the ignorant, but the learned; for on these grounds all men are seen as stripped of everything save of their humanity and their divine kinship.... improve, then, the material condition and the knowledge of all who are struggling for justice; it is part of your life which if you neglect, you are out of touch with the new life; but kindle in it, uphold and sanctify in it, the life which is divine, the communion with man of god, without union with whose character all effort for social improvement will revert to new miseries and new despair." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. work february "idleness standing in the midst of unattempted tasks is always proud. work is always tending to humility. work touches the keys of endless activity, opens the infinite, and stands awe-struck before the immensity of what there is to do. work brings a man into the good realm of facts. work takes the dreamy youth who is growing proud in his closet over one or two sprouting powers which he has discovered in himself, and sets him out among the gigantic needs and the vast processes of the world, and makes him feel his littleness. work opens the measureless fields of knowledge and skill that reach far out of sight. i am sure we all know the fine, calm, sober humbleness of men who have really tried themselves against the great tasks of life. it was great in paul, and in luther, and in cromwell. it is something that never comes into the character, never shows in the face of a man who has never worked." phillips brooks. "no man is born into the world, whose work is not born with him; there is always work, and tools to work withal, for those who will; and blessed are the horny hands of toil! the busy world shoves angrily aside the man who stands with arms akimbo set, until occasion tells him what to do; and he who waits to have his task marked out shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled." james russell lowell. special work for each february "there is some particular work which lies to every one's hand which he can do better than any other person. what we ought to be concerned about is not whether it be on a large scale or a small--about which we can never be quite certain--nor whether it is going to bring us fame or leave us in obscurity--an issue which is in the hands of god--but that we do it, and that we do it with all our might. having done that, there is no cause to fret ourselves or ask questions which cannot be answered. we may rest with a quiet conscience and a contented heart, for we have filled our place and done what we could. the battle of life extends over a vast area, and it is vain for us to inquire about the other wings of the army; it is enough that we have received our orders, and that we have held the few feet of ground committed to our charge. there let us fight and there let us die, and so fighting and so dying in the place of duty we cannot be condemned, we must be justified. brilliant qualities may never be ours, but the homely virtues are within our reach, and character is built up not out of great intellectual gifts and splendid public achievements, but out of honesty, industry, thrift, kindness, courtesy, and gratitude, resting upon faith in god and love towards man. and the inheritance of the soul which ranks highest and lasts for ever is character." _the homely virtues,_ dr. john watson. the sin of idleness february "there is a certain amount of work to be done in this world. if any of us does not take his full share, he imposes that which he does not take on the shoulders of another; and the first cause of poverty, of disease, of misery in all states, is the overwork which is imposed on men and women by the idle and indifferent members of the nation. this is to steal from the human race; to steal from them joy, leisure, health, comfort and peace, and to impose on them sorrow and overwork, disease and homelessness, bitter anger and fruitless tears. this is the curse which the selfish dreamer leaves behind him. many have been the fierce oppressors and defrauders of the human race, but the evil they have done is less than that done by those who drop by drop and hour by hour drain the blood of mankind by doing no work for the overworked. this is the crime with which the idle and indifferent will be confronted when the great throne is set in our soul, and the books we have written on men's lives are opened, and god shall lay judgment to the line and righteousness to the plummet. 'lord, what hast thou to do with it?' we will say. 'i did not neglect thee; i took my ease, it is true, but i kept thy law. i was never impious, never an atheist. when was i not religious?' then he will answer: 'inasmuch as ye never worked for the least of these my brothers, ye never worked for me!'" _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "let us start up and live: here come moments that cannot be had again; some few may yet be filled with imperishable good." j. martineau. idleness february "it is not necessary for a man to be actively bad in order to make a failure of life; simple inaction will accomplish it. nature has everywhere written her protest against idleness; everything which ceases to struggle, which remains inactive, rapidly deteriorates. it is the struggle towards an ideal, the constant effort to get higher and further which develops manhood and character." "shun idleness, it is the rust that attaches itself to the most brilliant metals." voltaire. "there is always hope in a man that actually and earnestly works. in idleness alone is there perpetual despair." carlyle. "'twere all as good to ease one breast of grief as sit and watch the sorrows of the world." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. fear of failure february "who would ever stir a finger, if only on condition of being guaranteed against oversights, misinformation, mistakes, ignorance, loss, and danger?" h. martineau. "the man who insists upon seeing with perfect clearness before he decides, never decides." _amiel's journal._ "he who is too much afraid of being duped has lost the power of being magnanimous." _amiel's journal._ "nothing will ever be attempted if all possible objections must be first overcome." dr. johnson. fear of failure february "extreme caution is no less harmful than its opposite." vauvenargues. "the men who succeed best in public life are those who take the risk of standing by their own convictions." garfield. "our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win, by fearing to attempt." shakespeare. "it is better by a noble boldness to run the risk of being subject to half of the evils which we anticipate, than to remain in cowardly listlessness for fear of what may happen." herodotus. falterers february "nay, never falter: no great deed is done by falterers who ask for certainty. no good is certain, but the steadfast mind, the undivided will to seek the good: 'tis that compels the elements, and wrings a human music from the indifferent air. the greatest gift the hero leaves his race is to have been a hero. say we fail!-- we feed the high tradition of the world, and leave our spirit in our children's breasts." george eliot. "how dull it is to pause, to make an end, to rest unburnish'd, not to shine in use! as though to breathe were life." tennyson. "after all, depend upon it, it is better to be worn out with work in a thronged community, than to perish in inaction in a stagnant solitude: take this truth into consideration whenever you get tired of work and bustle." mrs. gaskell's _life of c. brontë_. courage february "whether you be man or woman you will never do anything in the world without courage. it is the greatest quality of the mind next to honour." james lane allen. "the brave man is not he who feels no fear, for that were stupid and irrational, but he whose noble soul its fear subdues and bravely dares the danger nature shrinks from." joanna baillie. "heroism is the brilliant triumph of the soul over the flesh--that is to say, over fear: fear of poverty, of suffering, of calumny, of sickness, of isolation, and of death. there is no serious piety without heroism. heroism is the dazzling and glorious concentration of courage." _amiel's journal._ "self-trust is the essence of heroism." emerson. responsibility february "thousands live and die in the dim borderland of destitution; that little children wail, and starve, and perish, and soak and blacken soul and sense, in our streets; that there are hundreds and thousands of the unemployed, not all of whom, as some would persuade us, are lazy impostors; that the demon of drink still causes among us daily horrors which would disgrace dahomey or ashantee, and rakes into his coffers millions of pounds which are wet with tears and red with blood; these are facts patent to every eye. now, god will work no miracle to mend these miseries. if we neglect them they will be left uncured, but he will hold us responsible for the neglect. it is vain for us to ask, 'am i my brother's keeper?' in spite of all the political economists, in spite of all superfine theories of chilly and purse-saving wisdom, in spite of all the critiques of the irreligious--still more of the semi-religious, and the religious press, he will say to the callous and the slothful, with such a glance 'as struck gehazi with leprosy, and simon magus with a curse,' 'what hast thou done? smooth religionist, orthodox churchman, scrupulous levite, befringed and bephylacteried pharisee, thy brother's blood crieth to me from the ground!'" f. w. farrar. "the healing of the world is in its nameless saints. each separate star seems nothing, but a myriad scattered stars break up the night, and make it beautiful." bayard taylor. the sin of indifference march "they hear no more the cries of their brothers caught in the nets of misery: 'help us, we are perishing.' the curtains of their comfort are fast drawn; they sit at home wrapt in family ease. outside, the sleet is falling, the bitter wind is blowing, thousands of the children of sorrow are dying in the fierce weather. god himself is knocking at the door, calling 'come forth and seek the lost with jesus.' we hear nothing, the cotton of comfort stops our ears. for a time, till god himself breaks in on us with storm, and disperses our comfort to the winds, we can run no christian race.... therefore, lay aside, not all comfort--men have a right to that--but that excess of it which softens and enfeebles the soul; which sends to sleep the longing for god's perfection; which makes our life too slothful to follow christ, the healer of the world!" _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "all my soul is full of pity for the sickness of this world; which i will heal, if healing may be found by uttermost renouncing and strong strife." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. wasted emotions march "pity, indignation, love, felt and not made into acts of pity or of self-sacrifice, lose their very heart in our dainty dreaming, and are turned into their opposites. our animation and activity of love, unexercised, becomes like the unused muscle, attenuated; and we are content to think with pleasure of the times when we were animated and active--a vile condition. but the worst wretchedness of these losses does not consist in the damage we do ourselves, but in the loss of power to benefit mankind, in the loss of power to do god's work for the salvation and the greater happiness of man. we are guilty to man, and guilty before god, when we lose our powers in inglorious ease. we owe ourselves to men and women; no amount of work frees us from the duty of keeping ourselves in the best possible trim, body and soul, mind and spirit, that we may nobly work the loving work of him that sent us." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "opportunities are swarming around us all the time, thicker than gnats at sundown. we walk through a cloud of them." van dyke. "doing" more than "feeling" march "our lord ... always brings back to mind that doing is more than feeling." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "a maxim of professor james 'never to suffer a single emotion to evaporate without exacting from it some practical service.'" _the making of character_, prof. john maccunn. "but two ways are offered to our will-- toil with rare triumph, ease with safe disgrace:-- nor deem that acts heroic wait on chance! the man's whole life preludes the single deed that shall decide if his inheritance be with the sifted few of matchless breed, or with the unnoticed herd that only sleep and feed." lowell. the sacredness of work march "all true work is sacred; in all true work, were it but true hand-labour, there is something of divineness." carlyle. "some of the commonest faults of thought and work are those which come from thinking too poorly of our own lives, and of that which must rightly be demanded of us. a high standard of accuracy, a chivalrous loyalty to exact truth, generosity to fellow-workers, indifference to results, distrust of all that is showy, self-discipline and undiscouraged patience through all difficulties,--these are among the first and greatest conditions of good work; and they ought never to seem too hard for us if we remember what we owe to the best work of bygone days." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. "whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall earn a reward to the senses as well as to the thought; no matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. the reward of a thing well done is to have done it." emerson. doing our best march "it is not the quantity of our work that he regards, but the quality of it. he is less anxious that we should fulfil our task--for he can make up for our deficiencies--than that we should do our best; for what he desires is the improvement of our characters, and that requires the co-operation of our own wills with his." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "experience shows that success is due less to ability than to zeal. the winner is he who gives himself to his work, body and soul." charles buxton. "life is too short to waste, * * * * * 'twill soon be dark; up! mind thine own aim, and god speed the mark!" emerson. work--effective reforms march "we must be careful not to undermine independence in our anxiety to relieve distress. there is always the initial difficulty that whatever is done for men takes from them a great stimulus to work, and weakens the feeling of independence; all creatures which depend on others tend to become mere parasites. it is important therefore, as far as possible, not so much to give a man bread, as to put him in the way of earning it for himself; not to give direct aid, but to help others to help themselves. the world is so complex that we must all inevitably owe much to our neighbours; but, as far as possible, every man should stand on his own feet." lord avebury. "we are now generally agreed upon our aims: nobility of character and not only outward prosperity; victory over evil at its source, and not in its consequences; reforms which shall regard the welfare of future generations, who are 'the greatest number.'" bishop westcott. "we fall under the temptation of seeking material solutions for spiritual problems; material remedies for spiritual maladies. the thought of spiritual poverty, of spiritual destitution, is crowded out. we treat the symptoms and neglect the disease itself." bishop westcott. work--effective reforms march "if you are moved with a vague desire to help men be better men, you must know that you can do it not by belabouring the evil but by training the good that there is in them." phillips brooks. "the christian, therefore, i repeat, as christian, will take his full part in preparing for the amelioration of the conditions of men no less than for their conversion. he will in due measure strive to follow, under the limitations of his own labour, the whole example of his lord, who removed outward distresses and satisfied outward wants, even as he brought spiritual strength and rest to the weak and weary. moreover, this effort based upon resolute thought, belongs to the completeness of the religious life of the christian." bishop westcott. "reforms which are effective must develop and strengthen character." bishop westcott. work--"to cure is the voice of the past" march "all measures of reformation are effective in exact proportion to their timeliness. partial decay may be cut away and cleansed, incipient error corrected: but there is a point at which corruption can no more be stayed, nor wandering recalled. it has been the manner of modern philanthropy to remain passive until that precise period, and to leave the sick to perish, and the foolish to stray, while it spent itself in frantic exertions to raise the dead, and reform the dust." _the queen of the air_, john ruskin. "the real work of charity is not to afford facilities to the poor to lower their standard, but to step in when calamity threatens and prevent it from falling." _the standard of life_, mrs. bernard bosanquet. "to cure is the voice of the past; to prevent, the divine whisper of to-day." _children's rights_, kate douglas wiggin. satan's opportunities march "physiologists know as much about morality as ministers of the gospel. the vices which drag men and women into crime spring as often from unhealthy bodies as from weak wills and callous consciences. vile fancies and sensual appetites grow stronger and more terrible when a feeble physique and low vitality offer no opposing force. deadly vices are nourished in the weak diseased bodies that are penned, day after day, in filthy crowded tenements of great cities." _children's rights_, kate douglas wiggin. "man's unpitied misery is satan's opportunity." "mould conditions aright, and men will grow good to fit them." horace fletcher. "evil is wrought by want of thought" march "but evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart." thomas hood. "it is clear that in whatever it is our duty to act, those matters also it is our duty to study." dr. arnold. "no alms-giving of money is so helpful as alms-giving of care and thought; the giving of money without thought is indeed continually mischievous; but the invective of the economist against indiscriminate charity is idle if it be not coupled with pleading for discriminate charity, and above all, for that charity which discerns the uses that people may be put to, and helps them by setting them to work in those services. that is the help beyond all others; find out how to make useless people useful, and let them earn their money instead of begging it." _arrows of the chace_, john ruskin. (from a letter published in the _daily telegraph_ of december , .) the hallowing of work march "we shall not do much of that which is best worth doing in the world if we only consecrate to it our gifts. we have something else to consecrate for our work's sake, for our friend's sake, for the sake of all for whom in any way we are responsible. beyond and above all that we may do, is that which we may be. 'for their sakes i sanctify, i consecrate, myself.' so our blessed lord spoke in regard to those whom he had drawn nearest to himself--his friends; those whose characters he would fashion for the greatest task that ever yet was laid upon frail men. and even when we have set apart all that was unique in the nature and results of his self-consecration, all that he alone could, once for all, achieve; still, i think, the words disclose a principle that concerns every one of us--the principle of all that is highest and purest in the influence of one life upon the lives it touches: 'for their sakes i consecrate myself.' there is the ultimate secret of power; the one sure way of doing good in our generation. we cannot anticipate or analyse the power of a pure and holy life; but there can be no doubt about its reality, and there seems no limit to its range. we can only know in part the laws and forces of the spiritual world; and it may be that every soul that is purified and given up to god and to his work releases or awakens energies of which we have no suspicion--energies viewless as the wind; but we can be sure of the result, and we may have glimpses sometimes of the process--surely, there is no power in the world so unerring or so irrepressible as the power of personal holiness. all else at times goes wrong, blunders, loses proportion, falls disastrously short of its aim, grows stiff or one-sided, or out of date--'whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away;' but nothing mars or misleads the influence that issues from a pure and humble and unselfish character." _the hallowing of work_, bishop paget. one by one march "nothing is more characteristic of jesus' method than his indifference to the many--his devotion to the single soul. his attitude to the public, and his attitude to a private person were a contrast and a contradiction. if his work was likely to cause a sensation jesus charged his disciples to let no man know it: if the people got wind of him, he fled to solitary places: if they found him, as soon as might be he escaped. but he used to take young men home with him, who wished to ask questions: he would spend all night with a perplexed scholar: he gave an afternoon to a samaritan woman. he denied himself to the multitude: he lay in wait for the individual. this was not because he under-valued a thousand, it was because he could not work on the thousand scale: it was not because he over-valued the individual, it was because his method was arranged for the scale of one. jesus never succeeded in public save once, when he was crucified: he never failed in private save once, with pontius pilate. his method was not sensation: it was influence. he did not rely on impulses: he believed in discipline. he never numbered converts, because he knew what was in man: he sifted them, as one winnoweth the wheat from the chaff. spiritual statistics are unknown in the gospels: they came in with st. peter in the pardonable intoxication of success: they have since grown to be a mania. as the church coarsens she estimates salvation by quantity, how many souls are saved: jesus was concerned with quality, after what fashion they were saved. his mission was to bring humanity to perfection." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. one by one march "our lord ... does not, on entering a village, ordain that all the lepers in it shall be cleansed, or all the palsied restored to the use of their limbs. he condescends to take each case by itself." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "'one by one' is not only the safest way of helping, it is the only possible way of ensuring that any real good is done." _rich and poor_, mrs. bernard bosanquet. "love cannot be content while any suffer,--cannot rest while any sin." "i would not let one cry whom i could save." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. interruptions march "so long as there is work to do there will be interruptions--breaks in its progress. the minister at work on his sermon, the merchant at his desk, the woman in her household duties--all must expect these calls to turn aside from the work in hand. and it is a part of one's character growth to bear these timely or untimely interruptions without any break in good temper or courtesy. a young student who was privileged to call often upon phillips brooks in his study, told the writer that he could never have learned from the bishop's manner or words, that the big-hearted, busy man was ever too busy to receive him. to bear interruptions thus serenely is an opportunity for self-control not to be overlooked by any one who wants to do god's work in the right spirit." "he threw himself spontaneously, apparently without effort and yet irresistibly, into the griefs and joys, the needs and interests of others. he had the happy gift of taking everybody to his heart. he was never inattentive. as you talked to him you always felt he was listening and really trying to understand your case. in the light of sympathy you saw yourself reflected in the mirror of his heart. nor did he forget you when you were gone from sight. his was not the cheap sympathy of an outward manner, but the true emotion of the inward self. to your surprise, when you had left bishop fraser with a sense of shame at having occupied, in your interview, so much of his overcrowded time, you would find the next morning a letter upon your table giving his fuller and more mature opinion of your plans or course of action."... "tender and loving, in sympathy with the lowliest, forbearing with the most unreasonable, often interrupted, but never resenting, the sacrifice of self crowning all." _bishop fraser's lancashire life_, archdeacon diggle. mechanical work march "miss keane took but little heed of the presence of rachel and hester in her brother's house. those who work mechanically on fixed lines seem as a rule to miss the pith of life. she was kind when she remembered them, but her heart was where her treasure was--namely, in her escritoire, with her list of bible classes, and servants' choral unions, and the long roll of contributors to the guild of work which she herself had started." _red pottage_, mary cholmondeley. "any man seeking to be holy who does not set himself in close live contact with the life about him, stands in great danger of growing pious or punctilious instead of holy." phillips brooks. an ideal guest-chamber march "in mrs. charles' well-known book, 'chronicles of the schonberg-cotta family,' there is a beautiful passage where fritz and eva, beginning their young life together, take into their house a penitent woman who was thought to be near death. eva writes: 'there is a little room over the porch that we had set apart as a guest-chamber, and very sweet it was to me that bertha should be its first inmate; very sweet to fritz and me that our home should be what our lord's heart is, a refuge for the outcast, the penitent, the solitary, and the sorrowful.'" "we all say we follow christ, but most of us only follow him and his cross--part of the way. when we are told that our lord bore our sins, and was wounded for our transgressions, i suppose that meant that he felt as if they were his own, in his great love for us. but when you shrink from bearing your fellow-creatures' transgressions, it shows that your love is small." _red pottage_, mary cholmondeley. "radiant with heavenly pity, lost in care for those he knew not, save as fellow lives." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. "to be trusted is to be saved" march "no one can perish in whom any spark of the divine life is still burning. no one can be plucked out of the saviour's hands who still struggles towards him, however feebly and falteringly." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "to be trusted is to be saved. and if we try to influence or elevate others, we shall soon see that success is in proportion to their belief of our belief in them. for the respect of another is the first restoration of the self-respect a man has lost; our ideal of what he is becomes to him the hope and pattern of what he may become." _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "coarse treatment never wins souls." god's children march "hallow the name of god, hallow his character, in all noble and good humanity. "that is not difficult. but to hallow god's character in men and women who are not good, in sinful humanity--that is not so easy. yet, if we would be true to this prayer of christ, this too is part of our duty. the evil are also the children of god. they have not hallowed his character, but abandoned its worship. nevertheless they cannot get rid of it. that divine thing lies hid, ineradicably, beneath their evil doing and evil thought. the truth, justice, love, piety, and goodness of god are in abeyance in the wrong-doer, but they are not dead in him. they cannot die; nothing can destroy them. and we, whose desire it should be to save men, can, if we have faith in the indestructible god in men, pierce to this immortal good in the evil, appeal to it, and call it forth to light, like lazarus, from the tomb. this we can do, if, like jesus, we love men enough; if our faith that the evil are still god's children be deep and firm enough. in this we can keep closest to christ, for it was his daily way of life; and divinely beautiful it was. he hallowed god's character in the criminal and the harlot. he saw the good beneath the evil. at his touch it leaped into life, and its life destroyed the death in the sinner's soul. it seems as if he said when he looked into the face of the wrong-doer, 'father, hallowed be thy character.' no lesson for life can be wiser or deeper than this. it ought to rule all our doings with the weak and guilty. it is at the very centre of the prayer, 'hallowed be thy name.'" _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "always at the door of foulest hearts, the angel-nature yet knocks to return and cancel all its debt." j. r. lowell. raw material march "one also is filled with _hope_ at the figure of the clay, because it suggests the immense and unimagined possibilities of human nature. upon first sight how poor a thing is this man, with his ignorances, prejudices, pettinesses, his envy, jealousy, evil temper. upon second thoughts how much may be in this man, how much he may achieve, how high he may attain. this dull and unattractive man must not be despised, whether he be yourself or another: he is incalculable and unfathomable. he is simply raw material, soul stuff, and one can no more anticipate him than you could foresee a turner from the master's colours--some of them very strange--or a persian rug from a heap of wool. out of that unpromising face, that sleeping intellect, those awkward ways, this crust of selfishness and a hundred faults, is going to be made a man whom the world will admire and honour." _the potter's wheel_, dr. john watson. "to have faith is to create; to have hope is to call down blessing; to have love is to work miracles." _the roadmender_, michael fairless. "the faith which saves others is the enthusiasm of patience." _the service of god_, canon barnett. pessimism march "the next thing to speak of is a tendency in the world which is the very opposite of that of which we have spoken, but which is equally characteristic of a time when a new life and spirit is on the verge of taking its form. as part of the fight of faith is to support and direct the first, so part of that battle is to weaken and oppose the doctrine that the world is going from bad to worse, that there is no regeneration for it, and that there ought to be none. on this doctrine i have frequently spoken, but i do not hesitate to speak of it again. it is the fashion to praise it; it deserves no praise, it is detestable. this is a favourite doctrine of the comfortable classes who are idle and luxurious or merely fantastic, and of a certain type of scientific men, both of whom are profoundly ignorant of the working world and of the poor, who hate this doctrine and despise it. the sufferings of the poor and the oppressed are used as an argument in its favour, but, curiously enough, you scarcely ever find it held by the poor and the oppressed;--on the contrary, these are the creators and builders of utopias: out of this class grow those who prophesy a golden year. those who have most reason to despair never despair." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "of all bad habits despondency is among the least respectable, and there is no one quite so tiresome as the sad-visaged christian who is oppressed by the wickedness and hopelessness of the world." service march "service implies self-giving. there is service which is just self-satisfaction, pleasing to the taste for doing and meddling, and there is service which is exactly measured to its pay. true service implies giving, the surrender of time or taste, the subjection of self to others, the gift which is neither noticed nor returned." _the service of god_, canon barnett. "christian greatness is born of willingness to lay the lowliest duties on yourself, and the way to be first is to be ready to remain last." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "nobleness consists in a valiant suffering for others, not in making others suffer for us. the chief of men is he who stands in the van of men; fronting the peril which frightens back all others.... every noble crown is, and on earth will for ever be, a crown of thorns." _past and present_, carlyle. "no one is useless in this world who lightens the burden of it to any one else." dickens. service march "they were to mortify the self-importance and vain dignity that will not render commonplace kindness. 'if i then, your lord and master, have washed your feet, ye also ought to wash one another's feet.'" _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "nothing is degrading which a high and graceful purpose ennobles, and offices the most menial cease to be menial the moment they are wrought in love." j. martineau. "and service will be the personal tribute to jesus, whom we shall recognise under any disguise, as his nurse detected ulysses by his wounds, and whose body, in the poor and miserable, will ever be with us for our discernment. jesus is the leper whom the saint kissed, and the child the monk carried over the stream, and the sick man the widow nursed into health, after the legends of the ages of faith. and jesus will say at the close of the day, 'inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.'" _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. service march "we must not be perplexed or put out if we have to change our plans. god sends us hither and thither; we may think that we are wasting our special talents, when god has, after all, some particular need for our particular work at a particular time. and equally we must learn to measure our strength; we cannot all do the same things, we are not all adapted to the same work, or charged with the same duties. why should we overstrain ourselves in that which is beyond our strength, or neglect plain duties for others less obvious? ah! god receives many a corban now which he will never accept; self-chosen work done at the expense of duty; work outside done to the neglect of our own proper work; work done at the entire expense of our home and social duties; the clear commandment of god shattered to pieces by some purely human tradition." canon newbolt. "every christian is the servant of men, always and everywhere, without respect to the distinctions of sex, or class, or nationality, or creed." canon body. mens sana in corpore sano march "as there is a will of god for our higher nature--the moral laws--as emphatically is there a will of god for the lower, the natural laws. if you would know god's will in the higher, therefore, you must begin with god's will in the lower: which simply means this--that if you want to live the ideal life, you must begin with the ideal body. the law of moderation, the law of sleep, the law of regularity, the law of exercise, the law of cleanliness,--this is the law or will of god for you. this is the first law, the beginning of his will for you. and if we are ambitious to get on to do god's will in the higher reaches, let us respect it as much in the lower; for there may be as much of god's will in minor things, as much of god's will in taking good bread and pure water, as in keeping a good conscience or living a pure life. whoever heard of gluttony doing god's will, or laziness, or uncleanness, or the man who was careless and wanton of natural life? let a man disobey god in these, and you have no certainty that he has any true principle for obeying god in anything else: for god's will does not only run into the church and the prayer-meeting and the higher chambers of the soul, but into the common rooms at home down to wardrobe and larder and cellar, and into the bodily frame down to blood and muscle and brain." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. the duty of physical health march "excess is not the only thing which breaks men in their health, and in the comfortable enjoyment of themselves; but many are brought into a very ill and languishing habit of body by mere sloth; and sloth is in itself both a great sin, and the cause of many more." bishop south. "there is no true care for the body which forgets the soul. there is no true care for the soul which is not mindful of the body.... the duty of physical health and the duty of spiritual purity and loftiness are not two duties; they are two parts of one duty,--which is the living of the completest life which it is possible for man to live. and the two parts minister to one another. be good that you may be well; be well that you may be good. both of those two injunctions are reasonable, and both are binding on us all." phillips brooks. the duty of physical health march "moreover, health is not only a great element of happiness, but it is essential to good work. it is not merely wasteful but selfish to throw it away. "it is impossible to do good work,--at any rate, it is impossible to do our best,--if we overstrain ourselves. it is bad policy, because all work done under such circumstances will inevitably involve an additional period of quiet and rest afterwards; but apart from this, work so done will not be of a high quality, it will show traces of irritability and weakness: the judgment will not be good: if it involves co-operation with others there will be great possibility of friction and misunderstandings." lord avebury. "when we are out of sorts things get on our nerves, the most trifling annoyances assume the proportions of a catastrophe. it is a sure sign that we need rest and fresh air." lord avebury. "o almighty and most merciful god, of thy bountiful goodness keep us, we beseech thee, from all things that may hurt us; that we, being ready both in body and soul, may cheerfully accomplish those things that thou wouldest have done; through jesus christ our lord. amen." _the book of common prayer._ physical morality march "the preservation of health is a _duty_. few men seem conscious that there is such a thing as physical morality. men's habitual words and acts imply the idea that they are at liberty to treat their bodies as they please. disorders entailed by disobedience to nature's dictates they regard simply as grievances, not as the effects of a conduct more or less flagitious. though the evil consequences inflicted on their dependants, and on future generations, are often as great as those caused by crime, yet they do not think themselves in any degree criminal. it is true that in the case of drunkenness the viciousness of this bodily transgression is recognised, but none appear to infer that if this bodily transgression is vicious, so, too, is every bodily transgression. the fact is that all breaches of the laws of health are _physical sins_." herbert spencer. "... health is not merely a matter of the body. 'anger, hatred, grief, and fear are among the influences most destructive of vitality.' and, on the other hand, cheerfulness, good-humour, and peace of mind are powerful elements of health." lord avebury. invalids march "if you are an invalid, do your best to get well; but, if you must remain an invalid, still strive for the unselfishness and serenity which are the best possessions of health. there are no sublimer victories than some that are won on sick-beds." "we have sometimes known some men or women, helpless so that their lives seemed to be all dependent, who yet, through their sickness, had so mounted to a higher life and so identified themselves with christ that those on whom they rested found the christ in them and rested upon it. their sick-rooms became churches. their weak voices spoke gospels. the hands they seemed to clasp were really clasping theirs. they were depended on while they seemed to be most dependent. and when they died, when the faint flicker of their life went out, strong men whose light seemed radiant found themselves walking in the darkness; and stout hearts, on which theirs used to lean, trembled as if the staff and substance of their strength was gone." phillips brooks. "pain is no evil unless it conquers us." george eliot. invalids march "it may be that god used to give you plentiful chances to work for him. your days went singing by, each winged with some enthusiastic duty for the master whom you loved.... you can be idle for him, if so he wills, with the same joy with which you once laboured for him. the sick-bed or the prison is as welcome as the harvest-field or the battle-field, when once your soul has come to value as the end of life the privilege of seeking and of finding him." phillips brooks. "to be well enough to work is the wish of my natural heart; but if that may not be, i know that 'they also serve who only stand and wait.' god will not require healthy men's labour from you or me; and if we are poor in power and opportunity to serve him, our widow's mite will weigh against the gold ingots of his chosen apostles." _memoir of george wilson._ "the widow's mite? well, when they laughed at s. theresa because she wanted to build a great orphanage and had only three ducats to begin with, she answered, 'with three ducats theresa can do nothing, but with god and her three ducats there is nothing which theresa cannot do.'" f. w. farrar. lessons of suffering march "to have suffered much is like knowing many languages. you have learnt to understand all, and to make yourself intelligible to all." "we have all met some great sufferers, whose cheerfulness and good-humour are not only a lesson to us who enjoy good health, but who seem to be, as it were, raised and consecrated by a life of suffering." lord avebury. "what man goes worthily through sorrow and does not come out hating shams and pretences, hungering for truth; and also full of sympathy for his fellow-man whose capacity for suffering has been revealed to him by his own?" phillips brooks. hypochondriacs march --april "there is a temperament called _hypochondriac_, to which many persons, some of them the brightest, the most interesting, the most gifted, are born heirs,--a want of balance of the nervous powers, which tends constantly to periods of high excitement and of consequent depression,--an unfortunate inheritance for the possessor, though accompanied often with the greatest talents.... "people of this temperament are subject to fits of gloom and despondency, of nervous irritability and suffering, which darken the aspect of the whole world to them, which present lying reports of their friends, of themselves, of the circumstances of their life, and of all with which they have to do. "now the highest philosophy for persons thus afflicted is to understand themselves and their tendencies, to know that these fits of gloom and depression are just as much a form of disease as a fever or a toothache,--to know that it is the peculiarity of the disease to fill the mind with wretched illusions, to make them seem miserable and unlovely to themselves, to make their nearest friends seem unjust and unkind, to make all events appear to be going wrong and tending to destruction and ruin. "the evils and burdens of such a temperament are half removed when a man once knows that he has it, and recognises it for a disease,--when he does not trust himself to speak and act in those bitter hours as if there were any truth in what he thinks and feels and sees. he who has not attained to this wisdom overwhelms his friends and his family with the waters of bitterness; he stings with unjust accusations, and makes his fireside dreadful with fancies which are real to him, but false as the ravings of fever. "a sensible person, thus diseased, who has found out what ails him, will shut his mouth resolutely, not to give utterance to the dark thoughts that infest his soul. "a lady of great brilliancy and wit, who was subject to these periods, once said to me, 'my dear sir, there are times when i know i am possessed of the devil, and then i never let myself speak.' and so this wise woman carried her burden about with her in a determined, cheerful reticence, leaving always the impression of a cheery, kindly temper, when, if she had spoken out a tithe of what she thought and felt in her morbid hours, she would have driven all her friends from her, and made others as miserable as she was herself. she was a sunbeam, a life-giving presence in every family, by the power of self-knowledge and self-control." _little foxes_, harriet beecher stowe. "comfort's art" april "it would be very petty of us who are well and can bear things, to think much of small offences from those who carry a weight of trial." george eliot. "trouble is so hard to bear, is it not? how can we live and think that any one has trouble--piercing trouble--and we could help them and never try?" george eliot. "pity makes the world soft to the weak and noble for the strong." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. "ask god to give thee skill for comfort's art, that thou may'st consecrated be, and set apart unto a life of sympathy! for heavy is the weight of ill for every heart, and comforters are needed much of christlike touch." irritability april "irritability is, more than most unlovely states, a sin of the flesh. it is not, like envy, malice, spite, revenge, a vice which we may suppose to belong equally to an embodied or a disembodied spirit: in fact, it comes nearer to being physical depravity than anything i know of. there are some bodily states, some conditions of the nerves, such that we could not conceive of even an angelic spirit, confined in a body thus disordered, as being able to do any more than simply endure. it is a state of nervous torture; and the attacks which the wretched victim makes on others are as much a result of disease as the snapping and biting of a patient convulsed with hydrophobia.... i think it is undeniable that the peace and happiness of the home-circle are very generally much invaded by the recurrence in its members of these states of bodily irritability. every person, if he thinks the matter over, will see that his condition in life, the character of his friends, his estimate of their virtues and failings, his hopes and expectations, are all very much modified by these things. cannot we all remember going to bed as very ill-used, persecuted individuals, all whose friends were unreasonable, whose life was full of trials and crosses, and waking up on a bright bird-singing morning to find all these illusions gone with the fogs of the night? our friends are nice people, after all; the little things that annoyed us look ridiculous by bright sunshine; and we are fortunate individuals." _little foxes_, harriet beecher stowe. irritability april "the philosophy of life, then, as far as this matter is concerned, must consist of two things: first, to keep ourselves out of irritable bodily states; and, second, to understand and control these states, when we cannot ward them off. of course, the first of these is the most important; and yet, of all things, it seems to be least looked into and understood. we find abundant rules for the government of the tongue and temper; it is a slough into which, john bunyan hath it, cartloads of wholesome instructions have been thrown; but how to get and keep that healthy state of brain, stomach, and nerves which takes away the temptation to ill-temper and anger is a subject which moral and religious teachers seem scarcely to touch upon.... we have a common saying, that this or that person is soon used up. now most nervous, irritable states of temper are the mere physical result of a used-up condition. the person has overspent his nervous energy,--like a man who should eat up on monday the whole food which was to keep him for a week, and go growling and faint through the other days; or the quantity of nervous force which was wanted to carry on the whole system in all its parts is seized on by some one monopolising portion, and used up to the loss and detriment of the rest." _little foxes_, harriet beecher stowe. accidie april "... 'accidie,' the spiritual sloth, which we rechristen 'depression' and 'low spirits,' and meet with sympathy! dante met it by fixing its victims in the mire beneath the water, where they keep gurgling in their throats the confession-- 'we sullen were in the sweet air, which by the sun is gladdened, bearing within ourselves the sluggish reek; now we are sullen in this sable mire.'" _stray thoughts on reading_, lucy soulsby. "a dull day need not be a depressing day; depression always implies physical or moral weakness, and is therefore never to be tolerated so long as one can struggle against it." hamilton w. mabie. accidie april "... the sin of accidie, which is 'a sorrowfulness so weighing down the mind that there is no good it likes to do. it has attached to it as its inseparable comrade a distress and weariness of soul, and a sluggishness in all good works, which plunges the whole man into lazy languor, and works in him a constant bitterness. and out of this vehement woe springs silence and a flagging of the voice, because the soul is so absorbed and taken up with its own indolent dejection, that it has no energy for utterance, but is cramped, and hampered, and imprisoned in its own confused bewilderment, and has not a word to say.'" _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. "try it for a day, i beseech you, to preserve yourself in an easy and cheerful frame of mind. compare the day in which you have rooted out the weed of dissatisfaction with that on which you have allowed it to grow up, and you will find your heart open to every good motive, your life strengthened and your breast armed with a panoply against every trick of fate; truly, you will wonder at your own improvement." richter. accidie april "as one compares the various estimates of the sin, one can mark three main elements which help to make it what it is--elements which can be distinguished, though in experience, i think, they almost always tend to meet and mingle; they are _gloom_ and _sloth_ and _irritation_." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. "you find yourself refreshed by the presence of cheerful people. why not make earnest effort to confer that pleasure on others? you will find half the battle is gained if you never allow yourself to say anything gloomy." lydia maria childs. "wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness; altogether past calculation its power of endurance." carlyle. accidie april "'it is a mood which severs a man from thoughts of god, and suffers him not to be calm and kindly to his brethren. sometimes, without any provoking cause, we are suddenly depressed by so great sorrowfulness, that we cannot greet with wonted courtesy the coming even of those who are dear and near to us, and all they say in conversation, however appropriate it may be, we think annoying and unnecessary, and have no pleasant answer for it, because the gall of bitterness fills all the recesses of our soul.' those who are sad after this fashion have, as st. gregory says, anger already close to them; for from sadness such as this come forth (as he says in another place) malice, grudging, faint-heartedness, despair, torpor as to that which is commanded, and the straying of the mind after that which is forbidden." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. "activity is the antidote to the depressions that lower our vitality, whether they come from physical or psychical causes." accidie april "we may be somewhat surprised when we discover how precisely pascal, or shakspeare, or montaigne, can put his finger on our weak point, or tell us the truth about some moral lameness or disorder of which we, perhaps, were beginning to accept a more lenient and comfortable diagnosis. but when a poet, controversialist and preacher of the eastern church, under the dominion of the saracens, or an anchoret of egypt, an abbot of gaul, in the sixth century, tells us, in the midst of our letters, and railway journeys, and magazines, and movements, exactly what it is that on some days makes us so singularly unpleasant to ourselves and to others--tells us in effect that it is not simply the east wind, or dyspepsia, or overwork, or the contrariness of things in general, but that it is a certain subtle and complex trouble of our own hearts, which we perhaps have never had the patience or the frankness to see as it really is; that he knew it quite well, only too well for his own happiness and peace, and that he can put us in a good way of dealing with it--the very strangeness of the intrusion from such a quarter into our most private affairs may secure for him a certain degree of our interest and attention." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. accidie april "and now, as ever, over against accidie rises the great grace of fortitude; the grace that makes men undertake hard things by their own will wisely and reasonably. there is something in the very name of fortitude which speaks to the almost indelible love of heroism in men's hearts; but perhaps the truest fortitude may often be a less heroic, a more tame and business-like affair than we are apt to think. it may be exercised chiefly in doing very little things, whose whole value lies in this, that, if one did not hope in god, one would not do them; in secretly dispelling moods which one would like to show; in saying nothing about one's lesser troubles and vexations; in seeing whether it may not be best to bear a burden before one tries to see whither one can shift it; in refusing for one's self excuses which one would not refuse for others. these, anyhow, are ways in which a man may every day be strengthening himself in the discipline of fortitude; and then, if greater things are asked of him, he is not very likely to draw back from them. and while he waits the asking of these greater things, he may be gaining from the love of god a hidden strength and glory such as he himself would least of all suspect; he may be growing in the patience and perseverance of the saints. for most of us the chief temptation to lose heart, the chief demand upon our strength, comes in the monotony of our failures, and in the tedious persistence of prosaic difficulties; it is the distance, not the pace, that tries us. to go on choosing what has but a look of being the more excellent way, pushing on towards a faintly glimmering light, and never doubting the supreme worth of goodness even in its least brilliant fragments,--this is the normal task of many lives; in this men show what they are like. and for this we need a quiet and sober fortitude, somewhat like that which botticelli painted, and mr. ruskin has described." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. temper april "what is temper? its primary meaning, the proportion and mode in which qualities are mingled, is much neglected in popular speech, yet even here the word often carries a reference to an habitual state or general tendency of the organism in distinction from what are held to be specific virtues and vices. as people confess to bad memory without expecting to sink in mental reputation, so we hear a man declared to have a bad temper and yet glorified as the possessor of every high quality. when he errs or in any way commits himself, his temper is accused, not his character, and it is understood that but for a brutal bearish mood he is kindness itself. if he kicks small animals, swears violently at a servant who mistakes orders, or is grossly rude to his wife, it is remarked apologetically that these things mean nothing--they are all temper. "certainly there is a limit to this form of apology; and the forgery of a bill, or the ordering of goods without any prospect of paying for them, has never been set down to an unfortunate habit of sulkiness or of irascibility. but on the whole there is a peculiar exercise of indulgence towards the manifestations of bad temper which tends to encourage them, so that we are in danger of having among us a number of virtuous persons who conduct themselves detestably, just as we have hysterical patients who, with sound organs, are apparently labouring under many sorts of organic disease. let it be admitted, however, that a man may be a 'good fellow' and yet have a bad temper, so bad that we recognise his merits with reluctance, and are inclined to resent his occasionally amiable behaviour as an unfair demand on our admiration." george eliot. temper april "jealousy, anger, pride, uncharity, cruelty, self-righteousness, sulkiness, touchiness, doggedness,--these are the staple ingredients of ill-temper. and yet men laugh over it. 'only temper,' they call it: a little hot-headedness, a momentary ruffling of the surface, a mere passing cloud. but the passing cloud is composed of drops, and the drops here betoken an ocean, foul and rancorous, seething somewhere within the life--an ocean made up of jealousy, anger, pride, uncharity, cruelty, self-righteousness, sulkiness, touchiness, doggedness, lashed into a raging storm. "this is why temper is significant. it is not in what it is that its significance lies, but in what it reveals. but for this it were not worth notice. it is the intermittent fever which tells of un-intermittent disease; the occasional bubble escaping to the surface, betraying the rottenness underneath; a hastily prepared specimen of the hidden products of the soul, dropped involuntarily when you are off your guard. in one word, it is the lightning-form of a dozen hideous and unchristian sins." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "whenever you are angry, be assured that it is not only a present evil, but that you have increased a habit." epictetus. temper april "certainly if a bad-tempered man can be admirably virtuous, he must be so under extreme difficulties. i doubt the possibility that a high order of character can co-exist with a temper like touchwood's. for it is of the nature of such temper to interrupt the formation of healthy mental habits, which depend on a growing harmony between perception, conviction, and impulse. there may be good feelings, good deeds--for a human nature may pack endless varieties and blessed inconsistencies in its windings--but it is essential to what is worthy to be called high character, that it may be safely calculated on, and that its qualities shall have taken the form of principles or laws habitually, if not perfectly, obeyed. if a man frequently passes unjust judgments, takes up false attitudes, intermits his acts of kindness with rude behaviour or cruel words, and falls into the consequent vulgar error of supposing that he can make amends by laboured agreeableness, i cannot consider such courses any the less ugly because they are ascribed to 'temper.' especially i object to the assumption that his having a fundamentally good disposition is either an apology or a compensation for his bad behaviour." george eliot. temper april "consider how much more often you suffer from your anger and grief, than from those very things for which you are angry and grieved." marcus aurelius. "the _difficult_ part of good temper consists in forbearance, and accommodation to the ill-humour of others." empson. "do we not know that the storm of feeling can be checked, if only we can prevent the first word from being spoken, the first gesture from being made. and is it not matter of common observation that persons who begin by being stoics in demeanour end by becoming stoics in reality?" _the making of character_, professor maccunn. temper april "if this be one of our chief duties--promoting the happiness of our neighbours--most certainly there is nothing which so entirely runs counter to it, and makes it impossible, as an undisciplined temper. for of all things that are to be met with here on earth, there is nothing which can give such continual, such cutting, such useless pain. the touchy and sensitive temper, which takes offence at a word; the irritable temper, which finds offence in everything whether intended or not; the violent temper, which breaks through all bounds of reason when once roused; the jealous or sullen temper, which wears a cloud on the face all day, and never utters a word of complaint; the discontented temper, brooding over its own wrongs; the severe temper, which always looks at the worst side of whatever is done; the wilful temper, which over-rides every scruple to gratify a whim,--what an amount of pain have these caused in the hearts of men, if we could but sum up their results! how many a soul have they stirred to evil impulses; how many a prayer have they stifled; how many an emotion of true affection have they turned to bitterness! how hard they sometimes make all duties! how painful they make all daily life! how they kill the sweetest and warmest of domestic charities! the misery caused by other sins is often much deeper and much keener, more disastrous, more terrible to the sight; but the accumulated pain caused by ill-temper must, i verily believe, if added together, outweigh all other pains that men have to bear from one another." bishop temple. quarrels april "blow not into a flame the spark which is kindled between two friends. they are easily reconciled, and will both hate you." from the german. "quarrels would not last long if the fault was only on one side." la rochefoucauld. "he approaches nearest to the gods who knows how to be silent even though he knows he is in the right." cato. "when any one has offended me, i try to raise my soul so high that the offence cannot reach it." descartes. quarrels april "the mind is often clouded by passion until it is incapable of clear thought. harsh words, stinging words, cruel words are usually spoken without thought. rash deeds which result in most serious consequences are performed without thought. the wrong-doer does not consider beforehand the character of his deed, its effects on himself and others, and its ultimate consequences." "we shall never be sorry afterwards for thinking twice before we speak, for counting the cost before entering upon any new course, for sleeping over stings and injuries before saying or doing anything in answer, or for carefully considering any business scheme presented to us before putting money or name into it. it will save us from much regret, loss, and sorrow, always to remember to do nothing rashly." "do nothing in a hurry. nature never does. 'most haste, worst speed,' says the old proverb. if you are in doubt, sleep over it. but, above all, never quarrel in a hurry. think it over well. take time. however vexed you may be overnight, things will often look very different in the morning. if you have written a clever and conclusive, but scathing letter, keep it back till the next day, and it will very often never go at all." lord avebury. revenge april "he that studieth revenge keepeth his own wounds green." bacon. "ill-temper and envy and revenge find here an arsenal of pious disguises; this is the playground of inverted lusts. with a little more patience and a little less temper, a gentler and wiser method might be found in almost every case; and the knot that we cut by some fine heady quarrel-scene in private life, or, in public affairs, by some denunciatory act against what we are pleased to call our neighbour's vices, might yet have been unwoven by the hand of sympathy." _across the plains_, r. l. stevenson. "still in thy right hand carry gentle peace to silence envious tongues." shakespeare. touchiness april "touchiness, when it becomes chronic, is a morbid condition of the inward disposition. it is self-love inflamed to the acute point." henry drummond. "purge out of every heart the lurking grudge. give us grace and strength to forbear and to persevere. offenders, give us the grace to accept and to forgive offences. forgetful ourselves, help us to bear cheerfully the forgetfulness of others. give us courage and gaiety and the quiet mind. spare to us our friends, soften to us our enemies. bless us, if it may be, in all our innocent endeavours. if it may not, give us the strength to encounter that which is to come, that we be brave in peril, constant in tribulation, temperate in wrath, and in all changes of fortune, and down to the gates of death, loyal and loving one to another. as the clay to the potter, as the windmill to the wind--as children of their sire, we beseech of thee this help and mercy for christ's sake." _vailima prayers_, r. l. stevenson. unbalanced memory april "it is so easy to forget a kindness, and to remember a kick. yet controlling our recollections is almost as important as controlling our temper. we are apt to forget completely a hundred little kindnesses and courtesies which one has shown us, and to remember a single careless slight or thoughtless word. often we hear it said of some wrong or foolish deed, 'i have never thought so well of that man since then; it was there he showed his real character,'--as if a man's real character appeared more in one separate deed to which, perhaps, he was sorely tempted, than in the striving and overcoming of many days and years." "our thoughts are often worse than we are, just as they are often better than we are. and god sees us as we are altogether, not in separate feelings or actions, as our fellow-men see us. we are always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of each other than we deserve, because we only hear and see separate words and actions. we don't see each other's whole nature." george eliot. "enveloped in a common mist, we seem to walk in clearness ourselves, and behold only the mist that enshrouds others." george eliot. unbalanced memory april "strange endurance of human vanity! a million of much more important conversations have escaped one since then, most likely--but the memory of this little mortification (for such it is, after all) remains quite fresh in the mind, and unforgotten, though it is a trifle, and more than half a score of years old. we forgive injuries, we survive even our remorse for great wrongs that we ourselves commit; but i doubt if we ever forgive slights of this nature put upon us, or forget circumstances in which our self-love has been made to suffer." w. m. thackeray. "a past error may urge a grand retrieval." george eliot. "memory is not a pocket, but a living instructor, with a prophetic sense of the values which he guards; a guardian angel set there within you to record your life, and by recording it to animate you to uplift it." emerson. "silence a great peacemaker" april "hard speech between those who have loved is hideous in the memory, like the sight of greatness and beauty sunk into vice and rags." george eliot. "i don't want to say anything nasty, because nasty words always leave a scar behind." _isabel carnaby_, ellen thorneycroft fowler. "silence is a great peacemaker." longfellow. "if bitterness has crept into the heart in the friction of the busy day's unguarded moments, be sure it steals away with the setting sun. twilight is god's interval for peace-making." reconciliation april "it is exceedingly noteworthy that in the rule laid down here by our lord, the responsibility of seeking reconciliation is laid primarily, not upon the man who has done wrong, but upon the man who has received the wrong. it is the injured man who is to take the initiative, to go after the offender, to seek him out, and to exhaust all proper means of bringing him to a right state of mind, and of getting him reconciled to the man whom he has wronged. it is only after all these proper means have been exhausted, after the man who has been injured has done everything in his power--a great deal more than the law prescribed--it is then only that he is to regard the offender as 'a heathen man and a publican.' is not this the exact opposite to the world's code of morality upon that subject? is it not the rule among men of the world--i do not use the word in a bad sense--is it not the rule among christian men of the world, who live what we should call on the whole good honest lives, to wait until the offender has come to them with a confession and an apology? and if they then accept the apology and forgive the offence, they probably think they have done something very magnanimous; nor would they consider they had done anything very much amiss if they refused to accept the apology, especially if the offence had been a gross one. if the offender did not apologise, even an otherwise good christian would probably think that he might treat the matter with indifference, take no notice of it, and say to himself, 'he has offended me, i will take no notice, i will leave him to himself.' would not men of the world--christian men--consider that they had upon the whole discharged the christian duty of forgiveness if they treated the offender in that way? but the law which our lord laid down in his answer to peter, which governed his own conduct, the law which rules the dealing of almighty god with sinful man, is that the man who has been injured, to whom the wrong has been done, is to make the first move, is to take the first step, is to go after the man who has done the wrong, and use his utmost means of persuasion to convince him of his guilt, and to bring him back from the error of his ways." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. reconciliation and forgiveness april "never forget, when you have been injured, that your duty is not only to refrain from retaliating, not simply to retire upon your dignity and self-respect, not to leave the offender severely alone; but to seek him out, to reason with him, to pray for him, to exhaust all your powers of persuasion, all the resources of gentleness and love. it is only when all this has been done that your responsibility is ended, and you are justified in leaving him to be dealt with by almighty god." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "'remember,' he said, ... 'that if you forgive him, you become changed yourself. you no longer see what he has done as you see it now. that is the beauty of forgiveness: it enables us better to understand those whom we have forgiven. perhaps it will enable you to put yourself in his place.'" _the mettle of the pasture_, james lane allen. "could a greater miracle take place than for us to look through each other's eyes for an instant?" thoreau. forgiveness april "the little hearts that know not how to forgive!" tennyson. "oh, make my anger pure--let no worst wrong rouse in me the old niggard selfishness. give me thine indignation--which is love turned on the evil that would part love's throng; thy anger scathes because it needs must bless, gathering into union calm and strong all things on earth, and under, and above. "make my forgiveness downright--such as i should perish if i did not have from thee; i let the wrong go, withered up and dry, cursed with divine forgetfulness in me. 'tis but self-pity, pleasant, mean and sly, low whispering bids the paltry memory live:-- what am i brother for, but to forgive? * * * * * lord, i forgive--and step in unto thee." george macdonald. reparation april "all high happiness has in it some element of love; all love contains a desire for peace. one immediate effect of new happiness is to make us turn toward the past with a wish to straighten out its difficulties, heal its breaches and forgive its wrongs." james lane allen. "as long as we love, we can forgive." la rochefoucauld. "when it is our duty to do an act of justice it should be done promptly. to delay is injustice." la bruyÈre. "his heart was as great as the world, but there was no room in it to hold the memory of a wrong." emerson (_said of lincoln_). the unamiable april "of all mortals none are so awfully self-deluded as the unamiable. they do not, any more than others, sin for the sake of sinning, but it may be doubted whether, in the hour when all shall be uncovered to the eternal day, there will be revealed a lower depth than the hell which they have made. they inflict torments with an unconsciousness almost worthy of spirits of light. the spirit sinks under the prospect of the retribution of the unamiable, if all that happens be indeed for eternity, if there be, indeed, a record of every chilling frown, of every querulous tone, of every bitter jest, of every insulting word, of all abuses of that tremendous power which mind has over mind. the throbbing pulse, the quivering nerves, the wrung hearts that surround the unamiable; what a cloud of witnesses is here! the terror of innocents who should know no fear, the vindictive emotions of dependents who dare not complain, the faintness of heart of lifelong companions, the anguish of those who love; what an array of judges is here! the unamiable, the domestic torturer, has heaped wrong upon wrong, woe upon woe, through the whole portion of time which was given into his power, till it would be rash to say that any others are more guilty than he." harriet martineau. ill-nature april "how is ill-nature to be met and overcome? first, by humility: when a man knows his own weaknesses, why should he be angry with others for pointing them out? no doubt it is not very amiable of them to do so, but still, truth is on their side. secondly, by reflection: after all we are what we are, and if we have been thinking too much of ourselves, it is only an opinion to be modified; the incivility of our neighbours leaves us what we were before. above all, by pardon: there is only one way of not hating those who do us wrong, and that is by doing them good; anger is best conquered by kindness. such a victory over feeling may not indeed affect those who have wronged us, but it is a valuable piece of self-discipline. it is vulgar to be angry on one's own account; we ought only to be angry for great causes. besides, the poisoned dart can only be extracted from the wound by the balm of a silent and thoughtful charity. why do we let human malignity embitter us? why should ingratitude, jealousy--perfidy even--enrage us? there is no end to recriminations, complaints, or reprisals. the simplest plan is to blot everything out. anger, rancour, bitterness, trouble the soul. every man is a dispenser of justice; but there is one wrong that he is not bound to punish--that of which he himself is the victim. such a wrong is to be healed, not avenged." _amiel's journal._ the science of social life april "every man has his faults, his failings, peculiarities, eccentricities. every one of us finds himself crossed by such failings of others, from hour to hour. and if he were to resent them all, or even notice all, life would be intolerable. if for every outburst of hasty temper, and for every rudeness that wounds us in our daily path, we were to demand an apology, require an explanation, or resent it by retaliation, daily intercourse would be impossible. the very science of social life consists in that gliding tact which avoids contact with the sharp angularities of character, which does not argue about such things, does not seek to adjust or cure them all, but covers them, as if it did not see." frederick w. robertson. "if you would have a happy family life, remember two things,--in matters of principle, stand like a rock; in matters of taste, swim with the current." the science of social life april "much of the sorrow of life, however, springs from the accumulation, day by day and year by year, of little trials--a letter written in less than courteous terms, a wrangle at the breakfast table over some arrangement of the day, the rudeness of an acquaintance on the way to the city, an unfriendly act on the part of another firm, a cruel criticism needlessly reported by some meddler, a feline amenity at afternoon tea, the disobedience of one of your children, a social slight by one of your circle, a controversy too hotly conducted. the trials within this class are innumerable, and consider, not one of them is inevitable, not one of them but might have been spared if we or our brother man had had a grain of kindliness. our social insolences, our irritating manners, our censorious judgment, our venomous letters, our pinpricks in conversation, are all forms of deliberate unkindness, and are all evidences of an ill-conditioned nature." _the homely virtues_, dr. john watson. "let us think, too, how much forbearance must have been shown us that we were not even conscious of needing; how often, beyond doubt, we have wounded, or annoyed, or wearied those who were so skilful and considerate that we never suspected either our clumsiness or their pain." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. the science of social life may "then, to be able, when we live with our brother men, not to remember what we wish for ourselves, but only their wants, their joy and their sorrow; to think, not of our own desires, but how to minister to the great causes and the great conceptions which help mankind; to be eager to give pity to men, and forgiveness to their wrong; to desire with thirst to bind up the broken heart of man, and to realise our desire in act--this is to thirst for god as love. for this is self-forgetfulness, and in the abysmal depths of his being, as well as in every surface-form into which he throws himself out of himself, god is the absolute self-forgetfulness." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "if, in the paths of the world, stones might have wounded thy feet, toil or dejection have tried thy spirit, of that we saw nothing--to us thou wast still cheerful, and helpful, and firm! therefore to thee it was given many to save with thyself; and, at the end of thy day, o faithful shepherd! to come, bringing thy sheep in thy hand." matthew arnold. the science of social life may "if you would be loved as a companion, avoid unnecessary criticism upon those with whom you live. the number of people who have taken out judges' patents for themselves is very large in any society. now it would be hard for a man to live with another who was always criticising his actions, even if it were kindly and just criticism. it would be like living between the glasses of a microscope. but these self-elected judges, like their prototypes, are very apt to have the persons they judge brought before them in the guise of culprits. "let not familiarity swallow up old courtesy. many of us have a habit of saying to those with whom we live such things as we say about strangers behind their backs. there is no place, however, where real politeness is of more value than where we mostly think it would be superfluous. you may say more truth, or rather speak out more plainly to your associates, but not less courteously than to strangers." sir arthur helps. "for manners are not idle, but the fruit of loyal nature, and of noble mind." tennyson. sympathy may "there is nothing which seems to try men's patience and good temper more than feebleness: the timidity, the vacillation, the conventionality, the fretfulness, the prejudices of the weak; the fact that people can be so well-meaning and so disappointing, these things make many men impatient to a degree of which they are themselves ashamed. but it is something far more than patience and good temper towards weakness that is demanded here. it is that the strong, in whatsoever sphere their strength may lie, should try in silence and simplicity, escaping the observation of men, to take upon their own shoulders the burdens which the weak are bearing; to submit themselves to the difficulties amidst which the weak are stumbling on; to be, for their help's sake, as they are; to share the fear, the dimness, the anxiety, the trouble and heart-sinking through which they have to work their way; to forego and lay aside the privilege of strength in order to understand the weak and backward and bewildered, in order to be with them, to enter into their thoughts, to wait on their advance; to be content, if they can only serve, so to speak, as a favourable circumstance for their growth towards that which god intended them to be. it is the innermost reality of sympathy, it is the very heart and life of courtesy, that is touched here: but like all that is best in moral beauty, it loses almost all its grace the moment it attracts attention." _the spirit of discipline_, bishop paget. "nothing but the infinite pity is sufficient for the infinite pathos of human life." j. shorthouse. patience may "the example of our lord, as he humbly and calmly takes the rebuff, and turns to go to another village, may help us in the ordinary ways of ordinary daily life. the little things that vex us in the manner or the words of those with whom we have to do; the things which seem to us so inconsiderate, or wilful, or annoying, that we think it impossible to get on with the people who are capable of them; the mistakes which no one, we say, has any right to make; the shallowness, or conventionality, or narrowness, or positiveness in talk which makes us wince and tempts us towards the cruelty and wickedness of scorn;--surely in all these things, and in many others like them, of which conscience may be ready enough to speak to most of us, there are really opportunities for thus following the example of our saviour's great humility and patience. how many friendships we might win or keep, how many chances of serving others we might find, how many lessons we might learn, how much of unsuspected moral beauty might be disclosed around us, if only we were more careful to give people time, to stay judgment, to trust that they will see things more justly, speak of them more wisely, after a while. we are sure to go on closing doors of sympathy, and narrowing in the interests and opportunities of work around us, if we let ourselves imagine that we can quickly measure the capacities and sift the characters of our fellow-men." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. selfishness may "any man--with the heart of a man and not of a mouse--is more likely than not to behave well at a pinch; but no man who is habitually selfish can be _sure_ that he will, when the choice comes sharp between his own life and the lives of others. the impulse of a supreme moment only focusses the habits and customs of a man's soul. the supreme moment may never come, but habits and customs mould us from the cradle to the grave.... vice and cowardice become alike impossible to a man who has never--cradled in selfishness, and made callous by custom--learned to pamper himself at the expense of others!" _a happy family_, mrs. ewing. "sympathy is the safeguard of the human soul against selfishness." carlyle. "where love is, god is" may "where love is, god is. he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in god. god is love. therefore _love_. without distinction, without calculation, without procrastination, love. lavish it upon the poor, where it is very easy; especially upon the rich, who often need it most; most of all upon our equals, where it is very difficult, and for whom perhaps we each do least of all. there is a difference between _trying to please_ and _giving pleasure_. give pleasure. lose no chance of giving pleasure. for that is the ceaseless and anonymous triumph of a truly loving spirit. 'i shall pass through this world but once. any good thing therefore that i can do, or any kindness that i can show to any human being, let me do it now. let me not defer it or neglect it, for i shall not pass this way again.'" _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "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, sympathising 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. oil and wine may "whatever impatience we may feel towards our neighbour, and whatever indignation our race may rouse in us, we are chained one to another, and, companions in labour and misfortune, have everything to lose by mutual recrimination and reproach. let us be silent as to each other's weakness, helpful, tolerant, nay, tender towards each other! or, if we cannot feel tenderness, may we at least feel pity! may we put away from us the satire which scourges and the anger which brands; the oil and wine of the good samaritan are of more avail. we may make the ideal a reason for contempt; but it is more beautiful to make it a reason for tenderness." _amiel's journal._ "it is always a mistake to paint people blacker than the facts warrant, both because such exaggeration is pretty sure to cause a reaction to the opposite extreme, and also because we are likely to miss the lesson which the errors or misconduct of others should teach us, if we think them so exceptionally wicked that we are ourselves in no danger of following their example." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. family life--"without jar or jostle" may "let us give everybody a right to live his own life, as far as possible, and avoid imposing our own peculiarities on another. "if we were to picture a perfect family, it should be a union of people of individual and marked character, who, through love, have come to a perfect appreciation of each other, and who so wisely understand themselves and one another, that each may move freely along his or her own track without jar or jostle,--a family where affection is always sympathetic and receptive, but never inquisitive,--where all personal delicacies are respected,--and where there is a sense of privacy and seclusion in following one's own course, unchallenged by the watchfulness of others, yet withal a sense of society and support in a knowledge of the kind dispositions and interpretations of all around. "in treating of family discourtesies, i have avoided speaking of those which come from ill-temper and brute selfishness, because these are sins more than mistakes. an angry person is generally impolite; and where contention and ill-will are, there can be no courteousness. what i have mentioned are rather the lackings of good and often admirable people, who merely need to consider in their family-life a little more of whatsoever things are lovely. with such the mere admission of anything to be pursued as a duty secures the purpose; only in their somewhat earnest pursuit of the substantials of life, they drop and pass by the little things that give it sweetness and perfume." _little foxes_, harriet beecher stowe. ungraciousness may "we can recall occasions in which we have been impatient, inconsiderate, self-willed, self-asserting. we have sharply resented some want of good taste: we have made light of a scruple or of a difficulty which weighed heavily on another: we have yielded ungraciously a service which may have been claimed inopportunely: we have been exact in requiring conventional deference to our judgment: we have not checked the keen word, or the smile which might be interpreted to assert a proud superiority. "in all this we may have been justifiable according to common rules of conduct; but we have given offence. we have not, that is, shewn, when we might have shewn, that christian sympathy, devotion, fellowship, come down to little things; that the generosity of love looks tenderly, if by any means it may find the soul which has not revealed itself." bishop westcott. "seek the graces of god with all your strength; but above all seek the graces that specially belong to heaven. try hard to be humble, to be free from all conceit, to question your own opinions, to give up your own way, to put simplicity first among all excellences of character, to be ready to think yourself in the wrong, to prefer others to yourself; for this character is nearest to god's heart, and to babes who are of this sort does god reveal his most secret mysteries." bishop temple. the spectrum of love may "the spectrum of love has nine ingredients:-- _patience_--'love suffereth long.' _kindness_--'and is kind.' _generosity_--'love envieth not.' _humility_--'love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up.' _courtesy_--'doth not behave itself unseemly.' _unselfishness_--'seeketh not her own.' _good temper_--'is not easily provoked.' _guilelessness_--'thinketh no evil.' _sincerity_--'rejoiceth not in iniquity, but rejoiceth in the truth.' patience; kindness; generosity; humility; courtesy; unselfishness; good temper; guilelessness; sincerity--these make up the supreme gift, the stature of the perfect man. you will observe that all are in relation to men, in relation to life, in relation to the known to-day and the near to-morrow, and not to the unknown eternity. we hear much of love to god; christ spoke much of love to man. we make a great deal of peace with heaven; christ made much of peace on earth. religion is not a strange or added thing, but the inspiration of the secular life, the breathing of an eternal spirit through this temporal world. the supreme thing, in short, is not a thing at all, but the giving of a further finish to the multitudinous words and acts which make up the sum of every common day." _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "my duty to my neighbour" may "there is an idea abroad among moral people that they should make their neighbours good. one person i have to make good: myself. but my duty to my neighbour is much more nearly expressed by saying that i have to make him happy--if i may." _across the plains_, r. l. stevenson. "of all the weapons we wield against wrong, there is none more effective than pure and burning joy." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "there is no beautifier of complexion, or form, or behaviour, like the wish to scatter joy and not pain around us." emerson. duty of giving happiness may "it is astonishing how large a part of christ's precepts is devoted solely to the inculcation of happiness. how much of his life, too, was spent simply in making people happy! there was no word more often on his lips than 'blessed,' and it is recognised by him as a distinct end in life, _the_ end for this life, to secure the happiness of others. this simple grace, too, needs little equipment. christ had little. one need scarcely even be happy one's self. holiness, of course, is a greater word, but we cannot produce that in others. that is reserved for god himself, but what is put in our power is happiness, and for that each man is his brother's keeper. now society is an arrangement for producing and sustaining human happiness, and temper is an agent for thwarting and destroying it. look at the parable of the prodigal son for a moment, and see how the elder brother's wretched pettiness, explosion of temper, churlishness, spoiled the happiness of a whole circle. first, it certainly spoiled his own. how ashamed of himself he must have been when the fit was over, one can well guess. yet these things are never so quickly over as they seem. self-disgust and humiliation may come at once, but a good deal else within has to wait till the spirit is tuned again. for instance, prayer must wait. a man cannot pray till the sourness is out of his soul. he must first forgive his brother who trespassed against him before he can go to god to have his own trespasses forgiven." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. duty of giving happiness may "the function of culture is not merely to train the powers of enjoyment, but first and supremely for helpful service." bishop potter. "it was often in george eliot's mind and on her lips that the only worthy end of all learning, of all science, of all life, in fact, is that human beings should love one another better. culture merely for culture's sake can never be anything but a sapless root, capable of producing at best a shrivelled branch.... she was cheered by the hope and by the belief in gradual improvement of the mass; for in her view each individual must find the better part of happiness in helping another. she often thought it wisest not to raise too ambitious an ideal, especially in young people, but to impress on ordinary natures the immense possibilities of making a small circle brighter and better. few are born to do the great work of the world, but all are born to this. and to the natures capable of the larger effort the field of usefulness will constantly widen." _the life of george eliot_, j. w. cross. "blessed are the happiness makers" may "have you ever noticed how much of christ's life was spent in doing kind things--in _merely_ doing kind things? run over it with that in view, and you will find that he spent a great proportion of his time simply in making people happy, in doing good turns to people." _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "take life all through, its adversity as well as its prosperity, its sickness as well as its health, its loss of its rights as well as its enjoyment of them, and we shall find that no natural sweetness of temper, much less any acquired philosophical equanimity, is equal to the support of a uniform habit of kindness. nevertheless, with the help of grace, the habit of saying kind words is very quickly formed, and when once formed it is not speedily lost. sharpness, bitterness, sarcasm, acute observation, divination of motives--all these things disappear when a man is earnestly conforming himself to the image of christ jesus. the very attempt to be like our dearest lord is already a wellspring of sweetness within us, flowing with an easy grace over all who come within our reach." f. w. faber. "blessed are the happiness makers. blessed are they who know how to shine on one's gloom with their cheer." henry ward beecher. character--the right atmosphere may "character cannot be formed without action. through it strength comes. but every action must have its reaction upon the nature of the one who puts it forth. if it does not, it fails of that which is its highest result; for the finest expression of a man's nature is not to be found in action, but in that very intangible thing which we call his atmosphere. there are a great many people who are alert, energetic, and decisive, but who give forth very little of this rare effluence--this quality which seems to issue out of the very recesses of one's nature. it is, however, through this quality that the most constant influence is exercised; that influence which is not only put forth most steadily, but which penetrates and affects others in the most searching way. the air we breathe has much to do with health; in a relaxing atmosphere it is difficult to work; in an atmosphere of vitality it is easy to work. we never meet some people without going away from them with our ideals a little blurred, or our faith in them a little disturbed. we can never part from others without a sense of increased hope. there are those who invigorate us by simple contact; something escapes from them of which they are not aware and which we cannot analyse, which makes us believe more deeply in ourselves and our kind. "so far as charm is concerned, there is no quality which contributes so much to it as the subtle thing we call atmosphere. there are some people who do not need to speak in order not only to awaken our respect, but to give us a sense of something rare and fine. in such an influence, all that is most individual and characteristic flows together, and the woman reveals herself without being conscious that she is making herself known. such an atmosphere in a home creates a sentiment and organises a life which would not be possible if one should attempt to fashion these things by intention. the finest things, like happiness, must be sought by indirection and are the results of character, rather than objects of immediate pursuit." "it is always good to know, if only in passing, charming human beings. it refreshes one like flowers, and woods, and clear brooks." george eliot. character--child-like-ness may "jesus afterwards focussed the new type of character in a lovely illustration which is not always appreciated at its full value, because we deny it perspective. every reader of the gospels has marked the sympathy of jesus with children. how he watched their games! how angry he was with his disciples for belittling them! how he used to warn men, whatever they did, never to hurt a little child! how grateful were children's praises when all others had turned against him! one is apt to admire the beautiful sentiment, and to forget that children were more to jesus than helpless gentle creatures to be loved and protected. they were his chief parable of the kingdom of heaven. as a type of character the kingdom was like unto a little child, and the greatest in the kingdom would be the most child-like. according to jesus, a well-conditioned child illustrates better than anything else on earth the distinctive features of christian character. because he does not assert nor aggrandise himself. because he has no memory for injuries, and no room in his heart for a grudge. because he has no previous opinions, and is not ashamed to confess his ignorance. because he can imagine, and has the key of another world, entering in through the ivory gate and living amid the things unseen and eternal. the new society of jesus was a magnificent imagination, and he who entered it must lay aside the world standards and ideals of character, and become as a little child." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. character--negative virtues may "some people seem to be here in the world just on their guard all the while, always so afraid of doing wrong that they never do anything really right. they do not add to the world's moral force; as the man, who, by constant watchfulness over his own health, just keeps himself from dying, contributes nothing to the world's vitality. all merely negative purity has something of the taint of the impurity that it resists. the effort not to be frivolous is frivolous itself. the effort not to be selfish is very apt to be only another form of selfishness." phillips brooks. "beware of making your moral staple consist of the negative virtues. it is good to abstain and teach others to abstain, from all that is sinful and hurtful. but making a business of it leads to emaciation of character, unless one feeds largely also on the more nutritious diet of active sympathetic benevolence." o. w. holmes. "the seductions of life are strong in every age and station; we make idols of our affections, idols of our customary virtues; we are content to avoid the inconvenient wrong, and to forego the inconvenient right with almost equal self-approval, until at last we make a home for our conscience among the negative virtues and the cowardly vices." _the life of r. l. stevenson_, graham balfour. character may "the moments of our most important decisions are often precisely those in which nothing seems to have been decided; and only long afterwards, when we perceive with astonishment that the rubicon has been crossed, do we realise that in that half-forgotten instant of hesitation as to some apparently unimportant side issue, in that unconscious movement which betrayed a feeling of which we were not aware, our choice was made. the crises of life come, like the kingdom of heaven, without observation. our characters, and not our deliberate actions, decide for us; and even when the moment of crisis is apprehended at the time by the troubling of the water, action is generally a little late. character, as a rule, steps down first." _diana tempest_, mary cholmondeley. "great occasions do not make heroes or cowards--they simply unveil them to the eyes of men. silently and imperceptibly, as we wake or sleep, we grow and wax strong, or we grow and wax weak, and at last some crisis shows us what we have become." bishop westcott. character--"our echoes roll from soul to soul" may "one of the main seats of our weakness lies in this very notion, that what we do at the moment cannot matter much; for that we shall be able to alter and mend and patch it just as we like by-and-by." hare. "we sleep, but the loom of life never stops; and the pattern which was weaving when the sun went down is weaving when it comes up to-morrow." beecher. "let every soul heed what it doth to-day, because to-morrow the same thing it shall find gone forward there to meet and make and judge it." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. "our echoes roll from soul to soul, and grow for ever and for ever." tennyson. habit may "like flakes of snow that fall unperceived upon the earth, the seemingly unimportant events of life succeed one another. as the snow gathers together, so are our habits formed: no single flake that is added to the pile produces a sensible change; no single flake creates, however it may exhibit, a man's character; but as the tempest hurls the avalanche down the mountain, and overwhelms the inhabitant and his habitation, so passion, acting upon the elements of mischief, which pernicious habits have brought together by imperceptible accumulation, may overwhelm the edifice of truth and virtue." jeremy bentham. "in the conduct of life, habits count for more than maxims, because habit is a living maxim, become flesh and instinct. to reform one's maxims is nothing: it is but to change the title of the book. to learn new habits is everything, for it is to reach the substance of life. life is but a tissue of habits." _amiel's journal._ habit may "the hell to be endured hereafter which theology tells, is no worse than the hell we make for ourselves in this world by habitually fashioning our characters the wrong way. could the young realise how soon they will become mere walking bundles of habits, they would give more heed to their conduct while in the plastic state. we are spinning our own fates, good or evil, and never to be undone. every smallest stroke of virtue or of vice leaves its never-so-little scar." _psychology_, professor william james. "routine is a terrible master, but she is a servant whom we can hardly do without. routine as a law is deadly. routine as a resource in the temporary exhaustion of impulse and suggestion is often our salvation." phillips brooks. "it is just as easy to form a good habit as it is a bad one. and it is just as hard to break a good habit as a bad one. so get the good ones and keep them." mckinley. sin has its pedigree may "one false note will spoil the finest piece of music, and one little sin, as we deem it, may ruin the most promising character, involving it in a network of unforeseen consequences out of which there may be no escape." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. "there is a physical demonstration of sin as well as a religious; and no sin can come in among the delicate faculties of the mind, or among the coarser fibres of the body, without leaving a stain, either as a positive injury to the life, or, what is equally fatal, as a predisposition to commit the same sin again. this predisposition is always one of the most real and appalling accompaniments of the stain of sin. there is scarcely such a thing as an isolated sin in a man's life. most sins can be accounted for by what has gone before. every sin, so to speak, has its own pedigree, and is the result of the accumulated force, which means the accumulated stain of many a preparatory sin." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. temptation may "two things a genuine christian never does. he never makes light of any known sin, and he never admits it to be invincible." canon liddon. "we always meet the temptation which is to expose us when we least expect it." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "it is of the essence of temptation that it should come on us unawares." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "if we cannot at once rise to the sanctities of obedience and faith, let us at least resist our temptations." emerson. sin may "we judge of sins, as we judge of most things, by their outward form. we arrange the vices of our neighbours according to a scale which society has tacitly adopted, placing the more gross and public at the foot, the slightly less gross higher up, and then by some strange process the scale becomes obliterated. finally it vanishes into space, leaving lengths of itself unexplored, its sins unnamed, unheeded, and unshunned. but we have no balance to weigh sins. coarser and finer are but words of our own. the chances are, if anything, that the finer are the lower. the very fact that the world sees the coarser sins so well is against the belief that they are the worst. the subtle and unseen sin, that sin in the part of the nature most near to the spiritual, ought to be more degrading than any other. yet for many of the finer forms of sin society has yet no brand." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "tried by final tests, and reduced to its essential elements, sin is the preference of self to god, and the assertion of the human will against the will of god. with jesus, from first to last, sin is selfishness." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. sin may - "we deceive ourselves in another way, namely, by seeking for all manner of excuses and palliations. the strength of the temptation, or the suddenness of it, or the length of it; our own weakness, our natural tendency to that particular sort of sin; our wishes to be better, the excellence of our feelings, the excellence of our desires; the peculiarity of our circumstances, the special disadvantages which make us worse off than others; all these we put before our minds as excuses for having done wrong, and persuade ourselves too often that wrong is not really wrong, and that though the deed was sinful the doer of it was not. i do not mean that these palliations are never worth anything, nor do i mean that in every case the same deed is the same sin. there are no doubt infinite varieties of guilt in what appears outwardly the same deed, and god will distinguish between them and will judge justly. but the habit of mind which leads us to palliate our sins and find good excuses for them, has this dangerous tendency, that it blinds us to the evil of evil. we slip into the delusion that we are better than we seem, that our faults look worse than they are, that inside we have good dispositions, and good desires, and warm feelings, and religious emotions, and that it is only the outside that is marked by those evil stains. this _is_ a delusion and a grievous delusion. you cannot _be_ good and _do_ wrong. you cannot _be_ righteous and _do_ unrighteousness. granted that you may slip once into a sin which notwithstanding is not really a part of your nature. still, this cannot happen several times over. make no mistake. if you _do_ wrong the deed is a real part of your life, and cannot be removed out of it by any fancy of yours that it is on your circumstances, your temptations, your peculiar disadvantages that the blame can be cast, still less by any wishes or emotions or feelings even of the most religious kind." bishop temple. "the strength of a man's virtue is not to be measured by the efforts he makes under pressure, but by his ordinary conduct." pascal. sins of the spirit may "we must remember that it is by the mercy of christ that we are saved from being what we might have been. 'there goes john bradford, but for the grace of god,' said a good man when he saw a criminal being led to execution. we are too apt to take the credit to ourselves for our circumstances. imagine that you were born of poor parents out of work in whitechapel, and had to pick up your living in the docks, or that you were a working girl in bethnal green, trying to keep your poor parents or nurse a sick brother out of making match-boxes at ¼d. a gross, and then thank god you were spared the temptation to a bad life, which they have to undergo. so, again, we must remember that sins of the spirit are quite as bad in the eyes of christ as sins of the flesh; he never spoke a hard word of the publican and sinner, but he lashed with his scorn the 'scribes and pharisees, hypocrites.' the sins that we respectable people commit lightly every day, of pride and indolence and indifference to the sufferings of the poor, may be worse in his sight than the most flagrant sins of those who know no better." _friends of the master_, bishop winnington ingram. sin may "i have often observed in the course of my experience of human life, that every man, even the worst, has something good about him; though often nothing else than a happy temperament of constitution, inclining him to this or that virtue. for this reason, no man can say in what degree any other person besides himself can be, with strict justice, called wicked. let any one with the strictest character for regularity of conduct among us, examine impartially how many vices he has never been guilty of, not from any care or vigilance, but for want of opportunity, or some accidental circumstances intervening; how many of the weaknesses of mankind he has escaped because he was out of the line of such temptation; and--what often, if not always, weighs more than all the rest--how much he is indebted to the world's good opinion because the world does not know all: i say, any man who can thus think will scan the failings, nay, the faults and crimes of mankind with a brother's eye." burns. "very late in life, and only after many experiences, does a man learn, at the sight of a fellow-creature's real failing or weakness, to sympathise with him, and help him without a secret self-congratulation at his own virtue and strength, but on the contrary, with every humility and comprehension of the naturalness, almost the inevitableness of sin." _an unhappy girl_, ivan turgenev. sin may "remove from us the protection, the encompassing safeguards and shelters we enjoy; withdraw the influences for good that are daily and weekly dropped on us like gentle dew from heaven, and have dropped ever since we had any being; deprive us of the comforts and interests, the innocent substitutes for forbidden pleasures; expose us to the loneliness, the vacancy, the dreary monotony, the hopeless struggle, the despair in which the majority of the men and women who fall find themselves immersed; and bring before us, thus exposed and bereft, what temptation you will--uncleanness, intemperance, theft, lying, blasphemy--and not one in ten of ordinary christian people, i believe, would stand before it." r. w. barbour. "looking within myself, i note how thin a plank of station, chance, or prosperous fate, doth fence me from the clutching waves of sin;-- in my own heart i find the worst man's mate, and see not dimly the smooth-hingëd gate that opes to those abysses where ye grope darkly,--ye who never knew on your young hearts love's consecrating dew or felt a mother's kisses, or home's restraining tendrils round you curled; ah, side by side with heart's-ease in this world, the fatal night-shade grows and bitter rue!" james russell lowell. conscience may "conscience is harder than our enemies, knows more, accuses with more nicety, nor needs to question rumour if we fall below the perfect model of our thought." george eliot. "if a man has nothing to reproach himself with, he can bear anything." phillips brooks. "character is the ground of trust and the guarantee for good living, and that character only is sound which rests upon a good conscience and a clean heart and a strong will." dr. john watson. repentance may "what is true contrition? sorrow for sin in itself, not for sin's consequences." _the guided life_, canon body. "remorse and repentance are two very different things. repentance leads back to life; but remorse ends often in the painless apathy and fatal mortification of despair." dean farrar. "penitence is like the dawn.... it is the breaking of the light in the soul,--dark enough sometimes no doubt, but a darkness giving place steadily to the growing light." bishop walsham how. heredity june "the father says of his profligate son whom he has never done one wise or vigorous thing to make a noble and pure-minded man: 'i cannot tell how it has come. it has not been my fault. i put him into the world and this came out.' the father whose faith has been mean and selfish says the same of his boy who is a sceptic. everywhere there is this cowardly casting off of responsibilities upon the dead circumstances around us. it is a very hard treatment of the poor, dumb, helpless world which cannot answer to defend itself. it takes us as we give ourselves to it. it is our minister fulfilling our commissions for us upon our own souls. if we say to it, 'make us noble,' it does make us noble. if we say to it, 'make us mean,' it does make us mean. and then we take the nobility and say, 'behold, how noble i have made myself.' and we take the meanness and say, 'see how mean the world has made me.'" phillips brooks. "speaking of ancestors--'what right have i to question them, or judge them, or bring them forward in my life as being responsible for my nature? if i roll back the responsibility to them, had they not fathers? and had not their fathers fathers? and if a man rolls back his deeds upon those who are his past, then where will responsibility be found at all, and of what poor cowardly stuff is each of us?" _the mettle of the pasture_, james lane allen. heredity june "this tracing of the sin to its root now suggests this further topic--its cure. christianity professes to cure anything. the process may be slow, the discipline may be severe, but it can be done. but is not temper a constitutional thing? is it not hereditary, a family failing, a matter of temperament, and can _that_ be cured? yes, if there is anything in christianity. if there is no provision for that, then christianity stands convicted of being unequal to human need. what course then did the father take, in the case before us, to pacify the angry passions of his ill-natured son? mark that he made no attempt in the first instance to reason with him! to do so is a common mistake, and utterly useless both with ourselves and others. we are perfectly convinced of the puerility of it all, but that does not help us in the least to mend it. the malady has its seat in the affections, and therefore the father went there at once. reason came in its place, and the son was supplied with valid arguments--stated in the last verse of the chapter--against his conduct, but he was first plied with love." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. heredity june "any insistence on heredity would have depreciated responsibility, and jesus held every man to his own sin. science and theology have joined hands in magnifying heredity and lowering individuality, till a man comes to be little more than the resultant of certain forces, a projectile shot forth from the past, and describing a calculated course. jesus made a brave stand for each man as the possessor of will-power, and master of his life. he sadly admitted that a human will might be weakened by evil habits of thought, he declared gladly that the divine grace reinforced the halting will: but, with every qualification, decision still rested in the last issue with the man. 'if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean,' as if his cure hinged on the divine will. of course, i am willing, said jesus, and referred the man back to his inalienable human rights. jesus never diverged into metaphysics, even to reconcile the freedom of the human will with the sovereignty of the divine. his function was not academic debate, it was the solution of an actual situation. logically, men might be puppets; consciously, they were self-determinating, and jesus said with emphasis, 'wilt thou?'" _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "even natural disposition, of which we make so much when we speak of heredity, is only a tendency till habit takes it and sets it and hardens it and drives it to a settled goal." hugh black. bearing criticism june "when people detect in us what are actually imperfections and faults, it is clear that they do us no wrong, since it is not they who cause them; and it is clear, too, that they do us a service, inasmuch as they help us to free ourselves from an evil, namely, the ignorance of these defects. we should not be angry because they know them and despise us, for it is right that they should know us for what we are, and that they should despise us if we are despicable. "such are the feelings which would rise in a heart filled with equity and justice. what then should we say of our own heart when we see in it a quite contrary frame of mind? for is it not a fact that we hate the truth and those who tell it us, that we love those who deceive themselves in our favour, and that we wish to be esteemed by them as other than we really are?" pascal. "a man should never be ashamed to say he has been in the wrong, which is but saying, in other words, that he is wiser to-day than he was yesterday." pope. faults june "too many take the ready course to deceive themselves; for they look with both eyes on the failings and defects of others, and scarcely give their good qualities half an eye: on the contrary, in themselves they study to the full their own advantages, while their weaknesses and defects (as one says) they skip over, as children do the hard words in their lessons that are troublesome to read; and making this uneven parallel, what wonder if the result be a gross mistake of themselves." archbishop leighton. "to hide a fault with a lie is to replace a blot by a hole." "it is a great folly not to part with your own faults, which is possible, but to try instead to escape from other people's faults, which is impossible." marcus aurelius. "the greatest of faults, i should say, is to be conscious of none." carlyle. obstinacy june "obstinacy is will asserting itself without being able to justify itself. it is persistence without a plausible motive. it is the tenacity of self-love substituted for the tenacity of reason or conscience." _amiel's journal._ "if any man is able to convince me and show me that i do not think or act right, i will gladly change; for i seek the truth by which no man was ever injured. but he is injured who abides in his error and ignorance." marcus aurelius. "it is never too late to give up our prejudices." thoreau. "when one's character is naturally firm, it is well to be able to yield upon reflection." vauvenargues. calumny june "any man of many transactions can hardly expect to go through life without being subject to one or two very severe calumnies. amongst these many transactions, some few will be with very ill-conditioned people, with very ignorant people, or, perhaps, with monomaniacs; and he cannot expect, therefore, but that some narrative of a calumnious kind will have its origin in one of these transactions. it may be fanned by any accidental breeze of malice or ill-fortune, and become a very serious element of mischief to him. such a thing is to be looked upon as pure misfortune coming in the ordinary course of events; and the way to treat it is to deal with it as calmly and philosophically as with any other misfortune. as some one has said, the mud will rub off when it is dry, and not before. the drying will not always come in the calumniated man's time, unless in favourable seasons, which he cannot command." helps. "if any one tells you such a one has spoken ill of you, do not refute them in that particular; but answer, had he known all my vices, he had not spoken only of that one." epictetus. calumny june "i am beholden to calumny that she hath so endeavoured and taken pains to belie me. it shall make me set a surer guard on myself, and keep a better watch upon my actions." ben jonson. "as to people saying a few idle words about us, we must not mind that, any more than the old church-steeple minds the rooks cawing about it." george eliot. "the power men possess to annoy me i give them." emerson. "assailed by scandal and the tongue of strife, his only answer was--a blameless life." cowper. flattery june "flattery is a false coinage which would have no currency but for our vanity." la rochefoucauld. "if we did not flatter ourselves, the flattery of others could do us no harm." la rochefoucauld. "self-love is the greatest flatterer in the world." la rochefoucauld. "the devil has no stauncher ally than want of perception." philip h. wickstead. pride june "there are two states or conditions of pride. the first is one of self-approval, the second one of self-contempt. pride is seen probably at its purest in the last." _amiel's journal._ "the foundation of pride is the wish to respect one's self, whatever others may think; the mainspring of vanity is the craving for the admiration of others, no matter at what cost to one's self-respect." _the heart of rome_, f. marion crawford. "any revelation of greatness overwhelms petty thoughts.... the presence of death turns enemies into friends. in the same way the petty feelings of pride and vanity would lose much of their power if people had the overwhelming feeling which comes from the contemplation of almightiness, all-goodness, and all-love. there would be a marked change in all human relations if men turned from the presence of the thrice holy to face one another; if thoughts of self and for self were driven out of their minds by worship." _the service of god_, canon barnett. conceit june "it is indeed a desirable thing to be well descended, but the glory belongs to our ancestors." plutarch. "conceit spoils many an excellency. some persons are so proud of their goodness, or of their attainments, or of their position, or of their character, or of their family, that they become offensive to many who would otherwise be won by their merit. pride mars, blights, and withers whatever it touches. it begets assumptions that are very belittling as well as hard to bear. a man weakens his influence and retards his personal and public interests by giving it full control. its exhibition may be natural; but noble manhood, high moral character, regard to the feelings of others and christianity all demand its suppression." humility june "what hypocrites we seem to be, whenever we talk of ourselves! our words sound so humble, while our hearts are so proud." _guesses at truth_, edited by archdeacon hare. "by despising himself too much a man comes to be worthy of his own contempt." _amiel's journal._ "just as criticism alone ministers to pride and then to death, so creation, even of the smallest kind, ministers to humility. and that stands to reason: the slightest act of shaping instantly opens before you an ever-expanding sea, and the vision of the infinite is the death of vanity and pride." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "humility is the hall-mark of wisdom." jeremy collier. egotism june "we ought to have this measure of charity for egotistical people--a willingness to suppose that they actually believe themselves to be what they assume to be. it is quite possible for a person to be in such a fog of misapprehension that everything about him--his little world, his personal interest--will loom abnormally large. when the fog is dispelled, he will see things as they are, and estimate them and himself accordingly. "egotism of this kind is pardonable; and there is a great deal of it which is peculiar to the mists and strange refractions of youth. when the sun of a clearer and larger knowledge chases away the fog, a right-minded young person emerges from this egotistical, too self-conscious period of his life, and finds a new adjustment for himself in the great and serious world." "he who is always enquiring what people will say, will never give them opportunity to say anything great about him." "reputation is in itself only a farthing candle, of wavering and uncertain flame, and easily blown out; but it is the light by which the world looks for and finds merit." lowell. the code of society june "'freedom' is not the power to do what we like, but to be what we ought to be." charles gore. "there is no commoner danger than that of accepting the code of the society in which you live as the rule of right." bishop temple. "strive all your life to free men from the bondage of custom and self, the two great elements of the world that lieth in wickedness." charles kingsley. "what i _must_ do is all that concerns me, not what the people think. this rule ... is harder, because you will always find those who think they know what is your duty better than _you_ know it." emerson. public opinion june "it is not the many who reform the world; but the few who rise superior to that public opinion which crucified our lord many years ago." charles kingsley. "we are tempted to measure ourselves by others, to acquiesce in an average standard and an average attainment. we forget that while we are not required to judge our neighbours, we are required to judge ourselves." bishop westcott. "moral courage is obeying one's conscience, and doing what one believes to be right in face of a hostile majority; and moral cowardice is stifling one's conscience, and doing what is less than right to win other people's favour." dr. john watson. public opinion june "opinion has its value and even its power: to have it against us is painful when we are among friends, and harmful in the case of the outer world. we should neither flatter opinion nor court it; but it is better, if we can help it, not to throw it on to a false scent. the first error is a meanness; the second an imprudence.... be careful of your reputation, not through vanity, but that you may not harm your life's work, and out of love for truth. there is still something of self-seeking in the refined disinterestedness which will not justify itself, that it may feel itself superior to opinion. it requires ability to make what we seem agree with what we are,--and humility to feel that we are no great things." _amiel's journal._ "suppose any man shall despise me. let him look to that himself. but i will look to this, that i be not discovered doing or saying anything deserving of contempt." marcus aurelius. spiritual balance and proportion june "a well-governed mind learns in time to find pleasure in nothing but the true and the just." _amiel's journal._ "not only does sympathy lead us to see the opinions of others in a truer light, it enables us to form a sounder judgment on our own; for as long as a man looks only 'on his own things,' he fails to see them in true proportion." lucy soulsby. "if we can live in christ and have his life in us, shall not the spiritual balance and proportion which were his become ours too? if he were really our master and our saviour, could it be that we should get so eager and excited over little things? if we were his, could we possibly be wretched over the losing of a little money which we do not need, or be exalted at the sound of a little praise which we know that we only half deserve and that the praisers only half intend? a moment's disappointment, a moment's gratification, and then the ocean would be calm again and quite forgetful of the ripple which disturbed its bosom." phillips brooks. temperance june "(of training...) its aim must be to bring into human character more of that unity, consistency, harmony, proportion, upon which the greek philosophers were never weary of insisting as the essence of virtue." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "_temperance._--the original term describes that sovereign self-mastery, that perfect self-control, in which the mysterious will of man holds in harmonious subjection all the passions and faculties of his nature. "self-will is to mind what self-indulgence is to sense, the usurpation by a part of that which belongs to the whole. "_in knowledge temperance._--the apostle counsels temperance, the just and proportionate use of every faculty and gift, and not the abolition or abandonment of any. "it is easier in many cases to pluck out the right eye or to cut off the right hand than to discipline and employ them." bishop westcott. balance june "temperance is reason's girdle and passion's bridle." jeremy taylor. "be wary and keep cool. a cool head is as necessary as a warm heart. in any negotiations, steadiness and coolness are invaluable; while they will often carry you in safety through times of danger and difficulty." lord avebury. "place a guard over your strong points! thrift may run into niggardliness, generosity into prodigality or shiftlessness. gentleness may become pusillanimity, tact become insincerity, power become oppression. characters need sentries at their points of weakness, true enough, but often the points of greatest strength are, paradoxically, really points of weakness." balance june "culture implies all which gives a mind possession of its powers." emerson. "there are very, very few from whom we get that higher, deeper, broader help which it is the prerogative of true excellence in judgment to bestow: help to discern, through the haste and insistence of the present, what is its real meaning and its just demand; help to give due weight to what is reasonable, however unreasonably it may be stated or defended; help to reverence alike the sacredness of a great cause and the sacredness of each individual life, to adjust the claims of general rules and special equity; help to carry with one conscientiously, on the journey towards decision, all the various thoughts that ought to tell upon the issue; help to keep consistency from hardening to obstinacy, and common sense from sinking into time-serving; help to think out one's duty as in a still, pure air, sensitive to all true signs and voices of this world, and yet unshaken by its storms." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. sound judgment june "we are all inclined to judge of others as we find them. our estimate of a character always depends much on the manner in which the character affects our own interests and passions. we find it difficult to think well of those by whom we are thwarted or depressed, and we are ready to admit every excuse for the vices of those who are useful or agreeable to us." macaulay. "to judge is to see clearly, to care for what is just, and therefore to be impartial,--more exactly, to be disinterested,--more exactly still, to be impersonal." _amiel's journal._ "of all human faculties there is none which more enriches our lives than a sound moral judgment. genius is rarer and more wonderful. but this surpasses even genius in the fact that it is not only in itself a virtue, but the fruitful mother of virtues. it is as aristotle said, 'given a sound judgment and all the virtues will follow in its train.' * * * * * "if the moral judgment is to be sound it must presuppose character, faculty to deliberate, and enlightenment." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. sound judgment june "that is a penetrating sarcasm of george eliot's in 'amos barton': 'it is so much easier to say that a thing is black, than to discriminate the particular shade of brown, blue, or green to which it really belongs. it is so much easier to make up your mind that your neighbour is good for nothing, than to enter into all the circumstances that would oblige you to modify that opinion.' everybody needs the suggestion that is embodied in the above remark. our judgments of men are always more or less defective. but it is the man who prides himself on his outspokenness, the man who thinks it would be cowardice to withhold an opinion of men and things, particularly if he is charged with the duty of public utterance, that needs to learn that blue or brown or green is not black, and that in nothing is so much discrimination needed as in the diagnosis of character." "never does a man portray his own character more vividly than in his manner of portraying another." richter. sound judgment june "it hardly can seem strange that excellence in judgment is thus rare if we go on to think of the manifold discipline that it needs. "for we cannot deny that even physical conditions tend at least to tell on it; and most of us may have to own that there are days on which we know that we had better distrust the view we take of things. it is good counsel that a man should, if he has the chance, reconsider after his holiday any important decision that he was inclined to make just before it; that he should appeal from his tired to his refreshed self; and men need to deal strictly with the body, and to bring it into subjection, not only lest its appetites grow riotous, but also lest it trouble, with moods and miseries of its own, the exercise of judgment. "and then, with the calmness of sound health, or the control that a strong and vigilant will can sometimes gain over the encroachments of health that is not sound, there must also be the insight and resourcefulness of learning; that power to recognise, and weigh, and measure, and forecast, which comes of long watching how things move; the power that grows by constant thoughtfulness in study or in life; the distinctive ability of those who, in hooker's phrase, are 'diligent observers of circumstances, the loose regard whereof is the nurse of vulgar folly.'" _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. harsh judgment june "how often we judge unjustly when we judge harshly. the fret and temper we despise may have its rise in the agony of some great unsuspected self-sacrifice, or in the endurance of unavowed, almost intolerable pain. whoso judges harshly is sure to judge amiss." christina rossetti. "we meet and mingle, we mark men's speech; we judge by a word or a fancied slight; we give our fellows a mere glance each, then brand them for ever black or white. "meanwhile god's patience is o'er us all, he probes for motives, he waits for years; no moment with him is mean or small, and his scales are turned by the weight of tears." judging june "perhaps it were better for most of us to complain less of being misunderstood, and to take more care that we do not misunderstand other people. it ought to give us pause at a time to remember that each one has a stock of cut-and-dry judgments on his neighbours, and that the chances are that most of them are quite erroneous. what our neighbour really is we may never know, but we may be pretty certain that he is not what we have imagined, and that many things we have thought of him are quite beside the mark. what he does we have seen, but we have no idea what may have been his thoughts and intentions. the mere surface of his character may be exposed, but of the complexity within we have not the faintest idea. people crammed with self-consciousness and self-conceit are often praised as humble, while shy and reserved people are judged to be proud. some whose whole life is one subtle studied selfishness get the name of self-sacrifice, and other silent heroic souls are condemned for want of humanity." _the potter's wheel_, dr. john watson. "to weigh other minds by our own is the false scale by which the greater number of us miscalculate all human actions and most human characters." john oliver hobbes. biassed judgments june "how difficult it is to submit anything to the opinion of another person without perverting his judgment by the way in which we put the matter to him. if one says, 'for my part i think it beautiful,' or 'i think it obscure,' or the like, one inclines the hearer's imagination to that opinion, or incites it to take the contrary view." pascal. "human speech conveys different meanings to differently biassed minds." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "we judge of others by what we see in them: and, what is more perilous still, we are tempted to judge of ourselves by what others can see in us." bishop westcott. judging june "the sinner's own fault? so it was. if every own fault found us out, dogged us and hedged us round about, what comfort should we take because not half our due we thus wrung out? "clearly his own fault. yet i think my fault in part, who did not pray but lagged and would not lead the way. i, haply, proved his missing link. god help us both to mind and pray." christina g. rossetti. "she had the clear judicial mind which must inevitably see the tragic pitifulness of things. she had thought too much to be able to indulge in the primitive luxury of unqualified condemnation." _in connection with the de willoughby claim_, mrs. hodgson burnett. "she was one of those lowly women who apply the severity born of their creed to themselves, and spend only the love born of the indwelling spirit upon their neighbour." g. macdonald. justice and mercy june "it is not even, amongst men, the best and purest who are found to be the severest censors and judges of others. quickness to detect and expose the weakness and frailties of a fellow-man, harshness in condemning them, mercilessness in punishing them, are not the characteristics which experience would lead us to expect in a very high and noble nature.... to be gentle, pitying, forbearing to the fallen, to be averse to see or hear of human faults and vices, and when it is impossible not to see them to be pained and grieved by them, to be considerate of every extenuating circumstance that will mitigate their culpability, to delight in the detection of some redeeming excellence even in the vilest.... is not all this the sort of conduct which, as experience teaches us, betokens, not moral apathy or indifference, but the nature which is purest and most elevated beyond all personal sympathy with vice.... if, then, human goodness is the more merciful in proportion as it approaches nearer to perfection ... might we not conclude that when goodness becomes absolutely perfect, just then will mercy reach its climax and become absolutely unlimited?" principal caird. "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." whittier. judging june "it is my way when i observe any instance of folly, any queer or absurd illusion, straightway to look for something of the same type in myself, feeling sure that amid all differences there will be a certain correspondence; just as there is more or less correspondence in the natural history even of continents widely apart, and of islands in opposite zones.... "introspection which starts with the purpose of finding out one's own absurdities is not likely to be very mischievous, yet of course it is not free from dangers any more than breathing is, or the other functions that keep us alive or active. to judge of others by oneself is in its most innocent meaning the briefest expression for our only method of knowing mankind; yet, we perceive, it has come to mean in many cases either the vulgar mistake which reduces every man's value to the very low figure at which the valuer himself happens to stand; or else, the amiable illusion of the higher nature misled by a too generous construction of the lower. one cannot give a recipe for wise judgment: it resembles appropriate muscular action, which is attained by the myriad lessons in nicety of balance and of aim that only practice can give." george eliot. contemptuousness june "our lord not only _told_ men that they were the children of god, that they should strive after their father's likeness, and that they might approach nearer and nearer to being perfect as he is perfect: but, what was more than this, in every word he spake,--whether of teaching, or reproof, or expostulation, or in his passing words to those who received his mercies,--he _treated_ them as god's children. man, as man, has in his eyes a right to respect. anger we find with our lord often, as also surprise at slowness of heart, indignation at hypocrisy, and at the rabbinical evasions of the law; but never in our lord's words or looks do we find personal disdain. towards no human being does he show contempt. the scribe would have trodden the rabble out of existence; but there is no such thing as rabble in our lord's eyes. the master, in the parable, asks concerning the tree, which is unproductively exhausting the soil, why cumbers it the ground; but it is not to be rooted up, till all has been tried. there it stands, and mere existence gives it claims, for all that exists is the father's." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "tennyson was very grand on contemptuousness. it was, he said, a sure sign of intellectual littleness. simply to despise, nearly always meant not to understand. pride and contempt were specially characteristic of barbarians. real civilisation taught human beings to understand each other better, and must therefore lessen contempt. it is a little or immature or uneducated mind which readily despises. one who has travelled and knows the world in its length and breadth, respects far more views and standpoints other than his own." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. false impressions july "there are thousands and thousands of little untruths that hum and buzz and sting in society, which are too small to be brushed or driven away. they are in the looks, they are in the inflections and tones of the voice, they are in the actions, they are in reflections rather than in direct images that are represented. they are methods of producing impressions that are false, though every means by which they are produced is strictly true. there are little unfairnesses between man and man, that are said to be minor matters and that are small things; there are little unjust judgments and detractions; there are petty violations of conscience; there are ten thousand of these flags of passions in men which are called foibles or weaknesses, but which eat like moths. they take away the temper, they take away magnanimity and generosity, they take from the soul its enamel and its polish. men palliate and excuse them, but that has nothing to do with their natural effect on us. they waste and destroy us, and that, too, in the soul's silent and hidden parts." henry ward beecher. "a lie which is half a truth is ever the blackest of lies." tennyson. truth july "truth is the great mark at which we ought to aim in all things--truth in thought, truth in expression, truth in work. those who habitually sacrifice truth in small things will find it difficult to pay her the respect they should do in great things." lord iddesleigh. "stand upright, speak thy thought, declare the truth thou hast that all may share. be bold, proclaim it everywhere, they only live who dare." sir lewis morris. "the mind can only repose upon the stability of truth." dr. johnson. truthfulness july "be profoundly honest. never dare to say ... through ardent excitement or conformity to what you know you are expected to say, one word which at the moment when you say it, you do not believe. it would cut down the range of what you say, perhaps, but it would endow every word that was left with the force of ten." phillips brooks. "be honest with yourself, whatever the temptation; say nothing to others that you do not think, and play no tricks with your own mind. of all the evil spirits abroad at this hour in this world, insincerity is the most dangerous." j. a. froude. "truthfulness is the foundation of all personal excellence. it exhibits itself in conduct. it is rectitude, truth in action, and shines through every word and deed." samuel smiles. accuracy july "we always weaken what we exaggerate." la harpe. "it is no great advantage to have a lively wit if exactness be wanting. the perfection of a clock does not consist in its going fast, but in its keeping good time." vauvenargues. "after much vehement talk about 'the veracities,' will come utterly unveracious accounts of things and people--accounts made unveracious by the use of emphatic words where ordinary words alone are warranted: pictures of which the outlines are correct, but the lights and shades and colours are doubly and trebly as strong as they should be." herbert spencer. truthfulness july "it takes two to speak truth--one to speak and another to hear." thoreau. "truth of intercourse is something more difficult than to refrain from open lies. it is possible to avoid falsehood and yet not tell the truth. it is not enough to answer formal questions. to reach the truth by yea and nay communications implies a questioner with a share of inspiration, such as is often found in mutual love. _yea_ and _nay_ mean nothing; the meaning must have been related in the question. many words are often necessary to convey a very simple statement; for in this sort of exercise we never hit the gold; the most that we can hope is by many arrows, more or less far off on different sides, to indicate, in the course of time, for what target we are aiming, and after an hour's talk, back and forward, to convey the purport of a single principle or a single thought." _virginibus puerisque_, r. l. stevenson. truthfulness july "in very truth lying is a hateful and accursed vice. it is words alone that distinguish us from the brute creation, and knit us to each other. if we did but feel proper horror of it, and the fearful consequences that spring from such a habit, we would pursue it with fire and sword, and with far more justice than other crimes. i observe that parents take pleasure in correcting their children for slight faults, which make little impression on the character, and are of no real consequence. whereas lying, in my opinion, and obstinacy, though in a less degree, are vices, the rise and progress of which ought to be particularly watched and counteracted; these grow with their growth, and when once the tongue has got a _wrong set, it is impossible to put it straight again_. whence we see men, otherwise of honourable natures, slaves to this vice. if falsehood had, like truth, only one face, we should be on more equal terms with it, for we should consider the contrary to what the liar said as certain; but the reverse of truth has a hundred thousand forms, and is a field of boundless extent." montaigne. "every violation of truth is not only a sort of suicide in the liar, but is a stab at the health of human society." emerson. truthfulness july "the cruellest lies are often told in silence. a man may have sat in a room for hours and not opened his teeth, and yet come out of that room a disloyal friend or a vile calumniator. and how many loves have perished because, from pride, or spite, or diffidence, or that unmanly shame which withholds a man from daring to betray emotion, a lover, at the critical point of the relation, has but hung his head and held his tongue? and, again, a lie may be told by a truth, or a truth conveyed through a lie. truth to facts is not always truth to sentiment; and part of the truth, as often happens in answer to a question, may be the foulest calumny. a fact may be an exception; but the feeling is the law, and it is that which you must neither garble nor belie. the whole tenor of a conversation is a part of the meaning of each separate statement; the beginning and the end define and travesty the intermediate conversation. you never speak to god; you address a fellow-man, full of his own tempers: and to tell truth, rightly understood, is not to state the true facts, but to convey a true impression; truth in spirit, not truth to letter, is the true veracity." _virginibus puerisque_, r. l. stevenson. "truth is violated by falsehood, and it may be equally outraged by silence." amman. gossip july "gossip is a beast of prey that does not wait for the death of the creature it devours." _diana of the crossways_, g. meredith. "give to a gracious message a host of tongues; but let ill tidings tell themselves when they be felt." shakespeare. "let evil words die as soon as they're spoken." george eliot. "if there is much art in speaking, there is no less in keeping silence. there is an eloquent silence; it serves to praise and to condemn: there is a scornful silence: and there is a respectful silence." la rochefoucauld. back-biting july "hear as little as you possibly can to the prejudice of others; believe nothing of the kind unless you are forced to believe it; never circulate, nor approve of those who circulate, loose reports; moderate as far as you can the censure of others; always believe that if the other side were heard a very different account would be given of the matter." _everyday christian life_, dean farrar. "we must be as courteous to a man as we are to a picture, which we are willing to give the advantage of a good light." emerson. "refrain your tongue from back-biting; for there is no word so secret that shall go for nought, and the mouth that belieth, slayeth the soul." wisdom i. . gossip july "when people run about to disseminate some scrap of news which they alone possess, the result is not usually beneficial either to character or to mind." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "slander meets with no regard from noble minds, only the base believe what the base only utter." "no word, once spoken, returneth even if uttered unwillingly-- shall god excuse our rashness? that which is done, that abides." charles kingsley. egotism july "above all things, let us avoid speaking too often about ourselves, and referring to our own experiences. nothing is more disagreeable than a man who is constantly quoting himself." la rochefoucauld. "the pest of society is egotists." emerson. "avoid the personal view, the small view, the critical and fault-finding view. run away from gossip as from a pestilence, and keep in your soul great ideals and ideals to solace your solitude. they will drive out petty worries, conceits and thoughts of carking care." ada c. sweet. conversation july "the etiquette of conversation consists as much in listening politely as in talking agreeably." h. a. "the reason why so few persons are agreeable in conversation is that every one thinks more about what he shall say than about what others are saying, and because one cannot well be a good listener when one is eager to speak." la rochefoucauld. "i am an enemy to long explanations; they deceive either the maker or the hearer, generally both." goethe. conversation july "the tone of good conversation is flowing and natural; it is neither heavy nor frivolous; it is learned without pedantry, lively without noise, polished without equivocation. it is neither made up of lectures nor epigrams. those who really converse, reason without arguing, joke without punning, skilfully unite wit and reason, maxims and sallies, ingenious raillery and severe morality. they speak of everything in order that every one may have something to say: they do not investigate too closely, for fear of wearying: questions are introduced as if by-the-bye, and are treated with rapidity; precision leads to elegance, each one giving his opinion, and supporting it with few words. no one attacks wantonly another's opinion, no one supports his own obstinately. they discuss in order to enlighten themselves, and leave off discussing where dispute would begin: every one gains information, every one recreates himself, and all go away contented; nay, the sage himself may carry away from what he has heard matter worthy of silent meditation." argument july "argument is always a little dangerous. it often leads to coolness and misunderstandings. you may gain your argument and lose your friend, which is probably a bad bargain. if you must argue, admit all you can, but try to show that some point has been overlooked. very few people know when they have had the worst of an argument, and if they do, they do not like it. moreover, if they know they are beaten, it does not follow that they are convinced. indeed it is perhaps hardly going too far to say that it is very little use trying to convince any one by argument. state your case as clearly and concisely as possible, and if you shake his confidence in his own opinion it is as much as you can expect. it is the first step gained." lord avebury. "speak fitly, or be silent wisely." george herbert. "after speech silence is the greatest power in the world." lacordaire. "it is better to remain silent than to speak the truth ill-humouredly, and so spoiling an excellent dish by covering it with bad sauce." st. francis de sales. argument july "when opposition of any kind is necessary, drop all colour of emotion out of it and let it be seen in the white light of truth." "nothing does reason more right than the coolness of those that offer it: for truth often suffers more by the heat of its defenders than from the arguments of its opposers." william penn. "be calm in arguing: for fierceness makes error a fault, and truth discourtesy." george herbert. "to speak wisely may not always be easy, but not to speak ill requires only silence." argument july "prejudice is opinion without judgment." "when a positive man hath once begun to dispute anything, his mind is barred up against all light and better information. opposition provokes him, though there be never so good ground for it, and he seems to be afraid of nothing more, than lest he should be convinced of the truth." la rochefoucauld. "in proportion as we love truth more and victory less, we shall become anxious to know what it is which leads our opponents to think as they do. we shall begin to suspect that the pertinacity of belief exhibited by them must result from a perception of something we have not perceived. and we shall aim to supplement the portion of truth we have found with the portion found by them." herbert spencer. an open mind july "he often thought that dr. arnold's maxim of being prepared each morning to consider everything an open question a good working rule. not that one should readily change one's opinions, but should always have an open mind, never a closed one, on any question outside exact knowledge." "he that never changed any of his opinions, never corrected any of his mistakes; and he who was never wise enough to find out any mistakes in himself, will not be charitable enough to excuse what he reckons mistakes in others." whichcote. "narrow-mindedness is a cause of self-sufficiency. we are slow to believe what is beyond the scope of our vision." la rochefoucauld. tolerance july "nothing, in our lord's wisdom, strikes me more than his moderation with regard to error. what seems false to one man's mind may be true to that of another." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "a genuine universal tolerance is most surely attained, if we do not quarrel with the peculiar characteristics of individual men and races, but only hold fast to the conviction, that what is truly excellent is distinguished by its belonging to all mankind." goethe _to_ carlyle. "new ideas want a little time to grow into shape: we know how easily a man is startled into shutting his mind against novelty when it is suddenly presented." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. right use of speech july "there is no better way, i believe, in which to test the reality of our culture than by the self-discipline it teaches us to use in talk; and it may be that the chief service we can render, the chief outcome that god looks for from our higher education, is that in our homes, in the society around us, we should set a higher example of the right use of speech; the right tone and temper and reticence in conversation; the abhorrence of idle words. neither let us think that this ever will be easy to us. we must not be affected or pedantic, we must not be always setting other people right; but we must be careful; we must keep our wishes and passions from colouring our view of things; we must take great pains to enter into the minds and feelings of others, to understand how things look to them, and we must remember that, whatever pains we take in that regard, the result is still sure to be imperfect; we must rule our moods, our likes and dislikes, with a firm hand; we must distrust our general impressions till we have frankly, faithfully examined them; we must resist the desire to say clever or surprising things; we must be resolute not to overstate our case; we must let nothing pass our lips that charity would check; we must be always ready to confess our ignorance, and to be silent.--yes, it is a hard and long task; but it is for a high end, and in a noble service. it is that we may be able to help others; to possess our souls in days of confusion and vehemence and controversy; to grow in the rare grace of judgment; to be such that people may trust us, whether they agree with us or not. it is that we may somewhat detach ourselves from the stream of talk, and learn to listen for the voice of god, and to commit our ways to him." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. thoughts july "if we are not responsible for the thoughts that pass our doors, we are at least responsible for those we admit and entertain." charles b. newcomb. "the pleasantest things in the world are pleasant thoughts, and the great art in life is to have as many of them as possible." bovÉe. "we lose vigour through thinking continually the same set of thoughts. new thought is new life." prentice mulford. culture july "culture is not an accident of birth, although our surroundings advance or retard it; it is always a matter of individual education." hamilton w. mabie. "the secret of culture is to learn that a few great points steadily reappear, alike in the poverty of the obscurest farm, and in the miscellany of metropolitan life, and that these few are alone to be regarded:--the escape from all false ties; courage to be what we are; and the love of what is simple and beautiful,--these, and the wish to serve, to add somewhat to the well-being of men." emerson. "the highest we can attain to is not knowledge, but sympathy with intelligence." thoreau. courtesy july "courtesy is really doing unto others as you would be done unto, and the heart of it lies in a careful consideration for the feelings of other people. it comes from putting one's self in his neighbour's place, and trying to enter into his mind, and it demands a certain suppression of one's self, and a certain delicate sympathy with one's neighbour." dr. john watson. "even as one tries thus to think out the quality and work of courtesy, to understand the skill and power which it wields so quietly, to see the issues upon which it tells in the lives that are affected by it, one may begin to feel that its place is really with the great forces of character that ennoble and redeem the world; that, simply and lightly as it moves, it rests on deep self-discipline and deals with a real task; that it is far more than a decoration or luxury of leisurely excellence. but it is in contact with those who are growing perfect in it, those who never fail in it, that one may more nearly realise its greatness. in seeing how every part of life is lit and hallowed by it; how common incidents, daily duties, chance meetings, come to be avenues of brightness, and even means of grace; how points of light come quivering out upon the dull routine of business, or the conventionality of pleasure; how god is served through every hour of the day;--it is in seeing this that one may come to think it far from strange that for his beginning of miracles our saviour chose an act of courtesy." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. courtesy july "courtesy. this is love in society, love in relation to etiquette. 'love doth not behave itself unseemly.' politeness has been defined as love in trifles. courtesy is said to be love in little things. and the one secret of politeness is to love. love _cannot_ behave itself unseemly." _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "the nearer you come into relation with a person, the more necessary do tact and courtesy become." o. w. holmes. "kindness is the principle of tact, and respect for others the condition of 'savoir-vivre.'" _amiel's journal._ "life is not so short but that there is always time enough for courtesy." emerson. courtesy july "true politeness arises from the heart, not the head." "... the machinery of life is so apt to be heated, one keenly appreciates those who are ever deftly pouring in the cooling oil, by their patience and their tact, their sweetness and their sympathy. and one resents keenly that class of people who are honest and well meaning, but who are persistently discourteous and are not ashamed--i mean the man who is credited with what is called a bluff, blunt manner, and who credits himself with a special quality of downrightness and straightforwardness. he considers it far better to say what he thinks, and boasts that he never minces his words, and people make all kinds of excuses for him, and rather talk as if he were a very fine fellow, beside whom civil-spoken persons are little better than hypocrites. as a matter of fact, no one can calculate the pain this outspoken gentleman causes in a single day, both in his family and outside." dr. john watson. "there is a courtesy of the heart; it is allied to love. from it springs the purest courtesy in the outward behaviour." goethe. manners july "manners are the happy ways of doing things. if they are superficial, so are the dew-drops, which give such a depth to the morning meadows." emerson. "love's perfect blossom only blows where noble manners veil defect." c. patmore. "the gentle minde by gentle deeds is knowne; for a man by nothing is so well bewrayed as by his manners." spenser. "true politeness is perfect ease and freedom. it simply consists in treating others just as you love to be treated yourself." lord chesterfield. manners july "manners aim to facilitate life, to get rid of all impediments. they aid our dealings and conversation, as a railway aids travelling, by getting rid of all the obstructions on the road." emerson. "defect in manners is usually the defect of fine perceptions." emerson. "he is beautiful in face, in port, in manners, who is absorbed in objects which he truly believes to be superior to himself." emerson. "familiar acts are beautiful through love." manners july "manners impress as they indicate real power. a man who is sure of his point, carries a broad and contented expression, which everybody reads. and you cannot rightly train one to an air and manner, except by making him the kind of man of whom that manner is the natural expression. nature forever puts a premium on reality." emerson. "a man's own good breeding is the best security against other people's ill manners." chesterfield. "manners are the ornament of action, and there is a way of speaking a kind word, or of doing a kind thing, which greatly enhances its value. what seems to be done with a grudge, or as an act of condescension, is scarcely accepted as a favour." s. smiles. manners july "there are many tests by which a gentleman may be known;--but there is one that never fails--how does he exercise power over those subordinate to him? how does he conduct himself towards women and children?... he who bullies those who are not in a position to resist, may be a snob, but cannot be a gentleman. he who tyrannises over the weak and helpless may be a coward, but no true man." s. smiles. "our servants never seem to leave us; they are paid what many people would call absurdly high wages, but i do not think that is the attraction. my mother does not see very much of them, and finds fault, when rarely necessary, with a simple directness which i have in vain tried to emulate; but her displeasure is so impersonal that there seems to be no sting in it. it is not that they have failed in their duty to herself, but they have been untrue to the larger duty to which she is herself obedient." _the house of quiet._ influence july "and just as we may ruin our own characters without knowing it, so we may ruin the characters of others. we are always influencing each other--a truth which i have often impressed upon you, because i feel its deep importance. we cannot help ourselves. and this influence, which we thus unconsciously exercise by our mere presence, by look, gesture, expression of face, is probably all the more potent for being unconscious. there are germs of moral health or disease continually passing from us and infecting for good or ill those about us. we read that when our lord was on earth virtue went out of him sometimes, and healed the bodies of those who came in contact with it. his divine humanity was always diffusing a spiritual atmosphere of purity around him, which attracted, they knew not how, those who came within the sphere of his influence. so it must be with us in so far as our characters are pure and unselfish and christlike. our very presence will influence for good all who are near us, making them purer and nobler and more unselfish, and shaming what is mean and base out of them. if, on the other hand, our characters are ignoble and impure, we shall exude, without knowing or intending it, a poisonous influence on all who come near us. have we not sometimes felt this mysterious influence--a presence attracting, perhaps awing, us by some sort of spiritual magnetism; or, on the other hand, repelling us as by the presage of impending danger? let us endeavour to keep this inalienable responsibility of ours always in our thoughts. and it will be a great help to test ourselves now and then by the example of our divine master." _life here and hereafter_, canon maccoll. influence july "let us reflect that the highest path is pointed out by the pure ideal of those who look up to us, and who, if we tread less loftily, may never look so high again. remembering this, let it suggest one generous motive for walking heedfully amid the defilements of earthly ways." n. hawthorne. "others are affected by what i am, and say, and do. and these others have also their sphere of influence. so that a single act of mine may spread in widening circles through a nation or humanity." channing. "a man who lives right, and is right, has more power in his silence than another has by his words. character is like bells which ring out sweet music, and which, when touched accidentally even, resound with sweet music." phillips brooks. "quench not the smoking flax" july "make a great deal more of your right to praise the good than of your right to blame the bad. never let a brave and serious struggle after truth and goodness, however weak it may be, pass unrecognised. do not be chary of appreciation. hearts are unconsciously hungry for it. there is little danger that appreciation shall be given too abundantly. here and there, perhaps, in your shops and schools and households, there is some one who has too lazily sunk down upon the praise he has received for some good work, and rested in sluggish satisfaction on it; but such disasters hardly count among the unfulfilled lives which have lived meagrely and stuntedly for the lack of some simple cordial human approval of what they have honestly, however blunderingly, tried to do." phillips brooks. "it is a great sign of mediocrity to be always praising moderately." vauvenargues. "'quench not the smoking flax'--to which i add, 'never give unnecessary pain.' the cricket is not the nightingale; why tell him so? throw yourself into the mind of the cricket--the process is newer and more ingenious; and it is what charity commands." _amiel's journal._ "quench not the smoking flax" august "christians are very often liable not, perhaps, to put obstacles into the way of efforts to do right so much as to refuse them the needful help, without which they have little chance of succeeding. to look coldly on while our fellows are struggling in the waves of this evil sea and never to hold out a hand or to say a word of encouragement, is very often most cruelly to depress all energy of repentance. the strong virtue that can go on its own way without being shaken by any ordinary temptation too often forgets the duty due to the weakness close to its side. by stern treatment of faults which were yet much struggled against, by cold refusal to acknowledge any except plainly successful efforts, by rejecting the approaches of those who have not yet learnt the right way, but are really wishing in their secret hearts to learn it, those who are strong not unfrequently do much harm to those who are weak." bishop temple. "the best we can do for each other is to remove unnecessary obstacles, and the worst--to weaken any of the motives which urge us to strive." _the standard of life_, mrs. bernard bosanquet. influence august "even in ordinary life, contact with nobler natures arouses the feeling of unused power and quickens the consciousness of responsibility." bishop westcott. "do we not all know how apt we are to become like those whom we see, with whom we spend our hours, and, above all, like those whom we admire and honour? for good and for evil, alas! for evil--for those who associate with evil or frivolous persons are too apt to catch not only their low tone, but their very manner, their very expression of face, speaking and thinking and acting.... but thank god, ... just in the same way does good company tend to make them high-minded.... i have lived long enough to see more than one man of real genius stamp his own character, thought, even his very manner of speaking, for good or for evil, on a whole school or party of his disciples. it has been said, and truly, i believe, that children cannot be brought up among beautiful pictures,--i believe, even among any beautiful sights and sounds--without the very expression of their faces becoming more beautiful, purer, gentler, nobler." charles kingsley. influence august "throw a stone into the stream, and the circles that propagate themselves are the beautiful type of all influence." emerson. "it requires but little knowledge of society and history to assure us of the strong permeating invisible influence upon society at large of any body of men of clear thought, strong conviction, and disciplined conduct. at once many things respond to the magnetism; many are put on their mettle who would not for the world own it: many recognise their own best things more clearly in the new light shed upon them; there is instinctive moral competition. such influences travel fast and far.... i have always myself believed that the later thought of the roman world--the mellow stoicism of aurelius and epictetus in the second century, with its strong unexplained instinct for a personal and fatherly god, with its gentle and self-denying ethics, shews the tincture of the influence diffused through the thoughts and prayers, the quiet conversations or the dropped words and overheard phrases--or the bearing and countenance of a slave here or a friend there, known or perhaps not known to belong to that strange new body of people with their foolish yet arresting faith, with their practices everywhere spoken against yet of such pure and winning charm--who bore the name of the nazarene." _the church's failures and the work of christ_, bishop talbot. friendship august "we should ever have it fixed in our memories, that by the characters of those whom we choose for our friends, our own is likely to be formed, and will certainly be judged of by the world. we ought, therefore, to be slow and cautious in contracting intimacy; but when a virtuous friendship is once established, we must ever consider it as a sacred engagement." blair. "might i give counsel to any young hearer, i would say unto him: try to frequent the company of your betters. in books and life is the most wholesome society; learn to admire rightly; the great pleasure of life is that. note what the great men admired--they admired great things; narrow spirits admire basely, and worship meanly." thackeray. "be slow to fall into friendship; but when thou art in, continue firm and constant." socrates. friendship august "there is nothing so bad for man or woman as to live always with their inferiors. it is a truth so important, that one might well wish to turn aside a moment and urge it, even in its lower aspects, upon the young people who are just making their associations and friendships. many a temptation of laziness or pride induces us to draw towards those who do not know as much or are not in some way as strong as we are. it is a smaller tax upon our powers to be in their society. but it is bad for us. i am sure that i have known men, intellectually and morally very strong, the whole development of whose intellectual and moral life has suffered and been dwarfed, because they have only accompanied with their inferiors, because they have not lived with men greater than themselves. whatever else they lose, they surely must lose some culture of humility. if i could choose a young man's companions, some should be weaker than himself, that he might learn patience and charity; many should be as nearly as possible his equals, that he might have the full freedom of friendship; but most should be stronger than he was, that he might for ever be thinking humbly of himself and be tempted to higher things." phillips brooks. friendship august "for good or evil a man's moral and spiritual outlook is altered by the outlook of his comrade. it is inevitable, and in all true comradeship it makes for truth, and generosity, and freedom. it is an incalculable enlargement of human responsibility, because it constitutes us, in a measure, guardians each of the other's soul. and yet, it is never the suppression of a weak individuality by a strong one. that is not even true discipleship, but spiritual tyranny. what the play of two personalities brings about is a fuller, deeper self-realisation on either side. the experience of comradeship, with all the new knowledge and insight that it brings into a life, can leave no ideal unchanged, but the change is not of the nature of a substitution, but of continuous growth. it is not mental or moral bondage, but deliverance from both. "and it is the deliverance from bondage to ourselves. it is our refuge from pride. more than all else, comradeship teaches us to walk humbly with god. for while god's trivial gifts may allow us to grow vain and self-complacent, his great gifts, if we once recognise them, make us own our deep unworthiness, and bow our heads in unspeakable gratitude. we may have rated our deserts high, and taken flattery as our just due; we may have competed for the world's prizes, and been filled with gratified ambition at securing them. but however high we rate ourselves, in the hour in which the soul is conscious of its spiritual comrades, we know that god's great infinite gift of human love is something we have never earned, could never earn by merit or achievement, by toil, or prayer, or fasting. it has come to us straight out of the heart of the eternal fatherhood; and all our pride and vanity fall away, and our lives come again to us as the lives of little children." _comradeship_, may kendall. friendship august "friendship is a plant which cannot be forced. true friendship is no gourd, springing in a night and withering in a day." charlotte brontË. "blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of god's best gifts. it involves many things, but, above all, the power of going out of one's self, and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another." thomas hughes. "friendship cannot be permanent unless it becomes spiritual. there must be fellowship in the deepest things of the soul, community in the highest thoughts, sympathy with the best endeavours." hugh black. friendship august "our chief want in life is, somebody who shall make us do what we can. this is the service of a friend." emerson. "the end of friendship is for aid and comfort through all the passages of life and death." emerson. "every man rejoices twice when he has a partner of his joy. a friend shares my sorrow, and makes it but a moiety; but he swells my joy, and makes it double." jeremy taylor. "he that is thy friend indeed, he will help thee in thy need. if thou sorrow, he will weep. if thou wake, he cannot sleep. thus in every grief in heart he with thee doth bear a part." shakespeare. friendship august "to begin with, how can life be worth living, to use the words of ennius, which lacks that repose which is to be found in the mutual good-will of a friend? what can be more delightful than to have some one to whom you can say everything with the same absolute confidence as to yourself? is not prosperity robbed of half its value if you have no one to share your joy? on the other hand, misfortunes would be hard to bear if there were not some one to feel them even more acutely than yourself." cicero. "comradeship is one of the finest facts, and one of the strongest forces in life." hugh black. "... all i can do is to urge on you to regard friendship as the greatest thing in the world; for there is nothing which so fits in with our nature, or is so exactly what we want in prosperity or adversity." cicero. friendship august "beware lest thy friend learn to tolerate one frailty of thine, and so an obstacle be raised to the progress of thy love." thoreau. "that he had 'a genius for friendship' goes without saying, for he was rich in the humility, the patience and the powers of trust, which such a genius implies. yet his love had, too, the rarer and more strenuous temper which requires 'the common aspiration,' is jealous for a friend's growth, and has the nerve to criticise. it is the measure of what he felt friendship to be, that he has defined religion in the terms of it." _of henry drummond_, george adam smith. "all men have their frailties, and whoever looks for a friend without imperfection will never find what he seeks. we love ourselves notwithstanding our faults, and we ought to love our friends in like manner." cyrus. friendship august "... for instance, it often happens that friends need remonstrance and even reproof. when these are administered in a kindly spirit they ought to be taken in good part. but somehow or other there is truth in what my friend terence says in his andria: 'compliance gets us friends, plain speaking hate.' "plain speaking is a cause of trouble, if the result of it is resentment, which is poison to friendship; but compliance is really the cause of much more trouble, because by indulging his faults it lets a friend plunge into headlong ruin. but the man who is most to blame is he who resents plain speaking and allows flattery to egg him on to his ruin.... if we remonstrate, it should be without bitterness; if we reprove, there should be no word of insult.... but if a man's ears are so closed to plain speaking that he cannot bear to hear the truth from a friend, we may give him up in despair. this remark of cato's, as so many of his did, shews great acuteness: 'there are people who owe more to bitter enemies than to apparently pleasant friends: the former often speak the truth, the latter never.' besides, it is a strange paradox that the recipients of advice should feel no annoyance where they ought to feel it, and yet feel so much where they ought not. they are not at all vexed at having committed a fault, but very angry at being reproved for it." cicero. "men of character like to hear of their faults; the other class do not." emerson. "before giving advice we must have secured its acceptance, or rather, have made it desired." _amiel's journal._ friendship august "the friendship of jesus was not checked or foiled by the discovery of faults or blemishes in those whom he had taken into his life. even in our ordinary human relations we do not know what we are engaging to do when we become the friend of another. 'for better for worse, for richer for poorer, in sickness and in health,' runs the marriage covenant. the covenant in all true friendship is the same. we pledge our friend faithfulness, with all that faithfulness includes. we know not what demands upon us this sacred compact may make in years to come. misfortune may befall our friend, and he may require our aid in many ways. instead of being a help he may become a burden. but friendship must not fail, whatever its cost may be. when we become the friend of another, we do not know what faults and follies in him closer acquaintance may disclose to our eyes. but here, again, ideal friendship must not fail." _personal friendships of jesus_, j. r. miller. "for he that wrongs his friend wrongs himself more, and ever bears about a silent court of justice in his breast, himself the judge and jury, and himself the prisoner at the bar, ever condemned." tennyson. friendship august "treat your friends for what you know them to be. regard no surfaces. consider not what they did, but what they intended." thoreau. "what makes us so changeable in our friendships, is our difficulty to discern the qualities of the soul, and the ease with which we detect those of the intellect." "judge not thy friend until thou standest in his place." rabbi hillel. "criticism often takes from the tree caterpillars and blossoms together." friendship august "there are two elements that go to the composition of friendship, each so sovereign that i can detect no superiority in either, no reason why either should be first named. one is truth ... the other is tenderness." emerson. "the essence of friendship is entireness, a total magnanimity and trust.... a friend is a person with whom i may be sincere. before him i may think aloud." emerson. "people do not sufficiently remember that in every relation of life, as in the closest one of all, they ought to take one another 'for better for worse.' that, granting the tie of friendship, gratitude, esteem, be strong enough to have existed at all, it ought, either actively or passively, to exist for ever. and seeing we can at best know our neighbour, companion, or friend as little, as alas! we often find he knoweth of us, it behoveth us to trust him with the most patient fidelity, the tenderest forbearance; granting unto all his words and actions that we do not understand, the utmost limit of faith that common sense and christian justice will allow. nay, these failing, is there not left christian charity? which being past believing and hoping, still endureth all things." friendship august "mutual respect implies discretion and reserve even in love itself; it means preserving as much liberty as possible to those whose life we share. we must distrust our instinct of intervention, for the desire to make our own will prevail is often disguised under the mask of solicitude." _amiel's journal._ "everything that is mine, even to my life, i may give to one i love, but the secret of my friend is not mine to give." philip sidney. "when true friends part they should lock up one another's secrets and change the keys." feltham. friendship august "so true it is that nature abhors isolation, and ever leans upon something as a stay and support; and this is found in its most pleasing form in our closest friend." cicero. "and great and numerous as are the blessings of friendship, this certainly is the sovereign one, that it gives us bright hopes for the future and forbids weakness and despair. in the face of a true friend a man sees as it were a second self. so that where his friend is he is; if his friend be rich, he is not poor; though he be weak, his friend's strength is his; and in his friend's life he enjoys a second life after his own is finished." cicero. "in distress a friend comes like a calm to the toss'd mariner." euripides. friendship august "a man only understands what is akin to something already existing in himself." _amiel's journal._ "there are some to whom we speak almost in a language of our own, with the confidence that all our broken hints are recognised with a thrill of kinship, and our half-uttered thoughts discerned and shared: some with whom we need not cramp our meaning into the dead form of an explicit accuracy, and with whom we can forecast that we shall walk together in undoubting sympathy even over tracks of taste and belief which we may never yet have touched." _faculties and difficulties for belief and disbelief_, bishop paget. "talking with a friend is nothing else but thinking aloud." addison. friendship august "and though aristotle does well to warn us that absence dissolves friendship, it is happily none the less true that friend may powerfully influence friend though the two be by no means constant associates. even far removal in place, or in occupation, or in fortunes, cannot arrest influence. for once any man has true friends, he never again frames his decisions, even those that are most secret, as if he were alone in the world. he frames them habitually in the imagined company of his friends. in their visionary presence he thinks and acts; and by them, as visionary tribunal, he feels himself, even in his unspoken intentions and inmost feelings, to be judged. in this aspect friendship may become a supreme force both to encourage and restrain. for it is not simply what our friends expect of us that is the vital matter here. they are often more tolerant of our failings than is perhaps good for us. it is what in our best moments we believe that they expect of us. for it is then that they become to us, not of their own choice but of ours, a kind of second conscience, in whose presence our weaknesses and backslidings become 'that worst kind of sacrilege that tears down the invisible altar of trust.'" _the making of character_, professor maccunn. friendship august "few things are more fatal to friendship than the stiffness which cannot take a step towards acknowledgment." _life of f. w. crossley_, rendel harris. "do not discharge in haste the arrow which can never return: it is easy to destroy happiness; most difficult to restore it." herder. "discord harder is to end than to begin." spenser. "think of this doctrine--that reasoning beings were created for one another's sake; that to be patient is a branch of justice, and that men sin without intending it." marcus aurelius. friendship august "we should learn from jesus that the essential quality in the heart of friendship is not the desire to have friends, but the desire to be a friend; not to get good and help from others, but to impart blessing to others. many of the sighings for friendship which we have are merely selfish longings,--a desire for happiness, for pleasure, for the gratification of the heart, which friends would bring. if the desire were to be a friend, to do others good, to serve and to give help, it would be a far more christlike longing, and would transform the life and character." _personal friendships of jesus_, j. r. miller. "to love is better, nobler, more elevating, and more sure, than to be loved. to love is to have found that which lifts us above ourselves; which makes us capable of sacrifice; which unseals the forces of another world. he who is loved has gained the highest tribute of earth; he who loves has entered into the spirit of heaven. the love which comes to us must always be alloyed with the sad sense of our own unworthiness. the love which goes out from us is kept bright by the ideal to which it is directed." bishop westcott. friendship august "friendships that have been renewed require more care than those that have never been broken off." la rochefoucauld. "broken friendship may be soldered, but never made sound." spanish proverb. "a friend once won need never be lost, if we will be only trusty and true ourselves. friends may part, not merely in body, but in spirit for a while. in the bustle of business and the accidents of life, they may lose sight of each other for years; and more, they may begin to differ in their success in life, in their opinions, in their habits, and there may be, for a time, coldness and estrangement between them, but not for ever if each will be trusty and true. for then they will be like two ships who set sail at morning from the same port, and ere night-fall lose sight of each other, and go each on its own course and at its own pace for many days, through many storms and seas, and yet meet again, and find themselves lying side by side in the same haven when their long voyage is past." charles kingsley. friendship august "the most fatal disease of friendship is gradual decay or dislike, hourly increased by causes too slender for complaint and too numerous for removal. those who are angry may be reconciled, those who have been injured may receive a recompense; but when the desire of pleasing, and willingness to be pleased, is silently diminished, the renovation of friendship is hopeless: as when the vital powers sink into languor, there is no longer any use for the physician." _the idler._ "... there is such a disaster, so to speak, as having to break off friendship.... in such cases friendships should be allowed to die out gradually by an intermission of intercourse. they should, as i have been told that cato used to say, rather be unstitched than torn in twain.... for there can be nothing more discreditable than to be at open war with a man with whom you have been intimate.... our first object then should be to prevent a breach; our second to secure that if it does occur, our friendship should seem to have died a natural rather than a violent death." cicero. friendship august "friends--those relations that one makes for one's self." deschamps. "some one asked kingsley what was the secret of his strong joyous life; and he answered, 'i had a friend.'" "the years have taught some sweet, some bitter lessons--none wiser than this: to spend in all things else, but of old friends to be most miserly." lowell. "the best wish for us all is, that when we grow old, as we must do, the fast friends of our age may be those we have loved in our youth." mason. jealousy august "jealousy is a terrible thing. it resembles love, only it is precisely love's contrary. instead of wishing for the welfare of the object loved, it desires the dependence of that object upon itself, and its own triumph. love is the forgetfulness of self; jealousy is the most passionate form of egotism, the glorification of a despotic, exacting, and vain _ego_, which can neither forget nor subordinate itself. the contrast is perfect." _amiel's journal._ "jealousy is a secret avowal of inferiority." massillon. jealousy august "we are not jealous of what we give up, but of what is wrested from our unwilling hands. the first is always ours, the second never can be. * * * * * "jealousy is not love, but it is the two-edged sword that parts true love from counterfeit. at its touch, the knowledge of what it is to love without reward, thrills heart and brain, sharp and clear, almost a vision of hell. then if we are base, we die to love; but if we are noble, it is to ourselves we die. * * * * * "it is only what we surrender willingly that is ours always, as the wave never loses what it surrenders to the sea." _turkish bonds_, may kendall. jealousy august "what state of mind can be so blest, as love that warms the gentle brest; two souls in one; the same desire to grant the bliss, and to require? if in this heaven a hell we find, 'tis all from thee, o jealousie! thou tyrant, tyrant of the mind. "all other ills, tho' sharp they prove, serve to refine a perfect love; in absence, or unkind disdain sweet hope relieves the lover's pain; but o! no cure but death we find to sett us free from jealousie, thou tyrant, tyrant of the mind. "false in thy glass all objects are, some set too near, and some too far: thou art the fire of endless might, the fire that burns and gives no light. all torments of the damned, we find in only thee, o jealousie; thou tyrant, tyrant of the mind." dryden. love and remorse august "we should get a lesson in friendship's ministry. too many wait until those they love are dead, and then bring their alabaster boxes of affection and break them. they keep silent about their love when words would mean so much, would give such cheer, encouragement, and hope, and then, when the friend lies in the coffin, their lips are unsealed and speak out their glowing tribute on ears that heed not the laggard praise. many persons go through life, struggling bravely with difficulty, temptation, and hardship, carrying burdens too heavy for them, pouring out their love in unselfish serving of others, and yet are scarcely ever cheered by a word of approval or commendation, or by delicate tenderness of friendship; then, when they lie silent in death, a whole circle of admiring friends gathers to do them honour. every one remembers a personal kindness received, a favour shown, some help given, and speaks of it in grateful words. letters full of appreciation, commendation, and gratitude are written to sorrowing friends. flowers are sent and piled about the coffin, enough to have strewn every hard path of the long years of struggle. how surprised some good men and women would be, after lives with scarcely a word of affection to cheer their hearts, were they to awake suddenly in the midst of their friends, a few hours after their death, and hear the testimonies that are falling from every tongue, the appreciation, the grateful words of love, the rememberings of kindness! they had never dreamed in life that they had so many friends, that so many had thought well of them, that they were helpful to so many." _personal friendships of jesus_, j. r. miller. love and remorse august "when our indignation is borne in submissive silence, we are apt to feel twinges of doubt afterwards as to our own generosity, if not justice; how much more when the object of our anger has gone into everlasting silence, and we have seen his face for the last time in the meekness of death." george eliot. "all about us move, these common days, those who would be strengthened and comforted by the good cheer that we could give. let us not reserve all the flowers for coffin-lids. let us not keep our alabaster boxes sealed and unbroken till our loved ones are dead. let us show kindness when kindness will do good. it will make sorrow all the harder to bear if we have to say beside our dead, 'i might have brightened the way a little, if only i had been kinder.'" _personal friendships of jesus_, j. r. miller. "i like not only to be loved, but to be told i am loved. the realm of silence is large enough beyond the grave." george eliot. love and remorse august "oh! do not let us wait to be just or pitiful or demonstrative towards those we love until they or we are struck down by illness or threatened with death! life is short, and we have never too much time for gladdening the hearts of those who are travelling the dark journey with us. oh, be swift to love, make haste to be kind!" _amiel's journal._ "too soon, too soon comes death to show we love more deeply than we know! the rain that fell upon the height too gently to be called delight, within the dark vale reappears as a wild cataract of tears; and love in life should strive to see sometimes what love in death would be!" coventry patmore. dissension august "alas! how light a cause may move dissension between hearts that love! hearts that the world in vain had tried, and sorrow but more closely tied; that stood the storm when waves were rough, yet in a sunny hour fall off, like ships that have gone down at sea, when heaven was all tranquillity! a something, light as air--a look, a word unkind or wrongly taken-- oh! love that tempests never shook, a breath, a touch like this has shaken; and ruder words will soon rush in to spread the breach that words begin; and eyes forget the gentle ray they wore in courtship's smiling day; and voices lose the tone that shed a tenderness round all they said; till fast declining, one by one, the sweetnesses of love are gone, and hearts, so lately mingled, seem like broken clouds--or like the stream that smiling left the mountain's brow, as though its waters ne'er could sever, yet, ere it reach the plain below, breaks into floods, that part for ever. o you that have the charge of love, keep him in rosy bondage bound!" _lalla rookh_, t. moore. love august "love is the first and the last and the strongest bond in experience. it conquers distance, outlives all changes, bears the strain of the most diverse opinions." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "say never, ye loved once! god is too near above, the grave, beneath: and all our moments breathe too quick in mysteries of life and death, for such a word. the eternities avenge affections light of range; there comes no change to justify that change, whatever comes,--loved _once_." e. b. browning. unrequited love september "it was the old problem, of love that may not even spend itself for those it loves. some hold that the purpose of such privation--as bitter to the spirit as the loss of light, and warmth, and air to the body--is to teach men to love god, and not their fellow-men. rather, it is to teach them to love human beings more, with love not separate from the love of god, but near to his own heart. such love is never fruitless, though it may seem to be. our longing to serve personally is often only longing for the personal reward of service; and love that serves in finite fashion often misses the mark. we hurt where we desire to heal: we bind a greater burden on the life whose load we only strive to lighten. god's cross is always a crown: our crowns are often crosses. the cup of water that we put to our friend's lips is from a poisoned spring. only the cup that we give god to bear to him, is always pure and cool." _turkish bonds_, may kendall. unrequited love september "infancy? what if the rose-streak of morning pale and depart in a passion of tears? once to have hoped is no matter for scorning: love once: e'en love's disappointment endears, a moment's success pays the failure of years." r. browning. "it looks like a waste of life, that mowing down of our best years by a relentless passion which itself falls dead on the top of them. but it is not so. every year i live i am more convinced that the waste of life lies in the love we have not given, the powers we have not used, the selfish prudence which will risk nothing, and which, shirking pain, misses happiness as well. no one ever yet was the poorer in the long run for having once in a lifetime 'let out all the length of the reins.'" _red pottage_, mary cholmondeley. bereavement september "if we still love those we lose, can we altogether lose those we love?" _the newcomes_, thackeray. "they that love beyond the world cannot be separated by it. "death cannot kill what never dies. nor can spirits ever be divided that love and live in the same divine principle; the root and record of their friendship. "if absence be not death, neither is it theirs. "death is but crossing the world, as friends do the seas; they live in one another still. "for they must needs be present, that love and live in that which is omnipresent. "in this divine glass they see face to face; and their converse is free as well as pure. "this is the comfort of friends, that though they may be said to die, yet their friendship and society are, in the best sense, ever present, because immortal." william penn. bereavement september "parting and forgetting? what faithful heart can do these? our great thoughts, our great affections, the truths of our life, never leave us. surely they cannot separate from our consciousness; shall follow it whithersoever that shall go; and are of their nature divine and immortal." thackeray. "i can only say that i sympathise with your grief, and if faith means anything at all it is trusting to those instincts, or feelings, or whatever they may be called, which assure us of some life after this." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. "what is it when a child dies? it is the great head-master calling that child up into his own room, away from all the under-teachers, to finish his education under his own eye, close at his feet. the whole thought of a child's growth and development in heaven instead of here on earth, is one of the most exalting and bewildering on which the mind can rest." phillips brooks. death of young children september "nothing is left or lost, nothing of good or lovely; but whatever its first springs has drawn from god, returns to him again." _on an early death_, trench. "when one comes to the loss of young children--a sad perplexity--let it not be forgotten that they were given. if in the hour of bitterest grief it were asked of a bereaved mother whether she would prefer never to have possessed in order that she might never have lost--her heart would be very indignant. no little child has ever come from god and stayed a brief while in some human home--to return again to the father--without making glad that home and leaving behind some trace of heaven. a family had counted themselves poorer without those quaint sayings, those cunning caresses, that soft touch, that sudden smile. this short visit was not an incident: it was a benediction. the child departs, the remembrances, the influence, the associations remain. if one should allow us to have sarto's annunciation for a month, we would thank him: when he resumed it for his home he would not take everything, for its loveliness of maid and angel is now ours for ever. and if god recalls the child he lent, then let us thank him for the loan, and consider that what made that child the messenger of god--its purity, modesty, trustfulness, gladness--has passed into our soul." _the potter's wheel_, dr. john watson. the dead september "the dead abide with us! though stark and cold earth seems to grip them, they are with us still:-- they have forged our chains of being for good or ill and their invisible hands these hands yet hold. our perishable bodies are the mould in which their strong imperishable will-- mortality's deep yearning to fulfil-- hath grown incorporate through dim time untold. "vibrations infinite of life in death, as a star's travelling light survives its star! so may we hold our lives, that when we are the fate of those who then will draw this breath, they shall not drag us to their judgment bar, and curse the heritage which we bequeath." mathilde blind. "we are learning, by the help of many teachers, the extent and the authority of the dominion which the dead exercise over us, and which we ourselves are shaping for our descendants. "we feel, as perhaps it was impossible to feel before, how at every moment influences from the past enter our souls, and how we in turn scatter abroad that which will be fruitful in the distant future. it is becoming clear to us that we are literally parts of others and they of us." bishop westcott. the dead september "i with uncovered head salute the sacred dead, who went and who return not. say not so! * * * * * we rather seem the dead that stayed behind. blow, trumpets, all your exaltations blow! for never shall their aureoled presence lack: i see them muster in a gleaming row, with ever-youthful brows that nobler show; we find in our dull road their shining track: in every nobler mood we feel the orient of their spirit glow, part of our life's unalterable good, of all our saintlier aspiration: they come transfigured back, secure from change in their high-hearted ways, beautiful evermore, and with the rays of morn on their white shields of expectation." james russell lowell. the dead september "and yet, dear heart! remembering thee, am i not richer than of old? safe in thy immortality, what change can reach the wealth i hold? what chance can mar the pearl and gold thy love hath left in trust for me? and while in life's long afternoon, where cool and long the shadows grow, i walk to meet the night that soon shall shape and shadow overflow, i cannot feel that thou art far, since near at need the angels are; and when the sunset gates unbar, shall i not see thee waiting stand, and, white against the evening star, the welcome of thy beckoning hand?" john greenleaf whittier. the dead september "lord, make me one with thine own faithful ones, thy saints who love thee, and are loved by thee; till the day break and till the shadows flee, at one with them in alms and orisons; at one with him who toils and him who runs, and him who yearns for union yet to be; at one with all who throng the crystal sea, and wait the setting of our moons and suns. ah, my beloved ones gone on before, who looked not back with hand upon the plough! if beautiful to me while still in sight, how beautiful must be your aspects now; your unknown, well-known aspects in that light, which clouds shall never cloud for evermore!" christina rossetti. death september "most persons have died before they expire--died to all earthly longings, so that the last breath is only, as it were, the locking of the door of the already deserted mansion. the fact of the tranquillity with which the great majority of dying persons await this locking of those gates of life through which its airy angels have been coming and going from the moment of the first cry, is familiar to those who have been often called upon to witness the last period of life. almost always there is a preparation made by nature for unearthing a soul, just as on the smaller scale there is for the removal of a milk tooth. the roots which hold human life to earth are absorbed before it is lifted from its place. some of the dying are weary, and want rest, the idea of which is almost inseparable, in the universal mind, from death. some are in pain, and want to be rid of it, even though the anodyne be dropped, as in the legend, from the sword of the death-angel. and some are strong in faith and hope, so that, as they draw near the next world, they would fain hurry toward it, as the caravan moves faster over the sands when the foremost travellers send word along the file that water is in sight. though each little party that follows in a foot-track of its own will have it that the water to which others think they are hastening is a mirage, not the less has it been true in all ages, and for human beings of every creed which recognised a future, that those who have fallen, worn out by their march through the desert, have dreamed at least of a river of life, and thought they heard its murmurs as they lay dying." _the professor at the breakfast table_, o. w. holmes. crossing the bar september "sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me! and may there be no moaning of the bar, when i put out to sea. "but such a tide as moving seems asleep, too full for sound and foam, when that which drew from out the boundless deep turns again home. "twilight and evening bell, and after that the dark! and may there be no sadness of farewell when i embark; "for, tho' from out our bourne of time and place the flood may bear me far, i hope to see my pilot face to face when i have crost the bar." tennyson. life after death september "if the immediate life after death be only sleep, and the spirit between this life and the next should be folded like a flower in a night slumber, then the remembrance of the past might remain, as the smell and colour do in the sleeping flower; and in that case the memory of our love would last as true, and would live pure and whole within the spirit of my friend until after it was unfolded at the breaking of the morn, when the sleep was over." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. "life! i know not what thou art, but know that thou and i must part; and when, or how, or where we met, i own to me's a secret yet. "life! we have been long together, through pleasant and through cloudy weather; 'tis hard to part when friends are dear; perhaps 'twill cost a sigh, a tear;-- then steal away, give little warning, choose thine own time; say not good night, but in some brighter clime bid me good morning!" a. l. barbauld. bearing sorrow september "it is dangerous to abandon oneself to the luxury of grief; it deprives one of courage, and even of the wish for recovery." _amiel's journal._ "its way of suffering is the witness which a soul bears to itself." _amiel's journal._ "we must bury our dead joys and live above them with a living world." george eliot. bearing sorrow september "sorrow brings also a temptation to exactingness. it may be that friends are very helpful to us. let us take care that no selfishness mingles with our love for their companionship, with our claims for their sympathy. "what, for the time, at any rate, is all the world to us, can only be a small part of another's life. "and one must struggle, as time goes on, to take what comes in one's way of sympathy, of kindness, of companionship, but one must also try never to exact sympathy, to allow ourselves to feel neglected, or slighted, or forgotten. "this is a hard lesson--sometimes. "the whole of one's nature becomes sensitive, easily wounded, easily depressed." canon scott holland. bearing sorrow september "selfishness in sorrow is another temptation. one is so apt to become absorbed in one's sorrow. "it is quite possible to become almost selfish in one's spiritual life under the stress of great sorrow. "to see everything, every lesson, every allusion, solely from one's own point of view, to grow too fond of thinking of one's burden.... "the hard path of daily duty is the only path to tread, not because one is thinking of oneself, but because one wishes to forget oneself, and to think only of god, and of those that remain. "self-denial: to put self last, not out of sight, but last, that is what one is always called to do, and it is a sad bit of disloyalty to god's grace if one becomes more selfish in sorrow." canon scott holland. bearing sorrow september "a great sorrow which changes life altogether is apt to produce a certain irritability, a sort of nervous jar. "very often this is an affair of nerves, of physical health, but it is well to watch--'watch and pray.' "all sorts of things will jar and hurt us. people will do and say things with perfect unconsciousness that they are wounding us to the quick. some careless allusion, some chance speech, will set our nerves quivering.... the worries, the jarring incidents, the introduction of discordant topics in the very presence of death, the disappointments, are all to lead us upwards. it is a rough bit of road on which we are set to walk, and the sharp stones cut our feet, but every step brings us nearer god. "do not let _temper_ mar the days of sorrow. "there most probably will be something to try our temper. who does not know the trials which seem peculiar to a break-up, a change in our outward life? who has not seen real christians giving way to peevishness, fretfulness, petty dislikes, petty jealousies of near relations, of those who may be taking the place of the one they mourn? perhaps there is nothing which so mars and spoils the religious life as bad temper and selfishness. "nothing which is so apt to make outsiders shrug their shoulders at those who make frequent communions, and go much to church, and who, especially in dark hours, give way to crossness. there is no better name." canon scott holland. the meaning of religion september "the meaning of religion is a rule of life; it is an obligation to do well; if that rule, that obligation, is not seen, your thousand texts will be to you like the thousand lanterns to the blind man. as he goes about the house in the night of his blindness, he will only break the glass and burn his feet and fingers: and so you, as you go through life in the night of your ignorance, will only break and hurt yourselves on broken laws. "before christ came, the jewish religion had forbidden many evil things; it was a religion that a man could fulfil, i had almost said, in idleness; all he had to do was to pray and to sing psalms, and to refrain from things forbidden. do not deceive yourselves; when christ came, all was changed. the injunction was then laid upon us not to refrain from doing, but to do. at the last day he is to ask us not what sins we have avoided, but what righteousness we have done, what we have done for others, how we have helped good and hindered evil: what difference has it made to this world and to our country and our family and our friends, that we have lived. the man who has been only pious and not useful will stand with a long face on that great day, when christ puts to him his questions. "but this is not all that we must learn: we must beware everywhere of the letter that kills, seek everywhere for the spirit that makes glad and strong. for example, these questions that we have just read are again only the letter. we must study what they mean, not what they are. we are told to visit them that are in prison. a good thing, but it were better if we could save them going there. we are told to visit the sick; it were better still, and we should so better have fulfilled the law, if we could have saved some of them from falling sick." _the life of r. l. stevenson_, graham balfour. pure religion september "righteousness in the old testament is not a theological, but an ethical word, and has to do not with a person's creed, but with a person's character." dr. john watson. "in those days men were working their passage to heaven by keeping the ten commandments, and the hundred and ten other commandments which they had manufactured out of them. christ said, i will show you a more simple way. if you do one thing, you will do these hundred and ten things, without ever thinking about them. if you love, you will unconsciously fulfil the whole law.... love is the rule for fulfilling all rules, the new commandment for keeping all the old commandments, christ's one secret of the christian life." _the greatest thing in the world_, henry drummond. "pure religion as taught by jesus christ is a life, a growth, a divine spirit within, coming out in love and sympathy, and helpfulness to our fellow-men." h. w. thomas. the christian law september "we are often reminded that christ left no code of commandments. it is in him--in his person and his work--the law lies. he has given indeed for our instruction some applications of the negative precepts of the decalogue to the new order. he has added some illustrations of positive duties, almsgiving, prayer, fasting. he has set up an ideal and a motive for life; and, at the same time, he has endowed his church with spiritual power, and has promised that the paraclete, sent in his name, shall guide it into all the truth. (the fundamental principle of the christian social union is "to claim for the christian law the ultimate authority to rule social practice.") "the christian law, then, is the embodiment of the truth for action in forms answering to the conditions of society from age to age. the embodiment takes place slowly, and it can never be complete. it is impossible for us to rest indolently in the conclusions of the past. in each generation the obligation is laid on christians to bring new problems of conduct and duty into the divine light, and to find their solution under the teaching of the spirit. the unceasing effort to fulfil the obligation establishes the highest prerogative of man, and manifests the life of the church. from this effort there can be no release; and the effort itself becomes more difficult as human relations grow fuller, wider, more complex." _christian social union addresses_, bishop westcott. the christian law september "the sanction of this law (the christian law) is not fear of punishment, but that self-surrender to an ever-present lord, of those who are his slaves at once and his friends, which is perfect freedom. this law animates the heart of him who receives it with the invigorating truth that character is formed rather by what we do than by what we refrain from doing. it requires that every personal gift and possession should minister to the common welfare, not in the way of ransom, or as a forced loan, but as an offering of love. it reaches to the springs of action, and gives to the most mechanical toil the dignity of a divine service. it makes the strong arm co-operate in one work with the warm heart and the creative brain. it constrains the poet and the artist to concentrate their magnificent powers on things lovely and of good report, to introduce us to characters whom to know is a purifying discipline, and to fill the souls of common men with visions of hidden beauty and memories of heroic deeds. it enables us to lift up our eyes to a pattern of human society which we have not yet dared to contemplate, a pattern which answers to the constitution of man as he was made in the divine image to gain the divine likeness. it forbids us to seek repose till, as far as lies in us, all labour is seen to be not a provision for living, but a true human life; all education a preparation for the vision of god here and hereafter; all political enterprise a conscious hastening of the time when the many nations shall walk in the light of the holy city, and the kings of the earth bring their glory into it." _christian social union addresses_, bishop westcott. trustees september "for the christian there can be but one ideal, the perfect development of every man for the occupation of his appointed place, for the fulfilment of his peculiar office in the 'body of christ'; and as a first step towards this, we are all bound as christians to bring to our country the offering of our individual service in return for the opportunities of culture and labour which we receive from its organisation. we are all as christians trustees and stewards of everything which we possess, of our time, our intellect, our influence, no less than of our riches. we ourselves are not our own: still less can we say of that which we inherit or acquire, 'it is my own.' we all belong, in the fulness of life 'in christ,' to our fellow-citizens, and our nation belongs to mankind. what we hold for a time is to be administered for the relief of distresses, and for the elevation of those among whom we are placed. personal and social egoism are equally at variance with this conception of humanity. the repression of individuality and the individual appropriation of the fruits of special vigour and insight equally tend to impoverish the race. service always ready to become sacrifice is the condition of our growth, and the condition of our joy." _christian social union addresses_, bishop westcott. "not to destroy, but to fulfil" september "christ took the world as he found it, he left it as it was. he had no quarrel with existing institutions. he did not overthrow the church--he went to church. he said nothing against politics--he supported the government of the country. he did not denounce society--his first public action was to go to a marriage. his great aim, in fact, outwardly, and all along, was to be as normal, as little eccentric as possible. the true fanatic always tries the opposite. the spirit alone was singular in jesus; a fanatic always spoils his cause by extending it to the letter. christ came not to destroy, but to fulfil. a fanatic comes not to fulfil, but to destroy. if we would follow the eccentricity of our master, let it not be in asceticism, in denunciation, in punctiliousness, and scruples about trifles, but in largeness of heart, singleness of eye, true breadth of character, true love to men, and heroism for christ." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "religion has been treated as if it were a special exercise of a special power, not as if it were the possible loftiness of everything that a man could think or be or do." phillips brooks. religion in daily life september "if we want to get religion into life, or anything whatever in us into life, we are bound to have no contentment, no rest, no dreaming, no delays, till we get thought into shape, feeling into labour, some conviction, some belief, some idea, into form without us, among the world of men. this is the main principle, and it applies to every sphere of human effort. so much for the habit whereby we gain power to bring religion into daily life. "righteousness, shaped from within to without in the world of men, is justice, and the doing of justice. this is the first need of commonwealths, the first duty of individuals, and the practical religion of both. a still higher form into which we may put our religion in life is in doing the things which belong to love; and love is the higher form because it secures justice. these are the things we should shape into life because we love them. to be faithful always to that which we believe to be true; to be faithful to our principles and our conscience when trial comes, or when we are tempted to sacrifice them for place or pelf; to be faithful to our given word; to keep our promises when we might win favour by eluding or breaking them; to cling to intellectual as well as to moral truth; to so live among men that they may know where we are; to fly our flag in the storm as well as in the calm. it is to pass by with contempt the dark cavern where men worship mammon; to fix our thought and effort on the attainment of righteousness in public and in private homes, to have the courage to attempt what seems impossible through love of the ideals of truth and beauty, and to prefer to die on the field of work and self-devotion rather than to live in idleness and luxury." stopford brooke. unfelt creeds september "there are also some who forget that the laws of the spiritual world are no less inflexible and inviolable than those of the physical world; that conduct is everything; and that the faith which saves, and which, working by love, makes conduct, is something much deeper and more substantial than the muttering of an unfelt creed, or than the melancholy presumption that to think ourselves saved is by itself a passport into the everlasting habitations." bishop thorold. "holiness is an infinite compassion for others: greatness is to take the common things of life and walk truly among them: happiness is a great love and much serving." "heaven does not make holiness, but holiness makes heaven." phillips brooks. fasting september "it makes me half afraid, half angry, to see the formal, mechanical way in which people do what they call their 'lenten penances,' and then rush off, only with increased ardour, to their easter festivities. literal fasting does not suit me--it makes me irritable and uncomfortable, and certainly does not spiritualise me; so i have always tried to keep my lents in the nobler and more healthful spirit of isaiah lviii. i have kept them but poorly, after all; still, i am sure _that_ is the true way of keeping them." _letters from_ bishop fraser's _lancashire life_, archdeacon diggle. "god does not call us to give up some sin or some harmful self-indulgence in lent that we may resume it at easter." _the guided life_, canon body. fasting september "fasting comes by nature when a man is sad, and it is in consequence the natural token of sadness: when a man is very sad, for the loss of relations or the like, he loses all inclination for food. but every outward sign that can be displayed at will is liable to abuse, and so men sometimes fasted when they were not really sad, but when it was decorous to appear so. moreover a kind of merit came to be attached to fasting as betokening sorrow for transgressions; and at last it came to be regarded as a sort of self-punishment which it was thought the almighty would accept in lieu of inflicting punishment himself. our lord does not decry stated fasts or any other jewish practices, they had their uses and would last their times; only he points men to the underlying truth which was at the bottom of the ordinance." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. the great law of love september "those who go to christ and not to custom for their view of that which is essential in religion, know the infinitesimal value of profession and ceremonies, beside the great law of love to our neighbour." f. w. farrar. "not only the happiness but the efficiency of the passive virtues, love as a power, as a practical success in the world, is coming to be recognised. the fact that christ led no army, that he wrote no book, built no church, spent no money, but that he loved, and so conquered, this is beginning to strike men. and paul's argument is gaining adherents, that when all prophecies are fulfilled, and all our knowledge is obsolete, and all tongues grow unintelligible, this thing, love, will abide and see them all out one by one into the oblivious past. this is the hope for the world, that we shall learn to love, and in learning that, unlearn all anger and wrath and evil-speaking and malice and bitterness." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. soldiers of the same army september "to him, as to so many, truth is so infinitely great that all we can do with our poor human utterances is to try and clothe it in such language as will make it clear to ourselves, and clear to those to whom god sends us with a message; but meanwhile above us and our thoughts--above our broken lights--god in his mercy, god in his love, god in his infinite nature is greater than all." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. "are not all true men that live, or that ever lived, soldiers of the same army, enlisted under heaven's captaincy, to do battle against the same enemy--the empire of darkness and wrong? why should we mis-know one another, fight not against the enemy, but against ourselves, from mere difference of uniform?" carlyle. by their works september "call him not heretic whose works attest his faith in goodness by no creed confessed. whatever in love's name is truly done to free the bound and lift the fallen one is done to christ. whoso in deed and word is not against him labours for our lord. when he, who, sad and weary, longing sore for love's sweet service, sought the sisters' door, one saw the heavenly, one the human guest, but who shall say which loved the master best?" whittier. "hast thou made much of words, and forms, and tests, and thought but little of the peace and love,-- his gospel to the poor? dost thou condemn thy brother, looking down, in pride of heart, on each poor wanderer from the fold of truth?... go thy way!-- take heaven's own armour for the heavenly strife, welcome all helpers in thy war with sin ... and learn through all the future of thy years to form thy life in likeness of thy lord's!" plumptre. faith september "faith is the communication of the divine spirit by which christ as the revealed god dwells in our heart. it is the awakening of the spirit of adoption whereby we cry, 'abba father.'" t. h. green. "he thought with arthur hallam, that 'the essential feelings of religion subsist in the utmost diversity of forms,' that 'different language does not always imply different opinions, nor different opinions any difference in _real_ faith.' 'it is impossible,' he said, 'to imagine that the almighty will ask you, when you come before him in the next life, what your particular form of creed was; but the question will rather be, "have you been true to yourself and given in my name a cup of cold water to one of these little ones?"'" _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. "religion consists not in knowledge, but in a holy life." bishop taylor. a new creed october "imagine a body of christians who should take their stand on the sermon of jesus, and conceive their creed on his lines. imagine how it would read, 'i believe in the fatherhood of god; i believe in the words of jesus; i believe in the clean heart; i believe in the service of love; i believe in the unworldly life; i believe in the beatitudes; i promise to trust god and follow christ, to forgive my enemies, and to seek after the righteousness of god.' could any form of words be more elevated, more persuasive, more alluring? do they not thrill the heart and strengthen the conscience? liberty of thought is allowed; liberty of sinning is alone denied." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. the sermon on the mount has been called "the text-book of duty." phillips brooks. "the magna charta of the kingdom of god." neander. "christ's manifesto, and the constitution of christianity." dr. john watson. "the great proclamation, which by one effort lifted mankind on to that new and higher ground on which it has been painfully struggling ever since, but on the whole with sure but slow success, to plant itself, and maintain sure foothold." t. hughes. the programme of christianity october "there may be worship without words." longfellow. "all the world is the temple of god. its worship is ministration. the commonest service is divine service." george macdonald. the programme of christianity. "to preach good tidings unto the meek: to build up the broken-hearted: to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound: to proclaim the acceptable year of the lord, and the day of vengeance of our god: to comfort all that mourn: to appoint unto them that mourn in zion, to give unto them-- beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness." henry drummond. the lord's supper october "the lord's supper, the right and need of every man to feed on god, the bread of divine sustenance, the wine of divine inspiration offered to every man, and turned by every man into what form of spiritual force the duty and the nature of each man required, how grand and glorious its mission might become! no longer the mystic source of unintelligible influence; no longer, certainly, the test of arbitrary orthodoxy; no longer the initiation rite of a selected brotherhood; but the great sacrament of man!... there is no other rallying place for all the good activity and worthy hopes of man. it is in the power of the great christian sacrament, the great human sacrament, to become that rallying place. think how it would be, if some morning all the men, women, and children in this city who mean well, from the reformer meaning to meet some giant evil at the peril of his life to the school-boy meaning to learn his day's lesson with all his strength, were to meet in a great host at the table of the lord, and own themselves his children, and claim the strength of his bread and wine, and then go out with calm, strong, earnest faces to their work. how the communion service would lift up its voice and sing itself in triumph, the great anthem of dedicated human life! ah, my friends, that, nothing less than that, is the real holy communion of the church of the living god." phillips brooks. nominal christians october "the bane of the church of god, the dishonour of christ, the laughing-stock of the world, is in that far too numerous body of half-alive christians who choose their own cross, and shape their own standard, and regulate their own sacrifices, and measure their own devotions; whose cross is very unlike the saviour's, whose standard is not that of as much holiness as they can attain, but of as little holiness as they can safely be content with to be saved; whose sacrifices do not deprive them from one year's end to another of a single comfort, or even a real luxury, and whose devotions can never make their dull hearts burn with love of christ." bishop thorold. "men find christ through their fellow-men, and every glimpse they get of him is a direct message from himself." henry drummond. manifestations of god october "the distinguishing mark of religion is not so much liberty as obedience, and its value is measured by the sacrifices which it can extract from the individual." _amiel's journal._ "there is perhaps no human soul which never hungers after god. men's unbelief in lies is often quoted against them, by the liar especially. but we believe--not when we are told about, but when we are shown--christ." _turkish bonds_, may kendall. "let your lives preach." george fox. manifestations of god october "for how, as a matter of fact, do we grow to know god? let me refer you to professor flint's book on theism for the best answer i know. we begin to know god as we begin to know our fellow-man--through his manifestations. we may be tempted to think that we cannot know what we cannot see, but in a perfectly true sense we never see our fellow-man: we see his manifestations; we see his outward appearance. we hear what he says; we notice what he does, and we infer from all this what his unseen character is like, what the man is in himself; so similarly and as surely we learn to know god. we see what he has done in nature and in history; we see what he is doing to-day; we read what he has conveyed to us for our instruction 'in sundry times and in divers manners'; and so we learn to listen for and to love 'the still small voice' in which he speaks to our hearts. one knowledge is as gradual and yet as sure and certain and logical as the other." _work in great cities_, bishop winnington ingram. manifestations of god october "it is human character or developed humanity that conducts us to our notion of the character divine.... in proportion as the mysteries of man's goodness unfold themselves to us, in that proportion do we obtain an insight into god's." j. b. mozley. "if you want your neighbour to know what the christ spirit will do for him, let him see what it has done for you." henry ward beecher. "when a man lives with god, his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn." emerson. prayer october "'we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousness, but for thy great mercies. o lord, hear; o lord, forgive; o lord, hearken and do.'--dan. ix. , . "every true prayer has its background and its foreground. the foreground of prayer is the intense, immediate desire for a certain blessing which seems to be absolutely necessary for the soul to have; the background of prayer is the quiet earnest desire that the will of god, whatever it may be, should be done. what a picture is the perfect prayer of jesus in gethsemane! in front burns the strong desire to escape death and to live; but, behind, there stands, calm and strong, the craving of the whole life for the doing of the will of god.... leave out the foreground--let there be no expression of the wish of him who prays--and there is left a pure submission which is almost fatalism. leave out the background--let there be no acceptance of the will of god--and the prayer is only an expression of self-will, a petulant claiming of the uncorrected choice of him who prays. only when the two, foreground and background, are there together,--the special desire resting on the universal submission, the universal submission opening into the special desire,--only then is the picture perfect and the prayer complete!" phillips brooks. prayer october "about prayer he said: 'the reason why men find it hard to regard prayer in the same light in which it was formerly regarded is that _we_ seem to know more of the unchangeableness of law. but i believe that god reveals himself in each individual soul. prayer is, to take a mundane simile, like opening a sluice between the great ocean and our little channels when the great sea gathers itself together and flows in at full tide.' 'prayer on our part is the highest aspiration of the soul.'" "a breath that fleets beyond this iron world and touches him who made it." "speak to him, thou, for he hears, and spirit with spirit can meet-- closer is he than breathing, and nearer than hands and feet." and "more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. prayer october "there can be no objection to praying for certain special things. god forbid! i cannot help doing it, any more than a child in the dark can help calling for its mother. only it seems to me that when we pray, 'grant this day that we run into no kind of danger,' we ought to lay our stress on the 'run' rather than on the 'danger,' to ask god not to take away the danger by altering the course of nature, but to give us light and guidance whereby to avoid it." charles kingsley. "special prayer is based upon a fundamental instinct of our nature. and in the fellowship which is established in prayer between man and god, we are brought into personal union with him in whom all things have their being. "in this lies the possibility of boundless power; for when the connection is once formed, who can lay down the limits of what man can do in virtue of the communion of his spirit with the infinite spirit?" bishop westcott. prayer october "it is abundantly clear that answered prayer encourages faith and personal relations in a way which broad principles only cannot effect. as the _spectator_ put it many years ago, much that would be positively bad for us if given without prayer, is good if sent in answer. we feel (do we not?) that all the evil of the world springs from mistrust of god. nothing can recover us from this state of alienated unrest like answered prayer." _life of f. w. crossley_, rendel harris. "prayer will in time make the human countenance its own divinest altar; years upon years of true thoughts, like ceaseless music shut up within, will vibrate along the nerves of expression until the lines of the living instrument are drawn into correspondence, and the harmony of visible form matches the unheard harmonies of the mind." _the choir invisible_, james lane allen. prayer october "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 by which 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. 'there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him.' this was the true reply to the prayer of christ." f. w. robertson. "never let us get into the common trick of calling unbelief--resignation; of asking, and then because we have not faith to believe, putting in a 'thy will be done' at the end. let us make god's will our will, and so say 'thy will be done.'" charles kingsley. prayer october "accustom yourself gradually to let your mental prayer spread over all your daily external occupations. speak, act, work quietly, as though you were praying, as indeed you ought to be. "do everything without excitement, simply in the spirit of grace. so soon as you perceive natural activity gliding in, recall yourself quietly into the presence of god. hearken to what the leadings of grace prompt, and say and do nothing but what god's holy spirit teaches. you will find yourself infinitely more quiet, your words will be fewer and more effectual, and while doing less, what you do will be more profitable. it is not a question of a hopeless mental activity, but a question of acquiring a quietude and peace in which you readily advise with your beloved as to all you have to do." fÉnÉlon. "a blessing such as this our hearts might reap, the freshness of the garden they might share, through the long day an heavenly freshness keep, if, knowing how the day and the day's glare must beat upon them, we would largely steep and water them betimes with dews of prayer." trench. self-examination october "it is my custom every night to run all over the words and actions of the past day; for why should i fear the sight of my errors when i can admonish and forgive myself? i was a little too hot in such a dispute: my opinion might have been as well spared, for it gave offence, and did no good at all. the thing was true; but all truths are not to be spoken at all times." seneca. resolves. "to try to be thoroughly poor in spirit, meek, and to be ready to be silent when others speak. "to learn from every one. "to try to feel my own insignificance. "to believe in myself and the powers with which i am entrusted. "to try to make conversation more useful, and therefore to store my mind with facts, but to guard against a wish to shine. "to try to despise the principle of the day 'every man his own trumpeter,' and to feel it a degradation to speak of my own doings, as a poor braggart. "to speak less of self and to think less. "to contend one by one against evil thoughts. "to try to fix my thoughts in prayer without distraction. "to watch over a growing habit of uncharitable judgment." _f. w. robertson's life._ confession of sin october "an immense quantity of modern confession of sin, even when honest, is merely a sickly egotism which will rather gloat over its own evil than lose the centralisation of its interest in itself." _ethics of the dust_, john ruskin. "the fit of low spirits which comes to us when we find ourselves overtaken in a fault, though we flatter ourselves to reckon it a certain sign of penitence, and a set-off to the sin itself which god will surely take into account, is often nothing more than vexation and annoyance with ourselves, that, after all our good resolutions and attempts at reformation, we have broken down again." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "and be you sure that sorrow without resolute effort at amendment is one of the most contemptible of all human frailties; deserving to be despised by men, and certain to be rejected by god." bishop temple. morbid introspectiveness october "plainly there is one danger in all self-discipline which has to be most carefully watched and guarded against, that, namely, of valuing the means at the expense of the end, and so falling into either self-righteousness or formalism, and very probably into uncharitableness also. if we esteem our obedience to rule, and self-imposed restraints, for their own sake, we effectually destroy their power to train and elevate. i suppose this is the real mistake of a false asceticism, which sees the merit rather in the amount of discipline undergone than in the character and self-conquest to be gained by it." bishop walsham how. "... it is a clear view of higher motives, which at once reveals and defeats our meaner impulses; which assists the discipline of _proper_ self-searching, by making it healthy and hopeful; and resists any habit of morbid introspectiveness with its fatal tendency to paralyse activity of character." canon knox little. introspection october "beware of despairing about yourself." st. augustine. "any man who is good for anything, if he is always thinking about himself, will come to think himself good for nothing very soon. it is only a fop or a fool who can bear to look at himself all day long, without disgust. and so the first thing for a man to do, who wants to use his best powers at their best, is to get rid of self-consciousness, to stop thinking about himself and how he is working, altogether." phillips brooks. "on somehow. to go back were to lose all." tennyson. our true selves and our traditional selves october "i have sometimes thought that this facility of men in believing that they are still what they once meant to be--this undisturbed appropriation of a traditional character which is often but a melancholy relic of early resolutions, like the worn and soiled testimonial to soberness and honesty carried in the pocket of a tippler whom the need of a dram has driven into peculation--may sometimes diminish the turpitude of what seems a flat, barefaced falsehood. it is notorious that a man may go on uttering false assertions about his own acts till he at last believes in them: is it not possible that sometimes in the very first utterance there may be a shade of creed-reciting belief, a reproduction of a traditional self which is clung to against all evidence? there is no knowing all the disguises of the lying serpent. "when we come to examine in detail what is the sane mind in the sane body, the final test of completeness seems to be a security of distinction between what we have professed and what we have done; what we have aimed at and what we have achieved; what we have invented and what we have witnessed or had evidenced to us; what we think and feel in the present and what we thought and felt in the past." george eliot. un-self-consciousness october "an unconscious, easy, selfish person shocks less and is more easily loved than one who is laboriously and egotistically unselfish. there is at least no fuss about the first; but the other parades his sacrifices, and so sells his favours too dear. selfishness is calm, a force of nature: you might say the trees are selfish. but egoism is a piece of vanity; it must always take you into its confidence; it is uneasy, troublesome, searching; it can do good, but not handsomely; it is uglier, because less dignified, than selfishness itself." "if a man has self-surrender pressed incessantly upon him, this keeps the idea of self ever before his view. christ does not cry down _self_, but he puts it out of a man's sight by giving him something better to care for, something which shall take full and rightful possession of his soul. the apostles, without ever having any consciousness of sacrificing self, were brought into a habit of self-sacrifice by merging all thoughts for themselves in devotion to a master and a cause, and in thinking what they could do to serve it themselves." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. un-self-consciousness october "think as little as possible about any good in yourself; turn your eyes resolutely from any view of your acquirement, your influence, your plan, your success, your following: above all, speak as little as possible about yourself. the inordinateness of our self-love makes speech about ourselves like the putting of the lighted torch to the dried wood which has been laid in order for the burning. nothing but duty should open our lips upon this dangerous theme, except it be in humble confession of our sinfulness before our god. again, be specially upon the watch against those little tricks by which the vain man seeks to bring round the conversation to himself, and gain the praise or notice which the thirsty ears drink in so greedily; and even if praise comes unsought, it is well, whilst men are uttering it, to guard yourself by thinking of some secret cause for humbling yourself inwardly to god; thinking into what these pleasant accents would be changed if all that is known to god, and even to yourself, stood suddenly revealed to man." bishop wilberforce. "those who have never sought to attain true humility ... have yet to learn how it lies at the root of all our dear lord's teaching.... the first step towards the inner life is to attain a childlike spirit in heavenly things.... it is solely god's gift." grou. love the destroyer of sin october "it is quite idle, by force of will, to seek to empty the angry passions out of our life. who has not made a thousand resolutions in this direction, only and with unutterable mortification to behold them dashed to pieces with the first temptation? the soul is to be made sweet not by taking the acidulous fluids out, but by putting something in--a great love, god's great love. this is to work a chemical change upon them, to renovate and regenerate them, to dissolve them in its own rich fragrant substance. if a man let this into his life, his cure is complete; if not, it is hopeless." _the ideal life_, henry drummond. "the secret of success consists not in the habit of making numerous resolutions about various faults and sins, but in one great, absorbing, controlling purpose to serve god and do his will! if this be the controlling motive of life, all other motives will be swept into the force of its mighty current and guided aright." love the destroyer of sin october "for the most of us the more hopeful plan is to overcome our passions by thinking of something else. this something else need by no means be a serious thing. for it happens sometimes that ideas that do not soar above trivialities may nevertheless have sent down such roots into a man's life, and become so fruitful of suggestion, that they prove more effective allies than more imposing and pretentious resources. whence it comes that a sport, or a pastime, have before now weaned many from cares and sorrows which seemed proof against even the consolations of religion. be it granted that, severely construed, this is a proof of the frivolity of human nature. but it is none the less an illustration of the expulsive power of ideas." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "he proposed to make sin impossible by replacing it with love. if sin be an act of self-will, each person making himself the centre, then love is the destruction of sin, because love connects instead of isolating. no one can be envious, avaricious, hard-hearted; no one can be gross, sensual, unclean, if he loves. love is the death of all bitter and unholy moods of the soul, because love lifts the man out of himself and teaches him to live in another." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. mental hygiene october "it is poor strategy to wage against evil feelings or propulsions a war of mere repression. we have seen that this is so in educational control of others. it is not less so in control of ourselves. if we would really oust our evil proclivities, we must cultivate others that are positively good. it is not enough to hate our failings or our vices with a perfect hatred. we must love something else. in other words, we must contrive to open mind and heart to tenants in whose presence unwelcome intruders, unable to find a home, will torment us only for a season and at last take their departure. 'there is a mental just as much as a bodily hygiene.'" _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "moses said, 'do this or do that.' jesus refrained from regulations--he proposed that we should love. jesus, while hardly mentioning the word, planted the idea in his disciples' minds, that love was law. for three years he exhibited and enforced love as the principle of life, until, before he died, they understood that all duty to god and man was summed up in love. progress in the moral world is ever from complexity to simplicity. first one hundred duties; afterwards they are gathered into ten commandments; then they are reduced to two: love of god and love of man; and, finally, jesus says his last word: 'this is my commandment, that ye love one another, as i have loved you.'" _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "as night enters, darkness departs" october "if sin be a principle in a man's life, then it is evident that it cannot be affected by the most pathetic act in history exhibited from without; it must be met by an opposite principle working from within. if sin be selfishness, as jesus taught, then it can only be overcome by the introduction of a spirit of self-renunciation. jesus did not denounce sin: negative religion is always impotent. he replaced sin by virtue, which is a silent revolution. as the light enters, the darkness departs, and as soon as one renounced himself, he had ceased from sin." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. "'why could not we cast him out?' "let his love fill you with love, and then the conquering of your sins by his help shall be in its course one long enthusiasm and at the end a glorious success. that is your hope; and that hope, if you will, you may seize to-day." phillips brooks. stepping-stones october "the block of granite which was an obstacle in the pathway of the weak, becomes a stepping-stone in the pathway of the strong." carlyle. "out of difficulties grow miracles." "i hold it truth with him who sings to one clear harp in divers tones, that men may rise on stepping stones of their dead selves to higher things." tennyson. "why wilt thou defer thy good purpose from day to day? arise and begin this very instant, and say, 'now is the time to be doing, now is the time to be striving, now is the fit time to amend myself.'" thomas À kempis. never lose a battle october "a fourth maxim is 'never if possible to lose a battle.' and none can be sounder. for it is always to be remembered that a single lapse involves here something worse than a simple failure. the alternative is not between good habit or no habit, but between good habit and bad. for, as professor bain points out, the characteristic difficulty here lies in the fact that in the moral life rival tendencies are in constant competition for mastery over us. the loss of a battle here is therefore worse than a defeat. it strengthens the enemy, whether this enemy be some powerful passion, or nothing more than the allurements of an easy life. it has worse effects still. for if by persistence in well-doing we all of us create a moral tradition for our individual selves, so do we by every failure hang in the memory a humiliating and paralysing record of defeat." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "if one surrender himself to jesus, and is crucified on his cross, there is no sin he will not overcome, no service he will not render, no virtue to which he will not attain." _the mind of the master_, dr. john watson. living in the present october "be not anxious about to-morrow. do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking forward to things which you cannot see, and could not understand, if you saw them." charles kingsley. "do not disturb thyself by thinking of the whole of thy life. let not thy thoughts at once embrace all the various troubles which thou mayest expect to befall thee: but on every occasion ask thyself, what is there in this which is intolerable and past bearing? for thou wilt be ashamed to confess. in the next place remember that neither the future nor the past pains thee, but only the present. but this is reduced to a very little, if thou only circumscribest it, and chidest thy mind, if it is unable to hold out against even this." marcus aurelius. "finish every day and be done with it. you have done what you could. some blunders and absurdities no doubt crept in; forget them as soon as you can. to-morrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. this day is all that is good and fair. it is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays." emerson. day by day october "by trying to take in the idea of life as a whole we only give ourselves mental indigestion; a day at a time is as much as a man can healthily swallow." edna lyall. "think that this day will never dawn again. the heavens are calling you and wheel around you, displaying to you their eternal beauties, and still your eye is looking on the ground." _the divine comedy_, dante. "to-day is a king in disguise: let us unmask the king as he passes." emerson. day by day october "lo, here hath been dawning another blue day; think, wilt thou let it slip useless away!" carlyle. "the perfection of moral character consists in this, in passing every day as the last, and in being neither violently excited, nor torpid, nor playing the hypocrite." marcus aurelius. "when night comes, list thy deeds; make plain the way 'twixt heaven and thee; block it not with delays: but perfect all before thou sleep'st; then say, 'there's one sun more strung on my bead of days.' what's good store up for joy, the bad, well scann'd, wash off with tears, and get thy master's hand." henry vaughan. gaining or losing ground october "gaining or losing all the time is our condition, morally and spiritually. we cannot stand utterly still. if we are not improving we are losing ground. outside forces compel that, in addition to the forces that are working within. we are pressing forward and being helped in that direction, or we are being pressed backward and are yielding to that pressure. let us not deceive ourselves with the idea that even though we are making no progress we are at least holding our own. we can no more stand still than time can." "whose high endeavours are an inward light, that makes the path before him always bright. "and through the heat of conflict, keeps the law in calmness made, and sees what he foresaw. "who, not content that former worth stand fast, looks forward persevering to the last, from well to better, daily self-surpassed." _the happy warrior_, wordsworth. pressing forward october "plutarch records that when simonides offered to teach themistocles the art of memory the latter said: 'teach me rather the art of forgetting.' how much the world needs to learn that art. paul spoke of forgetting the things that are behind. we should forget our mistakes and failures, so far as these cause discouragement. we should forget our successes if they cause pride or preoccupy the mind. we should forget the slights that have been put upon us or the insults that have been given us. to remember these is to be weak and miserable, if not worse. he who says he can forgive but he cannot forget is deceived by the sound of words. forgiveness that is genuine involves forgetfulness of the injury. true forgiveness means a putting away of the wrong behind the back and remembering it no more. that is what god does when he forgives, and that is what we all must do if we truly forgive." "... it is wise to forget past errors. there is a kind of temperament which, when indulged, greatly hinders growth in real godliness. it is that rueful, repentant, self-accusing temper, which is always looking back, and microscopically observing how that which is done might have been better done. something of this we ought to have. a christian ought to feel always that he has partially failed, but that ought not to be the only feeling. faith ought ever to be a sanguine, cheerful thing; and perhaps in practical life we could not give a better account of faith than by saying, that it is, amidst much failure, having the heart to _try again_. our best deeds are marked by imperfection; but if they really were our best, 'forget the things that are behind'--we shall do better next time." f. w. robertson. the evil of brooding november "throughout the gospel history we discern our lord's care to keep men in a fit condition to serve god by active work. all that would impair their efficiency is to be shunned. now, to repine and brood over some past error cuts the sinews of action; from this the apostles therefore are always diverted, and they are to be watchful to prevent others from sinking into dejection and folding their hands in despair. a man who is hopeless has no heart for work, but when he is so far encouraged as to be able to exert himself his despondency soon disappears." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "disappointment should always be taken as a stimulant, and never viewed as a discouragement." c. b. newcomb. "i always loved 'at evening time it shall be light,' and i am sure it comes true to many a young troubled soul, which in its youthful zeal and impatience cannot help eating its heart out over its own and other people's failings and imperfections, and has not yet learnt the patience which comes from realising that in this world we see but the beginning of things." aspiration november "if a man constantly aspires, is he not elevated?" thoreau. "the thing we long for,--that we are for one transcendent moment! before the present, poor and bare, can make its sneering comment! * * * * * longing is god's fresh heavenward will with our poor earthward striving; we quench it that we may be still content with merely living; but would we learn that heart's full scope which we are hourly wronging, our lives must climb from hope to hope and realise our longing! * * * * * ah! let us hope that to our praise good god not only reckons the moments when we tread his ways, but when the spirit beckons-- that some slight good is also wrought beyond self-satisfaction, when we are simply good in thought, howe'er we fail in action." lowell. there shall never be one lost good november "therefore to whom turn i but to thee, the ineffable name? builder and maker, thou, of houses not made with hands! what, have fear of change from thee who art ever the same? doubt that thy power can fill the heart that thy power expands? there shall never be one lost good! what was shall live as before; the evil is null, is nought, is silence implying sound; what was good, shall be good, with, for evil, so much good more; on the earth the broken arcs; in the heaven a perfect round. all we have willed or hoped or dreamed of good, shall exist, not its semblance, but itself; no beauty, nor good, nor power whose voice has gone forth, but each survives for the melodist, when eternity confirms the conception of an hour. the high that proved too high, the heroic for earth too hard, the passion that left the ground to lose itself in the sky, are music sent up to god by the lover and the bard; enough that he heard it once; we shall hear it by-and-bye." _abt vogler_, robert browning. struggling november "if what shone afar so grand turn to nothing in thy hand, on again, the virtue lies in the struggle, not the prize." r. m. milnes. "one would like one's own failures to be one's friends' stepping stones.... i am trying to teach myself that if one _has_ been working, one has not necessarily been working to good purpose, and that one may waste strength and forces of all sorts, as well as time." _mrs. ewing's letters._ "rise ... as children learn, be thou wiser for falling." tennyson. true patience november "there are those who think it is christian patience to sit down by the wayside to endure the storm, crying in themselves, 'god is hard on me, but i will bear his smiting'; but their endurance is only idleness which is ignoble, and hiding from the battle which is cowardice. or they cry, 'i am the victim of fate, but i will be patient'--as if any one could be a victim if god be love, or as if there were such a thing as blind fate, when the order of the world is to lead men into righteousness; when to be victor and not victim is the main word of that order. no, the severity of the battle is to force us into self-forgetfulness; and this lazy resignation, this wailing patience, is mere self-remembrance. the true patience is activity of faith and hope and righteousness in the cause of men for the sake of god's love of them; is in glad proclamation of the gospel; is in wielding the sword of the truth of god against all that injures mankind." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "wise men ne'er sit and wail their loss, but cheerly seek how to redress their harms. what though the mast be now blown overboard, the cable broke, the holding anchor lost, and half our sailors swallowed in the flood-- yet lives our pilot still." shakespeare. the appetite for condolence november "it is right to exercise a great deal of self-restraint in speaking of our troubles, and not to let the appetite for condolence grow on us." _studies in the christian character_, bishop paget. "carlyle says, 'my father had one virtue which i should try to imitate--he never spoke of what was disagreeable and past,' and my mother was the same; she turned her back at once upon the last months, which she put away for ever like a sealed volume." _the story of my life_, augustus hare. "hacket's motto, 'serve god and be cheerful.'" "the sharp ferule of calamity" november "it is to keep a man awake, to keep him alive to his own soul and its fixed design of righteousness, that the better part of moral and religious education is directed; not only that of words and doctors, but the sharp ferule of calamity under which we are all god's scholars till we die." _the life of r. l. stevenson_, graham balfour. "the best help is not to bear the troubles of others for them, but to inspire them with courage and energy to bear their burdens for themselves and meet the difficulties of life bravely." lord avebury. the essentials of happiness november "we weigh ourselves down with burdens of sorrow which are the results of our selfish thoughts and selfish desires; and every one of these burdens lessens our power to live righteously in ourselves, and to live usefully for others." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "when you find yourself overpowered, as it were by melancholy, the best way is to go out, and do something kind to somebody or other." _letters of spiritual counsel_, keble. "the grand essentials of happiness are, something to do, something to love, and something to hope for." chalmers. "happiness is easy when we have learnt to renounce." mme. de staËl. unrest november "self-interest is but the survival of the animal in us. humanity only begins for man with self-surrender." _amiel's journal._ "what are the chief causes of _unrest_? if you know yourself, you will answer pride, selfishness, ambition. as you look back upon the past years of your life, is it not true that its unhappiness has chiefly come from the succession of personal mortifications and almost trivial disappointments which the intercourse of life has brought you? great trials come at lengthened intervals, and we rise to breast them; but it is the petty friction of our everyday life with one another, the jar of business or of work, the discord of the domestic circle, the collapse of our ambition, the crossing of our will, the taking down of our conceit, which make inward peace impossible. wounded vanity, then, disappointed hopes, unsatisfied selfishness--these are the old, vulgar, universal sources of man's unrest." _pax vobiscum_, henry drummond. rest november "now, what is the first step towards the winning of that rest? it is the giving up of self-will and the receiving of god's will as our own--and what that means is clear. it is to make our life at one with god's character, with justice and purity, with truth and love, with mercy and joy. it is the surrender of our own pleasure and the making of god's desire for us the master of our life. that is the first step--a direction of the soul to god. the second has to do with mankind. it is the replacing of all self-love by the love of our fellow-men; a direction of the soul to god through man. "these two ways are in reality one; and there is no other way, if we search the whole world over, in which we may attain rest. simple as it sounds, it is the very last way many of us seek. we fight against this truth, and it has to be beaten into us by pain. clear as it seems, it is a secret which is as difficult to discover as the elixir of life, but it is so difficult because we do not will to discover it." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. the duty of happiness november "i cannot think but that the world would be better and brighter if our teachers would dwell on the duty of happiness as well as the happiness of duty." lord avebury. "reflect upon your present blessings, of which every man has many; not on your past misfortunes, of which all men have some." dickens. "half the world is on the wrong scent in the pursuit of happiness. they think it consists in having and getting, and in being served by others. it consists in giving and in serving others." henry drummond. discontent november "he or she that is idle, be they of what condition they will, never so rich, so well allied, fortunate, happy--let them have all things in abundance and felicity that heart can wish and desire,--all contentment--so long as he, or she, or they are idle, they shall never be pleased, never well in mind or body, but weary still, sickly still, vexed still, loathing still, weeping, sighing, grieving, suspecting, offended with the world, with every object, wishing themselves gone or dead, or else carried away with some foolish phantasy or other." burton. "we are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves. the consciousness of wrong-doing makes us irritable, and our heart in its cunning quarrels with what is outside it, in order that it may deafen the clamour within." _amiel's journal._ "look within. within is the fountain of good, and it will ever bubble up, if thou wilt ever dig." marcus aurelius. self-centred people november "it is self-centred people that are lonely--the richer the gift, the richer the giver. no one was ever the worse for giving." f. f. montrÉsor. "misanthropy is always traceable to some vicious experience or imperception--to some false reading in the lore of right and wrong, or it proceeds from positive defects in ourselves, from a departure from things simple and pure, whereby we forfeit happiness without losing the sense of the proper basis on which it rests; yet even thus perverted by the prejudices of the world, we still find a soothing pleasure in contemplating that happiness which belongs to simplicity and virtue." acton. "the largest and most comprehensive natures are generally the most cheerful, the most loving, the most hopeful, the most trustful. it is the wise man, of large vision, who is the quickest to discern the moral sunshine gleaming through the darkest cloud." contentment november "contentment comes neither by culture nor by wishing; it is reconciliation with our lot, growing out of an inward superiority to our surroundings." j. k. mclean. "if you wish to be miserable, think about yourself, about what you want, what you like, what respect people ought to pay you; and then to you nothing will be pure. you will spoil everything you touch, you will make misery for yourself out of everything which god sends you: you will be as wretched as you choose." charles kingsley. "do not let your head run upon that which is none of your own, but pick out some of the best of your circumstances, and consider how eagerly you would wish for them, were they not in your possession." marcus aurelius. contentment november "man seeks pleasure and self--great unforeseen results follow. man seeks god and others--and there follows pleasure." arnold toynbee. "the true felicity of life is to be free from perturbations; to understand our duties towards god and man; to enjoy the present without any serious dependence upon the future. not to amuse ourselves with either hopes or fears, but to rest satisfied with what we have. the great blessings of mankind are within our reach; but we shut our eyes, and, like people in the dark, we fall foul upon the very thing we search for, without finding it. tranquillity is the state of human perfection, it raises us as high as we can go, and makes every man his own supporter; whereas he that is borne up by anything else may fall. he that judges right and perseveres in it, enjoys a perpetual calm; he takes a true prospect of things; he observes an order, measure, a decorum in all his actions; he has a benevolence in his nature; and squares his life according to reason, and draws to himself love and admiration. without a certain and unchangeable judgment, all the rest is but fluctuation. liberty and serenity of mind must necessarily ensue upon the mastering of those things which either allure or affright us, when, instead of those flashy pleasures we shall find ourselves possessed of joys transporting and everlasting." seneca. "nothing can bring you peace but yourself, nothing can bring you peace but the triumph of principle." emerson. discontent november "discontent is want of self-reliance; it is infirmity of will." emerson. "to repel one's cross is to make it heavier." _amiel's journal._ "she had that rare sense which discerns what is unalterable; and submits to it without murmuring." george eliot. "but for me, what good i see, humbly i seek to do, and live obedient to the law, in trust that what will come and shall come, must come well." _the light of asia_, e. arnold. magnifying troubles november "another weight is the cares of life. we keep so many which we might shake off, that it is more than pitiful. we encourage fears for our life, our future, our wealth, till all our days are harassed out of peace, till the very notion of trust in god is an absurdity. we waste life away in petty details, spending infinite trouble on transient things, magnifying the gnats of life into elephants, tormenting ourselves and others over household disturbances, children, servants, little losses, foolish presentiments, our state of health, our finances,--till every one around us is infected with our disease of fret and worry. this is indeed to weight our soul. our life with god, our work for man, are dragged to earth." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. "i pack my troubles in as little compass as i can for myself, and never let them annoy others." southey. bearing trouble november "once open the door to trouble, and its visits are three-fold; first, anticipation; second, in actual presence; third, in living it over again. therefore never anticipate trouble, make as little of its presence as possible, forget it as soon as past." "it is better to employ our minds in bearing the ills we have, than in providing against those which may never befall us." la rochefoucauld. "let us be of good cheer, remembering that the misfortunes hardest to bear are those which never come." lowell. "if you want to be cheerful, jes' set yer mind on it an' do it. can't none of us help what traits we start out in life with, but we kin help what we end up with. when things first got to goin' wrong with me, i says, 'oh, lord, whatever comes, keep me from gettin' sour.'... since then i've made it a practice to put all my worries down in the bottom of my heart, then set on the lid an' smile." _lovey mary_, alice hegan rice. the secret of the joy of living november "we live not in our moments or our years-- the present we fling from us like the rind of some sweet future, which we after find bitter to taste, or bind that in with fears, and water it beforehand with our tears-- vain tears for that which never may arrive: meanwhile the joy whereby we ought to live, neglected or unheeded, disappears. wiser it were to welcome and make ours whate'er of good, tho' small, the present brings-- kind greetings, sunshine, song of birds, and flowers, with a child's pure delight in little things; and of the griefs unborn to rest secure, knowing that mercy ever will endure." archbishop trench. "the secret of the joy of living is the proper appreciation of what we actually possess." causes of thankfulness november "i sleep, i eat and drink, i read and meditate, i walk in my neighbour's pleasant fields, and see the varieties of natural beauties, and delight in all that in which god delights--that is, in virtue and wisdom, in the whole creation, and in god himself. and 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." jeremy taylor. "where much is given, much shall be required. there are never privileges to enjoy without corresponding duties to fulfil in return." phillips brooks. "thou that hast given so much to me, give one thing more--a grateful heart." george herbert. causes of thankfulness november on leaving a home for incurables "it didn't seem much to be able to walk away, to look back, to remember what we had seen; and yet how is it that we are not on our knees in gratitude and thankfulness for every active motion of the body, every word we speak, every intelligent experience and interest that passes through our minds?" miss thackeray. "nothing raises the price of a blessing like its removal; whereas, it was its continuance which should have taught us its value." hannah more. "o god, animate us to cheerfulness! may we have a joyful sense of our blessings, learn to look on the bright circumstances of our lot, and maintain a perpetual contentedness." channing. grumbling november "his eyes were bright with intelligence and trained powers of observation; and they were beautiful with kindliness, and with the well-bred habit of giving complete attention to other people and their affairs when he talked with them. he had a rare smile ... but the real beauty of such mouths as his comes from the lips being restrained into firm and sensitive lines, through years of self-control and fine sympathies.... under-bred and ill-educated women are, as a general rule, much less good-looking than well-bred and highly-educated ones, especially in middle life; not because good features and pretty complexions belong to one class more than to another, but because nicer personal habits and stricter discipline of the mind do.... and if, into the bargain, a woman has nothing to talk about but her own and her neighbour's everyday affairs, and nothing to think about to keep her from continually talking, life, my dear child, is so full of little rubs, that constant chatter of this kind must almost certainly be constant grumbling. and constant grumbling makes an ugly under-lip, a forehead wrinkled with frowning, and dull eyes that see nothing but grievances." _a bad habit_, mrs. ewing. grumbling november "cultivate the habit of never putting disagreeables into words, even if it be only the weather which is in question; also of never drawing other people's attention to words or things which will irritate them." lucy soulsby. "a cucumber is bitter--throw it away.--there are briars in the road--turn aside from them.--this is enough. do not add, and why were such things made in the world?" marcus aurelius. "patience under adverse circumstances will often bring about favourable results, while complaint only accentuates and fixes the cause of complaint. avoid mention of the disagreeable things that may come into your life. if you cannot be patient you can at least be silent. the secret of success lies not so much in knowing what to say as in what to avoid saying." grumbling november "if you have not slept, or if you have slept, or if you have a headache, or sciatica, or leprosy, or thunder-stroke, i beseech you by all the angels to hold your peace, and not pollute the morning, to which all the housemates bring serene and pleasant thoughts, by corruptions and groans." emerson. "walk thy way greatly! so do thou endure thy small, thy narrow, dwarfed and cankered life, that soothing patience shall be half the cure for ills that lesser souls keep sore with strife." c. greene. "our personal interests, by the force of their importunity, exclude all larger sympathies if these are not already matured before the conflict begins. in the press of the world we lose sight of life, if the life is not within us." bishop westcott. grumblers november "there is a sect, unfortunately known to most in this land, under the denomination of grumblers, whose fundamental maxim is--whatever is, is wrong. wherever they are found, and they are found almost everywhere, they operate as a social poison; and though they contrive to embitter the enjoyments of everybody about them, they perpetually assume that themselves are the only aggrieved persons, and with such art as to be believed, till thoroughly known. they have often some excellent qualities, and the appearance of many amiable ones; but rank selfishness is their chief characteristic, accompanied by inordinate pride and vanity. they have a habit of laying the consequences of their own sins, whether of omission or of commission, upon others; and, covered with faults, they flatter themselves they 'walk blameless.' where their selfishness, pride, or vanity are interested, they exhibit signs of boundless zeal, attention, and affection, to which those who are not aware of their motives, are the dupes; but the very moment their predominant feelings are offended, they change from april to december. they have smiles and tears at command for their holiday humour; but in 'the winter of their discontent,' there is no safety from the bitterest blasts. their grievances are seldom real, or if real, are grossly exaggerated, and are generally attributed to themselves; for, absorbed in their own feelings, they are wonderful losers of opportunities. in conclusion, i think it would be for their advantage, as it certainly would be for that of the rest of the world, if they were made subject to some severe discipline; and i would suggest for the first, second, and third offence, bread and water and the treadmill, for one, two, and three months respectively; for the fourth offence, transportation for seven years to boothia felix, or some such climate; and any subsequent delinquency i would make capital, and cause the criminal to be shut up with some offender in equal degree, there to grumble each other to death." _the original_, thomas walker. cheerfulness november "'tis a dutch proverb that 'paint costs nothing,' such are its preserving qualities in damp climates. well, sunshine costs less, yet is finer pigment. and so of cheerfulness, or a good temper, the more it is spent, the more of it remains." emerson. "mirth is like a flash of lightning that breaks through a gloom of clouds and glitters for a moment. cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind and fills it with a steady and perpetual serenity." addison. "always laugh when you can; it is a cheap medicine. merriment is a philosophy not well understood. it is the sunny side of existence." byron. "fortune will call at the smiling gate." japanese proverb. humour november "the sense of humour is the oil of life's engine. without it, the machinery creaks and groans. no lot is so hard, no aspect of things is so grim, but it relaxes before a hearty laugh." g. s. merriam. "it was a novel with a purpose, and its purpose was to show that it is only by righteousness that men and nations prevail; also that there is much that is humorous in life as well as much that is holy, and that healing virtue lies in laughter as well as in prayers and tears." _isabel carnaby_, ellen thorneycroft fowler. "i dare not tell you how high i rate humour, which is generally most fruitful in the highest and most solemn human spirits. dante is full of it, shakespeare, cervantes, and almost all the greatest have been pregnant with this glorious power. you will find it even in the gospel of christ." _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son. humour november "gird up the loins of your mind, be sober." peter i. . "a merry heart doeth good like a medicine." prov. xvii. . "gravity ... i mean simply that grave and serious way of looking at life which, while it never repels the true light-heartedness of pure and trustful hearts, welcomes into a manifest sympathy the souls of men who are oppressed and burdened, anxious and full of questions which for the time at least have banished all laughter from their faces.... gravity has a delicate power of discrimination. it attracts all that it can help, and it repels all that could harm it or be harmed by it. it admits the earnest and simple with a cordial welcome. it shuts out the impertinent and insincere inexorably. "the gravity of which i speak is not inconsistent with the keenest perception of the ludicrous side of things. it is more than consistent with--it is even necessary to--humour. humour involves the perception of the true proportions of life.... it has softened the bitterness of controversy a thousand times. you cannot encourage it too much. you cannot grow too familiar with the books of all ages which have in them the truest humour, for the truest humour is the bloom of the highest life. read george eliot and thackeray, and, above all, shakespeare. they will help you to keep from extravagances without fading into insipidity. they will preserve your gravity while they save you from pompous solemnity." phillips brooks. beauties of nature november "there are few of us that are not rather ashamed of our sins and follies as we look out on the blessed morning sunlight, which comes to us like a bright-winged angel beckoning us to quit the old path of vanity that stretches its dreary length behind us." george eliot. "that man is blessed who every day is permitted to behold anything so pure and serene as the western sky at sunset, while revolutions vex the world." thoreau. "so then believe that every bird that sings, and every flower that stars the elastic sod, and every thought the happy summer brings to the pure spirit is a word of god." coleridge. sense of the beautiful november "no man receives the true culture of a man in whom the sensibility to the beautiful is not cherished; and i know of no condition in life from which it should be excluded. of all luxuries this is cheapest and the most to hand; and it seems to me to be the most important to those conditions where coarse labour tends to give a grossness to the mind. from the diffusion of the sense of beauty in ancient greece, and of the taste for music in modern germany, we learn that the people at large may partake of refined gratifications which have hitherto been thought to be necessarily restricted to a few." channing. "music--there is something very wonderful in music. words are wonderful enough, but music is more wonderful. it speaks not to our thoughts as words do, it speaks straight to our hearts and spirits, to the very core and root of our souls. music soothes us, stirs us up; it puts noble feelings into us; it melts us to tears, we know not how; it is a language by itself, just as perfect, in its way, as speech, as words; just as divine, just as blessed. music has been called the speech of angels; i will go farther, and call it the speech of god himself. "the old greeks, the wisest of all the heathen, made a point of teaching their children music, because, they said, it taught them not to be self-willed and fanciful, but to see the beauty of order, the usefulness of rule, the divineness of law." _good news of god sermons_, charles kingsley. the gospel of beauty december "beauty is far too much neglected. it never belongs to criticism; it ought by right to be always bound up with creation. what it is, is hard to define; but, whenever anything in nature or in the thoughts and doings of man awakens a noble desire of seeing more of it; kindles pure love of it; seems to open out before us an infinite of it which allures us into an endless pursuit; stimulates reverence, and makes the heart leap with joy--there is beauty, and with it always is imagination, the shaping power. "the capacity for seeing beauty with the heart is one of the first necessities for such a life in a living world as i now urge upon you. when you see it, you always see more and more of it. and the more you see it, the more love and reverence you will feel in your heart; and the less you will care to criticise, and the more you will care to create. the world needs it now, and the glory of it, more almost than anything else, for nearly all the world has lost the power of seeing it. the monied men want it; the scientific men want it; the artists themselves have of late betrayed it; the business men want it. the middle-class and the aristocracy are almost destitute of it; the working men abide in conditions in which its outward forms are absent. to give them the power to see all that is lovely in nature, in human thought, in art, and in the noble acts of men--that is a great part of your work, and you should realise it, and shape it day by day." _the gospel of joy_, stopford brooke. nature december "to the body and mind which have been cramped by noxious work or company, nature is medicinal, and restores their tone. the tradesman, the attorney, comes out of the din and craft of the street, and sees the sky and the woods, and is a man again. in their eternal calm, he finds himself." emerson. "nature is loved by what is best in us." emerson. "rest is not idleness, and to lie sometimes on the grass under the trees on a summer's day, listening to the murmur of water, or watching the clouds float across the sky, is by no means waste of time." lord avebury. nature december "the unobtrusive influences of earth, sea, and sky do their work. they pass imperceptibly and unsought into the soul." "... outdoor sights sweep gradual gospels in." "bid me work, but may no tie keep me from the open sky" (barnes). _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "the cheerfulness of heart which springs up in us from the survey of nature's works, is an admirable preparation for gratitude. the mind has gone a great way towards praise and thanksgiving that is filled with such a secret gladness: a grateful reflection on the supreme cause who produces it, sanctifies the soul, and gives it its proper value. such an habitual disposition of mind consecrates every field and wood, turns an ordinary walk into a morning or evening sacrifice, and will improve those transient gleams of joy, which naturally brighten up and refresh the soul on such occasions, into an inviolable and perpetual state of bliss and happiness." addison. holidays december "there are only two rules for a successful holiday; the first is to earn it, the second is to have just enough holiday to make the prospect of work pleasant. periods of rest we all need, but labour and not rest is the synonym of life. from these periods of rest we should return with a new appetite for the duties of common life. if we return dissatisfied, enervated, without heart for work, we may be sure our holiday has been a failure. if we return with the feeling that it is good to plunge into the mid-stream of life again, we may know by this sign that we are morally braced and strengthened by our exodus. the wise man will never allow his holiday to be a time of mere idleness. he will turn again to the books that interest him, he will touch the fringe of some science for which his holiday gives him opportunity, or he will plunge into physical recreation, and shake off the evil humours of the body in active exercise. the failure of holidays lies very much in the fact that nothing of this sort is attempted. the holiday is simply a series of aimless days, and the natural result is _ennui_. the supreme purpose of a holiday should be to regain possession of ourselves. he who does this comes back from his holiday as from a sanctuary." w. j. dawson. books december "but what strange art, what magic can dispose the troubled mind to change its native woes? or lead us willing from ourselves, to see others more wretched, more undone than we? this, books can do;--nor this alone, they give new views to life, and teach us how to live; they soothe the grieved, the stubborn they chastise, fools they admonish, and confirm the wise: their aid they yield to all: they never shun the man of sorrow, nor the wretch undone: unlike the hard, the selfish and the proud, they fly not sullen from the suppliant crowd; nor tell to various people various things, but show to subjects, what they show to kings." _the library_, crabbe. books december "narrowness may be met by recourse to the larger life revealed in literature. there is no stronger plea for biography, drama, or romance, or for any imaginative expansion of interests, than that founded upon the need for them as counteractives of the pitiable contractedness of outlook begotten of division of labour." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. "when i consider what some books have done for the world, and what they are doing, how they keep up our hope, awaken new courage and faith, soothe pain, give an ideal life to those whose hours are cold and hard, bind together distant ages and foreign lands, create new worlds of beauty, bring down truth from heaven; i give eternal blessings for this gift, and thank god for books." james freeman clarke. reading december "reading furnishes the mind only with materials of knowledge; it is thinking makes what we read ours. we are of the ruminating kind, and it is not enough to cram ourselves with a great load of collections; unless we chew them over again they will not give us strength and nourishment." locke. "in the course of our reading we should lay up in our minds a store of goodly thoughts in well-wrought words, which should be a living treasure of knowledge always with us, and from which, at various times, and amidst all the shifting of circumstances, we might be sure of drawing some comfort, guidance, and sympathy." helps. the object of education december "we shall be agreed, i assume, that the object of education is to train for life, and not for a special occupation; to train the whole man for all life, for life seen and unseen, for the unseen through the seen and in the seen; to train _men_ in a word and not _craftsmen_, to train citizens for the kingdom of god. as we believe in god and the world to come, these must be master thoughts. "we shall be agreed further that with this object in view, education must be so ordered as to awaken, to call into play, to develop, to direct, to strengthen powers of sense and intellect and spirit, not of one but of all: to give alertness and accuracy to observation: to supply fulness and precision to language: to arouse intelligent sympathy with every form of study and occupation: to set the many parts and aspects of the world before the growing scholar in their unity: to open the eyes of the heart to the eternal of which the temporal is the transitory sign. "we shall be agreed again that the elements of restraint alike and of personal development which enter into education will be used to harmonise the social and individual instincts, and to inspire the young, when impressions are most easy and most enduring, with the sense of fellowship and the passion for service. "we shall be agreed once more that the noblest fruit of education is character, and not acquirements: character which makes the simplest life rich and beneficent, character which for a christian is determined by a true vision of god, _of whom, through whom, unto whom, are all things_." _christian social union addresses_, bishop westcott. the object of education december "the entire object of true education is to make people not merely _do_ the right things, but enjoy the right things--not merely industrious, but to love industry--not merely learned, but to love knowledge--not merely pure, but to love purity--not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice." _the crown of wild olive_, john ruskin. "our great mistake in education is, as it seems to me, the worship of book-learning--the confusion of instruction and education. we strain the memory instead of cultivating the mind.... the important thing is not so much that every child should be taught, as that every child should be given the wish to learn.... if we succeed in giving the love of learning, the learning itself is sure to follow." lord avebury. a happy childhood december "a happy childhood is one of the best gifts that parents have it in their power to bestow; second only to implanting the habit of obedience which puts the child in training for the habit of obeying himself, later on." _diana tempest_, mary cholmondeley. "the main duty of those who care for the young is to secure their wholesome, their entire growth; for health is just the development of the whole nature in its due sequences and proportions: first the blade--then the ear--then, and not till then, the full corn in the ear; and thus, as dr. temple wisely says, 'not to forget wisdom in teaching knowledge.' if the blade be forced, and usurp the capital it inherits; if it be robbed by you, its guardian, of its birthright, or squandered like a spendthrift, then there is not any ear, much less any corn; if the blade be blasted or dwarfed in our haste and greed for the full shock and its price, we spoil all three. it is not easy to keep this always before one's mind, that the young 'idea' is in a young body, and that healthy growth and harmless passing of the time are more to be cared for than what is vainly called accomplishment." dr. john brown. moral education december "remember that the aim of your discipline should be to produce a _self-governing_ being, not to produce a being to be _governed by others_. were your children fated to pass their lives as slaves, you could not too much accustom them to slavery during their childhood; but as they are by-and-by to be free men, with no one to control their daily conduct, you cannot too much accustom them to self-control while they are still under your eye. this is it which makes the system of discipline by natural consequences so especially appropriate to the social state which we in england have now reached. in feudal times, when one of the chief evils the citizen had to fear was the anger of his superiors, it was well that during childhood parental vengeance should be a chief means of government. but now that the citizen has little to fear from any one--now that the good or evil which he experiences is mainly that which in the order of things results from his own conduct, he should from his first years begin to learn, experimentally, the good or evil consequences which naturally follow this or that conduct. aim, therefore, to diminish the parental government, as fast as you can substitute for it in your child's mind that self-government arising from a foresight of results.... "all transitions are dangerous; and the most dangerous is the transition from the restraint of the family circle to the non-restraint of the world. hence the importance of pursuing the policy we advocate, which, by cultivating a boy's faculty of self-restraint, by continually increasing the degree in which he is left to his self-restraint, and by so bringing him, step by step, to a state of unaided self-restraint, obliterates the ordinary sudden and hazardous change from externally-governed youth to internally-governed maturity. let the history of your domestic rule typify, in little, the history of our political rule. at the outset, autocratic control, where control is really needful; by-and-by an incipient constitutionalism, in which the liberty of the subject gains some express recognition; successive extensions of this liberty of the subject, gradually ending in parental abdication." _education_, herbert spencer. moral education december "self-government with tenderness,--here you have the condition of all authority over children. the child must discover in us no passion, no weakness of which he can make use; he must feel himself powerless to deceive or to trouble us; then he will recognise in us his natural superiors, and he will attach a special value to our kindness, because he will respect it. the child who can rouse in us anger, or impatience, or excitement, feels himself stronger than we, and a child only respects strength. the mother should consider herself as her child's sun, a changeless and ever radiant world, whither the small restless creature, quick at tears and laughter, light, fickle, passionate, full of storms, may come for fresh stores of light, warmth and electricity, of calm and of courage. the mother represents goodness, providence, law; that is to say, the divinity under that form of it which is accessible to childhood. if she is herself passionate, she will inculcate on her child a capricious and despotic god, or even several discordant gods. the religion of a child depends on what its mother and its father are, and not on what they say. the inner and unconscious ideal which guides their life is precisely what touches the child; their words, their remonstrances, their punishments, their bursts of feeling, even, are for him merely thunder and comedy; what they worship--this it is which his instinct divines and reflects. "the child sees what we are, behind what we wish to be. hence his reputation as a physiognomist. he extends his power as far as he can with each of us; he is the most subtle of diplomatists. unconsciously he passes under the influence of each person about him, and reflects it while transforming it after his own nature. he is a magnifying mirror. this is why the first principle of education is: train yourself; and the first rule to follow if you wish to possess yourself of a child's will is: master your own." _amiel's journal._ moral education december "all wise teachers, i believe, recognise now that the best way of dealing with naughty children is to absorb their whole attention with some _interest_, which will not only leave no energy to spare for naughtiness, but will of itself tend to organise their minds, to subordinate mental elements to a _purpose_, and so to develop character." _the standard of life_, mrs. bernard bosanquet. "discipline, like the bridle in the hand of a good rider, should exercise its influence without appearing to do so, should be ever active, both as a support and as a restraint, yet seem to lie easily in hand. it must be always ready to check or to pull up, as occasion may require; and only when the horse is a runaway, should the action of the curb be perceptible." _guesses at truth_, edited by archdeacon hare. "if 'pas trop gouverner' is the best rule in politics, it is equally true of discipline." _children's rights_, kate douglas wiggin. punishment december "punishments, then, must in the first place be proportionate to the offence, lest, by an undiscriminating severity or an undiscriminating leniency, distinctions of moral desert be blurred or effaced. "_secondly_, they must be analogous to the offence. the greedy must be starved, the insolent humbled, the idle compelled to work. otherwise the imposition will not effectually go home to the offender. "_thirdly_, punishments ought to be exemplary. since they needs must come, it is not enough that they should simply open the eyes of the culprit, by giving him his deserts. they must be utilised as object-lessons for the behoof of that large class, the culprits in potentiality. "_fourthly_, they ought to be economical. 'it is good that they should suffer,' we sometimes say; and so it is, so long as suffering, in itself always an evil, do not exceed the quantum that is lamentably needful, needful, that is, to vindicate authority, to stigmatise the offence, and to impress the offender. "_fifthly_, punishments ought to be reformatory. not only must they never, by vindictiveness in him who gives, and degradation in him who receives, impair the instincts and resolves for a better life; they must be devised in the belief, or at least in the hope, that these instincts and resolves exist, though they may be inhibited by the evil proclivities which punishment is meant to crush. the killing of what is bad must always look to the liberation of what is good. "_finally_, punishments ought to insist upon, and to define indemnity, so that the wrong-doer, in things small or great, may be forced to repair, so far as this is possible, the irreparable mischief which offence implies." _the making of character_, professor maccunn. rebuking december "the gentleness of our lord in rebuking, has an effect which gentleness often has, it awakens compunctions in those to whom it is shown. a child, who by severity is set on its defence or drawn into falsehood, is often melted into full confession by being loved and trusted more than it deserves." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "our lord's reply is again gentle; to be hard on a fault that was confessed would have dried up that confidence which flowed so freely." _pastor pastorum_, henry latham. "better make penitents by gentleness than hypocrites by severity." s. francis de sales. example december "children have more need of models than of critics." joubert. "it is by imitation, far more than by precept, that we learn everything; and what we learn thus we acquire not only more effectually, but more pleasantly. this forms our manners, our opinions, our lives." burke. "meanwhile there is much that we can do. it need not be said that home is the most effective school of character. on the duties of home i cannot dwell now. but there is a more general influence of common tone and habits of which serious account ought to be taken. we are at all times unconsciously educating others by our own example. our standard of duty in the discharge of business and in the use of leisure necessarily influences the desires and the actions of those who look to us for guidance. the young are quick-eyed critics, and the sight of quiet devotion to work, of pleasure sought in common things--and all truly precious things are common--will enforce surely and silently some great lessons of school. we do not, as far as i can judge, rate highly enough our responsibility for the customary practices of society. not infrequently we neutralise our teaching through want of imagination by failing to follow out the consequences of some traditional custom. we seem to be inconsiderate when we are only ignorant." bishop westcott. wealth december "christ did not denounce wealth any more than he denounced pauperism. he did not abhor money; he used it. he did not abhor the company of rich men; he sought it. he did not invariably scorn or even resent a certain profuseness of expenditure. with a fine discrimination, he, while habitually discouraging it, yet recognised that, here and there, there was place for it. what he denounced was the _love_ of, the _lust_ of riches; the vulgar snobbishness that chose exclusively the fellowship or the ways of rich men; the habit of extravagance; in one word, greed and luxury and self-indulgence. he taught men, first of all and last of all, that they were stewards, that in the final analysis of men and things neither they nor theirs were their own. * * * * * we must not only affirm the brotherhood of man: we must live it. for then the state, and in the state, the home, the church, and the individual shall become the incarnation of a regenerated humanity, and earth, this earth, our earth, here and to-day, the vestibule of heaven!" _the citizen in relation to the industrial situation_, bishop potter. the limit of luxury december "the expenditure of money is no easy matter. it is wrong to let the poor want. it is wrong to starve the nature which asks for other things than food. there is only one principle of guidance. whatever is done must be done in thought for others, and not in thought for ourselves. money on luxuries which end in ourselves is wrongly spent; money spent on luxuries--on scents, sounds and sights--which directly or indirectly pass on to others is rightly spent. the limit of luxury is the power of sharing." _the service of god_, canon barnett. "all that depends on individual choice--our recreations, our expenditure--can be brought to one test, which we are generally able to apply: does this or that help me to do my work more effectively? to us most literally, even if the confession overwhelms us with shame, whatsoever is not of faith is sin." bishop westcott. "imitate a little child.... while you gather and use this world's goods with one hand, always let your other be fast in your heavenly father's hand, and look round from time to time, and make sure that he is satisfied." s. francis de sales. expenditure december "i will take heart to lay down what i hold to be a fundamental rule, that, while we endeavour to gain the largest and keenest power of appreciating all that is noblest in nature and art and literature, we must seek to live on as little as will support the full vigour of our life and work. the standard cannot be fixed. it will necessarily vary, within certain limits, according to the nature and office of each man. but generally we shall strive diligently to suppress all wants which do not tend through their satisfaction to create a nobler type of manhood, and individually we shall recognise no wants which do not express what is required for the due cultivation of our own powers and the fulfilment of that which we owe to others. we shall guard ourselves against the temptations of artificial wants which the ingenuity of producers offers in seductive forms. we shall refuse to admit that the caprice of fashion represents any valuable element in our constitution, or calls into play any faculties which would otherwise be unused, or encourages industry. on the contrary, we shall see in the dignity and changelessness of eastern dress a typical condemnation of our restless inconstancy. we shall perceive, and act as perceiving, that the passion for novelty is morally and materially wasteful: that it distracts and confuses our power of appreciating true beauty: that it tends to the constant displacement of labour: that it produces instability both in the manufacture and in the sale of goods to the detriment of economy. we shall, to sum up all in one master-principle, estimate value and costs in terms of life, as mr. ruskin has taught us; and, accepting this principle, we shall seek nothing of which the cost to the producer so measured exceeds the gain to ourselves." _christian social union addresses_, bishop westcott. money december "if money be not thy servant, it will be thy master. the covetous man cannot so properly be said to possess wealth, as that wealth may be said to possess him." bacon. "the covetous man is like the camel, with a great haunch on his back; heaven's gate must be made higher and broader, or he will hardly get in." adams. "who shuts his hand hath lost his gold, who opens it hath it twice told." george herbert. "wealth in every form, material, intellectual, moral, has to be administered for the common good. god only can say of any possession 'my own.'" bishop westcott. courage to be poor december "how the sting of poverty, or small means, is gone when one keeps house for one's own comfort, and not for the comfort of one's neighbours." dinah maria muloch. "i wish that more of us had the courage to be poor; that the world had not gone mad after fashion and display; but so it is, and the blessings we might have are lost in the effort to get those which lie outside the possible." alice carey. "to have what we want is riches; but to be able to do without is power." george macdonald. hospitality december "the truest hospitality is shown not in the effort to entertain, but in the depth of welcome. what a guest loves to come for, and come again, is not the meal, but those who sit at the meal. if we remembered this, more homes would be habitually thrown open to win the benedictions upon hospitality. it is our ceremony, not our poverty, it is self-consciousness oftener than inability to be agreeable that makes us willing to live cloistered. seldom is it that pleasantest homes to visit are the richest. the real compliment is _not_ to apologise for the simple fare. that means trust, and trust is better than fried oysters." w. c. gannett. "hospitality must be for service, and not for show, or it pulls down the host." emerson. hospitality december "i pray you, o excellent wife, not to cumber yourself and me to get a rich dinner for this man or this woman who has alighted at our gate, nor a bedchamber made ready at too great a cost. these things, if they are curious in, they can get for a dollar at any village. but let this stranger, if he will, in your looks, in your accent and behaviour, read in your heart and earnestness, your thought and will, which he cannot buy at any price in any village or city, and which he may well travel fifty miles and dine sparely and sleep hard in order to behold. certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for the traveller; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these things. honour to the house where they are simple to the verge of hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the laws of the universe." emerson. "i should count myself fortunate if my home were remembered for some inspiring quality of faith, charity and aspiring intelligence." hamilton w. mabie. christmas eve december a christmas carol "it chanced upon the merry, merry christmas eve, i went sighing past the church across the moorland dreary-- 'oh! never sin and want and woe this earth will leave, and the bells but mock the wailing rounds, they sing so cheery. how long, o lord! how long before thou come again! still in cellar, and in garret, and on moorland dreary the orphans moan, and widows weep, and poor men toil in vain, till earth is sick of hope deferred, though christmas bells be cheery.' "then arose a joyous clamour from the wild-fowl on the mere, beneath the stars, across the snow, like clear bells ringing, and a voice within cried,--'listen! christmas carols even here! tho' thou be dumb, yet o'er their work the stars and snows are singing. blind! i live, i love, i reign; and all the nations through, with the thunder of my judgments even now are ringing; do thou fulfil thy work but as yon wild-fowl do, thou wilt heed no less the wailing, yet hear through it angels singing.'" charles kingsley. christmas day december "and now once more comes christmas day. once more, borne abroad on the words of simple-minded shepherds, runs the story. god and man have met, in visible, actual union, in a life which is both human and divine.... lift up yourselves to the great meaning of the day, and dare to think of your humanity as something so sublimely precious that it is worthy of being made an offering to god. count it a privilege to make that offering as complete as possible, keeping nothing back, and then go out to the pleasures and duties of your life, having been truly born anew into his divinity, as he was born into our humanity, on christmas day." phillips brooks. "let not the hearts, whose sorrow cannot call this christmas merry, slight the festival; let us be merry that may merry be, but let us not forget that many mourn; the smiling baby came to give us glee, but for the weepers was the saviour born." coleridge. mile-marks december "but christmas is not only the mile-mark of another year, moving us to thoughts of self-examination: it is a season, from all its associations, whether domestic or religious, suggesting thoughts of joy. a man dissatisfied with his endeavours is a man tempted to sadness. and in the midst of the winter, when his life runs lowest and he is reminded of the empty chairs of his beloved, it is well he should be condemned to this fashion of the smiling face. noble disappointment, noble self-denial, are not to be admired, not even to be pardoned, if they bring bitterness. it is one thing to enter the kingdom of heaven maimed; another to maim yourself and stay without. and the kingdom of heaven is of the childlike, of those who are easy to please, who love and who give pleasure." _across the plains_, r. l. stevenson. growing old december "to grow old is more difficult than to die, because to renounce a good once and for all, costs less than to renew the sacrifice day by day and in detail. to bear with one's own decay, to accept one's own lessening capacity, is a harder and rarer virtue than to face death. there is a halo round tragic and premature death; there is but a long sadness in declining strength. but look closer: so studied, a resigned and religious old age will often move us more than the heroic ardour of young years. the maturity of the soul is worth more than the first brilliance of its faculties, or the plenitude of its strength, and the eternal in us can but profit from all the ravages made by time. there is comfort in this thought." _amiel's journal._ "to know how to grow old is the master-work of wisdom, and one of the most difficult chapters in the great art of living." _amiel's journal._ old age december "we must not take the faults of our youth into our old age; for old age brings with it its own faults." goethe. "it is only to the finest natures that age gives an added beauty and distinction; for the most persistent self has then worked its way to the surface, having modified the expression, and to some extent, the features, to its own likeness." mathilde blind. "the most beautiful existence, it seems to me, would be that of a river which should get through all its rapids and waterfalls not far from its rising, and should then in its widening course form a succession of rich valleys, and in each of them a lake equally but diversely beautiful, to end, after the plains of age were past, in the ocean where all that is weary and heavy-laden comes to seek for rest." _amiel's journal._ the love and grace and tenderness of life december "neither toil, nor the end of toil in oneself or in the world, is all vanity, in spite of the preacher; but there is enough vanity in both to make one sit loose to them. what seems to grow fairer to me as life goes by is the love and grace and tenderness of it; not its wit and cleverness and grandeur of knowledge--grand as knowledge is--but just the laughter of little children and the friendship of friends, the cosy talk by the fireside, the sight of flowers and the sound of music." j. r. green. "life is sweet, brother.... there's night and day, brother, both sweet things; sun, moon and stars, brother, all sweet things; there's likewise the wind on the heath. life is very sweet, brother; who would wish to die?" borrow. a prayer december "be patient still; suffer us yet a while longer; with our broken purposes of good, with our idle endeavours against evil, suffer us a while longer to endure, and (if it may be) help us to do better. bless to us our extraordinary mercies; if the day come when these must be taken, brace us to play the man under affliction. be with our friends; be with ourselves. go with each of us to rest; if any dream, be their dreams quiet; if any awake, temper to them the dark hours of watching; and when the day returns, return to us our sun and comforter, and call us up with morning faces and with morning hearts--eager to labour--eager to be happy, if happiness shall be our portion--and if the day be marked for sorrow, strong to endure it." _vailima prayers_, r. l. stevenson. new year's eve december "ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky the flying cloud, the frosty light: the year is dying in the night; ring out, wild bells, and let him die. "ring out the old, ring in the new, ring, happy bells, across the snow: the year is going, let him go; ring out the false, ring in the true. "ring out the grief that saps the mind, for those that here we see no more; ring out the feud of rich and poor, ring in redress to all mankind. "ring out a slowly dying cause, and ancient forms of party strife; ring in the nobler modes of life, with sweeter manners, purer laws. "ring out the want, the care, the sin, the faithless coldness of the times; ring out, ring out my mournful rhymes, but ring the fuller minstrel in. "ring out false pride in place and blood, the civic slander and the spite; ring in the love of truth and right, ring in the common love of good. "ring out old shapes of foul disease; ring out the narrowing lust of gold; ring out the thousand wars of old, ring in the thousand years of peace. "ring in the valiant man and free, the larger heart, the kindlier hand; ring out the darkness of the land, ring in the christ that is to be." tennyson. index of subjects accidie, , , , , , accuracy, age, , appetite for condolence, the, argument, , , art of being quiet, the, , as light enters darkness departs, aspiration, back-biting, balance, , bearing criticism, bearing sorrow, , , , bearing trouble, beauties of nature, beautiful, sense of, beauty, the gospel of, being and doing, , bereavement, , blessed are the happiness-makers, books, , business-like habits, by their works, calamity, sharp ferule of, calumny, , causes of thankfulness, , celestial surgeon, the, character, character-- childlike-ness, negative virtues, our echoes roll from soul to soul, the right atmosphere, character and service, character of henry drummond, ---- r. l. stevenson, cheerfulness, childhood, a happy, christian law, the, , christianity, programme of, christmas day, christmas eve, circumstances, , code of society, the, comfort's art, commune with your own heart and be still, conceit, concentration, , condolence, appetite for, confession of sin, conscience, contemptuousness, contentment, , conversation, , courage, courage to be poor, courtesy, , , creed, a new, creeds, criticism, crossing the bar, culture, day by day, , dead, the, , , , death, death of young children, discontent, , dissension, doing more than feeling, doing our best, duty, , , duty of giving happiness, , duty of happiness, the, duty of physical health, the, , duty to my neighbour, education, the object of, , ---- moral, , , egotism, , endurance, essentials of happiness, the, evil is wrought by want of thought, evil of brooding, the, example, expenditure, faith, false impressions, falterers, family life, fasting, , faults, fear of failure, , flattery, foot-path to peace, the, forgiveness, friendship, - gaining or losing ground, god, manifestations of, , , god's children, gossip, , growing old, grumblers, grumbling, , , habit, , habit of admiration, the, hallowing of work, the, happiness, , , , , happiness makers, harmony, , health, duty of, , heart, commune with, heredity, , , holidays, holiness, holy spirit, hospitality, , humility, humour, , hypochondriacs, , ideal guest-chamber, an, ideal level, an, ideals, idleness, , ifs of life, the, ill-nature, indifference, sin of, influence, , , , influence of great men, , interruptions, introspection, introspectiveness, invalids, , inward stillness, iron chains of duty, the, irritability, , jealousy, , , judging, , , judgment, biassed, judgment, harsh, judgment, sound, , , justice and mercy, law of love, the great, lessons of suffering, life, ifs of, life a school, life after death, life-giver, not deed-doer, limit of luxury, the, living in the present, lord's supper, the, love, , , love, grace, and tenderness of life, the, love and remorse, , , love unrequited, , love, law of, luxury, magnifying troubles, manifestation of god, , , manners, , , , mechanical work, memory, , mens sana in corpore sano, mental hygiene, mercy, method, mile-marks, money, morality, physical, morbid introspectiveness, my duty to my neighbour, nature, , , never lose a battle, new year's day, new year's eve, noble life, a, nominal christians, "not to destroy, but to fulfil," obstinacy, oil and wine, old age, one by one, , open mind, an, order, our true selves and our traditional selves, patience, , patience with ourselves, peace, perseverance, pessimism, physical morality, pleasure in work, poverty, power, power of the holy spirit, the, prayer, - prayer, a, present circumstances, pressing forward, pride, programme of christianity, the, public opinion, , punishment, purpose, , quarrels, , "quench not the smoking flax," , quiet, , raw material, readiness, reading, rebuking, receptive side of life, the, reconciliation, , regulation of time, religion-- the meaning of, pure, in daily life, reparation, repentance, resolves, responsibility, rest, revenge, right use of speech, sacredness of work, the, satan's opportunities, science of social life, the, , , , secret of the joy of living, the, secret of thrift, the, seeing one's life in perspective, self-centred people, self-examination, selfishness, sense of the beautiful, sermon on the mount, service, , , sharp ferule of calamity, the, silence a great peacemaker, sin, , , , , , sin has its pedigree, sin of idleness, the, sin of indifference, the, sins of the spirit, sociability, society, soldiers of the same army, sorrow, , , , spectrum of love, the, spiritual balance and proportion, stepping-stones, struggling, sympathy, symphony, a, temper, , , , , temperance, temptation, thankfulness, , there shall never be one lost good, thoughts, thrift, time, time and method, to be trusted is to be saved, tolerance, touchiness, triviality, , trouble, , true patience, trustees, truth, truthfulness, , , , unamiable, the, unbalanced memory, , unfelt creeds, ungraciousness, unrest, un-self-consciousness, , wasted emotions, wealth, where love is, god is, work, , work-- effective reforms, , special, for each, to cure is the voice of the past, sacredness of, works, index of authors a. h., abbott, lyman, acton, adams, addison, , , allen, james lane, , , , , _amiel's journal_ (translated by mrs. humphry ward), , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ammian, arnold, dr., arnold, sir edwin, , , , , , , , , arnold, matthew, augustine, saint, avebury, lord, , , , , , , , , , , , , , bacon, , baillie, joanna, balfour, graham, barbauld, mrs. a. l., barbour, r. w., barnes, barnett, canon, , , , , , beecher, henry ward, , , , bentham, jeremy, black, hugh, , , blair, blind, mathilde, , body, canon, , , , book of common prayer, borrow, g., bosanquet, mrs. bernard, , , , bovée, brontë, charlotte, brooke, stopford, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , brooks, bishop phillips, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , brown, dr. john, browning, e. b., browning, robert, , , bruyère, la, bulwer-lytton, , burke, burnett, mrs. hodgson, burns, burton, buxton, charles, byron, caillard, e. m., caird, principal, carey, alice, carlyle, thomas, , , , , , , , , , , cato, chalmers, channing, w. e., , , , chesterfield, lord, , childs, lydia m., cholmondeley, mary, , , , , cicero, , , , clarke, j. freeman, clough, arthur hugh, coleridge, , collier, jeremy, colton, cowper, crabbe, crawford, f. marion, cross, j. w., cyrus, dante, dawson, rev. w. j., de staël, madame, descartes, deschamps, dickens, charles, , diggle, archdeacon, , drummond, professor henry, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , dryden, eliot, george, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , emerson, r. w., , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , empson, epictetus, , euripides, ewing, mrs., , , , faber, f. w., fairless, michael, farrar, dean, , , , , feltham, fénélon, , fletcher, horace, fowler, ellen thorneycroft, , fox, george, , froude, j. a., gannett, w. c., garfield, gaskell, mrs., gladstone, w. e., goethe, , , , , , gore, bishop, green, t. h., green, j. r., greene, c., grou, hacket, hare, , hare, archdeacon, , harpe, la, harris, rendel, , hawthorne, nathaniel, helps, sir arthur, , , herbert, george, , , , herder, herodotus, hillel, rabbi, hobbes, john oliver, holland, canon scott, , , holmes, o. w., , , , hood, thomas, how, bishop walsham, , hughes, t., iddesleigh, lord, _idler, the_, ingram, bishop winnington, , james, professor william, japanese proverb, johnson, dr., , jonson, ben, joubert, keble, kemble, fanny, kempis, thomas à, kendall, may, , , , kingsley, charles, , , , , , , , , , , , , lacordaire, latham, the rev. henry, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , leighton, archbishop, liddon, canon, little, canon knox, locke, long, george, longfellow, h. w., , , louis xiv., lowell, james russell, , , , , , , , , , , lyall, edna, lytton, , mabie, hamilton w., , , macaulay, maccoll, canon, , , , , , , , , maccunn, professor john, , , , , , , , , , , , , macdonald, george, , , , mann, horace, marcus aurelius, , , , , , , , , , , , martineau, martineau, h., , martineau, j., , mason, massillon, mckinley, mclean, rev. j. k., meredith, george, merriam, g. s., miller, the rev. j. r., , , , milnes, r. m., montaigne, montrésor, f. f., moore, t., more, hannah, morris, sir lewis, mozley, j. b., mulford, prentice, muloch, dinah m., neander, newbolt, canon, newcomb, c. b., , , nicoll, w. robertson, paget, bishop, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , pascal, , , patmore, coventry, , peabody, ephraim, penn, william, , philpotts, bishop, plumptre, plutarch, pope, potter, bishop, , pulsford, john, rice, alice hegan, richter, , robertson, the rev. f. w., , , , , , _robertson, life of the rev. f. w._, rochefoucauld, la, , , , , , , , , , , rogers, h., rossetti, christina, , , ruskin, john, , , , sales, s. francis de, , , seneca, , shakespeare, , , , , , shorthouse, john, sidney, philip, smiles, samuel, , , smith, george adam, smith, h. w., socrates, , soulsby, lucy, , , south, bishop, southey, spanish proverb, spencer, herbert, , , , , spenser, , staël, madame de, stevenson, r. l., , , , , , , , , , , , , stowe, harriet beecher, , , , , sweet, ada c., talbot, bishop, taylor, bayard, taylor, bishop, taylor, jeremy, , , temple, archbishop, , , , , , , tennyson, lord, , , , , , , , , , , , , _tennyson--a memoir_, by his son, , , , , , , , thackeray, miss, thackeray, w. m., , , , , , thomas, dr. h. w., thoreau, , , , , , , , , thorold, bishop, , toynbee, arnold, trench, archbishop, , , , , turgenev, ivan, , van dyke, , vaughan, henry, vauvenargues, , , , virgil, voltaire, , walker, thomas, watson, dr. john, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , westcott, bishop, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , whichcote, whittier, john greenleaf, , , , , wickstead, philip h., wiggin, kate d., , , wilberforce, bishop, wilson, wisdom, book of, wordsworth, printed by ballantyne, hanson & co. edinburgh & london * * * * * transcriber's note: variations in spelling have been preserved except in obvious cases of typographical error and inconsistency. these have been corrected without comment. a chesterton calendar _a chesterton calendar_ compiled from the writings of 'g.k.c.' both in verse and in prose. with a section apart for the moveable feasts. kegan paul, trench, trübner & co. ltd. dryden house, gerrard street, london, w. prefatory note it will be found that almost all mr. g. k. chesterton's books have been utilized in the making of this calendar. a word of acknowledgment is due to the various publishers for their courtesy in permitting this: to messrs. grant richards, arthur l. humphreys, j. w. arrowsmith, john lane, j. m. dent & co., macmillan & co., duckworth & co., harper & co., cassell & co., and methuen & co. recourse has been had also to the files of the 'daily news,' the 'illustrated london news,' and other journals to which mr. chesterton has been a contributor. the present publishers feel they are peculiarly indebted to mr. chesterton himself for his kindness in allowing them to include certain verses from poems which have not yet been printed _in extenso_ elsewhere. january mere light sophistry is the thing that i happen to despise most of all things, and it is perhaps a wholesome fact that this is the thing of which i am generally accused. '_orthodoxy._' new year's day the object of a new year is not that we should have a new year. it is that we should have a new soul and a new nose; new feet, a new backbone, new ears, and new eyes. unless a particular man made new year resolutions, he would make no resolutions. unless a man starts afresh about things, he will certainly do nothing effective. unless a man starts on the strange assumption that he has never existed before, it is quite certain that he will never exist afterwards. unless a man be born again, he shall by no means enter into the kingdom of heaven. '_daily news._' january nd there is no such thing as fighting on the winning side: one fights to find out which is the winning side. '_what's wrong with the world._' january rd courage is almost a contradiction in terms. it means a strong desire to live taking the form of a readiness to die. 'he that will lose his life, the same shall save it,' is not a piece of mysticism for saints and heroes. it is a piece of everyday advice for sailors or mountaineers. it might be printed in an alpine guide- or a drill-book. this paradox is the whole principle of courage; even of quite earthly or quite brutal courage. a man cut off by the sea may save his life if he will risk it on the precipice. he can only get away from death by continually stepping within an inch of it. a soldier, surrounded by enemies, if he is to cut his way out, needs to combine a strong desire for living with a strange carelessness about dying. he must not merely cling to life, for then he will be a coward, and will not escape. he must not merely wait for death, for then he will be a suicide, and will not escape. he must seek his life in a spirit of furious indifference to it; he must desire life like water and yet drink death like wine. no philosopher, i fancy, has ever expressed this romantic riddle with adequate lucidity, and i certainly have not done so. but christianity has done more: it has marked the limits of it in the awful graves of the suicide and the hero, showing the distance between him who dies for the sake of living and him who dies for the sake of dying. and it has held up ever since above the european lances the banner of the mystery of chivalry: the christian courage which is a disdain of death; not the chinese courage which is a disdain of life. '_orthodoxy._' january th the fact is that purification and austerity are even more necessary for the appreciation of life and laughter than for anything else. to let no bird fly past unnoticed, to spell patiently the stones and weeds, to have the mind a storehouse of sunsets, requires a discipline in pleasure and an education in gratitude. '_twelve types._' january th we have people who represent that all great historic motives were economic, and then have to howl at the top of their voices in order to induce the modern democracy to act on economic motives. the extreme marxian politicians in england exhibit themselves as a small, heroic minority, trying vainly to induce the world to do what, according to their theory, the world always does. '_tremendous trifles._' january th _the feast of the epiphany_ the wise men step softly, under snow or rain, to find the place where men can pray; the way is all so very plain, that we may lose the way. oh, we have learnt to peer and pore on tortured puzzles from our youth. we know all labyrinthine lore, we are the three wise men of yore, and we know all things but the truth. go humbly ... it has hailed and snowed ... with voices low and lanterns lit, so very simple is the road, that we may stray from it. the world grows terrible and white, and blinding white the breaking day, we walk bewildered in the light, for something is too large for sight, and something much too plain to say. the child that was ere worlds begun (... we need but walk a little way ... we need but see a latch undone ...), the child that played with moon and sun is playing with a little hay. the house from which the heavens are fed, the old strange house that is our own, where tricks of words are never said, and mercy is as plain as bread, and honour is as hard as stone. go humbly; humble are the skies, and low and large and fierce the star, so very near the manger lies, that we may travel far. hark! laughter like a lion wakes to roar to the resounding plain, and the whole heaven shouts and shakes, for god himself is born again; and we are little children walking through the snow and rain. '_daily news._' january th the idea of private property universal but private, the idea of families free but still families, of domesticity democratic but still domestic, of one man one house--this remains the real vision and magnet of mankind. the world may accept something more official and general, less human and intimate. but the world will be like a broken-hearted woman who makes a humdrum marriage because she may not make a happy one; socialism may be the world's deliverance, but it is not the world's desire. '_what's wrong with the world._' january th the dipsomaniac and the abstainer are not only both mistaken, but they both make the same mistake. they both regard wine as a drug and not as a drink. '_george bernard shaw._' january th the thing from which england suffers just now more than from any other evil is not the assertion of falsehoods, but the endless and irrepressible repetition of half-truths. '_g. f watts._' january th it is amusing to notice that many of the moderns, whether sceptics or mystics, have taken as their sign a certain eastern symbol, which is the very symbol of this ultimate nullity. when they wish to represent eternity, they represent it by a serpent with its tail in its mouth. there is a startling sarcasm in the image of that very unsatisfactory meal. the eternity of the material fatalists, the eternity of the eastern pessimists, the eternity of the supercilious theosophists and higher scientists of to-day is, indeed, very well presented by a serpent eating its tail--a degraded animal who destroys even himself. '_orthodoxy._' january th variability is one of the virtues of a woman. it obviates the crude requirements of polygamy. if you have one good wife you are sure to have a spiritual harem. '_daily news._' january th we must not have king midas represented as an example of success; he was a failure of an unusually painful kind. also, he had the ears of an ass. also (like most other prominent and wealthy persons), he endeavoured to conceal the fact. it was his barber (if i remember right) who had to be treated on a confidential footing with regard to this peculiarity; and his barber, instead of behaving like a go-ahead person of the succeed-at-all-costs school and trying to blackmail king midas, went away and whispered this splendid piece of society scandal to the reeds, who enjoyed it enormously. it is said that they also whispered it as the winds swayed them to and fro. i look reverently at the portrait of lord rothschild; i read reverently about the exploits of mr. vanderbilt. i know that i cannot turn everything i touch to gold; but then i also know that i have never tried, having a preference for other substances--such as grass and good wine. i know that these people have certainly succeeded in something; that they have certainly overcome somebody; i know that they are kings in a sense that no men were ever kings before; that they create markets and bestride continents. yet it always seems to me that there is some small domestic fact that they are hiding, and i have sometimes thought i heard upon the wind the laughter and whisper of the reeds. '_all things considered._' january th the christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. it has been found difficult; and left untried. '_what's wrong with the world._' january th the old masters of a healthy madness--aristophanes or rabelais or shakespeare--doubtless had many brushes with the precisians or ascetics of their day, but we cannot but feel that for honest severity and consistent self-maceration they would always have had respect. but what abysses of scorn, inconceivable to any modern, would they have reserved for an aesthetic type and movement which violated morality and did not even find pleasure, which outraged sanity and could not attain to exuberance, which contented itself with the fool's cap without the bells! '_the defendant._' january th the truth is that all feeble spirits naturally live in the future, because it is featureless; it is a soft job; you can make it what you like. the next age is blank, and i can paint it freshly with my favourite colour. it requires real courage to face the past, because the past is full of facts which cannot be got over; of men certainly wiser than we, and of things done which we could not do. i know i cannot write a poem as good as 'lycidas.' but it is always easy to say that the particular sort of poetry i can write will be the poetry of the future. '_george bernard shaw._' january th 'i have only that which the poor have equally with the rich; which the lonely have equally with the man of many friends. to me this whole strange world is homely, because in the heart of it there is a home; to me this cruel world is kindly, because higher than the heavens there is something more human than humanity. if a man must not fight for this, may he fight for anything? i would fight for my friend, but if i lost my friend, i should still be there. i would fight for my country, but if i lost my country, i should still exist. but if what that devil dreams were true, i should not be--i should burst like a bubble and be gone; i could not live in that imbecile universe. shall i not fight for my own existence?' '_the ball and the cross._' january th there are vast prospects and splendid songs in the point of view of the typically unsuccessful man; if all the used-up actors and spoilt journalists and broken clerks could give a chorus it would be a wonderful chorus in praise of the world. _introduction to 'nicholas nickleby.'_ january th 'tommy was a good boy' is a purely philosophical statement, worthy of plato or aquinas. 'tommy lived the higher life' is a gross metaphor from a ten-foot rule. '_orthodoxy._' january th happiness is a mystery like religion, and should never be rationalized. suppose a man experiences a really splendid moment of pleasure. i do not mean something connected with a piece of enamel, i mean something with a violent happiness in it--an almost painful happiness. a man may have, for instance, a moment of ecstasy in first love, or a moment of victory in battle. the lover enjoys the moment, but precisely not for the moment's sake. he enjoys it for the woman's sake, or his own sake. the warrior enjoys the moment, but not for the sake of the moment; he enjoys it for the sake of the flag. the cause which the flag stands for may be foolish and fleeting; the love may be calf-love, and last for a week. but the patriot thinks of the flag as eternal; the lover thinks of his love as something that cannot end. these moments are filled with eternity; these moments are joyful because they do not seem momentary. once look at them as moments after pater's manner, and they become as cold as pater and his style. man cannot love mortal things. he can only love immortal things for an instant. '_heretics._' january th it is remarkable that in so many great wars it is the defeated who have won. the people who were left worst at the end of the war were generally the people who were left best at the end of the whole business. for instance, the crusades ended in the defeat of the christians. but they did not end in the decline of the christians; they ended in the decline of the saracens. that huge prophetic wave of moslem power which had hung in the very heavens above the towns of christendom: that wave was broken, and never came on again. the crusades had saved paris in the act of losing jerusalem. the same applies to that epic of republican war in the eighteenth century to which we liberals owe our political creed. the french revolution ended in defeat; the kings came back across a carpet of dead at waterloo. the revolution had lost its last battle, but it had gained its first object. it had cut a chasm. the world has never been the same since. '_tremendous trifles._' january st from such books ... we can discover what a clever man can do with the idea of aristocracy. but from the 'family herald supplement' literature we can learn what the idea of aristocracy can do with a man who is not clever. and when we know that we know english history. '_heretics._' january nd darwinism can be used to back up two mad moralities, but it cannot be used to back up a single sane one. the kinship and competition of all living creatures can be used as a reason for being insanely cruel or insanely sentimental; but not for a healthy love of animals. on the evolutionary basis you may be inhumane, or you may be absurdly humane; but you cannot be human. that you and a tiger are one may be a reason for being tender to a tiger. or it may be a reason for being as cruel as the tiger. it is one way to train the tiger to imitate you; it is a shorter way to imitate the tiger. but in neither case does evolution tell you how to treat a tiger reasonably--that is, to admire his stripes while avoiding his claws. if you want to treat a tiger reasonably, you must go back to the garden of eden. '_orthodoxy._' january rd some priggish little clerk will say, 'i have reason to congratulate myself that i am a civilized person, and not so bloodthirsty as the mad mullah.' somebody ought to say to him, 'a really good man would be less bloodthirsty than the mullah. but you are less bloodthirsty, not because you are more of a good man, but because you are a great deal less of a man. you are not bloodthirsty, not because you would spare your enemy, but because you would run away from him.' '_all things considered._' january th to the quietest human being, seated in the quietest house, there will sometimes come a sudden and unmeaning hunger for the possibilities or impossibilities of things; he will abruptly wonder whether the teapot may not suddenly begin to pour out honey or sea-water, the clock to point to all hours of the day at once, the candle to burn green or crimson, the door to open upon a lake or a potato-field instead of a london street. upon anyone who feels this nameless anarchism there rests for the time being the spirit of pantomime. of the clown who cuts the policeman in two it may be said (with no darker meaning) that he realizes one of our visions. '_the defendant._' january th silence is the unbearable repartee. '_charles dickens._' january th 'i am staring,' said macian at last, 'at that which shall judge us both.' 'oh yes,' said turnbull in a tired way; 'i suppose you mean god.' 'no, i don't,' said macian, shaking his head, 'i mean him.' and he pointed to the half-tipsy yokel who was ploughing, down the road. 'i mean him. he goes out in the early dawn; he digs or he ploughs a field. then he comes back and drinks ale, and then he sings a song. all your philosophies and political systems are young compared to him. all your hoary cathedrals--yes, even the eternal church on earth is new compared to him. the most mouldering gods in the british museum are new facts beside him. it is he who in the end shall judge us all. i am going to ask him which of us is right.' 'ask that intoxicated turnip-eater----' 'yes--which of us is right. oh, you have long words and i have long words; and i talk of every man being the image of god; and you talk of every man being a citizen and enlightened enough to govern. but, if every man typifies god, there is god. if every man is an enlightened citizen, there is your enlightened citizen. the first man one meets is always man. let us catch him up.' '_the ball and the cross._' january th i gravely doubt whether women ever were married by capture. i think they pretended to be; as they do still. '_what's wrong with the world._' january th on bright blue days i do not want anything to happen; the world is complete and beautiful--a thing for contemplation. i no more ask for adventures under that turquoise dome than i ask for adventures in church. but when the background of man's life is a grey background, then, in the name of man's sacred supremacy, i desire to paint on it in fire and gore. when the heavens fail man refuses to fail; when the sky seems to have written on it, in letters of lead and pale silver, the decree that nothing shall happen, then the immortal soul, the prince of all creatures, rises up and decrees that something shall happen, if it be only the slaughter of a policeman. '_tremendous trifles._' january th it is the very difference between the artistic mind and the mathematical that the former sees things as they are in a picture, some nearer and larger, some smaller and farther away: while to the mathematical mind everything, every inch in a million, every fact in a cosmos, must be of equal value. that is why mathematicians go mad, and poets scarcely ever do. a man may have as wide a view of life as he likes, the wider the better: a distant view, a bird's-eye view, but still a view and not a map. the one thing he cannot attempt in his version of the universe is to draw things to scale. '_g. f. watts._' january th execution of charles i the face of the king's servants grew greater than the king. he tricked them and they trapped him and drew round him in a ring; the new grave lords closed round him that had eaten the abbey's fruits, and the men of the new religion with their bibles in their boots, we saw their shoulders moving to menace and discuss. and some were pure and some were vile, but none took heed of us; we saw the king when they killed him, and his face was proud and pale, and a few men talked of freedom while england talked of ale. '_the silent people._' january st the 'iliad' is only great because all life is a battle, the 'odyssey' because all life is a journey, the book of job because all life is a riddle. '_the defendant._' february february st many modern englishmen talk of themselves as the sturdy descendants of their sturdy puritan fathers. as a fact, they would run away from a cow. if you asked one of their puritan fathers, if you asked bunyan, for instance, whether he was sturdy, he would have answered with tears, that he was as weak as water. and because of this he would have borne tortures. '_heretics._' february nd _candlemas. the feast of the purification_ but as i sat scrawling these silly figures on brown paper, it began to dawn on me, to my great disgust, that i had left one chalk, and that a most exquisite and essential one, behind. i searched all my pockets, but i could not find any white chalk. now, those who are acquainted with all the philosophy (nay, religion) which is typified in the art of drawing on brown paper, know that white is positive and essential. i cannot avoid remarking here upon a moral significance. one of the wise and awful truths which this brown-paper art reveals is this: that white is a colour. it is not a mere absence of colour, it is a shining and affirmative thing: as fierce as red, as definite as black. when (so to speak) your pencil grows red hot, it draws roses; when it grows white hot, it draws stars. and one of the two or three defiant verities of the best religious morality--of real christianity, for example--is exactly this same thing. the chief assertion of religious morality is that white is a colour. virtue is not the absence of vices or the avoidance of moral dangers; virtue is a vivid and separate thing, like pain or a particular smell. mercy does not mean not being cruel or sparing people revenge or punishment: it means a plain and positive thing like the sun, which one has either seen or not seen. chastity does not mean abstention from sexual wrong; it means something flaming like joan of arc. in a word, god paints in many colours, but he never paints so gorgeously--i had almost said so gaudily--as when he paints in white. '_tremendous trifles._' february rd it is always easy to let the age have its head; the difficult thing is to keep one's own. it is always easy to be a modernist, as it is easy to be a snob. to have fallen into any of those open traps of error and exaggeration which fashion after fashion and sect after sect set along the historic path of christendom--that would indeed have been simple. it is always simple to fall; there are an infinity of angles at which one falls: only one at which one stands. to have fallen into any one of the fads from gnosticism to christian science would indeed have been obvious and tame. but to have avoided them all has been one whirling adventure; and in my vision the heavenly chariot flies thundering through the ages, the dull heresies sprawling and prostrate, the wild truth reeling but erect. '_orthodoxy._' february th the curse against god is 'exercise i' in the primer of minor poetry. '_the defendant._' february th whatever else the worst doctrine of depravity may have been, it was a product of spiritual conviction; it had nothing to do with remote physical origins. men thought mankind wicked because they felt wicked themselves. if a man feels wicked, i cannot see why he should suddenly feel good because somebody tells him that his ancestors once had tails. man's primary purity and innocence may have dropped off with his tail, for all anybody knows. the only thing we all know about that primary purity and innocence is that we have not got it. '_all things considered._' february th if you have composed a bad opera you may persuade yourself that it is a good one; if you have carved a bad statue you can think yourself better than michelangelo. but if you have lost a battle you cannot believe you have won it; if your client is hanged you cannot pretend that you have got him off. '_george bernard shaw._' february th _dickens born_ we are able to answer the question, 'why have we no great men?' we have no great men chiefly because we are always looking for them. we are connoisseurs of greatness, and connoisseurs can never be great; we are fastidious--that is, we are small. when diogenes went about with a lantern looking for an honest man, i am afraid he had very little time to be honest himself. and when anybody goes about on his hands and knees looking for a great man to worship, he is making sure that one man at any rate shall not be great. now the error of diogenes is evident. the error of diogenes lay in the fact that he omitted to notice that every man is both an honest man and a dishonest man. diogenes looked for his honest man inside every crypt and cavern, but he never thought of looking inside the thief. and that is where the founder of christianity found the honest man; he found him on a gibbet and promised him paradise. just as christianity looked for the honest man inside the thief, democracy looked for the wise man inside the fool. it encouraged the fool to be wise. we can call this thing sometimes optimism, sometimes equality; the nearest name for it is encouragement. it had its exaggerations--failure to understand original sin, notions that education would make all men good, the childlike yet pedantic philosophies of human perfectibility. but the whole was full of faith in the infinity of human souls, which is in itself not only christian but orthodox; and this we have lost amid the limitations of pessimistic science. christianity said that any man could be a saint if he chose; democracy, that every man could be a citizen if he chose. the note of the last few decades in art and ethics has been that a man is stamped with an irrevocable psychology and is cramped for perpetuity in the prison of his skull. it was a world that expects everything and everybody. it was a world that encouraged anybody to be anything. and in england and literature its living expression was dickens. '_charles dickens._' february th that which is large enough for the rich to covet is large enough for the poor to defend. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' february th the modern writers who have suggested, in a more or less open manner, that the family is a bad institution, have generally confined themselves to suggesting, with much sharpness, bitterness, or pathos, that perhaps the family is not always very congenial. of course the family is a good institution because it is uncongenial. it is wholesome precisely because it contains so many divergencies and varieties. it is, as the sentimentalists say, like a little kingdom, and, like most other little kingdoms, is generally in a state of something resembling anarchy. it is exactly because our brother george is not interested in our religious difficulties, but is interested in the trocadero restaurant, that the family has some of the bracing qualities of the commonwealth. it is precisely because our uncle henry does not approve of the theatrical ambitions of our sister sarah that the family is like humanity. the men and women who, for good reasons and bad, revolt against the family are, for good reasons and bad, simply revolting against mankind. aunt elizabeth is unreasonable, like mankind. papa is excitable, like mankind. our younger brother is mischievous, like mankind. grandpapa is stupid, like the world; he is old, like the world. '_heretics._' february th he said: 'if these were silent the very stones would cry out.' with these words he called up all the wealth of artistic creation that has been founded on this creed. with those words he founded gothic architecture. for in a town like this, which seems to have grown gothic as a wood grows leaves--anywhere and anyhow--any odd brick or moulding may be carved off into a shouting face. the front of vast buildings is thronged with open mouths, angels praising god, or devils defying him. rock itself is racked and twisted, until it seems to scream. the miracle is accomplished; the very stones cry out. '_tremendous trifles._' february th the chaos of habits that always goes with males when left entirely to themselves has only one honourable cure; and that is the strict discipline of a monastery. anyone who has seen our unhappy young idealists in east end settlements losing their collars in the wash and living on tinned salmon, will fully understand why it was decided by the wisdom of st. bernard or st. benedict that if men were to live without women, they must not live without rules. '_what's wrong with the world._' february th the british empire may annex what it likes, it will never annex england. it has not even discovered the island, let alone conquered it. '_tremendous trifles._' february th let it never be forgotten that a hypocrite is a very unhappy man; he is a man who has devoted himself to a most delicate and arduous intellectual art in which he may achieve masterpieces which he must keep secret, fight thrilling battles and win hair-breadth victories for which he cannot have a whisper of praise. a really accomplished impostor is the most wretched of geniuses: he is a napoleon on a desert island. '_browning._' february th _st. valentine's day_ the revolt against vows has been carried in our day even to the extent of a revolt against the typical vow of marriage. it is most amusing to listen to the opponents of marriage on this subject. they appear to imagine that the ideal of constancy was a joke mysteriously imposed on mankind by the devil, instead of being as it is a yoke consistently imposed on all lovers by themselves. they have invented a phrase, a phrase that is a black _v._ white contradiction in two words--'free love'--as if a lover ever had been or ever could be free. it is the nature of love to bind itself, and the institution of marriage merely paid the average man the compliment of taking him at his word. modern sages offer to the lover with an ill-favoured grin the largest liberties and the fullest irresponsibility; but they do not respect him as the old church respected him; they do not write his oath upon the heavens as the record of his highest moment. they give him every liberty except the liberty to sell his liberty, which is the only one that he wants. '_the defendant._' february th london is the largest of the bloated modern cities; london is the smokiest; london is the dirtiest; london is, if you will, the most sombre; london is, if you will, the most miserable. but london is certainly the most amusing and the most amused. you may prove that we have the most tragedy; the fact remains that we have the most comedy, that we have the most farce. '_all things considered._' february th our fathers had a plain sort of pity: if you will, a gross and coarse pity. they had their own sort of sentimentalism. they were quite willing to weep over smike. but it certainly never occurred to them to weep over squeers. no doubt they were often narrow and often visionary. no doubt they often looked at a political formula when they should have looked at an elemental fact. no doubt they were pedantic in some of their principles and clumsy in some of their solutions. no doubt, in short, they were all very wrong, and no doubt we are the people and wisdom shall die with us. but when they saw something that in their eyes, such as they were, really violated their morality, such as it was, then they did not cry 'investigate!' they did not cry 'educate!' they did not cry 'improve!' they did not cry 'evolve!' like nicholas nickleby, they cried 'stop!' and it did stop. _introduction to 'nicholas nickleby.'_ february th some people do not like the word 'dogma.' fortunately they are free, and there is an alternative for them. there are two things, and two things only, for the human mind--a dogma and a prejudice. the middle ages were a rational epoch, an age of doctrine. our age is, at its best, a poetical epoch, an age of prejudice. a doctrine is a definite point; a prejudice is a direction. that an ox may be eaten, while a man should not be eaten, is a doctrine. that as little as possible of anything should be eaten is a prejudice; which is also sometimes called an ideal. '_what's wrong with the world._' february th there are some people who state that the exterior, sex, or physique of another person is indifferent to them, that they care only for the communion of mind with mind; but these people need not detain us. there are some statements that no one ever thinks of believing, however often they are made. '_the defendant._' february th there are two rooted spiritual realities out of which grow all kinds of democratic conception or sentiment of human equality. there are two things in which all men are manifestly and unmistakably equal. they are not equally clever or equally muscular or equally fat, as the sages of the modern reaction (with piercing insight) perceive. but this is a spiritual certainty, that all men are tragic. and this, again, is an equally sublime spiritual certainty, that all men are comic. no special and private sorrow can be so dreadful as the fact of having to die. and no freak or deformity can be so funny as the mere fact of having two legs. every man is important if he loses his life; and every man is funny if he loses his hat, and has to run after it. and the universal test everywhere of whether a thing is popular, of the people, is whether it employs vigorously these extremes of the tragic and the comic. '_charles dickens._' february th now the reason why our fathers did not make marriage, in the middle-aged and static sense, the subject of their plays was a very simple one; it was that a play is a very bad place for discussing that topic. you cannot easily make a good drama out of the success or failure of a marriage, just as you could not make a good drama out of the growth of an oak-tree or the decay of an empire. as polonius very reasonably observed, it is too long. a happy love-affair will make a drama simply because it is dramatic; it depends on an ultimate yes or no. but a happy marriage is not dramatic; perhaps it would be less happy if it were. the essence of a romantic heroine is that she asks herself an intense question; but the essence of a sensible wife is that she is much too sensible to ask herself any questions at all. all the things that make monogamy a success are in their nature undramatic things, the silent growth of an instinctive confidence, the common wounds and victories, the accumulation of customs, the rich maturing of old jokes. sane marriage is an untheatrical thing; it is therefore not surprising that most modern dramatists have devoted themselves to insane marriage. '_george bernard shaw._' february st if americans can be divorced for 'incompatibility of temper,' i cannot conceive why they are not all divorced. i have known many happy marriages, but never a compatible one. the whole aim of marriage is to fight through and survive the instant when incompatibility becomes unquestionable. for a man and a woman, as such, are incompatible. '_what's wrong with the world._' february nd of a sane man there is only one safe definition: he is a man who can have tragedy in his heart and comedy in his head. '_tremendous trifles._' february rd the artistic temperament is a disease that afflicts amateurs. '_heretics._' february th it is constantly assumed, especially in our tolstoian tendencies, that when the lion lies down with the lamb the lion becomes lamb-like. but that is brutal annexation and imperialism on the part of the lamb. that is simply the lamb absorbing the lion instead of the lion eating the lamb. the real problem is--can the lion lie down with the lamb and still retain his royal ferocity? that is the problem the church attempted; _that_ is the miracle she achieved. '_orthodoxy._' february th nothing is important except the fate of the soul; and literature is only redeemed from an utter triviality, surpassing that of naughts and crosses, by the fact that it describes not the world around us, or the things on the retina of the eye, or the enormous irrelevancy of encyclopædias, but some condition to which the human spirit can come. _introduction to 'the old curiosity shop.'_ february th it is neither blood nor rain that has made england, but hope--the thing all those dead men have desired. france was not france because she was made to be by the skulls of the celts or by the sun of gaul. france was france because she chose. '_george bernard shaw._' february th a man must be partly a one-idead man because he is a one-weaponed man--and he is flung naked into the fight. in short, he must (as the books on success say) give 'his best'; and what a small part of a man 'his best' is! his second and third best are often much better. if he is the first violin he must fiddle for life; he must not remember that he is a fine fourth bagpipe, a fair fifteenth billiard-cue, a foil, a fountain-pen, a hand at whist, a gun, and an image of god. '_what's wrong with the world._' february th the wise man will follow a star, low and large and fierce in the heavens, but the nearer he comes to it the smaller and smaller it will grow, till he finds it the humble lantern over some little inn or stable. not till we know the high things shall we know how lovely they are. '_william blake._' march march st _st. david's day_ my eyes are void with vision; i sing but i cannot speak; i hide in the vaporous caverns like a creature wild and weak; but for ever my harps are tuned and for ever my songs are sung, and i answer my tyrants ever in an unknown tongue. when the blue men broke in the battle with the roman or the dane, in the cracks of my ghastly uplands they gathered like ghosts again. some say i am still a druid, some say my spirit shows catholic, puritan, pagan; but no man knows. mother of god's good witches, of all white mystery, whatever else i am seeking, i seek for thee. for the old harp better fitted and swung on a stronger thong, we, that shall sing for ever; o hear our song! '_the seven swords._' march nd it may be a very limited aim in morality to shoot a 'many-faced and fickle traitor,' but at least it is a better aim than to be a many-faced and fickle traitor, which is a simple summary of a good many modern systems from mr. d'annunzio's downwards. '_the defendant._' march rd a man may easily be forgiven for not doing this or that incidental act of charity, especially when the question is as genuinely difficult and dubious as is the case of mendicity. but there is something quite pestilently pecksniffian about shrinking from a hard task on the plea that it is not hard enough. if a man will really try talking to the ten beggars who come to his door he will soon find out whether it is really so much easier than the labour of writing a cheque for a hospital. '_what's wrong with the world._' march th but the man we see every day--the worker in mr. gradgrind's factory, the little clerk in mr. gradgrind's office--he is too mentally worried to believe in freedom. he is kept quiet with revolutionary literature. he is calmed and kept in his place by a constant succession of wild philosophies. he is a marxian one day, a nietzscheite the next day, a superman (probably) the next day, and a slave every day. the only thing that remains after all the philosophies is the factory. the only man who gains by all the philosophies is gradgrind. it would be worth his while to keep his commercial helotry supplied with sceptical literature. and now i come to think of it, of course, gradgrind is famous for giving libraries. he shows his sense: all modern books are on his side. as long as the vision of heaven is always changing, the vision of earth will be exactly the same. no ideal will remain long enough to be realized, or even partly realized. the modern young man will never change his environment, for he will always change his mind. '_orthodoxy._' march th progress should mean that we are always walking towards the new jerusalem. it does mean that the new jerusalem is always walking away from us. we are not altering the real to suit the ideal. we are altering the ideal: it is easier. '_orthodoxy._' march th in a very entertaining work, over which we have roared in childhood, it is stated that a point has no parts and no magnitude. humility is the luxurious art of reducing ourselves to a point, not to a small thing or a large one, but to a thing with no size at all, so that to it all the cosmic things are what they really are--of immeasurable stature. '_the defendant._' march th thus because we are not in a civilization which believes strongly in oracles or sacred places, we see the full frenzy of those who killed themselves to find the sepulchre of christ. but being in a civilization which does believe in this dogma of fact for fact's sake, we do not see the full frenzy of those who kill themselves to find the north pole. i am not speaking of a tenable ultimate utility, which is true both of the crusades and the polar explorations. i mean merely that we do see the superficial and æsthetic singularity, the startling quality, about the idea of men crossing a continent with armies to conquer the place where a man died. but we do not see the æsthetic singularity and the startling quality of men dying in agonies to find a place where no man can live--a place only interesting because it is supposed to be the meeting-place of some lines that do not exist. '_heretics._' march th in one of his least convincing phrases, nietzsche had said that just as the ape ultimately produced the man, so should we ultimately produce something higher than the man. the immediate answer, of course, is sufficiently obvious: the ape did not worry about the man, so why should we worry about the superman? if the superman will come by natural selection, may we not leave it to natural selection? if the superman will come by human selection, what sort of superman are we to select? if he is simply to be more just, more brave, or more merciful, then zarathustra sinks into a sunday-school teacher; the only way we can work for it is to be more just, more brave, and more merciful--sensible advice, but hardly startling. if he is to be anything else than this, why should we desire him, or what else are we to desire? these questions have been many times asked of the nietzscheites, and none of the nietzscheites have even attempted to answer them. '_george bernard shaw._' march th a man can be a christian to the end of the world, for the simple reason that a man could have been an atheist from the beginning of it. the materialism of things is on the face of things: it does not require any science to find it out. a man who has lived and loved falls down dead and the worms eat him. that is materialism, if you like. that is atheism, if you like. if mankind has believed in spite of that, it can believe in spite of anything. but why our human lot is made any more hopeless because we know the names of the worms who eat him, or the names of all the parts of him that they eat, is to a thoughtful mind somewhat difficult to discover. '_all things considered._' march th we should probably come considerably nearer to the true conception of things if we treated all grown-up persons, of all titles and types, with precisely that dark affection and dazed respect with which we treat the infantile limitations. a child has no difficulty in achieving the miracle of speech, consequently we find his blunders almost as marvellous as his accuracy. if we only adopted the same attitude towards premiers and chancellors of the exchequer, if we genially encouraged their stammering and delightful attempts at human speech, we should be in a far more wise and tolerant temper. '_the defendant._' march th when the working women in the poor districts come to the doors of the public-houses and try to get their husbands home, simple-minded 'social workers' always imagine that every husband is a tragic drunkard and every wife a broken-hearted saint. it never occurs to them that the poor woman is only doing under coarser conventions exactly what every fashionable hostess does when she tries to get the men from arguing over the cigars to come and gossip over the teacups. '_what's wrong with the world._' march th what have we done, and where have we wandered, we that have produced sages who could have spoken with socrates and poets who could walk with dante, that we should talk as if we had never done anything more intelligent than found colonies and kick niggers? we are the children of light, and it is we that sit in darkness. if we are judged, it will not be for the merely intellectual transgression of failing to appreciate other nations, but for the supreme spiritual transgression of failing to appreciate ourselves. '_the defendant._' march th and for those who talk to us with interfering eloquence about jaeger and the pores of the skin, and about plasmon and the coats of the stomach, at them shall only be hurled the words that are hurled at fops and gluttons, 'take no thought what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, or wherewithal ye shall be clothed. for after all these things do the gentiles seek. but seek ye first the kingdom of god, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.' '_heretics._' march th the christian admits that the universe is manifold and even miscellaneous, just as a sane man knows that he is complex. nay, the really sane man knows that he has a touch of the madman. but the materialist's world is quite simple and solid, just as the madman is quite sure he is sane. the materialist is sure that history has been simply and solely a chain of causation, just as the interesting person before mentioned is quite sure that he is simply and solely a chicken. materialists and madmen never have doubts. '_orthodoxy._' march th the modern world (intent on anarchy in everything, even in government) refuses to perceive the permanent element of tragic constancy which inheres in all passion, and which is the origin of marriage. marriage rests upon the fact that you cannot have your cake and eat it; that you cannot lose your heart and have it. _introduction to 'david copperfield.'_ march th morality did not begin by one man saying to another, 'i will not hit you if you do not hit me'; there _is_ no trace of such a transaction. there _is_ a trace of both men having said, 'we must not hit each other in the holy place.' they gained their morality by guarding their religion. they did not cultivate courage. they fought for the shrine, and found they had become courageous. they did not cultivate cleanliness. they purified themselves for the altar, and found that they were clean. the history of the jews is the only early document known to most englishmen, and the facts can be judged sufficiently from that. the ten commandments which have been found substantially common to mankind were merely military commands; a code of regimental orders, issued to protect a certain ark across a certain desert. anarchy was evil because it endangered the sanctity. and only when they made a holy day for god did they find they had made a holiday for men. '_orthodoxy._' march th _st. patrick's day_ the average autochthonous irishman is close to patriotism because he is close to the earth; he is close to domesticity because he is close to the earth; he is close to doctrinal theology and elaborate ritual because he is close to the earth. in short, he is close to the heavens because he is close to the earth. '_george bernard shaw._' march th we men and women are all in the same boat, upon a stormy sea. we owe to each other a terrible and tragic loyalty. if we catch sharks for food, let them be killed most mercifully; let anyone who likes love the sharks, and pet the sharks, and tie ribbons round their necks and give them sugar and teach them to dance. but if once a man suggests that a shark is to be valued against a sailor, or that the poor shark might be permitted to bite off a nigger's leg occasionally, then i would court-martial the man--he is a traitor to the ship. '_all things considered._' march th every statute is a declaration of war, to be backed by arms. every tribunal is a revolutionary tribunal. in a republic all punishment is as sacred and solemn as lynching. '_what's wrong with the world._' march th i have no sympathy with international aggression when it is taken seriously, but i have a certain dark and wild sympathy with it when it is quite absurd. raids are all wrong as practical politics, but they are human and imaginable as practical jokes. in fact, almost any act of ragging or violence can be forgiven on this strict condition--that it is of no use at all to anybody. if the aggression gets anything out of it, then it is quite unpardonable. it is damned by the least hint of utility or profit. a man of spirit and breeding may brawl, but he does not steal. a gentleman knocks off his friend's hat, but he does not annex his friend's hat. '_all things considered._' march st modern and cultured persons, i believe, object to their children seeing kitchen company or being taught by a woman like peggotty. but surely it is more important to be educated in a sense of human dignity and equality than in anything else in the world. and a child who has once had to respect a kind and capable woman of the lower classes will respect the lower classes for ever. the true way to overcome the evil in class distinctions is not to denounce them as revolutionists denounce them, but to ignore them as children ignore them. '_charles dickens._' march nd there is no clearer sign of the absence of originality among modern poets than their disposition to find new topics. really original poets write poems about the spring. they are always fresh, just as the spring is always fresh. men wholly without originality write poems about torture, or new religions, or some perversion of obscenity, hoping that the mere sting of the subject may speak for them. but we do not sufficiently realize that what is true of the classic ode is also true of the classic joke. a true poet writes about the spring being beautiful because (after a thousand springs) the spring really is beautiful. in the same way the true humorist writes about a man sitting down on his hat because the act of sitting down on one's own hat (however often and admirably performed) really is extremely funny. we must not dismiss a new poet because his poem is called 'to a skylark'; nor must we dismiss a humorist because his new farce is called 'my mother-in-law.' he may really have splendid and inspiring things to say upon an eternal problem. the whole question is whether he has. _introduction to 'sketches by boz.'_ march rd man is an exception, whatever else he is. if he is not the image of god, then he is a disease of the dust. if it is not true that a divine being fell, then we can only say that one of the animals went entirely off its head. '_all things considered._' march th social reformers have fired a hundred shots against the public-house, but never one against its really shameful character. the sign of decay is not in the public-house, but in the private bar; or rather the row of five or six private bars, into each of which a respectable dipsomaniac can go in solitude, and by indulging his own half-witted sin violates his own half-witted morality. nearly all these places are equipped with an atrocious apparatus of ground-glass windows which can be so closed that they practically conceal the face of the buyer from the seller. words cannot express the abysses of human infamy and hateful shame expressed by that elaborate piece of furniture. whenever i go into a public-house, which happens fairly often, i always carefully open all these apertures and then leave the place in every way refreshed. '_george bernard shaw._' march th _lady day_ fearfully plain the flowers grew, like a child's book to read, or like a friend's face seen in a glass. he looked, and there our lady was; she stood and stroked the tall live grass as a man strokes his steed. her face was like a spoken word when brave men speak and choose, the very colours of her coat were better than good news.... 'the gates of heaven are tightly locked, we do not guard our gain, the heaviest hind may easily come silently and suddenly upon me in a lane. 'and any little maid that walks in good thoughts apart, may break the guard of the three kings, and see the dear and dreadful things i hid within my heart.' '_ballad of alfred._' march th it is one of the mean and morbid modern lies that physical courage is connected with cruelty. the tolstoian and kiplingite are nowhere more at one than in maintaining this. they have, i believe, some small sectarian quarrel with each other: the one saying that courage must be abandoned because it is connected with cruelty, and the other maintaining that cruelty is charming because it is a part of courage. but it is all, thank god, a lie. an energy and boldness of body may make a man stupid or reckless or dull or drunk or hungry, but it does not make him spiteful. '_what's wrong with the world._' march th for human beings, being children, have the childish wilfulness and the childish secrecy. and they never have from the beginning of the world done what the wise men have seen to be inevitable. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' march th cruelty to animals is cruelty and a vile thing; but cruelty to a man is not cruelty; it is treason. tyranny over a man is not tyranny: it is rebellion, for man is royal. now, the practical weakness of the vast mass of modern pity for the poor and the oppressed is precisely that it is merely pity; the pity is pitiful, but not respectful. men feel that the cruelty to the poor is a kind of cruelty to animals. they never feel that it is injustice to equals; nay, it is treachery to comrades. this dark, scientific pity, this brutal pity, has an elemental sincerity of its own, but it is entirely useless for all ends of social reform. democracy swept europe with the sabre when it was founded upon the rights of man. it has done literally nothing at all since it has been founded only upon the wrongs of man. or, more strictly speaking, its recent failure has been due to its not admitting the existence of any rights or wrongs, or indeed of any humanity. evolution (the sinister enemy of revolution) does not especially deny the existence of god: what it does deny is the existence of man. and all the despair about the poor, and the cold and repugnant pity for them, has been largely due to the vague sense that they have literally relapsed into the state of the lower animals. '_charles dickens._' march th the modern humanitarian can love all opinions, but he cannot love all men; he seems sometimes, in the ecstasy of his humanitarianism, even to hate them all. he can love all opinions, including the opinion that men are unlovable. _introduction to 'hard times.'_ march th every man is dangerous who only cares for one thing. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' march st as mr. blatchford says, 'the world does not want piety, but soap--and socialism.' piety is one of the popular virtues, whereas soap and socialism are two hobbies of the upper middle class. '_what's wrong with the world._' april april st _all fools' day_ we shall never make anything of democracy until we make fools of ourselves. for if a man really cannot make a fool of himself, we may be quite certain that the effort is superfluous. '_the defendant._' april nd modesty has moved from the organ of ambition. modesty has settled upon the organ of conviction--where it was never meant to be. a man was meant to be doubtful about himself, but undoubting about the truth; this has been exactly reversed. nowadays the part of a man that a man does assert is exactly the part he ought not to assert--himself. the part he doubts is exactly the part he ought not to doubt--the divine reason. huxley preached a humility content to learn from nature. but the new sceptic is so humble that he doubts if he can even learn. thus we should be wrong if we had said hastily that there is no humility typical of our time. the truth is that there is a real humility typical of our time; but it so happens that it is practically a more poisonous humility than the wildest prostrations of the ascetic. the old humility was a spur that prevented a man from stopping: not a nail in his boot that prevented him from going on. for the old humility made a man doubtful about his efforts, which might make him work harder. but the new humility makes a man doubtful about his aims, which will make him stop working altogether. '_orthodoxy._' april rd it is very currently suggested that the modern man is the heir of all the ages, that he has got the good out of these successive human experiments. i know not what to say in answer to this, except to ask the reader to look at the modern man, as i have just looked at the modern man--in the looking-glass. is it really true that you and i are two starry towers built up of all the most towering visions of the past? have we really fulfilled all the great historic ideals one after the other, from our naked ancestor who was brave enough to kill a mammoth with a stone knife, through the greek citizen and the christian saint to our own grandfather or great-grandfather, who may have been sabred by the manchester yeomany or shot in the ' ? are we still strong enough to spear mammoths, but now tender enough to spare them? does the cosmos contain any mammoth that we have either speared or spared? when we decline (in a marked manner) to fly the red flag and fire across a barricade like our grandfathers, are we really declining in deference to sociologists--or to soldiers? have we indeed outstripped the warrior and passed the ascetical saint? i fear we only outstrip the warrior in the sense that we should probably run away from him. and if we have passed the saint, i fear we have passed him without bowing. '_what's wrong with the world._' april th the prophet who is stoned is not a brawler or a marplot. he is simply a rejected lover. he suffers from an unrequited attachment to things in general. '_the defendant._' april th laughter and love are everywhere. the cathedrals, built in the ages that loved god, are full of blasphemous grotesques. the mother laughs continually at the child, the lover laughs continually at the lover, the wife at the husband, the friend at the friend. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' april th fairy-tales do not give a child his first idea of bogy. what fairy-tales give the child is his first clear idea of the possible defeat of bogy. the baby has known the dragon intimately ever since he had an imagination. what the fairy-tale provides for him is a st. george to kill the dragon. exactly what the fairy-tale does is this: it accustoms him by a series of clear pictures to the idea that these limitless terrors have a limit, that these shapeless enemies have enemies, that these infinite enemies of man have enemies in the knights of god, that there is something in the universe more mystical than darkness, and stronger than strong fear. when i was a child i have stared at the darkness until the whole black bulk of it turned into one negro giant taller than heaven. if there was one star in the sky it only made him a cyclops. but fairy-tales restored my mental health. for next day i read an authentic account of how a negro giant with one eye, of quite equal dimensions, had been baffled by a little boy like myself (of similar inexperience and even lower social status) by means of a sword, some bad riddles, and a brave heart. '_tremendous trifles._' april th the full value of this life can only be got by fighting; the violent take it by storm. and if we have accepted everything we have missed something--war. this life of ours is a very enjoyable fight, but a very miserable truce. '_charles dickens._' april th the old religionists tortured men physically for a moral truth. the new realists torture men morally for a physical truth. '_tremendous trifles._' april th 'i sincerely maintain that nature-worship is more morally dangerous than the most vulgar man-worship of the cities; since it can easily be perverted into the worship of an impersonal mystery, carelessness, or cruelty. thoreau would have been a jollier fellow if he had devoted himself to a green-grocer instead of to greens.' '_alarms and discursions._' april th suppose that a great commotion arises in the street about something--let us say a lamp-post, which many influential persons desire to pull down. a grey-clad monk, who is the spirit of the middle ages, is approached on the matter, and begins to say, in the arid manner of the schoolmen, 'let us first of all consider, my brethren, the value of light. if light be in itself good----' at this point he is somewhat excusably knocked down. all the people make a rush for the lamp-post, the lamp-post is down in ten minutes, and they go about congratulating each other on their unmedieval practicality. but as things go on they do not work out so easily. some people have pulled the lamp-post down because they wanted the electric light; some because they wanted old iron; some because they wanted darkness, because their deeds were evil. some thought it not enough of a lamp-post, some too much; some acted because they wanted to smash municipal machinery; some because they wanted to smash something. and there is war in the night, no man knowing whom he strikes. so, gradually and inevitably, to-day, to-morrow, or the next day, there comes back the conviction that the monk was right after all, and that all depends on what is the philosophy of light. only what we might have discussed under the gas-lamp we must now discuss in the dark. '_heretics._' april th his soul will never starve for exploits or excitements who is wise enough to be made a fool of. he will make himself happy in the traps that have been laid for him; he will roll in their nets and sleep. all doors will fly open to him who has a mildness more defiant than mere courage. the whole is unerringly expressed in one fortunate phrase--he will be always 'taken in.' to be taken in everywhere is to see the inside of everything. it is the hospitality of circumstance. with torches and trumpets, like a guest, the greenhorn is taken in by life. and the sceptic is cast out by it. '_charles dickens._' april th you cannot admire will in general, because the essence of will is that it is particular. a brilliant anarchist like mr. john davidson felt an irritation against ordinary morality, and therefore he invokes will--will to anything. he only wants humanity to want something. but humanity does want something. it wants ordinary morality. he rebels against the law and tells us to will something or anything. but we _have_ willed something. we have willed the law against which he rebels. '_orthodoxy._' april th i have often been haunted with a fancy that the creeds of men might be paralleled and represented in their beverages. wine might stand for genuine catholicism, and ale for genuine protestantism; for these at least are real religions with comfort and strength in them. clean cold agnosticism would be clean cold water--an excellent thing if you can get it. most modern ethical and idealistic movements might be well represented by soda-water--which is a fuss about nothing. mr. bernard shaw's philosophy is exactly like black coffee--it awakens, but it does not really inspire. modern hygienic materialism is very like cocoa; it would be impossible to express one's contempt for it in stronger terms than that. sometimes one may come across something that may honestly be compared to milk, an ancient and heathen mildness, an earthly yet sustaining mercy--the milk of human kindness. you can find it in a few pagan poets and a few old fables; but it is everywhere dying out. '_william blake._' april th as it is in politics with the specially potent man, so it is in history with the specially learned. we do not need the learned man to teach us the important things. we all know the important things, though we all violate and neglect them. gigantic industry, abysmal knowledge are needed for the discovery of the tiny things--the things that seem hardly worth the trouble. generally speaking, the ordinary man should be content with the terrible secret that men are men--which is another way of saying that they are brothers. '_illustrated london news._' april th the women were of the kind vaguely called emancipated, and professed some protest against male supremacy. yet these new women would always pay to a man the extraordinary compliment which no ordinary woman ever pays to him--that of listening while he is talking. '_the man who was thursday._' april th whatever the merits or demerits of the pantheistic sentiment of melting into nature of 'oneness' (i think they call it) with seas and skies, it is not and it never has been a popular sentiment. it has been the feeling of a few learned aesthetes or secluded naturalists. popular poetry is all against pantheism and quite removed from immanence. it is all about the beautiful earth as an edge or fringe of something much better and quite distinct. ballads and carols do not go to the tune of 'one with the essence of the boundless world.' ballads and carols go to the tune of 'over the hills and far away;' the sense that life leads by a strange and special path to something sacred and separate. '_daily news._' april th how high the sea of human happiness rose in the middle ages, we now only know by the colossal walls that they built to keep it in bounds. how low human happiness sank in the twentieth century, our children will only know by these extraordinary modern books, which tell people to be cheerful and that life is not so bad after all. humanity never produces optimists till it has ceased to produce happy men. it is strange to be obliged to impose a holiday like a fast, and to drive men to a banquet with spears. '_george bernard shaw._' april th if a god does come upon the earth, he will descend at the sight of the brave. our prostrations and litanies are of no avail; our new moons and sabbaths are an abomination. the great man will come when all of us are feeling great, not when all of us are feeling small. he will ride in at some splendid moment when we all feel that we could do without him. '_charles dickens._' april th _primrose day_ if the great jew who led the english tories understood patriotism (as i do not doubt that he did) it must have been a decidedly special and peculiar kind of patriotism, and it necessarily laid him open to the mistake about the relative positions of the terms emperor and king. to him no doubt emperor seemed obviously a higher title; just as brother of the sun and moon would have seemed to him a higher title than second cousin of the evening star. among orientals all such titles are towering and hyperbolical. but of kingship as it has been felt among christian men he had no notion, and small blame to him. he did not understand the domestic, popular, and priestly quality in the thing; the idea expressed in the odd old phrase of being the breath of his people's nostrils; the mystical life pumped through the lungs and framework of a state. '_illustrated london news._' april th 'i know of a magic wand, but it is a wand that only one or two may rightly use, and only seldom. it is a fairy wand of great fear, stronger than those who use it--often frightful, often wicked to use. but whatever is touched with it is never again wholly common; whatever is touched with it takes a magic from outside the world. it has made mean landscapes magnificent and hovels outlast cathedrals. the touch of it is the finger of a strange perfection. 'there it is!'--he pointed to the floor where his sword lay flat and shining. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' april st there are many definite methods, honest and dishonest, which make men rich; the only 'instinct' i know of which does it is that instinct which theological christianity crudely describes as 'the sin of avarice.' '_all things considered_.' april nd it is a common saying that anything may happen behind our backs: transcendentally considered, the thing has an eerie truth about it. eden may be behind our backs, or fairyland. but this mystery of the human back has, again, its other side in the strange impression produced on those behind: to walk behind anyone along a lane is a thing that, properly speaking, touches the oldest nerve of awe. watts has realized this as no one in art or letters has realized it in the whole history of the world; it has made him great. there is one possible exception to his monopoly of this magnificent craze. two thousand years before, in the dark scriptures of a nomad people, it had been said that their prophet saw the immense creator of all things, but only saw him from behind. '_g. f. watts._' april rd _st. george's day_ i see you how you smile in state straight from the peak to plymouth bar; you need not tell me you are great, i know how more than great you are. i know what spirit chaucer was; i have seen gainsborough and the grass. '_tremendous trifles._' april th there is no fear that a modern king will attempt to override the constitution: it is more likely that he will ignore the constitution and work behind its back. he will take no advantage of his kingly power: it is more likely that he will take advantage of his kingly powerlessness--of the fact that he is free from criticism and publicity. for the king is the most private person of our time. it will not be necessary for anyone to fight against the proposal of a censorship of the press. we do not need a censorship of the press. we have a censorship by the press. '_orthodoxy._' april th _st mark's day_ the only thing still old-fashioned enough to reject miracles is the new theology. '_orthodoxy._' april th the modern man thought becket's robes too rich and his meals too poor. but then the modern man was really exceptional in history; no man before ever ate such elaborate dinners in such ugly clothes. the modern man found the church too simple exactly where life is too complex; he found the church too gorgeous exactly where modern life is too dingy. the man who disliked the plain fasts and feasts was mad on entrées. the man who disliked vestments wore a pair of preposterous trousers. and surely if there was any insanity involved in the matter at all it was in the trousers, not in the simply falling robe. if there was any insanity at all, it was in the extravagant entrées, not in the bread and wine. '_orthodoxy._' april th the two things that a healthy person hates most between heaven and hell are a woman who is not dignified and a man who is. '_all things considered._' april th for those who study the great art of lying in bed there is one emphatic caution to be added. even for those who cannot do their work in bed (as, for example, the professional harpooners of whales), it is obvious that the indulgence must be very occasional. but that is not the caution i mean. the caution is this: if you do lie in bed, be sure you do it without any reason or justification at all. i do not speak, of course, of the seriously sick. but if a healthy man lies in bed, let him do it without a rag of excuse; then he will get up a healthy man. if he does it for some secondary hygienic reason, if he has some scientific explanation, he may get up a hypochondriac. '_tremendous trifles._' april th the creed of our cruel cities is not so sane and just as the creed of the old country-side; but the people are just as clever in giving names to their sins in the city as in giving names to their joys in the wilderness. one could not better sum up christianity than by calling a small white insignificant flower 'the star of bethlehem.' but then again one could not better sum up the philosophy deduced from darwinism than in the one verbal picture of 'having your monkey up.' '_daily news._' april th _st. catherine of siena's day_ historic christianity rose into a high and strange _coup de théâtre_ of morality--things that are to virtue what the crimes of nero are to vice. the spirits of indignation and of charity took terrible and attractive forms, ranging from that monkish fierceness that scourged like a dog the first and greatest of the plantagenets, to the sublime pity of st. catherine, who, in the official shambles, kissed the bloody head of the criminal. our ethical teachers write reasonably for prison reform; but we are not likely to see mr. cadbury, or any eminent philanthropist, go into reading jail to embrace the strangled corpse before it is cast into the quicklime. our ethical teachers write wildly against the power of millionaires, but we are not likely to see mr. rockefeller, or any modern tyrant, publicly whipped in westminster abbey. '_orthodoxy._' may may st _labour day_ it may be we shall rise the last as frenchmen rose the first; our wrath come after russia's, and our wrath be the worst. it may be we are set to mark by our riot and our rest god's scorn of all man's governance: it may be beer is best. but we are the people of england, and we never have spoken yet. mock at us, pay us, pass us; but do not quite forget. '_the silent people._' may nd if drudgery only means dreadfully hard work, i admit the woman drudges in the home, as a man might drudge at the cathedral of amiens or drudge behind a gun at trafalgar. but if it means that the hard work is more heavy because it is trifling, colourless, and of small import to the soul, then, as i say, i give it up: i do not know what the word means. to be queen elizabeth within a definite area--deciding sales, banquets, labours, and holidays; to be whiteley within a certain area--providing toys, boots, sheets, cakes, and books; to be aristotle within a certain area--teaching morals, manners, theology, and hygiene: i can understand how this might exhaust the mind, but i cannot imagine how it could narrow it. '_what's wrong with the world._' may rd since it is lawful to pray for the coming of the kingdom, it is lawful also to pray for the coming of the revolution that shall restore the kingdom. it is lawful to hope to hear the wind of heaven in the trees. it is lawful to pray, 'thine anger come on earth as it is in heaven.' '_tremendous trifles._' may th happy is he and more than wise who sees with wondering eyes and clean this world through all the grey disguise of sleep and custom in between. yes; we may pass the heavenly screen, but shall we know when we are there? who know not what these dead stones mean, the lovely city of lierre. '_tremendous trifles._' may th anomalies do matter very much, and do a great deal of harm; abstract illogicalities do matter a great deal, and do a great deal of harm: and this for a reason that anyone at all acquainted with human nature can see for himself. all injustice begins in the mind: and anomalies accustom the mind to the idea of unreason and untruth. suppose i had by some prehistoric law the power of forcing every man in battersea to nod his head three times before he got out of bed: the practical politicians might say that this power was a harmless anomaly, that it was not a grievance. it could do my subjects no harm; it could do me no good. the people of battersea, they would say, might safely submit to it; but the people of battersea could not safely submit to it, for all that. if i had nodded their heads for them for fifty years, i could cut off their heads for them at the end of it with immeasurably greater ease; for there would have permanently sunk into every man's mind the notion that it was a natural thing for me to have a fantastic and irrational power. they would have grown accustomed to insanity. '_all things considered._' may th ireland is a country in which the political conflicts are at least genuine: they are about something. they are about patriotism, about religion, or about money: the three great realities. in other words, they are concerned with what commonwealth a man lives in, or with what universe a man lives in, or how he is to manage to live in either. but they are not concerned with which of two wealthy cousins in the same governing class shall be allowed to bring in the same parish councils bill. '_george bernard shaw._' may th maeterlinck is as efficient in filling a man with strange spiritual tremors as messrs. crosse & blackwell are in filling a man with jam. but it all depends on what you want to be filled with. lord rosebery, being a modern sceptic, probably prefers the spiritual tremors. i, being an orthodox christian, prefer the jam. '_what's wrong with the world._' may th the world is not a lodging-house at brighton, which we are to leave because it is miserable. it is the fortress of our family, with the flag flying on the turret, and the more miserable it is the less we should leave it. the point is not that this world is too sad to love or too glad not to love; the point is that when you do love a thing, its gladness is a reason for loving it, and its sadness a reason for loving it more. all optimistic thoughts about england and all pessimistic thoughts about her are alike reasons for the english patriot. similarly, optimism and pessimism are alike arguments for the cosmic patriot. '_orthodoxy._' may th it is not by any means self-evident upon the face of it that an institution like the liberty of speech is right or just. it is not natural or obvious to let a man utter follies and abominations which you believe to be bad for mankind any more than it is natural or obvious to let a man dig up a part of the public road, or infect half a town with typhoid fever. the theory of free speech, that truth is so much larger and stranger and more many-sided than we know of, that it is very much better at all costs to hear every one's account of it, is a theory which has been justified upon the whole by experiment, but which remains a very daring and even a very surprising theory. it is really one of the great discoveries of the modern time; but once admitted, it is a principle that does not merely affect politics, but philosophy, ethics, and finally, poetry. '_browning._' may th whatever makes men feel old is mean--an empire or a skin-flint shop. whatever makes men feel young is great--a great war or a love-story. and in the darkest of the books of god there is written a truth that is also a riddle. it is of the new things that men tire--of fashions and proposals and improvements and change. it is the old things that startle and intoxicate. it is the old things that are young. there is no sceptic who does not feel that men have doubted before. there is no rich and fickle man who does not feel that all his novelties are ancient. there is no worshipper of change who does not feel upon his neck the vast weight of the weariness of the universe. but we who do the old things are fed by nature with a perpetual infancy. no man who is in love thinks that anyone has been in love before. no woman who has a child thinks there have been such things as children. no people that fight for their own city are haunted with the burden of the broken empires. '_the napoleon of notting hill._' may th most of us have suffered from a certain sort of lady who, by her perverse unselfishness, gives more trouble than the selfish; who almost clamours for the unpopular dish and scrambles for the worst seat. most of us have known parties or expeditions full of this seething fuss of self-effacement. '_what's wrong with the world._' may th it is the custom, particularly among magistrates, to attribute half the crimes of the metropolis to cheap novelettes. if some grimy urchin runs away with an apple, the magistrate shrewdly points out that the child's knowledge that apples appease hunger is traceable to some curious literary researches. the boys themselves, when penitent, frequently accuse the novelettes with great bitterness, which is only to be expected from young people possessed of no little native humour. if i had forged a will, and could obtain sympathy by tracing the incident to the influence of mr. george moore's novels, i should find the greatest entertainment in the diversion. at any rate, it is firmly fixed in the minds of most people that gutter-boys, unlike everybody else in the community, find their principal motives for conduct in printed books. '_the defendant._' may th soldiers have many faults, but they have one redeeming merit: they are never worshippers of force. soldiers more than any other men are taught severely and systematically that might is not right. the fact is obvious: the might is in the hundred men who obey. the right (or what is held to be right) is in the one man who commands them. they learn to obey symbols, arbitrary things, stripes on an arm, buttons on a coat, a title, a flag. these may be artificial things; they may be unreasonable things; they may, if you will, be wicked things; but they are not weak things. they are not force, and they do not look like force. they are parts of an idea, of the idea of discipline; if you will, of the idea of tyranny; but still an idea. no soldier could possibly say that his own bayonets were his authority. no soldier could possibly say that he came in the name of his own bayonets. it would be as absurd as if a postman said that he came inside his bag. i do not, as i have said, underrate the evils that really do arise from militarism and the military ethic. it tends to give people wooden faces and sometimes wooden heads. it tends, moreover (both through its specialization and through its constant obedience), to a certain loss of real independence and strength of character. this has almost always been found when people made the mistake of turning the soldier into a statesman, under the mistaken impression that he was a strong man. the duke of wellington, for instance, was a strong soldier and therefore a weak statesman. but the soldier is always, by the nature of things, loyal to something. and as long as one is loyal to something one can never be a worshipper of mere force. for mere force, violence in the abstract, is the enemy of anything we love. to love anything is to see it at once under lowering skies of danger. loyalty implies loyalty in misfortune; and when a soldier has accepted any nation's uniform he has already accepted its defeat. '_all things considered._' may th now, i have not lost my ideals in the least; my faith in fundamentals is exactly what it always was. what i have lost is my old childlike faith in practical politics. i am still as much concerned as ever about the battle of armageddon; but i am not so much concerned about the general election. as a babe i leapt up on my mother's knee at the mere mention of it. no; the vision is always solid and reliable. the vision is always a fact. it is the reality that is often a fraud. as much as i ever did, i believe in liberalism. but there was a rosy time of innocence when i believed in liberals. '_orthodoxy._' may th distribute the dignified people and the capable people and the highly business-like people among all the situations which their ambition or their innate corruption may demand, but keep close to your heart, keep deep in your inner councils the absurd people; let the clever people pretend to govern you, let the unimpeachable people pretend to advise you, but let the fools alone influence you; let the laughable people whose faults you see and understand be the only people who are really inside your life, who really come near you or accompany you on your lonely march towards the last impossibility. _introduction to 'david copperfield.'_ may th philosophy is not the concern of those who pass through divinity and greats, but of those who pass through birth and death. nearly all the more awful and abstruse statements can be put in words of one syllable, from 'a child is born' to 'a soul is damned.' if the ordinary man may not discuss existence, why should he be asked to conduct it? '_george bernard shaw._' may th keeping to one woman is a small price for so much as seeing one woman. '_orthodoxy._' may th _george meredith died_ the trees thinned and fell away from each other, and i came out into deep grass and a road. i remember being surprised that the evening was so far advanced; i had a fancy that this valley had a sunset all to itself. i went along that road according to directions that had been given me, and passed the gateway in a slight paling, beyond which the wood changed only faintly to a garden. it was as if the curious courtesy and fineness of that character i was to meet went out from him upon the valley; for i felt on all these things the finger of that quality which the old english called 'faerie'; it is the quality which those can never understand who think of the past as merely brutal; it is an ancient elegance such as there is in trees. i went through the garden and saw an old man sitting by a table, looking smallish in his big chair. he was already an invalid, and his hair and beard were both white; not like snow, for snow is cold and heavy, but like something feathery, or even fierce; rather they were white like white thistledown. i came up quite close to him; he looked at me as he put out his frail hand, and i saw of a sudden that his eyes were startlingly young. he was the one great man of the old world whom i have met who was not a mere statue over his own grave. he was deaf and he talked like a torrent. he did not talk about the books he had written; he was far too much alive for that. he talked about the books he had not written. he unrolled a purple bundle of romances which he had never had time to sell. he asked me to write one of the stories for him, as he would have asked the milkman, if he had been talking to the milkman. it was a splendid and frantic story, a sort of astronomical farce. it was all about a man who was rushing up to the royal society with the only possible way of avoiding an earth-destroying comet; and it showed how, even on this huge errand, the man was tripped up at every other minute by his own weaknesses and vanities; how he lost a train by trifling or was put in gaol for brawling. that is only one of them; there were ten or twenty more. another, i dimly remember, was a version of the fall of parnell; the idea that a quite honest man might be secret from a pure love of secrecy, of solitary self-control. i went out of that garden with a blurred sensation of the million possibilities of creative literature. the feeling increased as my way fell back into the wood; for a wood is a palace with a million corridors that cross each other everywhere. i really had the feeling that i had seen the creative quality; which is supernatural. i had seen what virgil calls the old man of the forest: i had seen an elf. the trees thronged behind my path; i have never seen him again; and now i shall not see him, because he died last tuesday. '_tremendous trifles._' may th _gladstone died_ lift up your heads: in life, in death, god knoweth his head was high; quit we the coward's broken breath who watched a strong man die. oh, young ones of a darker day, in art's wan colours clad, whose very love and hate are grey-- whose very sin is sad, pass on; one agony long drawn was merrier than your mirth, when hand-in-hand came death and dawn and spring was on the earth. '_to them that mourn._' may th if the authors and publishers of 'dick deadshot,' and such remarkable works, were suddenly to make a raid upon the educated class, were to take down the names of every man, however distinguished, who was caught at a university extension lecture, were to confiscate all our novels and warn us all to correct our lives, we should be seriously annoyed. yet they have far more right to do so than we; for they, with all their idiotcy, are normal and we are abnormal. it is the modern literature of the educated, not of the uneducated, which is avowedly and aggressively criminal. books recommending profligacy and pessimism, at which the high-souled errand-boy would shudder, lie upon all our drawing-room tables. if the dirtiest old owner of the dirtiest old bookstall in whitechapel dared to display works really recommending polygamy or suicide, his stock would be seized by the police. these things are our luxuries. and with a hypocrisy so ludicrous as to be almost unparalleled in history, we rate the gutter boys for their immorality at the very time that we are discussing (with equivocal german professors) whether morality is valid at all. at the very instant that we curse the penny dreadful for encouraging thefts upon property, we canvass the proposition that all property is theft.... at the very instant that we charge it with encouraging the young to destroy life, we are placidly discussing whether life is worth preserving. '_the defendant._' may st the english nation will still be going the way of all european nations when the anglo-saxon race has gone the way of all fads. '_heretics._' may nd the public does not like bad literature. the public likes a certain kind of literature, and likes that kind even when it is bad better than another kind of literature even when it is good. nor is this unreasonable; for the line between different types of literature is as real as the line between tears and laughter; and to tell people who can only get bad comedy that you have some first-class tragedy is as irrational as to offer a man who is shivering over weak, warm coffee a really superior sort of ice. '_charles dickens._' may rd to-morrow is the gorgon; a man must only see it mirrored in the shining shield of yesterday. if he sees it directly he is turned to stone. this has been the fate of all those who have really seen fate and futurity as clear and inevitable. the calvinists, with their perfect creed of predestination, were turned to stone; the modern sociological scientists (with their excruciating eugenics) are turned to stone. the only difference is that the puritans make dignified, and the eugenists somewhat amusing, statues. '_what's wrong with the world._' may th _empire day_ i for one should be sincerely glad if we could have a national celebration, remembering our real achievements and reminding ourselves of our real work in the world. only for any such national celebration i should suggest two conditions: first, that our national celebration should be invented by our nation and not by another nation. and secondly, that it should be forced by the people on the newspaper proprietors, and not by the newspaper proprietors on the people. '_illustrated london news._' may th there is no hope for men who do not boast that their wives bully them. '_alarms and discursions._' may th _st. augustine of england's day_ if our faith had been a mere fad of the fading empire, fad would have followed fad in the twilight, and if the civilization ever re-emerged (and many such have never re-emerged) it would have been under some new barbaric flag. but the christian church was the last life of the old society and was also the first life of the new. she took the people who were forgetting how to make an arch, and she taught them to invent the gothic arch. in a word, the most absurd thing that could be said of the church is the thing we have all heard said of it. how can we say that the church wishes to bring us back into the dark ages? the church was the only thing that ever brought us out of them. '_orthodoxy._' may th one sun is splendid: six suns would be only vulgar. one tower of giotto is sublime: a row of towers of giotto would be only like a row of white posts. the poetry of art is in beholding the single tower; the poetry of nature, in seeing the single tree; the poetry of love, in following the single woman; the poetry of religion, in worshipping the single star. '_tremendous trifles._' may th boys like romantic tales; but babies like realistic tales--because they find them romantic. in fact, a baby is about the only person, i should think, to whom a modern realistic novel could be read without boring him. '_orthodoxy._' may th _the restoration_ it is a commonplace that the restoration movement can only be understood when considered as a reaction against puritanism. but it is insufficiently realized that the tyranny which half frustrated all the good work of puritanism was of a very peculiar kind. it was not the fire of puritanism, the exultation in sobriety, the frenzy of restraint, which passed away: that still burns in the heart of england, only to be quenched by the final overwhelming sea. but it is seldom remembered that the puritans were in their day emphatically intellectual bullies, that they relied swaggeringly on the logical necessity of calvinism, that they bound omnipotence itself in the chains of syllogism. the puritans fell, through the damning fact that they had a complete theory of life, through the eternal paradox that a satisfactory explanation can never satisfy. '_twelve types._' may th _blessed joan of arc_ joan of arc was not stuck at the cross roads either by rejecting all the paths like tolstoy or by accepting them all like nietzsche. she chose a path and went down it like a thunderbolt. yet joan, when i come to think of her, had in her all that was true either in tolstoy or nietzsche--all that was even tolerable in either of them. i thought of all that is noble in tolstoy: the pleasure in plain things, especially in plain pity, the actualities of the earth, the reverence for the poor, the dignity of the bowed back. joan of arc had all that, and with this great addition: that she endured poverty while she admired it, whereas tolstoy is only a typical aristocrat trying to find out its secret. and then i thought of all that was brave and proud and pathetic in poor nietzsche and his mutiny against the emptiness and timidity of our time. i thought of his cry for the ecstatic equilibrium of danger, his hunger for the rush of great horses, his cry to arms. well, joan of arc had all that; and, again, with this difference, that she did not praise fighting, but fought. we _know_ that she was not afraid of an army, while nietzsche for all we know was afraid of a cow. tolstoy only praised the peasant; she was the peasant. nietzsche only praised the warrior; she was the warrior. she beat them both at their own antagonistic ideals; she was more gentle than the one, more violent than the other. yet she was a perfectly practical person who did something, while they are wild speculators who do nothing. '_orthodoxy._' may st our civilization has decided, and very justly decided, that determining the guilt or innocence of men is a thing too important to be trusted to trained men. if it wishes for light upon that awful matter, it asks men who know no more law than i know, but who can feel the things that i felt in the jury-box. when it wants a library catalogued, or the solar system discovered, or any trifle of that kind, it uses up its specialists. but when it wishes anything done which is really serious, it collects twelve of the ordinary men standing round. the same thing was done, if i remember right, by the founder of christianity. '_tremendous trifles._' june june st the great lords will refuse the english peasant his three acres and a cow on advanced grounds, if they cannot refuse it longer on reactionary grounds. they will deny him the three acres on grounds of state ownership. they will forbid him the cow on grounds of humanitarianism. '_what's wrong with the world._' june nd life is a thing too glorious to be enjoyed. '_george bernard shaw._' june rd i remember an artistic and eager lady asking me, in her grand green drawing-room, whether i believed in comradeship between the sexes, and why not. i was driven back on offering the obvious and sincere answer: 'because if i were to treat you for two minutes like a comrade, you would turn me out of the house.' '_what's wrong with the world._' june th every man of us to-day is three men. there is in every modern european three powers so distinct as to be almost personal--the trinity of our earthly destiny. the three may be rudely summarized thus: first and nearest to us is the christian, the man of the historic church, of the creed that must have coloured our minds incurably whether we regard it as the crown and combination of the other two, or whether we regard it as an accidental superstition which has remained for two thousand years. first, then, comes the christian; behind him comes the roman--the citizen of that great cosmopolitan realm of reason and order, in the level and equality of which christianity arose. he is the stoic who is so much sterner than the ancorites. he is the republican who is so much prouder than kings. it is he that makes straight roads and clear laws, and for whom good sense is good enough. and the third man: he has no name, and all true tales of him are blotted out; yet he walks behind us in every forest path and wakes within us when the wind wakes at night. he is the origins--he is the man in the forest. '_william blake._' june th the right and proper thing, of course, is that every good patriot should stop at home and curse his own country. so long as that is being done everywhere, we may be sure that things are fairly happy, and being kept up to a reasonably high standard. so long as we are discontented separately we may be well content as a whole. '_illustrated london news._' june th i have never been able to understand where people got the idea that democracy was in some way opposed to tradition. it is obvious that tradition is only democracy extended through time. it is trusting to a consensus of common human voices rather than to some isolated or arbitrary record. the man who quotes some german historian against the tradition of the catholic church, for instance, is strictly appealing to aristocracy. he is appealing to the superiority of one expert against the awful authority of a mob. it is quite easy to see why a legend is treated, and ought to be treated, more respectfully than a book of history. the legend is generally made by the majority of people in the village, who are sane. the book is generally written by the one man in the village, who is mad. those who urge against tradition--that men in the past were ignorant--may go and urge it at the carlton club, along with the statement that voters in the slums are ignorant. it will not do for us. if we attach great importance to the opinion of ordinary men in great unanimity when we are dealing with daily matters, there is no reason why we should disregard it when we are dealing with history or fable. tradition may be defined as an extension of the franchise. tradition means giving votes to the most obscure of all classes--our ancestors. it is the democracy of the dead. tradition refuses to submit to the small and arrogant oligarchy of those who merely happen to be walking about. all democrats object to men being disqualified by the accident of birth: tradition objects to their being disqualified by the accident of death. democracy tells us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our groom: tradition asks us not to neglect a good man's opinion, even if he is our father. _'orthodoxy.'_ june th you hold that your heretics and sceptics have helped the world forward and handed on a lamp of progress. i deny it. nothing is plainer from real history than that each of your heretics invented a complete cosmos of his own which the next heretic smashed entirely to pieces. who knows now exactly what nestorius taught? who cares? there are only two things that we know for certain about it. the first is that nestorius, as a heretic, taught something quite opposite to the teaching of arius, the heretic who came before him, and something quite useless to james turnbull, the heretic who comes after. i defy you to go back to the freethinkers of the past and find any habitation for yourself at all. i defy you to read godwin or shelley, or the deists of the eighteenth century, or the nature-worshipping humanists of the renaissance, without discovering that you differ from them twice as much as you differ from the pope. you are a nineteenth-century sceptic, and you are always telling me that i ignore the cruelty of nature. if you had been an eighteenth-century sceptic you would have told me that i ignore the kindness and benevolence of nature. you are an atheist, and you praise the deists of the eighteenth century. read them instead of praising them, and you will find that their whole universe stands or falls with the deity. you are a materialist, and you think bruno a scientific hero. see what he said, and you will think him an insane mystic. no; the great freethinker, with his genuine ability and honesty, does not in practice destroy christianity. what he does destroy is the freethinker who went before. _'the ball and the cross.'_ june th when the old liberals removed the gags from all the heresies, their idea was that religious and philosophical discoveries might thus be made. their view was that cosmic truth was so important that everyone ought to bear independent testimony. the modern idea is that cosmic truth is so unimportant that it cannot matter what anyone says. the former freed inquiry as men loose a noble hound; the latter frees inquiry as men fling back into the sea a fish unfit for eating. never has there been so little discussion about the nature of men as now, when, for the first time, anyone can discuss it. _'heretics.'_ june th _dickens died_ the hour of absinthe is over. we shall not be much further troubled with the little artists who found dickens too sane for their sorrows and too clean for their delights. but we have a long way to travel before we get back to what dickens meant; and the passage is along an english rambling road--a twisting road such as mr. pickwick travelled. but this at least is part of what he meant: that comradeship and serious joy are not interludes in our travel, but that rather our travels are interludes in comradeship and joy, which, through god, shall endure for ever. the inn does not point to the road: the road points to the inn. and all roads point at last to an ultimate inn, where we shall meet dickens and all his characters. and when we drink again it shall be from the great flagons in the tavern at the end of the world. _'charles dickens.'_ june th i have always been inclined to believe the ruck of hard-working people rather than to believe that special and troublesome literary class to which i belong. i prefer even the fancies and prejudices of the people who see life from the inside to the clearest demonstrations of the people who see life from the outside. i would always trust the old wives' fables against the old maids' facts. as long as wit is mother-wit it can be as wild as it pleases. _'orthodoxy.'_ june th however far aloft a man may go he is still looking up, not only at god (which is obvious), but in a manner at men also: seeing more and more all that is towering and mysterious in the dignity and destiny of the lonely house of adam.... so it may be hoped, until we die, you and i will always look up rather than down at the labours and habitations of our race; we will lift up our eyes to the valleys from whence cometh our help. for from every special eminence beyond every sublime landmark, it is good for our souls to see only vaster and vaster visions of that dizzy and divine level, and to behold from our crumbling turrets the tall plains of equality. _'alarms and discursions.'_ june th there is more of the song and music of mankind in a clerk putting on his sunday clothes than in a fanatic running naked down cheapside. _'william blake.'_ june th if we are to save the oppressed, we must have two apparently antagonistic emotions in us at the same time. we must think the oppressed man intensely miserable, and at the same time intensely attractive and important. we must insist with violence upon his degradation; we must insist with the same violence upon his dignity. for if we relax by one inch the one assertion, men will say he does not need saving. and if we relax by one inch the other assertion men will say he is not worth saving. the optimists will say that reform is needless. the pessimists will say that reform is hopeless. we must apply both simultaneously to the same oppressed man; we must say that he is a worm and a god; and we must thus lay ourselves open to the accusation (or the compliment) of transcendentalism. _'charles dickens.'_ june th you say your civilization will include all talents. will it? do you really mean to say that at the moment when the esquimaux has learnt to vote for a county council, you will have learnt to spear a walrus? _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ june th 'certainly, it is untrue that three is no company. three is splendid company. three is the ideal number for pure comradeship: as in the 'three musketeers.' but if you reject the proverb altogether; if you say that two and three are the same sort of company; if you cannot see that there is a wider abyss between two and three than between three and three million--then i regret to inform you that you shall have no company either of two or three, but shall be alone in a howling desert till you die.' _'alarms and discursions.'_ june th blasphemy is an artistic effect, because blasphemy depends on a philosophical conviction. blasphemy depends upon belief, and is fading with it. if anyone doubts this, let him sit down seriously and try to think blasphemous thoughts about thor. i think his family will find him at the end of the day in a state of some exhaustion. _'heretics.'_ june th just as the rivalry of armaments is only a sort of sulky plagiarism, so the rivalry of parties is only a sort of sulky inheritance. men have votes, so women must soon have votes; poor children are taught by force, so they must soon be fed by force; the police shut public-houses by twelve o'clock, so soon they must shut them by eleven o'clock; children stop at school till they are fourteen, so soon they will stop till they are forty. no gleam of reason, no momentary return to first principles, no abstract asking of any obvious question, can interrupt this mad and monotonous gallop of mere progress by precedent. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ june th _waterloo day_ the time of big theories was the time of big results. in the era of sentiment and fine words, at the end of the eighteenth century, men were really robust and effective. the sentimentalists conquered napoleon. the cynics could not catch de wet. a hundred years ago our affairs for good or evil were wielded triumphantly by rhetoricians. now our affairs are hopelessly muddled by strong, silent men. _'heretics.'_ june th herein lies the peculiar significance, the peculiar sacredness even, of penny dreadfuls and the common printed matter made for our errand-boys. here in dim and desperate forms, under the ban of our base culture, stormed at by silly magistrates, sneered at by silly schoolmasters--here is the old popular literature still popular; here is the unmistakable voluminousness, the thousand-and-one tales of dick deadshot, like the thousand-and-one tales of robin hood. here is the splendid and static boy, the boy who remains a boy through a thousand volumes and a thousand years. here in mean alleys and dim shops, shadowed and shamed by the police, mankind is still driving its dark trade in heroes. and elsewhere, and in all ages, in braver fashion, under cleaner skies, the same eternal tale-telling still goes on, and the whole mortal world is a factory of immortals. _'charles dickens.'_ june th there are two very curious things which the critic of life may observe. the first is the fact that there is one real difference between men and women: that women prefer to talk in two's, while men prefer to talk in three's. the second is that when you find (as you often do) three young cads and idiots going about together and getting drunk together every day, you generally find that one of the three cads and idiots is (for some extraordinary reason) not a cad and not an idiot. in those small groups devoted to a drivelling dissipation there is almost always one man who seems to have condescended to his company: one man who, while he can talk a foul triviality with his fellows, can also talk politics with a socialist, or philosophy with a catholic. _'tremendous trifles.'_ june st mankind has in nearly all places and periods seen that there is a soul and a body as plainly as that there is a sun and moon. but because a narrow protestant sect called materialists declared for a short time that there was no soul, another narrow protestant sect called christian scientist is now maintaining that there is no body. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ june nd those thinkers who cannot believe in any gods often assert that the love of humanity would be in itself sufficient for them; and so, perhaps, it would, if they had it. _'tremendous trifles.'_ june rd only the christian church can offer any rational objection to a complete confidence in the rich. for she has maintained from the beginning that the danger was not in man's environment, but in man. further, she has maintained that if we come to talk of a dangerous environment, the most dangerous of all is the commodious environment. i know that the most modern manufacture has been really occupied in trying to produce an abnormally large needle. i know that the most recent biologists have been chiefly anxious to discover a very small camel. but if we diminish the camel to his smallest, or open the eye of the needle to its largest: if, in short, we assume the words of christ to have meant the very least that they could mean, his words must at the very least mean this--that rich men are not very likely to be morally trustworthy. _'orthodoxy.'_ june th _midsummer day_ o well for him that loves the sun, that sees the heaven-race ridden or run, the splashing seas of sunset won, and shouts for victory. god made the sun to crown his head, and when death's dart at last is sped, at least it will not find him dead, and pass the carrion by. o ill for him that loves the sun; shall the sun stoop for anyone? shall the sun weep for hearts undone or heavy souls that pray? not less for us and everyone was that white web of splendour spun; o well for him who loves the sun although the sun should slay. _'ballad of the sun.'_ june th a man's good work is effected by doing what he does: a woman's by being what she is. _'robert browning.'_ june th if the old priests forced a statement on mankind, at least they previously took some trouble to make it lucid. it has been left for the modern mobs of anglicans and nonconformists to persecute for a doctrine without even stating it. _'heretics.'_ june th from the time of the first fairy tales men had always believed ideally in equality; they had always thought that something ought to be done, if anything could be done, to redress the balance between cinderella and the ugly sisters. the irritating thing about the french was not that they said this ought to be done: everybody said that. the irritating thing about the french was that they did it. _introduction to 'hard times.'_ june th my lady clad herself in grey, that caught and clung about her throat; then all the long grey winter-day on me a living splendour smote; and why grey palmers holy are, and why grey minsters great in story, and grey skies ring the morning star, and grey hairs are a crown of glory. my lady clad herself in green, like meadows where the wind-waves pass; then round my spirit spread, i ween, a splendour of forgotten grass. then all that dropped of stem or sod, hoarded as emeralds might be, i bowed to every bush, and trod amid the live grass fearfully. my lady clad herself in blue, then on me, like the seer long gone, the likeness of a sapphire grew, the throne of him that sat thereon. then knew i why the fashioner splashed reckless blue on sky and sea; and ere 'twas good enough for her, he tried it on eternity. beneath the gnarled old knowledge-tree sat, like an owl, the evil sage: 'the world's a bubble,' solemnly he read, and turned a second page. 'a bubble, then, old crow,' i cried, 'god keep you in your weary wit! a bubble--have you ever spied the colours i have seen on it?' _'a chord of colour.'_ june th _st. peter's day_ when christ at a symbolic moment was establishing his great society, he chose for its corner-stone neither the brilliant paul nor the mystic john, but a shuffler, a snob, a coward--in a word, a man. and upon this rock he has built his church, and the gates of hell have not prevailed against it. all the empires and the kingdoms have failed because of this inherent and continual weakness, that they were founded by strong men and upon strong men. but this one thing--the historic christian church--was founded upon a weak man, and for that reason it is indestructible. for no chain is stronger than its weakest link. _'heretics.'_ june th there are thrilling moments, doubtless, for the spectator, the amateur, and the æsthete; but there is one thrill that is known only to the soldier who fights for his own flag, to the ascetic who starves himself for his own illumination, to the lover who makes finally his own choice. and it is this transfiguring self-discipline that makes the vow a truly sane thing. it must have satisfied even the giant hunger of the soul of a lover or a poet to know that in consequence of some one instant of decision that strange chain would hang for centuries in the alps among the silences of stars and snows. all around us is the city of small sins, abounding in backways and retreats; but surely, sooner or later, the towering flame will rise from the harbour announcing that the reign of the cowards is over and a man is burning his ships. _'the defendant.'_ july july st the average man votes below himself; he votes with half a mind or a hundredth part of one. a man ought to vote with the whole of himself, as he worships or gets married. a man ought to vote with his head and heart, his soul and stomach, his eye for faces and his ear for music; also (when sufficiently provoked) with his hands and feet. if he has ever seen a fine sunset, the crimson colour of it should creep into his vote. if he has ever heard splendid songs, they should be in his ears when he makes the mystical cross. but as it is, the difficulty with english democracy at all elections is that it is something less than itself. the question is not so much whether only a minority of the electorate votes. the point is that only a minority of the voter votes. _'tremendous trifles.'_ july nd modern masters of science are much impressed with the need of beginning all inquiry with a fact. the ancient masters of religion were quite equally impressed with that necessity. they began with the fact of sin--a fact as practical as potatoes. whether or not man could be washed in miraculous waters, there was no doubt at any rate that he wanted washing. but certain religious leaders in london, not mere materialists, have begun in our day not to deny the highly disputable water, but to deny the indisputable dirt. certain new theologians dispute original sin, which is the only part of christian theology which can really be proved. some followers of the reverend r. j. campbell, in their almost too fastidious spirituality, admit divine sinlessness, which they cannot see even in their dreams. but they essentially deny human sin, which they can see in the street. the strongest saints and the strongest sceptics alike took positive evil as the starting-point of their argument. if it be true (as it certainly is) that a man can feel exquisite happiness in skinning a cat, then the religious philosopher can only draw one of two deductions: he must either deny the existence of god, as all atheists do, or he must deny the present union between god and man, as all christians do. the new theologians seem to think it a highly rationalistic solution to deny the cat. _'orthodoxy.'_ july rd the love of those whom we do not know is quite as eternal a sentiment as the love of those whom we do know. in our friends the richness of life is proved to us by what we have gained; in the faces in the street the richness of life is proved to us by a hint of what we have lost. _'robert browning.'_ july th _independence day_ the old anglo-american quarrel was much more fundamentally friendly than most anglo-american alliances. each nation understood the other enough to quarrel. in our time, neither nation understands itself even enough to quarrel. _introduction to 'american notes.'_ july th it is the one great weakness of journalism as a picture of our modern existence, that it must be a picture made up entirely of exceptions. we announce on flaring posters that a man has fallen off a scaffolding. we do not announce on flaring posters that a man has not fallen off a scaffolding. yet this latter fact is fundamentally more exciting, as indicating that the moving tower of terror and mystery, a man, is still abroad upon the earth. that the man has not fallen off a scaffolding is really more sensational; and it is also some thousand times more common. but journalism cannot reasonably be expected thus to insist upon the permanent miracles. busy editors cannot be expected to put on their posters 'mr. wilkinson still safe,' or 'mr. jones of worthing, not dead yet.' they cannot announce the happiness of mankind at all. they cannot describe all the forks that are not stolen, or all the marriages that are not dissolved. hence the complete picture they give of life is of necessity fallacious: they can only represent what is unusual. however democratic they may be, they are only concerned with the minority. _'the ball and the cross.'_ july th happy, who like ulysses or that lord that raped the fleece, returning full and sage, with usage and the world's wide reason stored, with his own kin can wait the end of age. when shall i see, when shall i see, god knows! my little village smoke; or pass the door, the old dear door of that unhappy house that is to me a kingdom and much more? mightier to me the house my fathers made than your audacious heads, o halls of rome! more than immortal marbles undecayed, the thin sad slates that cover up my home; more than your tiber is my loire to me, than palatine my little lyré there; and more than all the winds of all the sea the quiet kindness of the angevin air. _translation from 'du bellay.'_ july th it is a great mistake to suppose that love unites and unifies men. love diversifies them, because love is directed towards individuality. the thing that really unites men and makes them like to each other is hatred. thus, for instance, the more we love germany the more pleased we shall be that germany should be something different from ourselves, should keep her own ritual and conviviality and we ours. but the more we hate germany the more we shall copy german guns and german fortifications in order to be armed against germany. the more modern nations detest each other the more meekly they follow each other; for all competition is in its nature only a furious plagiarism. _'charles dickens.'_ july th the temporary decline of theology had involved the neglect of philosophy and all fine thinking, and bernard shaw had to find shaky justifications in schopenhauer for the sons of god shouting for joy. he called it the will to live--a phrase invented by prussian professors who would like to exist but can't. _'george bernard shaw.'_ july th there are only two kinds of social structure conceivable--personal government and impersonal government. if my anarchic friends will not have rules, they will have rulers. preferring personal government, with its tact and flexibility, is called royalism. preferring impersonal government, with its dogmas and definitions, is called republicanism. objecting broad-mindedly both to kings and creeds is called bosh--at least, i know no more philosophic word for it. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ july th now, i have no particular objection to people who take the gilt off the gingerbread: if only for this excellent reason--that i am much fonder of gingerbread than i am of gilt. but there are some objections to this task when it becomes a crusade or an obsession. one of them is this: that people who have really scraped the gilt off the gingerbread generally waste the rest of their lives in attempting to scrape the gilt off gigantic lumps of gold. such has too often been the case with shaw. he can, if he likes, scrape the romance off the armaments of europe or the party system of great britain; but he cannot scrape the romance off love or military valour, because it is all romance, and three thousand miles thick. _'george bernard shaw.'_ july th 'the church is not a thing like the athenæum club,' he cried. 'if the athenæum club lost all its members, the athenæum club would dissolve and cease to exist. but when we belong to the church we belong to something which is outside all of us: which is outside everything you talk about, outside the cardinals and the pope. they belong to it, but it does not belong to them. if we all fell dead suddenly, the church would still somehow exist in god.' _'the ball and the cross.'_ july th of all conceivable forms of enlightenment the worst is what these people call the inner light. of all horrible religions the most horrible is the worship of the god within. anyone who knows anybody knows how it would work; anyone who knows anyone from the higher thought centre knows how it does work. that jones shall worship the god within him turns out ultimately to mean that jones shall worship jones. let jones worship the sun or moon--anything rather than the inner light; let jones worship cats or crocodiles, if he can find any in his street, but not the god within. christianity came into the world, firstly, in order to assert with violence that a man had not only to look inwards, but to look outwards, to behold with astonishment and enthusiasm a divine company and a divine captain. the only fun of being a christian was that a man was not left alone with the inner light, but definitely recognized an outer light, fair as the sun, clear as the moon, terrible as an army with banners. _'orthodoxy.'_ july th the slum novelist gains his effects by describing the same grey mist as draping the dingy factory and the dingy tavern. but to the man he is supposed to be studying there must be exactly the same difference between the factory and the tavern that there is to a middle-class man between a late night at the office and a supper at pagani's. _'heretics.'_ july th _the fall of the bastille_ the destruction of the bastille was not a reform: it was something more important than a reform. it was an iconoclasm; it was the breaking of a stone image. the people saw the building like a giant looking at them with a score of eyes, and they struck at it as at a carved face. for of all the shapes in which that immense illusion called materialism can terrify the soul, perhaps the most oppressive is that of the big building. man feels like a fly, an accident in the thing he has himself made. it requires a violent effort of the spirit to remember that man made this confounding thing and man could unmake it. therefore the mere act of the ragged people in the street taking and destroying a huge public building has a spiritual, and a ritual, meaning far beyond its immediate political results. it is a religious service. if, for instance, the socialists were numerous or courageous enough to capture and smash up the bank of england you might argue for ever about the inutility of the act, and how it really did not touch the root of the economic problem in the correct manner. but mankind would never forget it. it would change the world. _'tremendous trifles.'_ july th _st. swithin's day_ only in our romantic country do you have the romantic thing called weather--beautiful and changeable as a woman. the great english landscape painters (neglected now, like everything that is english) have this salient distinction, that the weather is not the atmosphere of their pictures: it is the subject of their pictures. they paint portraits of the weather. the weather sat to constable; the weather posed for turner--and the deuce of a pose it was. in the english painters the climate is the hero; in the case of turner a swaggering and fighting hero, melodramatic but magnificent. the tall and terrible protagonist robed in rain, thunder, and sunlight, fills the whole canvas and the whole foreground. rich colours actually look more luminous on a grey day, because they are seen against a dark background, and seem to be burning with a lustre of their own. against a dim sky all flowers look like fireworks. there is something strange about them at once vivid and secret, like flowers traced in fire in the grim garden of a witch. a bright blue sky is necessarily the high light in the picture, and its brightness kills all the bright blue flowers. but on a grey day the larkspur looks like fallen heaven; the red daisies are really the lost-red eyes of day, and the sun-flower is the vice-regent of the sun. lastly, there is this value about the colour that men call colourless: that it suggests in some way the mixed and troubled average of existence, especially in its quality of strife and expectation and promise. grey is a colour that always seems on the eve of changing to some other colour; of brightening into blue, or blanching into white or breaking into green or gold. so we may be perpetually reminded of the indefinite hope that is in doubt itself; and when there is grey weather on our hills or grey hair on our heads perhaps they may still remind us of the morning. _'daily news.'_ july th it is true that all sensible women think all studious men mad. it is true, for the matter of that, all women of any kind think all men of any kind mad. but they do not put it in telegrams any more than they wire to you that grass is green or god all-merciful. these things are truisms and often private ones at that. _'the club of queer trades.'_ july th you may come to think a blow bad because it humiliates. you may come to think murder wrong because it is violent, and not because it is unjust. _'the ball and the cross.'_ july th _thackeray born_ in all things his great spirit had the grandeur and the weakness which belonged to the england of his time--an england splendidly secure and free, and yet (perhaps for that reason) provincial and innocent. he had nothing of the doctrinal quality of the french and germans. he was not one who made up his mind, but one who let his mind make him up. he lay naturally open to all noble influences flowing around him; but he never bestirred himself to seek those that were not flowing or that flowed in opposite directions. thus, for instance, he really loved liberty, as only a novelist can love it, a man mainly occupied with the variety and vivacity of men. but he could not see the cause of liberty except where the victorian english saw it; he could not see it in the cause of irish liberty (which was exactly like the cause of polish or italian liberty, except that it was led by much more religious and responsible men), and he made the irish characters the object of much innocent and rather lumbering satire. but this was not his mistake, but the mistake of the atmosphere, and he was a sublime emotional englishman, who lived by atmosphere. he was a great sensitive. the comparison between him and dickens is commonly as clumsy and unreasonable as a comparison between wilkie collins and charles reade or bulwer lytton and anthony trollope. but the comparison really has this element of actuality: that dickens was above all things creative; thackeray was above all things receptive. there is no sense in talking about truth in the matter: both are modes of truth. if you like to put it so: the world imposed on thackeray, and dickens imposed on the world. but it could be put more truly by saying that thackeray represents, in that gigantic parody called genius, the spirit of the englishman in repose. this spirit is the idle embodiment of all of us; by his weaknesses we shall fail and by his enormous sanities we shall endure. _introduction to 'thackeray.'_ july th the marchioness really has all the characteristics, the entirely heroic characteristics, which make a woman respected by a man. she is female--that is, she is at once incurably candid and incurably loyal, she is full of terrible common sense, she expects little pleasure for herself and yet she can enjoy bursts of it; above all, she is physically timid and yet she can face anything. _introduction to 'the old curiosity shop.'_ july th democracy in its human sense is not arbitrament by the majority; it is not even arbitrament by everybody. it can be more nearly defined as arbitrament by anybody: i mean that it rests on that club-habit of taking a total stranger for granted, of assuming certain things to be inevitably common to yourself and him. only the things that anybody may be presumed to hold have the full authority of democracy. look out of the window and notice the first man who walks by. the liberals may have swept england with an overwhelming majority; but you would not stake a button that the man is a liberal. the bible may be read in all schools and respected in all law courts; but you would not bet a straw that he believes in the bible. but you would bet your week's wages, let us say, that he believes in wearing clothes. you would bet that he believes that physical courage is a fine thing, or that parents have authority over children. of course, he might be the millioneth man who does not believe these things; if it comes to that, he might be the bearded lady dressed up as a man. but these prodigies are quite a different thing from any mere calculation of numbers. people who hold these views are not a minority, but a monstrosity. but of these universal dogmas that have full democratic authority the only test is this test of anybody: what you would observe before any new-comer in a tavern--that is the real english law. the first man you see from the window, he is the king of england. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ july st many clever men like you have trusted to civilization. many clever babylonians, many clever egyptians, many clever men at the end of rome. can you tell me, in a world that is flagrant with the failures of civilization, what there is particularly immortal about yours? _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ july nd it is a sufficient proof that we are not an essentially democratic state that we are always wondering what we shall do with the poor. if we were democrats, we should be wondering what the poor will do with us. with us the governing class is always saying to itself, 'what laws shall we make?' in a purely democratic state it would be always saying, 'what laws can we obey?' _'heretics.'_ july rd no two ideals could be more opposite than a christian saint in a gothic cathedral and a buddhist saint in a chinese temple. the opposition exists at every point; but perhaps the shortest statement of it is that the buddhist saint always has his eyes shut, while the christian saint always has them very wide open. the buddhist saint always has a very sleek and harmonious body, but his eyes are heavy and sealed with sleep. the medieval saint's body is wasted to its crazy bones, but his eyes are frightfully alive. there cannot be any real community of spirit between forces that produced symbols so different as that. granted that both images are extravagances, are perversions of the pure creed, it must be a real divergence which could produce such opposite extravagances. the buddhist is looking with peculiar intentness inwards. the christian is staring with a frantic intentness outwards. _'orthodoxy.'_ july th novels and newspapers still talk of the english aristocracy that came over with william the conqueror. little of our effective oligarchy is as old as the reformation; and none of it came over with william the conqueror. some of the older english landlords came over with william of orange; the rest have come over by ordinary alien immigration. _'george bernard shaw.'_ july th it is the negation of property that the duke of sutherland should have all the farms in one estate; just as it would be the negation of marriage if he had all our wives in one harem. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ july th christianity is always out of fashion because it is always sane; and all fashions are mild insanities. when italy is mad on art the church seems too puritanical; when england is mad on puritanism the church seems too artistic. when you quarrel with us now you class us with kingship and despotism; but when you quarrelled with us first it was because we would not accept the divine despotism of henry viii. the church always seems to be behind the times, when it is really beyond the times; it is waiting till the last fad shall have seen its last summer. it keeps the key of a permanent virtue. _'the ball and the cross.'_ july th the best men of the revolution were simply common men at their best. this is why our age can never understand napoleon. because he was something great and triumphant, we suppose that he must have been something extraordinary, something inhuman. some say he was the devil; some say he was the superman. was he a very, very bad man? was he a good man with some greater moral code? we strive in vain to invent the mysteries behind that immortal mask of brass. the modern world with all its subtleness will never guess his strange secret; for his strange secret was that he was very like other people. '_charles dickens._' july th the greatest disaster of the nineteenth century was this: that men began to use the word 'spiritual' as the same as the word 'good.' they thought that to grow in refinement and uncorporeality was to grow in virtue. when scientific evolution was announced, some feared that it would encourage mere animality. it did worse: it encouraged mere spirituality. it taught men to think that so long as they were passing from the ape they were going. but you can pass from the ape and go to the devil. _'orthodoxy.'_ july th one of the deepest and strangest of all human moods is the mood which will suddenly strike us perhaps in a garden at night, or deep in sloping meadows, the feeling that every flower and leaf has just uttered something stupendously direct and important, and that we have by a prodigy of imbecility not heard or understood it. there is a certain poetic value, and that a genuine one, in this sense of having missed the full meaning of things. there is beauty, not only in wisdom, but in this dazed and dramatic ignorance. _'robert browning.'_ july th the authority of priests to absolve, the authority of popes to define, the authority even of inquisitors to terrify: these were all only dark defences erected round one central authority, more undemonstrable, more supernatural than all the authority of a man to think. we know now that this is so; we have no excuse for not knowing it. for we can hear scepticism crashing through the old ring of authorities, and at the same moment we can see reason swaying upon her throne. _'orthodoxy.'_ july st the party system in england is an enormous and most efficient machine for preventing political conflicts. _'george bernard shaw.'_ august august st a man must be orthodox upon most things, or he will never even have time to preach his own heresy. _'george bernard shaw.'_ august nd just as one generation could prevent the very existence of the next generation, by all entering a monastery or jumping into the sea, so one set of thinkers can in some degree prevent further thinking by teaching the next generation that there is no validity in any human thought. it is idle to talk always of the alternative of reason and faith. reason is itself a matter of faith. it is an act of faith to assert that our thoughts have any relation to reality at all. if you are merely a sceptic, you must sooner or later ask yourself the question, 'why should anything go right; even observation or deduction? why should not good logic be as misleading as bad logic? they are both movements in the brain of a bewildered ape?' the young sceptic says, 'i have a right to think for myself.' but the old sceptic, the complete sceptic, says, 'i have no right to think for myself. i have no right to think at all.' _'orthodoxy.'_ august rd even among liars there are two classes, one immeasurably better than another. the honest liar is the man who tells the truth about his old lies; who says on wednesday, 'i told a magnificent lie on monday.' he keeps the truth in circulation; no one version of things stagnates in him and becomes an evil secret. he does not have to live with old lies; a horrible domesticity. _introduction to 'the old curiosity shop.'_ august th the only way to remember a place for ever is to live in the place for an hour; and the only way to live in the place for an hour is to forget the place for an hour. the undying scenes we can all see, if we shut our eyes, are not the scenes we have stared at under the direction of guide-books; the scenes we see are the scenes at which we did not look at all--the scenes in which we walked when we were thinking about something else--about a sin, or a love affair, or some childish sorrow. we can see the background now because we did not see it then. _'charles dickens.'_ august th the keeper of a restaurant would much prefer that each customer should give his order smartly, though it were for stewed ibis or boiled elephant, rather than that each customer should sit holding his head in his hands, plunged in arithmetical calculations about how much food there can be on the premises. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august th _transfiguration_ joy, which was the small publicity of the pagan, is the gigantic secret of the christian. the tremendous figure which fills the gospels towers in this respect, as in every other, above all the thinkers who ever thought themselves tall. his pathos was natural, almost casual. the stoics, ancient and modern, were proud of concealing their tears. he never concealed his tears; he showed them plainly on his open face at any daily sight, such as the far sight of his native city. yet he concealed something. solemn supermen and imperial diplomatists are proud of restraining their anger. he never restrained his anger. he flung furniture down the front steps of the temple and asked men how they expected to escape the damnation of hell. yet he restrained something. i say it with reverence; there was in that shattering personality a thread that must be called shyness. there was something that he hid from all men when he went up a mountain to pray. there was something that he covered by abrupt silence or impetuous isolation. there was some one thing that was too great for god to show us when he walked upon our earth, and i have sometimes fancied that it was his mirth. _'orthodoxy.'_ august th imperialism is foreign, socialism is foreign, militarism is foreign, education is foreign, strictly even liberalism is foreign. but radicalism was our own; as english as the hedge-rows. _'charles dickens.'_ august th a cloud was on the mind of men, and wailing went the weather, yea, a sick cloud upon the soul when we were boys together. science announced nonentity and art admired decay; the world was old and ended: but you and i were gay. round us in antic order their crippled vices came-- lust that had lost its laughter, fear that had lost its shame. like the white lock of whistler, that lit our aimless gloom, men showed their own white feather as proudly as a plume. life was a flower that faded, and death a drone that stung; the world was very old indeed when you and i were young! they twisted even decent sins to shapes not to be named: men were ashamed of honour; but we were not ashamed. weak if we were and foolish, not thus we failed, not thus; when that black baal blocked the heavens he had no hymns from us. children we were--our forts of sand were even as weak as we, high as they went we piled them up to break that bitter sea. fools as we were in motley, all jangled and absurd, when all church bells were silent, our cap and bells were heard. _'the man who was thursday.'_ august th in practice no one is mad enough to legislate or educate upon dogmas of physical inheritance; and even the language of the thing is rarely used except for special modern purposes--such as the endowment of research or the oppression of the poor. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august th _the fall of the french monarchy_ we, the modern english, cannot easily understand the french revolution, because we cannot easily understand the idea of a bloody battle for pure common sense; we cannot understand common sense in arms and conquering. the french feeling--the feeling at the back of the revolution--was that the more sensible a man was, the more you must look out for slaughter. _'charles dickens.'_ august th tom jones is still alive, with all his good and all his evil; he is walking about the streets; we meet him every day. we meet with him, we drink with him, we smoke with him, we talk with him, we talk about him. the only difference is that we have no longer the intellectual courage to write about him. we split up the supreme and central human being, tom jones, into a number of separate aspects. we let mr. j. m. barrie write about him in his good moments, and make him out better than he is. we let zola write about him in his bad moments, and make him out much worse than he is. we let maeterlinck celebrate those moments of spiritual panic which he knows to be cowardly; we let mr. rudyard kipling celebrate those moments of brutality which he knows to be far more cowardly. we let obscene writers write about the obscenities of this ordinary man. we let puritan writers write about the purities of this ordinary man. we look through one peephole that makes men out as devils, and we call it the new art. we look through another peephole that makes men out as angels, and we call it the new theology. but if we pull down some dusty old books from the bookshelf, if we turn over some old mildewed leaves, and if in that obscurity and decay we find some faint traces of a tale about a complete man--such a man as is walking on the pavement outside--we suddenly pull a long face, and we call it the coarse morals of a bygone age. _'all things considered.'_ august th self is the gorgon. vanity sees it in the mirror of other men and lives. pride studies it for itself and is turned to stone. _'heretics.'_ august th you complain of catholicism for setting up an ideal of virginity; it did nothing of the kind. the whole human race set up an ideal of virginity; the greeks in athene, the romans in the vestal fire, set up an ideal of virginity. what then is your real quarrel with catholicism? your quarrel can only be, your quarrel really only is, that catholicism has achieved an ideal of virginity; that it is no longer a mere piece of floating poetry. but if you, and a few feverish men, in top hats, running about in a street in london, choose to differ as to the ideal itself, not only from the church, but from the parthenon whose name means virginity, from the roman empire which went outwards from the virgin flame, from the whole legend and tradition of europe, from the lion who will not touch virgins, from the unicorn who respects them, and who make up together the bearers of your own national shield, from the most living and lawless of your own poets, from massinger, who wrote the 'virgin martyr,' from shakespeare, who wrote 'measure for measure'--if you in fleet street differ from all this human experience, does it never strike you that it may be fleet street that is wrong? _'the ball and the cross.'_ august th it cannot be too often repeated that all real democracy is an attempt (like that of a jolly hostess) to bring shy people out. for every practical purpose of a political state, for every practical purpose of a tea-party, he that abaseth himself must be exalted. at a tea-party it is equally obvious that he that exalteth himself must be abased, if possible without bodily violence. _'tremendous trifles.'_ august th _the assumption_ one instant in a still light he saw our lady, then her dress was soft as western sky, and she was a queen most womanly, but she was a queen of men. and over the iron forest he saw our lady stand, her eyes were sad withouten art and seven swords were in her heart, but one was in her hand. _'ballad of alfred.'_ august th i am not prepared to admit that there is, or can be, properly speaking, in the world anything that is too sacred to be known. that spiritual beauty and spiritual truth are in their nature communicable and that they should be communicated, is a principle which lies at the root of every conceivable religion. christ was crucified upon a hill, and not in a cavern, and the word gospel itself involves the same idea as the ordinary name of a daily paper. whenever, therefore, a poet or any similar type of man can, or conceives that he can, make all men partakers in some splendid secret of his own heart, i can imagine nothing saner and nothing manlier than his course in doing so. _'robert browning.'_ august th once men sang together round a table in chorus; now one man sings alone, for the absurd reason that he can sing better. if scientific civilization goes on (which is most improbable) only one man will laugh, because he can laugh better than the rest. _'heretics.'_ august th all i have to urge is that i dislike the big whiteley shop, and that i dislike socialism because it will (according to socialists) be so like that shop. it is its fulfilment, not its reversal. i do not object to socialism, because it will revolutionize our commerce, but because it will leave it so horribly the same. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august th in a hollow of the grey-green hills of rainy ireland lived an old, old woman, whose uncle was always cambridge at the boat race. but in her grey-green hollows, she knew nothing of this; she didn't know that there was a boat race. also she did not know that she had an uncle. she had heard of nobody at all, except of george the first, of whom she had heard (i know not why), and in whose historical memory she put her simple trust. and by and by, in god's good time, it was discovered that this uncle of hers was really not her uncle, and they came and told her so. she smiled through her tears, and said only, 'virtue is its own reward.' _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ august th surely the vilest point of human vanity is exactly that; to ask to be admired for admiring what your admirers do not admire. _introduction to 'bleak house.'_ august st there is more simplicity in the man who eats caviar on impulse than in the man who eats grape-nuts on principle. _'heretics.'_ august nd there was until lately a law forbidding a man to marry his deceased wife's sister; yet the thing happened constantly. there was no law forbidding a man to marry his deceased wife's scullery-maid; yet it did not happen nearly so often. it did not happen because the marriage market is managed in the spirit and by the authority of women. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august rd this world and all our powers in it are far more awful and beautiful than we ever know until some accident reminds us. if you wish to perceive that limitless felicity, limit yourself if only for a moment. if you wish to realize how fearfully and wonderfully god's image is made, stand upon one leg. if you want to realize the splendid vision of all visible things--wink the other eye. _'tremendous trifles.'_ august th _st. bartholomew's day_ the secularist says that christianity produced tumult and cruelty. he seems to suppose that this proves it to be bad. but it might prove it to be very good. for men commit crimes not only for bad things, far more often for good things. for no bad things can be desired quite so passionately and persistently as good things can be desired, and only very exceptional men desire very bad and unnatural things. most crime is committed because, owing to some peculiar complication, very beautiful and necessary things are in some danger. for instance, if we wanted to abolish thieving and swindling at one blow, the best thing to do would be to abolish babies. babies, the most beautiful things on earth, have been the excuse and origin of almost all the business brutality and financial infamy on earth. if we could abolish monogamic or romantic love, the country would be dotted with maiden assizes. _'religious doubts of democracy.'_ august th there are only three things in the world that women do not understand; and they are liberty, equality, and fraternity. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august th modern nonconformist newspapers distinguish themselves by suppressing precisely those nouns and adjectives which the founders of nonconformity distinguished themselves by flinging at kings and queens. _'heretics.'_ august th many of us live publicly with featureless public puppets, images of the small public abstractions. it is when we pass our own private gate, and open our own secret door, that we step into the land of the giants. _'charles dickens.'_ august th with any recovery from morbidity there must go a certain healthy humiliation. there comes a certain point in such conditions when only three things are possible: first, a perpetuation of satanic pride; secondly, tears; and third, laughter. _'the man who was thursday.'_ august th did herbert spencer ever convince you--did he ever convince anybody--did he ever for one mad moment convince himself--that it must be to the interest of the individual to feel a public spirit? do you believe that, if you rule your department badly, you stand any more chance, or one half of the chance, of being guillotined that an angler stands of being pulled into the river by a strong pike? herbert spencer refrained from theft for the same reason he refrained from wearing feathers in his hair, because he was an english gentleman with different tastes. _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ august th war is a dreadful thing; but it does prove two points sharply and unanswerably--numbers and an unnatural valour. one does discover the two urgent matters; how many rebels there are alive, and how many are ready to be dead. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ august st carlyle said that men were mostly fools. christianity, with a surer and more reverent realism, says that they are all fools. this doctrine is sometimes called the doctrine of original sin. it may also be described as the doctrine of the equality of men. _'heretics.'_ september september st if a modern philanthropist came to dotheboys hall i fear he would not employ the simple, sacred and truly christian solution of beating mr. squeers with a stick. i fancy he would petition the government to appoint a royal commission to inquire into mr. squeers. i think he would every now and then write letters to the newspapers reminding people that, in spite of all appearances to the contrary, there was a royal commission to inquire into mr. squeers. i agree that he might even go the length of calling a crowded meeting in st. james's hall on the subject of the best policy with regard to mr. squeers. at this meeting some very heated and daring speakers might even go the length of alluding sternly to mr. squeers. occasionally even hoarse voices from the back of the hall might ask (in vain) what was going to be done with mr. squeers. the royal commission would report about three years afterwards and would say that many things had happened which were certainly most regrettable, that mr. squeers was the victim of a bad system; that mrs. squeers was also the victim of a bad system; but that the man who sold squeers' cane had really acted with great indiscretion and ought to be spoken to kindly. something like this would be what, after four years, the royal commission would have said; but it would not matter in the least what the royal commission had said, for by that time the philanthropists would be off on a new tack and the world would have forgotten all about dotheboys hall and everything connected with it. by that time the philanthropists would be petitioning parliament for another royal commission; perhaps a royal commission to inquire into whether mr. mantalini was extravagant with his wife's money; perhaps a commission to inquire into whether mr. vincent crummies kept the infant phenomenon short by means of gin. _introduction to 'nicholas nickleby.'_ september nd _battle of sedan_ the germans have not conquered very much in history as a whole. about fifty years ago they beat the french and fifty years before that the french very soundly beat them. if we see history as a whole there is no more doubt that the french people is the more military than there is that the german people is the more musical. germany is a great and splendid nation; and there are millions of sensible german patriots grappling with the sins and follies which are part of her problem. _'illustrated london news.'_ september rd if votes for women do not mean mobs for women they do not mean what they were meant to mean. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ september th there is a notion adrift everywhere that imagination, especially mystical imagination, is dangerous to man's mental balance. poets are commonly spoken of as psychologically unreliable; and generally there is a vague association between wreathing laurels in your hair and sticking straws in it. facts and history utterly contradict this view. most of the very great poets have been not only sane, but extremely business-like; and if shakespeare ever really held horses, it was because he was much the safest man to hold them. imagination does not breed insanity. exactly what does breed insanity is reason. poets do not go mad, but chess-players do. mathematicians go mad, and cashiers, but creative artists very seldom. _'orthodoxy.'_ september th our modern mystics make a mistake when they wear long hair or loose ties to attract the spirits. the elves and the old gods when they revisit the earth really go straight for a dull top-hat. for it means simplicity, which the gods love. _'charles dickens.'_ september th women have been set free to be bacchantes. they have been set free to be virgin martyrs; they have been set free to be witches. do not ask them now to sink so low as the higher culture. _'all things considered.'_ september th the sin and sorrow of despotism is not that it does not love men, but that it loves them too much and trusts them too little. _'robert browning.'_ september th a philosopher cannot talk about any single thing, down to a pumpkin, without showing whether he is wise or foolish; but he can easily talk about everything without anyone having any views about him, beyond gloomy suspicions. _'g. f. watts.'_ september th chattering finch and water-fly are not merrier than i; here among the flowers i lie laughing everlastingly. no: i may not tell the best; surely, friends, i might have guessed death was but the good king's jest, it was hid so carefully. _'the skeleton.'_ september th england is still ruled by the great barnacle family. parliament is still ruled by the great barnacle trinity--the solemn old barnacle, who knew that the circumlocution office was a protection; the sprightly young barnacle, who knew that it was a fraud; and the bewildered young barnacle who knew nothing about it. from these three types our cabinets are still exclusively recruited. people talk of the tyrannies and anomalies which dickens denounced as things of the past like the star chamber. they believe that the days of the old brutal optimism and the old brutal indifference are gone for ever. in truth, this very belief is only the continuance of the old stupid optimism and the old brutal indifference. we believe in a free england and a pure england, because we still believe in the circumlocution office account of this matter. undoubtedly our serenity is widespread. we believe that england is really reformed, we believe that england is really democratic, we believe that english politics are free from corruption. but this general satisfaction of ours does not show that dickens has beaten the barnacles. it only shows that the barnacles have beaten dickens. _'charles dickens.'_ september th when a man begins to think that the grass will not grow at night unless he lies awake to watch it, he generally ends either in an asylum or on the throne of an emperor. _'robert browning.'_ september th thieves respect property. they merely wish the property to become their property that they may more perfectly respect it. but philosophers dislike property as property; they wish to destroy the very idea of personal possession. bigamists respect marriage, or they would not go through the highly ceremonial and even ritualistic formality of bigamy. but philosophers despise marriage as marriage. murderers respect human life; they merely wish to attain a greater fullness of human life in themselves by the sacrifice of what seems to them to be lesser lives. but philosophers hate life itself, their own as much as other people's. _'the man who was thursday.'_ september th the lunatic is the man who lives in a small world but thinks it is a large one; he is a man who lives in a tenth of the truth, and thinks it is the whole. the madman cannot conceive any cosmos outside a certain tale or conspiracy or vision. hence the more clearly we see the world divided into saxons and non-saxons, into our splendid selves and the rest, the more certain we may be that we are slowly and quietly going mad. the more plain and satisfying our state appears, the more we may know that we are living in an unreal world. for the real world is not satisfying. the more clear become the colours and facts of anglo-saxon superiority, the more surely we may know we are in a dream. for the real world is not clear or plain. the real world is full of bracing bewilderments and brutal surprises. comfort is the blessing and the curse of the english, and of americans of the pogram type also. with them it is a loud comfort, a wild comfort, a screaming and capering comfort; but comfort at bottom still. for there is but an inch of difference between the cushioned chamber and the padded cell. _'charles dickens.'_ september th i never said a word against eminent men of science. what i complain of is a vague popular philosophy which supposes itself to be scientific when it is really nothing but a sort of new religion and an uncommonly nasty one. when people talked about the fall of man, they knew they were talking about a mystery, a thing they didn't understand. now they talk about the survival of the fittest: they think they do understand it, whereas they have not merely no notion, they have an elaborately false notion of what the words mean. _'the club of queer trades.'_ september th the only way of catching a train i have ever discovered is to miss the train before. _'tremendous trifles.'_ september th many people have wondered why it is that children's stories are so full of moralizing. the reason is perfectly simple: it is that children like moralizing more than anything else, and eat it up as if it were so much jam. the reason why we, who are grown up, dislike moralizing is equally clear: it is that we have discovered how much perversion and hypocrisy can be mixed with it; we have grown to dislike morality not because morality is moral, but because morality is so often immoral. but the child has never seen the virtues twisted into vices; the child does not know that men are not only bad from good motives, but also often good from bad motives. the child does not know that whereas the jesuit may do evil that good may come, the man of the world often does good that evil may come. therefore, the child has a hearty, healthy, unspoiled, and insatiable appetite for mere morality; for the mere difference between a good little girl and a bad little girl. and it can be proved by innumerable examples that when we are quite young we do like the moralizing story. grown-up people like the "comic sandford and merton," but children like the real "sandford and merton." _'daily news.'_ september th one of the few gifts that can really increase with old age is a sense of humour. that is the whole fun of belonging to an ancient civilization like our own great civilization of europe. in my vision i see europe still sitting on her mighty bull, the enormous and mystic mother from whom we come, who has given us everything from the 'iliad' to the french revolution. and from her awful lips i seem to hear the words:-- 'think of me, old mother scrubbs, a-joining these 'ere totty clubs: fancy me deserting the pubs at my time of life!' _'illustrated london news.'_ september th _dr. johnson born_ if anyone wishes to see the real rowdy egalitarianism which is necessary (to males at least) he can find it as well as anywhere in the great old tavern disputes which come down to us in such books as boswell's 'johnson.' it is worth while to mention that one name especially, because the modern world in its morbidity has done it a grave injustice. the demeanour of johnson, it is said, was 'harsh and despotic.' it was occasionally harsh, but it was never despotic. johnson was not in the least a despot. johnson was a demagogue, he shouted against a shouting crowd. the very fact that he wrangled with other people is a proof that other people were allowed to wrangle with him. his very brutality was based on the idea of an equal scrimmage like that of football. it is strictly true that he bawled and banged the table because he was a modest man. he was honestly afraid of being overwhelmed or even overlooked. addison had exquisite manners and was the king of his company. he was polite to everybody, but superior to everybody; therefore he has been handed down for ever in the immortal insult of pope:-- like cato give his little senate laws and sit attention to his own applause. johnson, so far from being king of his company, was a sort of irish member in his own parliament. addison was a courteous superior and was hated. johnson was an insolent equal, and therefore was loved by all who knew him and handed down in a marvellous book which is one of the mere miracles of love. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ september th brave men are all vertebrates: they have their softness on the surface and their toughness in the middle. _'tremendous trifles.'_ september th the teetotaller has chosen a most unfortunate phrase for the drunkard when he says that the drunkard is making a beast of himself. the man who drinks ordinarily makes nothing but an ordinary man of himself. the man who drinks excessively makes a devil of himself. but nothing connected with a human and artistic thing like wine can bring one nearer to the brute life of nature. the only man who is, in the exact and literal sense of the words, making a beast of himself is the teetotaller. _'charles dickens.'_ september st _st. matthew's day_ the abyss between christ and all his modern interpreters is that we have no record that he ever wrote a word, except with his finger in the sand. the whole is the history of one continuous and sublime conversation. it was not for any pompous proclamation, it was not for any elaborate output of printed volumes; it was for a few splendid and idle words that the cross was set up on calvary and the earth gaped, and the sun was darkened at noonday. _'twelve types.'_ september nd so with the wan waste grasses on my spear, i ride for ever seeking after god. my hair grows whiter than my thistle plume and all my limbs are loose; but in my eyes the star of an unconquerable praise: for in my soul one hope for ever sings, that at the next white corner of a road my eyes may look on him. _'the wild knight.'_ september rd an error is more menacing than a crime, for an error begets crimes.... a free lover is worse than a profligate. for a profligate is serious and reckless even in his shortest love; while a free lover is cautious and irresponsible even in his longest devotion. _'tremendous trifles.'_ september th if the barricades went up in our streets and the poor became masters, i think the priests would escape, i fear the gentlemen would; but i believe the gutters would be simply running with the blood of philanthropists. _'charles dickens.'_ september th pessimism says that life is so short that it gives nobody a chance; religion says that life is so short that it gives everybody his final chance. _introduction to 'nicholas nickleby.'_ september th in short, one pankhurst is an exception, but a thousand pankhursts are a nightmare, a bacchic orgy, a witch's sabbath. for in all legends men have thought of women as sublime separately, but horrible in a crowd. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ september th individually, men may present a more or less rational appearance, eating, sleeping, and scheming. but humanity as a whole is changeful, mystical, fickle, delightful. men are men, but man is a woman. _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ september th i should not be at all surprised if i turned one corner in fleet street and saw a queer looking window, turned another corner and saw a yet queerer looking lamp; i should not be surprised if i turned a third corner and found myself in elfland. _'tremendous trifles.'_ september th _st. michael and all angels_ historic christianity has always believed in the valour of st. michael riding in front of the church militant, and in an ultimate and absolute pleasure, not indirect or utilitarian, the intoxication of the spirit, the wine of the blood of god. _'george bernard shaw.'_ september th when a man really tells the truth, the first truth he tells is that he himself is a liar. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ october october st of all the tests by which the good citizen and strong reformer can be distinguished from the vague faddist or the inhuman sceptic, i know no better test than this--that the unreal reformer sees in front of him one certain future, the future of his fad; while the real reformer sees before him ten or twenty futures among which his country must choose, and may in some dreadful hour choose the wrong one. the true patriot is always doubtful of victory; because he knows that he is dealing with a living thing; a thing with free will. to be certain of free will is to be uncertain of success. _introduction to 'american notes.'_ october nd nietzsche scales staggering mountains, but he turns up ultimately in tibet. he sits down beside tolstoy in the land of nothing and nirvana. they are both helpless--one because he must not grasp anything, and the other because he must not let go of anything. the tolstoian's will is frozen by a buddhistic instinct that all special actions are evil. but the nietzscheite's will is quite equally frozen by his view that all special actions are good; for if all special actions are good, none of them are special. they stand at the cross roads, and one hates all the roads and the other likes all the roads. the result is--well, some things are not hard to calculate. they stand at the cross roads. _'orthodoxy.'_ october rd modern women defend their office with all the fierceness of domesticity. they fight for desk and typewriter as for hearth and home, and develop a sort of wolfish wifehood on behalf of the invisible head of the firm. that is why they do office work so well; and that is why they ought not to do it. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ october th _st. francis of assisi_ for most people there is a fascinating inconsistency in the position of st. francis. he expressed in loftier and bolder language than any earthly thinker the conception that laughter is as divine as tears. he called his monks the mountebanks of god. he never forgot to take pleasure in a bird as it flashed past him, or a drop of water as it fell from his finger; he was perhaps the happiest of the sons of men. yet this man undoubtedly founded his whole polity on the negation of what we think of the most imperious necessities; in his three vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience he denied to himself, and those he loved most, property, love, and liberty. why was it that the most large-hearted and poetic spirits in that age found their most congenial atmosphere in these awful renunciations? why did he who loved where all men were blind, seek to blind himself where all men loved? why was he a monk and not a troubadour? we have a suspicion that if these questions were answered we should suddenly find that much of the enigma of this sullen time of ours was answered also. _'twelve types.'_ october th it is awful to think that this world which so many poets have praised has even for a time been depicted as a mantrap into which we may just have the manhood to jump. think of all those ages through which men have had the courage to die, and then remember that we have actually fallen to talking about having the courage to live. _'george bernard shaw.'_ october th we will eat and drink later. let us remain together a little, we who have loved each other so sadly, and have fought so long. i seem to remember only centuries of heroic war, in which you were always heroes--epic on epic, iliad on iliad, and you always brothers in arms. whether it was but recently (for time is nothing) or at the beginning of the world, i sent you out to war. i sat in the darkness where there is not any created thing, and to you i was only a voice commanding valour and an unnatural virtue. you heard the voice in the dark and you never heard it again. the sun in heaven denied it, the earth and sky denied it, all human wisdom denied it. and when i met you in the daylight i denied it myself. but you were men. you did not forget your secret honour, though the whole cosmos turned an engine of torture to tear it out of you. _'the man who was thursday.'_ october th the truest kinship with humanity would lie in doing as humanity has always done, accepting with a sportsman-like relish the estate to which we are called, the star of our happiness, and the fortunes of the land of our birth. _'twelve types.'_ october th when your father told you, walking about the garden, that bees stung or that roses smell sweet, you did not talk of taking the best out of his philosophy. when the bees stung you, you did not call it an entertaining coincidence; when the rose smelt sweet you did not say, 'my father is a rude, barbaric symbol enshrining (perhaps unconsciously) the deep delicate truth that flowers smell.' no, you believed your father because you had found him to be a living fountain of facts, a thing that really knew more than you; a thing that would tell you the truth to-morrow, as well as to-day. _'orthodoxy.'_ october th there is only one thing that it requires real courage to say, and that is a truism. _'g. f. watts.'_ october th red is the most joyful and dreadful thing in the physical universe; it is the fiercest note, it is the highest light, it is the place where the walls of this world of ours wear thinnest and something beyond burns through. it glows in the blood which sustains and in the fire which destroys us, in the roses of our romance and in the awful cup of our religion. it stands for all passionate happiness, as in faith or in first love. _'daily news.'_ october th commonness means the quality common to the saint and the sinner, to the philosopher and the fool; and it was this that dickens grasped and developed. in everybody there is a certain thing that loves babies, that fears death, that likes sunlight: that thing enjoys dickens. and everybody does not mean uneducated crowds, everybody means everybody: everybody means mrs. meynell. _'charles dickens.'_ october th some of the most frantic lies on the face of life are told with modesty and restraint; for the simple reason that only modesty and restraint will save them. _'charles dickens.'_ october th in a world without humour, the only thing to do is to eat. and how perfect an exception! how can these people strike dignified attitudes, and pretend that things matter, when the total ludicrousness of life is proved by the very method by which it is supported? a man strikes the lyre, and says, 'life is real, life is earnest,' and then goes into a room and stuffs alien substances into a hole in his head. _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ october th _battle of hastings_ gored on the norman gonfalon the golden dragon died, we shall not wake with ballad strings the good time of the smaller things, we shall not see the holy kings ride down the severn side. _'ballad of alfred.'_ october th i am grown up, and i do not worry myself much about zola's immorality. the thing i cannot stand is his morality. if ever a man on this earth lived to embody the tremendous text, 'but if the light in your body be darkness, how great is the darkness!' it was certainly he. great men like ariosto, rabelais, and shakespeare fall in foul places, flounder in violent but venial sin, sprawl for pages, exposing their gigantic weakness, are dirty, are indefensible; and then they struggle up again and can still speak with a convincing kindness and an unbroken honour of the best things in the world: rabelais, of the instruction of ardent and austere youth; ariosto, of holy chivalry; shakespeare, of the splendid stillness of mercy. but in zola even the ideals are undesirable; zola's mercy is colder than justice--nay, zola's mercy is more bitter in the mouth than injustice. when zola shows us an ideal training he does not take us, like rabelais, into the happy fields of humanist learning. he takes us into the schools of inhumanist learning, where there are neither books nor flowers, nor wine nor wisdom, but only deformities in glass bottles, and where the rule is taught from the exceptions. zola's truth answers the exact description of the skeleton in the cupboard; that is, it is something of which a domestic custom forbids the discovery, but which is quite dead, even when it is discovered. _'all things considered.'_ october th we talk in a cant phrase of the man in the street, but the frenchman is the man in the street. as the frenchman drinks in the street and dines in the street, so he fights in the street and dies in the street; so that the street can never be commonplace to him. _'tremendous trifles.'_ october th if we wish to preserve the family we must revolutionize the nation. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ october th _st. luke's day_ in these days we are accused of attacking science because we want it to be scientific. surely there is not any undue disrespect to our doctor in saying that he is our doctor, not our priest or our wife or ourself. it is not the business of the doctor to say that we must go to a watering-place; it is his affair to say that certain results of health will follow if we do go to a watering-place. after that, obviously, it is for us to judge. physical science is like simple addition; it is either infallible or it is false. to mix science up with philosophy is only to produce a philosophy that has lost all its ideal value and a science that has lost all its practical value. i want my private physician to tell me whether this or that food will kill me. it is for my private philosopher to tell me whether i ought to be killed. _'all things considered.'_ october th it was absurd to say that waterloo was won on eton cricket-fields. but it might have been fairly said that waterloo was won on the village green, where clumsy boys played a very clumsy cricket. in a word, it was the average of the nation that was strong, and athletic glories do not indicate much about the average of a nation. waterloo was not won by good cricket-players. but waterloo was won by bad cricket-players, by a mass of men who had some minimum of athletic instincts and habits. it is a good sign in a nation, when such things are done badly. it shows that all the people are doing them. and it is a bad sign in a nation when such things are done very well, for it shows that only a few experts and eccentrics are doing them, and that the nation is merely looking on. _'all things considered.'_ october th i sometimes think it is a pity that people travel in foreign countries; it narrows their minds so much. _'daily news.'_ october st _trafalgar day_ the heroic is a fact, even when it is a fact of coincidence or of miracle; and a fact is a thing which can be admitted without being explained. but i would merely hint that there is a very natural explanation of this frightful felicity, either of phrase or action, which so many men have exhibited on so many scaffolds or battlefields. it is merely that when a man has found something which he prefers to life, he then for the first time begins to live. a promptitude of poetry opens in his soul of which our paltry experiences do not possess the key. when once he has despised this world as a mere instrument, it becomes a musical instrument, it falls into certain artistic harmonies around him. if nelson had not worn his stars he would not have been hit. but if he had not worn his stars he would not have been nelson; and if he had not been nelson he might have lost the battle. _'daily news.'_ october nd watts proved no doubt that he was not wholly without humour by this admirable picture ("the first oyster"). gladstone proved that he was not wholly without humour by his reply to mr. chaplin, by his singing of "doo-dah," and by his support of a grant to the duke of coburg. but both men were singularly little possessed by the mood or the idea of humour. to them had been in peculiar fullness revealed the one great truth which our modern thought does not know, and which it may possibly perish through not knowing. they knew that to enjoy life means to take it seriously. there is an eternal kinship between solemnity and high spirits, and almost the very name of it is gladstone. its other name is watts. they knew that not only life, but every detail of life, is most a pleasure when it is studied with the gloomiest intensity.... the startling cheerfulness of the old age of gladstone, the startling cheerfulness of the old age of watts, are both redolent of this exuberant seriousness, this uproarious gravity. they were as happy as the birds because, like the birds, they were untainted by the disease of laughter. they are as awful and philosophical as children at play: indeed, they remind us of a truth true for all of us, though capable of misunderstanding, that the great aim of a man's life is to get into his second childhood. _'watts.'_ october rd the foil may curve in the lunge; but there is nothing beautiful about beginning the battle with a crooked foil. so the strict aim, the strong doctrine, may give a little in the actual fight with facts; but that is no reason for beginning with a weak doctrine or a twisted aim. do not be an opportunist; try to be theoretic at all the opportunities; fate can be trusted to do all the opportunist part of it. do not try to bend; any more than the trees try to bend. try to grow straight; and life will bend you. _'daily news.'_ october th truth must necessarily be stranger than fiction; for fiction is the creation of the human mind and therefore congenial to it. _'the club of queer trades.'_ october th if a thing is worth doing, it is worth doing badly. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ october th it is currently said that hope goes with youth and lends to youth its wings of a butterfly; but i fancy that hope is the last gift given to man, and the only gift not given to youth. youth is pre-eminently the period in which a man can be lyric, fanatical, poetic; but youth is the period in which a man can be hopeless. the end of every episode is the end of the world. but the power of hoping through everything, the knowledge that the soul survives its adventures, that great inspiration comes to the middle-aged. god has kept that good wine until now. _'charles dickens.'_ october th we have made an empire out of our refuse; but we cannot make a nation even out of our best material. such is the vague and half-conscious contradiction that undoubtedly possesses the minds of great masses of the not unkindly rich. touching the remote empire they feel a vague but vast humanitarian hope; touching the chances of small holdings or rural reconstruction in the heart of the empire they feel a doubt and a disinclination that is not untouched with despair. their creed contains two great articles: first, that the common englishman can get on anywhere; and second, that the common englishman cannot get on in england. _introduction to 'cottage homes of england.'_ october th there is only one very timid sort of man that is not afraid of women. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ october th i do not see ghosts; i only see their inherent probability. _'tremendous trifles.'_ october th do you see this lantern? do you see the cross carved on it and the flame inside? you did not make it. you did not light it. better men than you, men who could believe and obey, twisted the entrails of iron, and preserved the legend of fire. there is not a street you walk on, there is not a thread you wear, that was not made as this lantern was, by denying your philosophy of dirt and rats. you can make nothing. you can only destroy. you will destroy mankind; you will destroy the world. let that suffice you. yet this one old christian lantern you shall now destroy. it shall go where your empire of apes will never have the wit to find it. _'the man who was thursday.'_ october st _hallow e'en_ if we ever get the english back on to the english land they will become again a religious people, if all goes well, a superstitious people. the absence from modern life of both the higher and the lower forms of faith is largely due to a divorce from nature and the trees and clouds. if we have no more turnip ghosts it is chiefly from the lack of turnips. _'heretics.'_ november november st _all saints' day_ you cannot deny that it is perfectly possible that to-morrow morning in ireland or in italy there might appear a man not only as good but good in exactly the same way as st. francis of assisi. very well; now take the other types of human virtue: many of them splendid. the english gentleman of elizabeth was chivalrous and idealistic. but can you stand still in this meadow and _be_ an english gentleman of elizabeth? the austere republican of the eighteenth century, with his stern patriotism and his simple life, was a fine fellow. but have you ever seen him? have you ever seen an austere republican? only a hundred years have passed and that volcano of revolutionary truth and valour is as cold as the mountains of the moon. and so it will be with the ethics which are buzzing down fleet street at this instant as i speak. what phrase would inspire a london clerk or workman just now? perhaps that he is a son of the british empire on which the sun never sets; perhaps that he is a prop of his trades union, or a class-conscious proletarian something or other; perhaps merely that he is a gentleman, when he obviously is not. those names and notions are all honourable, but how long will they last? empires break; industrial conditions change; the suburbs will not last for ever. what will remain? i will tell you: the catholic saint will remain. _'the ball and the cross.'_ november nd _all souls' day_ there are two things in which all men are manifestly and unmistakably equal. they are not equally clever or equally muscular or equally fat, as the sages of the modern reaction (with piercing insight) perceive. but this is a spiritual certainty, that all men are tragic. and this again is an equally sublime spiritual certainty, that all men are comic. _'charles dickens.'_ november rd you cannot love a thing without wanting to fight for it. _introduction to 'nicholas nickleby.'_ november th the modern philosopher had told me again and again that i was in the right place, and i had still felt depressed even in acquiescence. but i had heard that i was in the _wrong_ place, and my soul sang for joy, like a bird in spring. the knowledge found out and illuminated forgotten chambers in the dark house of infancy. i knew now why grass had always seemed to me as queer as the green beard of a giant, and why i could feel homesick at home. _'orthodoxy.'_ november th _guy fawkes' day_ guy fawkes' day is not only in some rude sense a festival, and in some rude sense a religious festival; it is also, what is supremely symbolic and important, a winter religious festival. here the th of november, which celebrates a paltry christian quarrel, has a touch of the splendour of the th of december, which celebrates christianity itself. dickens and all the jolly english giants who write of the red firelight are grossly misunderstood in this matter. prigs call them coarse and materialistic because they write about the punch and plum pudding of winter festivals. the prigs do not see that if these writers were really coarse and materialistic they would not write about winter feasts at all. mere materialists would write about summer and the sun. the whole point of winter pleasure is that it is a defiant pleasure, a pleasure armed and at bay. the whole point is in the fierce contrast between the fire and wine within and the roaring rains outside. and some part of the sacredness of firelight we may allow to fireworks. _article in 'the observer.'_ november th what we are looking at is not the boyhood of free thought: it is the old age and ultimate dissolution of free thought. it is vain for bishops and pious big wigs to discuss what things will happen if wild scepticism runs its course. it has run its course. it is vain for eloquent atheists to talk of the great truths that will be revealed if once we see free thought begin. we have seen it end. it has no more questions to ask; it has questioned itself. you cannot call up any wilder vision than a city in which men ask themselves if they have any selves. you cannot fancy a more sceptical world than that in which men doubt if there is a world. _'orthodoxy.'_ november th a man ought to eat because he has a good appetite to satisfy, and emphatically not because he has a large frame to sustain. a man ought to take exercise not because he is too fat, but because he loves foils or horses or high mountains, and loves them for their own sake. and a man ought to marry because he has fallen in love, and emphatically not because the world requires to be populated. the food will really renovate his tissues as long as he is not thinking about his tissues. the exercise will really get him into training so long as he is thinking about something else. and the marriage will really stand some chance of producing a generous-blooded generation if it had its origin in its own natural and generous excitement. it is the first law of health that our necessities should not be accepted as necessities; they should be accepted as luxuries. let us, then, be careful about the small things, such as a scratch or a slight illness, or anything that can be managed with care. but in the name of all sanity, let us be careless about the important things, such as marriage, or the fountain of our very life will fail. _'heretics.'_ november th if there be any value in scaling the mountains, it is only that from them one can behold the plains. _'daily news.'_ november th _lord mayor's day_ i pressed some little way farther through the throng of people, and caught a glimpse of some things that are never seen in fleet street. i mean real green which is like the grass in the glaring sun, and real blue that is like the burning sky in another quarter of the world, and real gold that is like fire that cannot be quenched, and real red that is like savage roses and the wine that is the blood of god. nor was it a contemptible system of ideas that was supposed to be depicted by these colours of flags and shields and shining horsemen. it was at least supposed to be england, which made us all; it was at least supposed to be london, which made me and better men. i at least am not so made that i can make sport of such symbols. there in whatever ungainly procession, there on whatever ugly shields, there was the cross of st. george and the sword of st. paul. even if all men should go utterly away from everything that is symbolized, the last symbol will impress them. if no one should be left in the world except a million open malefactors and one hypocrite, that hypocrite will still remind them of holiness. _'daily news.'_ november th old happiness is grey as we and we may still outstrip her; if we be slippered pantaloons o let us hunt the slipper! the old world glows with colours clear, and if, as saith the saint, the world is but a painted show, o let us lick the paint! far, far behind are morbid hours and lonely hearts that bleed; far, far behind us are the days when we were old indeed. behold the simple sum of things where, in one splendour spun, the stars go round the mulberry bush, the burning bush, the sun. _'grey beards at play.'_ november th a man (of a certain age) may look into the eyes of his lady-love to see that they are beautiful. but no normal lady will allow that young man to look into her eyes to see whether they are beautiful. the same variety and idiosyncrasy has been generally observed in gods. praise them; or leave them alone; but do not look for them unless you know they are there. do not look for them unless you want them. _'all things considered.'_ november th likelier across these flats afar, these sulky levels smooth and free, the drums shall crash a waltz of war and death shall dance with liberty; likelier the barricades shall blare slaughter below and smoke above, and death and hate and hell declare that men have found a thing to love. _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ november th everything is military in the sense that everything depends upon obedience. there is no perfectly epicurean corner; there is no perfectly irresponsible place. everywhere men have made the way for us with sweat and submission. we may fling ourselves into a hammock in a fit of divine carelessness. but we are glad that the net-maker did not make the net in a fit of divine carelessness. we may jump upon a child's rocking-horse for a joke. but we are glad that the carpenter did not leave the legs of it unglued for a joke. _'heretics.'_ november th i will ride upon the nightmare; but she shall not ride on me. _'daily news.'_ november th a great man of letters or any great artist is symbolic without knowing it. the things he describes are types because they are truths. shakespeare may or may not have ever put it to himself that richard the second was a philosophical symbol; but all good criticism must necessarily see him so. it may be a reasonable question whether an artist should be allegorical. there can be no doubt among sane men that a critic should be allegorical. _introduction to 'great expectations.'_ november th when society is in rather a futile fuss about the subjection of women, will no one say how much every man owes to the tyranny and privilege of women, to the fact that they alone rule education until education becomes futile? for a boy is only sent to be taught at school when it is too late to teach him anything. the real thing has been done already, and thank god it is nearly always done by women. every man is womanized, merely by being born. they talk of the masculine woman; but every man is a feminized man. and if ever men walk to westminster to protest against this female privilege, i shall not join their procession. _'orthodoxy.'_ november th seriousness is not a virtue. it would be a heresy, but a much more sensible heresy, to say that seriousness is a vice. it is really a natural trend or lapse into taking one's self gravely, because it is the easiest thing to do. it is much easier to write a good _times_ leading article than a good joke in _punch_. for solemnity flows out of men naturally, but laughter is a leap. it is easy to be heavy: hard to be light. satan fell by the force of gravity. _'orthodoxy.'_ november th yes, you are right. i am afraid of him. therefore i swear by god that i will seek out this man whom i fear until i find him and strike him on the mouth. if heaven were his throne and the earth his footstool i swear that i would pull him down.... because i am afraid of him; and no man should leave in the universe anything of which he is afraid. _'the man who was thursday.'_ november th under all this vast illusion of the cosmopolitan planet, with its empires and its reuter's agency, the real life of man goes on concerned with this tree or that temple, with this harvest or that drinking-song, totally uncomprehended, totally untouched. and it watches from its splendid parochialism, possibly with a smile of amusement, motor-car civilization going its triumphant way, outstripping time, consuming space, seeing all and seeing nothing, roaring on at last to the capture of the solar system, only to find the sun cockney and the stars suburban. _'heretics.'_ november th every detail points to something, certainly, but generally to the wrong thing. facts point in all directions, it seems to me, like the thousands of twigs on a tree. it is only the life of the tree that has unity and goes up--only the green blood that springs, like a fountain, at the stars. _'the club of queer trades.'_ november st shallow romanticists go away in trains and stop in places called hugmy-in-the-hole, or bumps-on-the-puddle. and all the time they could, if they liked, go and live at a place with the dim, divine name of st. john's wood. i have never been to st. john's wood. i dare not. i should be afraid of the innumerable night of fir-trees, afraid to come upon a blood-red cup and the beating of the wings of the eagle. but all these things can be imagined by remaining reverently in the harrow train. _'the napoleon of notting hill.'_ november nd giants, as in the wise old fairy-tales, are vermin. supermen, if not good men, are vermin. _'heretics.'_ november rd it is part of that large and placid lie that the rationalists tell when they say that christianity arose in ignorance and barbarism. christianity arose in the thick of a brilliant and bustling cosmopolitan civilization. long sea voyages were not so quick, but were quite as incessant as to-day; and though in the nature of things christ had not many rich followers, it is not unnatural to suppose that he had some. and a joseph of arimathea may easily have been a roman citizen with a yacht that could visit britain. the same fallacy is employed with the same partisan motive in the case of the gospel of st. john; which critics say could not have been written by one of the first few christians because of its greek transcendentalism and its platonic tone. i am no judge of the philology, but every human being is a divinely appointed judge of the philosophy: and the platonic tone seems to me to prove nothing at all. _'daily news.'_ november th sometimes the best business of an age is to resist some alien invasion; sometimes to preach practical self-control in a world too self-indulgent and diffuse; sometimes to prevent the growth in the state of great new private enterprises that would poison or oppress it. above all, it may happen that the highest task of a thinking citizen may be to do the exact opposite of the work the radicals had to do. it may be his highest duty to cling on to every scrap of the past that he can find, if he feels that the ground is giving way beneath him and sinking into mere savagery and forgetfulness of all human culture. _introduction to 'a child's history of england.'_ november th science in the modern world has many uses; its chief use, however, is to provide long words to cover the errors of the rich. _'heretics.'_ november th we talk of art as something artificial in comparison with life. but i sometimes fancy that the very highest art is more real than life itself. at least this is true: that in proportion as passions become real they become poetical; the lover is always trying to be the poet. all real energy is an attempt at harmony and a high swing of rhythm; and if we were only real enough we should all talk in rhyme. however this may be, it is unquestionable in the case of great public affairs. whenever you have real practical politics you have poetical politics. whenever men have succeeded in wars they have sung war-songs; whenever you have the useful triumph you have also the useless trophy. but the thing is more strongly apparent exactly where the great fabian falls foul of it--in the open scenes of history and the actual operation of events. the things that actually did happen all over the world are precisely the things which he thinks could not have happened in galilee, the artistic isolations, the dreadful dialogues in which each speaker was dramatic, the prophecies flung down like gauntlets, the high invocations of history, the marching and mounting excitement of the story, the pulverizing and appropriate repartees. these things do happen; they have happened; they are attested, in all the cases where the soul of man had become poetic in its very peril. at every one of its important moments the most certain and solid history reads like an historical novel. _'daily news.'_ november th anyone could easily excuse the ill-humour of the poor. but great masses of the poor have not even any ill-humour to be excused. their cheeriness is startling enough to be the foundation of a miracle play; and certainly is startling enough to be the foundation of a romance. _introduction to 'christmas stories.'_ november th lo! i am come to autumn, when all the leaves are gold; grey hairs and golden leaves cry out the year and i are old. in youth i sought the prince of men captain in cosmic wars. our titan even the weeds would show defiant, to the stars. but now a great thing in the street seems any human nod, where shift in strange democracy the million masks of god. in youth i sought the golden flower hidden in wood or wold, but i am come to autumn, when all the leaves are gold. _'the wild knight.'_ november th there is a noble instinct for giving the right touch of beauty to common and necessary things, but the things that are so touched are the ancient things, the things that always, to some extent, commended themselves to the lover of beauty. the spirit of william morris has not seized hold of the century and made its humblest necessities beautiful. and this was because, with all his healthiness and energy, he had not the supreme courage to face the ugliness of things; beauty shrank from the beast and the fairy tale had a different ending. _'twelve types.'_ november th _st. andrew's day_ i am quite certain that scotland is a nation; i am quite certain that nationality is the key of scotland; i am quite certain that all our success with scotland has been due to the fact that we have in spirit treated it as a nation. i am quite certain that ireland is a nation. i am quite certain that nationality is the key of ireland; i am quite certain that all our failure in ireland arose from the fact that we would not in spirit treat it as a nation. it would be difficult to find, even among the innumerable examples that exist, a stronger example of the immensely superior importance of sentiment, to what is called practicality, than this case of the two sister nations. it is not that we have encouraged a scotchman to be rich; it is not that we have encouraged a scotchman to be active; it is not that we have encouraged a scotchman to be free. it is that we have quite definitely encouraged a scotchman to be scotch. _'all things considered.'_ december december st in this world of ours we do not so much go on and discover small things: rather we go on and discover big things. it is the detail that we see first; it is the design that we only see very slowly, and some men die never having seen it at all. we see certain squadrons in certain uniforms gallop past; we take an arbitrary fancy to this or that colour, to this or that plume. but it often takes us a long time to realize what the fight is about or even who is fighting whom. so in the modern intellectual world we can see flags of many colours, deeds of manifold interest; the one thing we cannot see is the map. we cannot see the simplified statement which tells us what is the origin of all the trouble. _'william blake.'_ december nd our wisdom, whether expressed in private or public, belongs to the world, but our folly belongs to those we love. _'browning.'_ december rd our fathers were large and healthy enough to make a thing humane, and not worry about whether it was hygienic. they were big enough to get into small rooms. _'charles dickens.'_ december th a cosmic philosophy is not constructed to fit a man; a cosmic philosophy is constructed to fit a cosmos. a man can no more possess a private religion than he can possess a private sun and moon. _introduction to 'book of job.'_ december th that christianity is identical with democracy, is the hardest of gospels; there is nothing that so strikes men with fear as the saying that they are all the sons of god. _'twelve types.'_ december th _st. nicholas's day_ all the old wholesome customs in connexion with christmas were to the effect that one should not touch or see or know or speak of something before the actual coming of christmas day. thus, for instance, children were never given their presents until the actual coming of the appointed hour. the presents were kept tied up in brown-paper parcels, out of which an arm of a doll or the leg of a donkey sometimes accidentally stuck. i wish this principle were adopted in respect of modern christmas ceremonies and publications. the editors of the magazines bring out their christmas numbers so long before the time that the reader is more likely to be lamenting for the turkey of last year than to have seriously settled down to a solid anticipation of the turkey which is to come. christmas numbers of magazines ought to be tied up in brown paper and kept for christmas day. on consideration, i should favour the editors being tied up in brown paper. whether the leg or arm of an editor should ever be allowed to protrude i leave to individual choice. _'all things considered.'_ december th we had talked for about half an hour about politics and god; for men always talk about the most important things to total strangers. it is because in the total stranger we perceive man himself; the image of god is not disguised by resemblances to an uncle or doubts of the wisdom of a moustache. _'the club of queer trades.'_ december th he had found the thing which the modern people call impressionism, which is another name for that final scepticism which can find no floor to the universe. _'the man who was thursday.'_ december th there was a time when you and i and all of us were all very close to god; so that even now the colour of a pebble (or a paint), the smell of a flower (or a firework) comes to our hearts with a kind of authority and certainty; as if they were fragments of a muddled message, or features of a forgotten face. to pour that fiery simplicity upon the whole of life is the only real aim of education; and closest to the child comes the woman--she understands. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ december th a man must love a thing very much if he not only practises it without any hope of fame or money, but even practises it without any hope of doing it well. such a man must love the toils of the work more than any other man can love the rewards of it. _'browning.'_ december th among all the strange things that men have forgotten, the most universal and catastrophic lapse of memory is that by which they have forgotten that they are living on a star. _'defendant.'_ december th _browning died_ the poem, 'old pictures in florence,' suggests admirably that a sense of incompleteness may easily be a great advance upon a sense of completeness: that the part may easily and obviously be greater than the whole. and from this browning draws, as he is fully justified in drawing, a definite hope for immortality and the larger scale of life. for nothing is more certain than that though this world is the only world that we have known, or of which we could ever dream, the fact does remain that we have named it 'a strange world.' in other words, we have certainly felt that this world did not explain itself, that something in its complete and patent picture has been omitted. and browning was right in saying that in a cosmos where incompleteness implies completeness, life implies immortality. the second of the great browning doctrines requires some audacity to express. it can only be properly stated as the hope that lies in the imperfection of god--that is to say, that browning held that sorrow and self-denial, if they were the burdens of man, were also his privileges. he held that these stubborn sorrows and obscure valours might--to use a yet more strange expression--have provoked the envy of the almighty. if man has self-sacrifice and god has none, then man has in the universe a secret and blasphemous superiority. and this tremendous story of a divine jealousy browning reads into the story of the crucifixion. these are emphatically the two main doctrines or opinions of browning, which i have ventured to characterize roughly as the hope in the imperfection of man, and more boldly as the hope in the imperfection of god. they are great thoughts, thoughts written by a great man, and they raise noble and beautiful doubts on behalf of faith which the human spirit will never answer or exhaust. _'robert browning.'_ december th elder father, though thine eyes shine with hoary mysteries, canst thou tell what in the heart of a cowslip blossom lies? smaller than all lives that be, secret as the deepest sea, stands a little house of seeds like an elfin's granary. speller of the stones and weeds, skilled in nature's crafts and creeds, tell me what is in the heart of the smallest of the seeds. god almighty, and with him cherubim and seraphim filling all eternity-- adonai elohim. _'the wild knight.'_ december th the rare strange thing is to hit the mark; the gross obvious thing is to miss it. chaos is dull; because in chaos a train might go anywhere--to baker street or bagdad. but man is a magician and his whole magic is in this that he does say 'victoria,' and lo! it is victoria. _'the man who was thursday.'_ december th men talk of philosophy and theology as if they were something specialistic and arid and academic. but philosophy and theology are not only the only democratic things, they are democratic to the point of being vulgar, to the point, i was going to say, of being rowdy. they alone admit all matters: they alone lie open to all attacks.... there is no detail from buttons to kangaroos that does not enter into the gay confusion of philosophy. there is no fact of life, from the death of a donkey to the general post office, which has not its place to dance and sing in, in the glorious carnival of theology. _'g. f. watts.'_ december th the duke of chester, the vice-president, was a young and rising politician--that is to say, he was a pleasant youth with flat fair hair and a freckled face, with moderate intelligence and enormous estates. in public his appearances were always successful and his principle was simple enough. when he thought of a joke he made it and was called brilliant. when he could not think of a joke he said that this was no time for trifling, and was called able. in private, in a club of his own class, he was simply quite pleasantly frank and silly like a schoolboy. _'the innocence of father brown.'_ december th the personal is not a mere figure for the impersonal: rather the impersonal is a clumsy term for something more personal than common personality. god is not a symbol of goodness. goodness is a symbol of god. _'william blake.'_ december th the world is not to be justified as it is justified by the mechanical optimists; it is not to be justified as the best of all possible worlds.... its merit is precisely that none of us could have conceived such a thing; that we should have rejected the bare idea of it as miracle and unreason. it is the best of all impossible worlds. _'charles dickens.'_ december th the educated classes have adopted a hideous and heathen custom of considering death as too dreadful to talk about, and letting it remain a secret for each person, like some private malformation. the poor, on the contrary, make a great gossip and display about bereavement; and they are right. they have hold of a truth of psychology which is at the back of all the funeral customs of the children of men. the way to lessen sorrow is to make a lot of it. the way to endure a painful crisis is to insist very much that it is a crisis; to permit people who must feel sad at least to feel important. in this the poor are simply the priests of the universal civilization; and in their stuffy feasts and solemn chattering there is the smell of the baked meats of hamlet and the dust and echo of the funeral games of patroclus. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ december th a crime is like any other work of art. don't look surprised; crimes are by no means the only works of art that come from an infernal workshop. but every work of art, divine or diabolic, has one indispensable mark--i mean that the centre of it is simple, however the entourage may be complicated. _'the innocence of father brown.'_ december st _st. thomas's day_ it was huxley and herbert spencer and bradlaugh who brought me back to orthodox theology. they sowed in my mind my first wild doubts of doubt. our grandmothers were quite right when they said that tom paine and the freethinkers unsettled the mind. they do. they unsettled mine horribly. the rationalists made me question whether reason was of any use whatever; and when i had finished herbert spencer i had got as far as doubting (for the first time) whether evolution had occurred at all. as i laid down the last of colonel ingersoll's atheistic lectures, the dreadful thought broke into my mind, 'almost thou persuadest me to be a christian.' _'orthodoxy.'_ december nd pure and exalted atheists talk themselves into believing that the working classes are turning with indignant scorn from the churches. the working classes are not indignant against the churches in the least. the things the working classes really are indignant against are the hospitals. the people has no definite disbelief in the temples of theology. the people has a very fiery and practical disbelief in the temples of physical science. _'charles dickens.'_ december rd a turkey is more occult and awful than all the angels and archangels. in so far as god has partly revealed to us an angelic world, he has partly told us what an angel means. but god has never told us what a turkey means. and if you go and stare at a live turkey for an hour or two, you will find by the end of it that the enigma has rather increased than diminished. _'all things considered.'_ december th _christmas eve_ the truce of christmas passionate peace is in the sky-- and in the snow in silver sealed the beasts are perfect in the field, and men seem men so suddenly-- (but take ten swords and ten times ten and blow the bugle in praising men; for we are for all men under the sun, and they are against us every one; and misers haggle and madmen clutch and there is peril in praising much, and we have the terrible tongues uncurled that praise the world to the sons of the world). the idle humble hill and wood are bowed about the sacred birth, and for one little hour the earth is lazy with the love of good-- (but ready are you, and ready am i, if the battle blow and the guns go by; for we are for all men under the sun, and they are against us every one; and the men that hate herd all together, to pride and gold, and the great white feather, and the thing is graven in star and stone that the men who love are all alone). hunger is hard and time is tough, but bless the beggars and kiss the kings, for hope has broken the heart of things, and nothing was ever praised enough. (but hold the shield for a sudden swing and point the sword when you praise a thing, for we are for all men under the sun, and they are against us every one, and mime and merchant, thane and thrall hate us because we love them all, only till christmastide go by passionate peace is in the sky). _'the commonwealth.'_ december th _christmas day_ there fared a mother driven forth out of an inn to roam; in the place where she was homeless all men are at home. the crazy stable close at hand, with shaking timber and shifting sand, grew a stronger thing to abide and stand than the square stones of rome. for men are homesick in their homes, and strangers under the sun, and they lay their heads in a foreign land whenever the day is done. here we have battle and blazing eyes, and chance and honour and high surprise, but our homes are under miraculous skies where the yule tale was begun. a child in a foul stable, where the beasts feed and foam, only where he was homeless are you and i at home: we have hands that fashion and heads that know, but our hearts we lost--how long ago! in a place no chart nor ship can show under the sky's dome. this world is wild as an old wives' tale, and strange the plain things are, the earth is enough and the air is enough for our wonder and our war; but our rest is as far as the fire-drake swings and our peace is put in impossible things where clashed and thundered unthinkable wings round an incredible star. to an open house in the evening home shall all men come, to an older place than eden and a taller town than rome. to the end of the way of the wandering star, to the things that cannot be and that are, to the place where god was homeless and all men are at home. _the house of christmas: 'daily news.'_ december th _boxing day_ there are innumerable persons with eyeglasses and green garments who pray for the return of the maypole or the olympian games. but there is about these people a haunting and alarming something which suggests that it is just possible that they do not keep christmas. if so, where is the sense of all their dreams of festive traditions? here is a solid and ancient festive tradition still plying a roaring trade in the streets, and they think it vulgar. if this is so, let them be very certain of this: that they are the kind of people who in the time of the maypole would have thought the maypole vulgar; who in the time of the canterbury pilgrimage would have thought the canterbury pilgrimage vulgar; who in the time of the olympian games would have thought the olympian games vulgar. nor can there be any reasonable doubt that they were vulgar. let no man deceive himself; if by vulgarity we mean coarseness of speech, rowdiness of behaviour, gossip, horseplay, and some heavy drinking: vulgarity there always was, wherever there was joy, wherever there was faith in the gods. _'heretics.'_ december th _st. john's day_ christ did not love humanity, he never said he loved humanity; he loved men. neither he nor anyone else can love humanity; it is like loving a gigantic centipede. and the reason that the tolstoians can even endure to think of an equally distributed love is that their love of humanity is a logical love, a love into which they are coerced by their own theories, a love which would be an insult to a tom-cat. _'twelve types.'_ december th _holy innocents' day_ that little urchin with the gold-red hair (whom i have just watched toddling past my house), she shall not be lopped and lamed and altered; her hair shall not be cut short like a convict's. no; all the kingdoms of the earth shall be hacked about and mutilated to suit her. the winds of the world shall be tempered to that lamb unshorn. all crowns that cannot fit her head shall be broken; all raiment and building that does not harmonize with her glory shall waste away. her mother may bid her bind her hair, for that is natural authority; but the emperor of the planet shall not bid her cut it off. she is the human and sacred image; all around her the social fabric shall sway and split and fall; the pillars of society shall be shaken and the roofs of ages come rushing down; and not one hair of her head shall be harmed. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ december th _st. thomas À becket_ when four knights scattered the blood and brains of st. thomas of canterbury it was not only a sign of anger but a sort of black admiration. they wished for his blood, but they wished even more for his brains. such a blow will remain for ever unintelligible unless we realize what the brains of st. thomas were thinking about just before they were distributed over the floor. they were thinking about the great medieval conception that the church is the judge of the world. becket objected to a priest being tried even by the lord chief justice. and his reason was simple: because the lord chief justice was being tried by the priest. the judiciary was itself _sub judice_. the kings were themselves in the dock. the idea was to create an invisible kingdom without armies or prisons, but with complete freedom to condemn publicly all the kingdoms of the earth. _'what's wrong with the world.'_ december th progress is not an illegitimate word, but it is logically evident that it is illegitimate for us. it is a sacred word, a word that could only rightly be used by rigid believers and in the ages of faith. _'heretics.'_ december st with all the multiplicity of knowledge there is one thing happily that no man knows: whether the world is old or young. _'the defendant.'_ the moveable feasts advent sunday people, if you have any prayers, say prayers for me; and lay me under a christian stone in this lost land i thought my own, to wait till the holy horn be blown and all poor men are free. _'ballad of alfred.'_ shrove tuesday why should i care for the ages because they are old and grey? to me like sudden laughter the stars are fresh and gay; the world is a daring fancy and finished yesterday. why should i bow to the ages because they are drear and dry? slow trees and ripening meadows for me go roaring by, a living charge, a struggle to escalade the sky. the eternal suns and systems, solid and silent all, to me are stars of an instant, only the fires that fall from god's good rocket rising on this night of carnival. _'a novelty' ('the wild knight')._ ash wednesday nor shall all iron doors make dumb men wondering ceaselessly, if it be not better to fast for joy than feast for misery? _'ballad of alfred.'_ palm sunday when fishes flew and forests walked and figs grew upon thorn, some moment when the moon was blood then surely i was born. with monstrous head and sickening cry and ears like errant wings, the devil's walking parody on all four-footed things. the tattered outlaw of the earth, of ancient crooked will, starve, scourge, deride me: i am dumb, i keep my secret still. fools, for i also had my hour, one far fierce hour and sweet, there was a shout about my ears and palms before my feet. _'the donkey' ('the wild knight')._ maunday thursday jesus christ made wine, not a medicine, but a sacrament. but omar makes it, not a sacrament, but a medicine. he feasts because life is not joyful; he revels because he is not glad. 'drink,' he says, 'for you know not whence you come nor why. drink, for you know not when you go nor where. drink, because the stars are cruel and the world as idle as a humming-top. drink, because there is nothing worth trusting, nothing worth fighting for. drink, because all things are lapsed in a base equality and an evil peace.' so he stands offering us the cup in his hands. and in the high altar of christianity stands another figure in whose hand also is the cup of the vine. 'drink,' he says, 'for the whole world is as red as this wine with the crimson of the love and wrath of god. drink, for the trumpets are blowing for battle, and this is the stirrup cup. drink, for this is my blood of the new testament that is shed for you. drink, for i know whence you come and why. drink, for i know when you go and where.' _'heretics.'_ good friday and well may god with the serving folk cast in his dreadful lot. is not he too a servant, and is not he forgot? wherefore was god in golgotha slain as a serf is slain; and hate he had of prince and peer, and love he had and made good cheer, of them that, like this woman here, go powerfully in pain. _'ballad of alfred.'_ holy saturday the cross cannot be defeated for it is defeat. _'the ball and the cross.'_ easter day i said to my companion the dickensian, 'do you see that angel over there? i think it must be meant for the angel at the sepulchre.' he saw that i was somewhat singularly moved, and he raised his eyebrows. 'i daresay,' he said. 'what is there odd about that?' after a pause i answered, 'do you remember what the angel at the sepulchre said?' 'not particularly,' ha replied; 'but where are you off to in such a hurry?' 'i am going,' i said, 'to put pennies into automatic machines on the beach. i am going to listen to the niggers. i am going to have my photograph taken. i will buy some picture postcards. i do want a boat. i am ready to listen to a concertina, and but for the defects of my education should be ready to play it. i am willing to ride on a donkey; that is, if the donkey is willing. for all this was commanded me by the angel in the stained glass window.' 'i really think,' said the dickensian, 'that i had better put you in charge of your relations.' 'sir,' i answered, 'there are certain writers to whom humanity owes much, whose talent is yet of so shy and delicate or retrospective a type that we do well to link it with certain quaint places or certain perishing associations. it would not be unnatural to look for the spirit of horace walpole at strawberry hill, or even for the shade of thackeray in old kensington. but let us have no antiquarianism about dickens for dickens is not an antiquity. dickens looks not backward but forward; he might look at our modern mobs with satire, or with fury, but he would love to look at them. he might lash our democracy, but it would be because, like a democrat, he asked much from it. we will not have all his books bound up under the title 'the old curiosity shop.' rather we will have them all bound up under the title of 'great expectations.' wherever humanity is he would have us face it and make something of it, swallow it with a holy cannibalism and assimilate it with the digestion of a giant. we must take these trippers as he would have taken them and tear out of them their tragedy and their farce. do you remember now what the angel said at the sepulchre? 'why seek ye the living among the dead? he is not here; he is risen.' _'tremendous trifles.'_ ascension day what is the difference between christ and satan? it is quite simple. christ descended into hell; satan fell into it. one of them wanted to go up and went down; the other wanted to go down and went up. _'the ball and the cross.'_ whitsunday i have a far more solid and central ground for submitting to christianity as a faith, instead of merely picking up hints from it as a scheme. and that is this; that the christian church in its practical relation to my soul is a living teacher, not a dead one. it not only certainly taught me yesterday, but will almost certainly teach me to-morrow. once i saw suddenly the meaning of the shape of the cross; some day i may see suddenly the meaning of the shape of the mitre. one fine morning i saw why windows were pointed; some fine morning i may see why priests were shaven. plato has told you a truth; but plato is dead. shakespeare has startled you with an image; but shakespeare will not startle you with any more. but imagine what it would be to live with such men still living. to know that plato might break out with an original lecture to-morrow, or that at any moment shakespeare might shatter everything with a single song. the man who lives in contact with what he believes to be a living church is a man always expecting to meet plato and shakespeare to-morrow at breakfast. he is always expecting to see some truth that he has never seen before. _'orthodoxy.'_ trinity sunday the meanest man in grey fields gone behind the set of sun, heareth between star and other star, through the door of the darkness fallen ajar, the council eldest of things that are, the talk of the three in one. _'ballad of alfred.'_ corpus christi all great spiritual scriptures are full of the invitation not to test but to taste; not to examine but to eat. their phrases are full of living water and heavenly bread, mysterious manna and dreadful wine. worldliness and the polite society of the world has despised this instinct of eating, but religion has never despised it. _'daily news.'_ printed by spottiswoode and co. ltd., colchester london and eton generously made available by the google books library project (http://books.google.com) note: images of the original pages are available through internet archive. see http://books.google.com/books?id=vsgvaaaayaaj&oe=utf- the optimist's good morning compiled by florence hobart perin boston little, brown, and company copyright, , by little, brown, and company. all rights reserved printers s. j. parkhill & co., boston, u. s. a. to my mother and father acknowledgments the compiler desires to make her grateful acknowledgments to the publishers and authors who have so generously given their permission to use selections from their copyrighted publications. she is especially indebted to dodd, mead & co., houghton, mifflin & co., the century co., the outlook co., small, maynard & co., mcclure, phillips & co., for extracts from "the simple life" by charles wagner and from "the angelus" by edwin markham; g. p. putnam's sons for selections from "christus victor" by henry nehemiah dodge; to doubleday, page & co. for extracts from "the story of my life" by helen keller, copyright , ; also for selections from "afterwhiles," copyright , "riley farm rhymes," copyright , "riley songs o' cheer," copyright , "pipes o' pan," copyright , used by special permission of the publishers, the bobbs-merrill co., to charles scribner's sons for selections from "fisherman's luck," "the lost word," "little rivers," "the story of the psalms," "the toiling of felix and other poems," by henry van dyke, and a selection from "el dorado" by robert louis stevenson. preface once family devotions were general, now they are rare. there are reasons for the change. one reason is that the simplicity of the old family life is gone. it is not easy to get all the members of the family together at any one time in the day. a part of this is due to less leisure now than formerly. men must catch trains in the morning. in the evening they are distracted by manifold social engagements. yet the need of spiritual adjustment is ever the same. rapid transit, the telephone, the telegraph, do not take the place of god. indeed the more rapid pace involved in these modern pace-makers, renders the more necessary some pause in the day for prayer, some upward look, when for a moment the soul may find an open way between itself and god. but how and when? why not the breakfast table? surely one or two minutes may be spared. thirty seconds of silence, then the reading of a noble sentiment from some one who has been thinking for us,--another pause,--and a few words of prayer, framed by some one with more leisure than we have, but who puts us in the mood of prayer and so starts us right upon the duties of the day,--this will bring the needed readjustment. such is the plan and purpose of this little book. it is made for busy men and women, who _need_ to begin the day with god. the quotations for each day are brief, but they are gleaned from the great masters of thought. the prayers are from devout men of all the denominations. as the title will have suggested, both quotations and prayers are generally in the spirit of a truly optimistic faith. however life may look in the middle of the night, it is a good thing to start out to do the work of the day with hope and courage. i shall be glad if i can feel that this little book has helped some busy people to begin the day in this spirit. i shall be particularly glad if i can feel that it has helped a little to keep the candles lighted on the family altar. florence hobart perin. list of authors of selections abbott, lyman, , . albee, john, . alden, marion, . ambrosius, johanna, . ames, charles g., , . amiel, henri-frédéric, , , . anonymous, , , , , , , , , , , . arnold, edwin, . arnold, george, . aughey, . aurelius, marcus, . babcock, maltbie davenport, . baldwin, mary, . banks, g. l., . bashford, h. h., . beecher, henry ward, , , , , , . bisbee, frederick a., . bolton, sarah knowles, . boyd, a. h. k., . bridges, madeline s., . brooke, stopford a., , , . brooks, phillips, , , , , , , , , , , , . brown, alice, . brown, anna robertson, . browning, elizabeth barrett, , , , , . browning, robert, , , , , , , , , , , . bryant, william cullen, , . bulkeley, benjamin r., . burton, richard, . carlisle, j. h., . carlyle, thomas, , , , , , , , , , . carman, bliss, . carpenter, edward, . carruth, william h., . cary, alice, , , . chadwick, john white, . child, lydia maria, . clarke, james freeman, . cleaves, charles p., . coates, florence e., . coleridge, hartley, . coleridge, samuel taylor, . collyer, robert, , . confucius, . coolidge, susan, , , , . cowper, william, . cox, francis augustus, . craig, dinah mulock, . crashaw, richard, . danforth, abbie e., . davis, ozora stearns, . devere, aubrey, . dix, william f., . dodge, henry nehemiah, , , , . donaldson, alfred l., . dowd, emma c., . drummond, henry, , , . dunbar, paul laurence, , , . earle, mabel, . eliot, george, , . emerson, ralph waldo, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . epictetus, , . faunce, w. h. p., . fiske, john, . ford, mary hanaford, . foss, sam walter, , . fox, george, . franklin, benjamin, . gannett, william c., , , , . garland, hamlin a., . gilder, richard watson, , . gilman, charlotte perkins, , . goethe, . gordon, anna a., . gotthold, . gray, john, . green, j. r., . grover, edwin osgood, . hale, edward everett, , , , , . harraden, beatrice, . hart, estelle m., . havergal, frances ridley, . hawkes, clarence, . hay, john, . hoar, george f., . holmes, oliver wendell, , , , , , , , , . homer, . hopkins, ellice, . hovey, richard, . hughes, thomas, . humboldt, alexander von, . hunt, leigh, . huntington, bishop, . huxley, thomas henry, . hyde, william dewitt, . ibsen, henrik, . ingelow, jean, , . jackson, j. s., . james, henry, sr., . johnson, samuel, . jones, t. edgar, . karr, alphonse, . keats, john, . keller, helen, , , . king, t. starr, . kingsley, charles, . kiser, s. e., . klingle, george, . larcom, lucy, , . leonard, priscilla, , , , , . livermore, mary a., . longfellow, henry w., , , , . lowell, james russell, , , , , . luther, martin, . mabie, hamilton w., . macdonald, george, , , , , , , . maeterlinck, , . marius, . markham, edwin, , . markwell, mary, . martin, theodore, . mason, caroline atwater, . massey, gerald, . meredith, owen, . merriam, george s., . miller, james russell, . milton, john, , , , , . montaigne, . moodie, william, , , , , . moore, henry hoyt, . moore, thomas, , . moxom, philip s., . murray, ada foster, . o'reilly, john boyle, . parker, theodore, . partridge, william ordway, . payne, j. howard, . peabody, francis g., , . perin, george l., , , , , , , , , , . perry, carlotta, . perry, nora, . plutarch, . procter, adelaide a., . procter, bryan waller, . pullman, james m., , , . rankin, isaac ogden, . ravenscroft, james, . realf, richard, . reimer, edward f., . rexford, eben e., . richter, . riley, james whitcomb, , , , , . robertson, frederick w., . rollins, alice wellington, . roosevelt, theodore, , , . rosetti, christina, . ruskin, john, , , , , , . russell, bessie l., . sangster, margaret, , . savage, minot j., . schiller, . scollard, clinton, . scott, walter, . shafer, sara andrew, , . shakespeare, , , , , , . shelley, , . shipman, george w., . sill, edward rowland, , . smiles, samuel, , . smyth, julian k., . spofford, harriet p., . spurgeon, . stanton, frank l., , . st. bernard, . stebbins, horatio, . stedman, edmund clarence, . stevenson, robert louis, , . stoddard, richard h., . story, william wetmore, , . stowe, harriet beecher, . swinburne, algernon charles, , . swing, david, . symonds, john addington, , . taylor, bayard, , . taylor, jeremy e., . tennyson, alfred, , . thaxter, celia, . tholuck, . thompson, maurice, . thoreau, henry david, , . townsend, mary ashley, . trowbridge, robertson, . urmy, clarence, . van dyke, henry, , , , , , , , , . vinci, leonardo da, . wagner, charles, , , , , . waterman, nixon, . whitman, walt, , , , , , . whitney, mrs. a. d. t., , , , , , , , , , . whittier, john greenleaf, , , , , , , . wilcox, ella wheeler, , , , , , , . willard, frances e., . wordsworth, william, , , , . wright, mary frances, . list of authors of prayers adams, j. coleman, . albion, james f., . alcott, a. n., . allen, james f., . amee, e. mcp., . ames, charles gordon, . anderson, thomas d., . annas, j. w., . atwood, isaac m., . atwood, john murray, . ayers, samuel gilbert, . babcock, william g., . backus, wilson m., . badger, george h., . barker, j. h., . barney, edward m., . bartlett, a. eugene, . batchelor, george, . bates, lewis p., . beane, samuel c., . benton, herbert e., . berle, adolph a., . betts, frederick w., , , . billings, charles t., . bisbee, frederick a., . bissell, flint m., . blake, edwin alonzo, . blanchard, henry, . bliss, charles b., . brandow, melvin, . brett, francis w., . brigham, l. ward, . brodie, james fairbairn, . bronson, dillon, . brown, howard n., . brown, william channing, . buckshorn, louis h., . burch, ernest w., . burleigh, w. h., . burr, everett d., . bush, r. perry, . bushnell, samuel c., . bygrave, hilary, . canfield, harry l., . carter, john wesley, . cary, phoebe, . chapin, eben h., . chapman, edward m., . charlton, j. e., . chase, j. frank, . cheney, george h., . church, augustus b., . clark, c. c., . clark, dewitt s., . clark, francis e., . clark, hobart, . clarke, william n., . clayton, francis treadway, . coddington, isaac p., . coleman, albert j., . collier, frank w., . conklin, abram, . conklin, charles, . conner, ralph e., . coons, leroy w., . cooper, joseph, . cooper, j. francis, . corby, james d., . couden, henry n., . crandall, lathan a., . crane, cephas b., . crane, frank, . crooker, florence kollock, . crooker, joseph h., . crooker, orin edson, . cuckson, john, . curnick, e. t., . cushman, henry irving, . danforth, abbie e., . davis, charles edward, . davidson, john m., . day, edward, . day, john, . dean, george b., . denormandie, james, . dick, samuel m., . dight, alexander, . dillingham, fred a., . dodge, j. smith, . dodson, george r., . dole, charles f., . dole, walter, . downey, edward c., . earle, a. gertrude, . east, charles r., . eddy, william b., . eichler, m. m., . faunce, w. h. p., . fish, william h., . fischer, theodore a., . fisher, c. e., . fisk, richmond, . fleischer, charles, . forbes, john p., . forbes, roger s., . fortier, george f., . foster, augustine n., . fraser, donald, . freeman, l. a., . frick, philip l., . frothingham, paul revere, . full, william, . fulton, j. w., . galbraith, john, . gannett, william c, . gaskin, william e., . gerrish, george mayo, . gibbs, william e, . gifford, o. p., . gooding, alfred, . gould, william h., . grant, elihu, . grant, eugene m., . graves, herbert h., . gray, francis a., . greene, l. l., . greene, ransom a., . greene, samuel h., . grier, albert c., . grose, arthur w., . gunnison, almon, , . guth, william w., . hale, edward everett, , , , , . hall, frank oliver, . hammatt, albert, . hammond, l. h., . hamilton, franklin, . hatch, william h. p., . hawkins, j. e., . haynes, myron w., . healy, walter, . helms, e. j., . henry, carl f., . hiller, charles c. p., . hitchcock, albert wellman, . hodge, dwight m., . hodges, george, . holden, c. w., . holden, james harry, . holmes, c. k., . holt, frank m., . horne, ralph edwin, . horner, thomas j., . horton, edward a., . howe, george m., . hoyt, wayland, . huntley, george e., . hyde, william dewitt, . illman, thomas w., . jennings, b. l., . johnson, l. p., . johonnot, rodney f., . jones, effie mccollum, . kellerman, robert s., . kent, george w., . kidner, reuben, . kimball, john, . king, henry m., . knickerbocker, charles a., . lacount, j. edwin, . lee, john clarence, . leonard, charles h., . levy, maurice a., . locke, calvin s., . longbrake, george runyon, . lord, augustus mendon, . lund, charles e., . lutterman, e. w., . maclennan, a. k., . main, william h., . martin, t. c., . martineau, james, , , , . marshall, perry, . marvin, reginold k., . masseck, frank lincoln, . mccollester, lee s., . mccollester, s. h., . mcglaughlin, william h., . mckenzie, alexander, . mckinney, luther f., . mead, i. j., . meyer, john f., . milburn, u. s., . mitchell, stanford, . moore, henrietta g., . morgan, william s., . morrison, william h., . mudge, james, . myers, cortland, . nash, c. ellwood, , , , , . nash, charles p., . nash, henry s., . northrop, cyrus, . norton, stephen a., . opdale, nellie mann, . osgood, edmund q. s., . owen, george w., . parker, joseph, , , . parker, theodore, , , , , , , , . parkhurst, charles, . patterson, a. j., . pattison, harold, . payne, thomas b., . payson, james m., . peloubet, f. n., . pember, elmer f., . penniman, george wallace, . perin, florence h., . perin, george l., , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , . perkins, frederick w., . perkins, o. howard, . perkins, warren s., . perrin, willard t., . perry, edward a., . petty, charles e., . polk, robert t., . potter, wilburn d., . potter, william f., . potterton, thomas edward, . powers, legrand, . preble, edgar w., . priest, frederick c., . puffer, charles h., . putnam, alfred p., . randall, j. o., . reardon, john b., . rexford, e. l., , , . rice, charles f., . rice, clarence e., . rice, frank s., . richardson, w. g., . roblin, stephen h., . rose, henry r., . rowley, francis h., . rugg, henry w., . safford, oscar f., . sage, nathaniel s., . sallaway, james, . sargent, frank d., . scott, alva roy, , . scott, o. w., . scrivener, george s., . selleck, willard c., . shaw, annette j., . shaw, avery a., . shields, albert b., . shinn, q. h., . snippen, rush r., . simons, minot o., . skene, george, . slicer, thomas r., . small, e. e., . smiley, edmund l., . smiley, george m., . smith, thomas w., . stephan, j. w., . straub, jacob, . studley, elliott f., . sweetser, edwin c., . taylor, frederick a., . taylor, henry b., . tenney, charles r., , , , , , . thayer, george a., . thompson, j. frank, . tillinghast, alan r., . tillinghast, james d., . tomlinson, charles w., . tomlinson, vincent e., . towne, edward c., . tupper, kerr boyce, . tuttle, walter a., . vail, charles h., . varney, charles e., . vossema, hendrick, . wallace, o. c. s., . ward, merrill c., . ward, w. i., . warner, e. m., . weatherly, arthur l., . weil, fred alban, . wendte, charles w., . wentworth, margaret, . west, julius p., . weston, costello, . wheeler, c. h., . wheeler, f. h., . whippen, frank w., . whitaker, george, . white, albert c., . whitney, elbert w., . williams, leon o., . willson, andrew, . wilson, john m., . wilson, lewis g., . wood, w. a., . wright, arthur, . wright, james edward, . wright, m. emory, . yantis, arnold s., . young, george h., , . young, joshua, , , . the optimist's good morning january _throughout the year, why not keep sweet? no frown ever made a heart glad; no complaint ever made a dark day bright; no bitter word ever lightened a burden or made a rough road smooth; no grumbling ever introduced sunshine into a home. what the world needs is the resolute step, the look of cheer, the smiling countenance, and the kindly word. keep sweet!_ george l. perin. god of the years, our heavenly father, whatever the message of the old year may have been, whether of darkness or light, joy or sorrow,--we stand this morning waiting expectantly and confidently for some message with glad tidings. may we therefore enter upon the new year in the mood of hope and good cheer,--brushing from our faces every sign of care, let us go forth into the new year with the spirit of a child who puts his hand into the hand of a father to be led into a field where the flowers blossom and the birds sing. not for to-day only do we pray for sweetness and light, but let us be glad and happy every day. thou art with us today,--thou wilt be with us through all the journey of the year. may our own daily gladness be born of the conviction that thou art always near. amen. george l. perin. january _to keep my health! to do my work! to live! to see to it i grow and gain and give! never to look behind me for an hour! to wait in weakness and to walk in power but always fronting forward to the light, always, and always facing toward the right. robbed, starved, defeated, fallen, wide astray-- on, with what strength i have! back to the way!_ charlotte perkins gilman. with this new day, o god, let some new strength be mine, to walk in patience, the way appointed for me. let me be strong to battle with the ills that shall beset me, to toil with faith and honest heart, to keep myself untainted and make my life helpful to my fellowmen. help me to be forgetful of myself, but thoughtful to do no evil to any man. thy hand is strong and mine is weak. i need thy guidance, let thy strength be mine, that though i stumble i may not fall nor fail. and when the day is done, may happy memories be mine. amen. almon gunnison. january _build on resolve, and not upon regret, the structure of thy future. do not grope among the shadows of old sins, but let thine own soul's light shine on the path of hope and dissipate the darkness. waste no tears upon the blotted record of lost years, but turn the leaf, and smile, oh, smile, to see the fair white pages that remain to thee._ ella wheeler wilcox. o thou all-persuasive god, who dost speak within the souls of men in language which the heart interprets as its own! enlarge our trust in that better self which beckons us, that we may be led out of the lingering darkness of regret, out of the shadow of embittered memory into the brightness of a new resolve where we may see thy face. smile upon us in the smiling day; in the joy of strength renewed, and opportunity reborn; in the beauty of the promise each hour whispers to us as it passes by. so fill us with thyself that each new day shall mean new life led by the glory of those hopes which do not fade at evening. amen. charles a. knickerbocker. january _we of our age are part, and every thrill that wakes the tremulous air of life its motion in us makes._ _the imitative mass mere empty echo gives as walls and rocks return the sound that they receive._ _but as the bell, that high in some cathedral swings, stirred by whatever thrill, with its own music rings,_ _so finer souls give forth, to each vibrating tone impinging on their life, a music of their own._ w. w. story. o living and loving one, brighter than the morning and fairer than the day, from thee we come, to thee we turn, who art more than father and mother to us all. our times are in thy hand. thou, who hast set the sun and stars in the sky, hast appointed our place and part in this human world. may thy light lead and thy love win us into the harmonies of law and grace, that we may become responsive to every touch of nature, every whisper of truth, every appeal of humanity. so prepare us to serve our generation in the spirit of him who has taught us to do thy will on earth as it is done in heaven. amen. charles g. ames. january _all such as worked for love, not wages--some who, painting for a perfect tint did drain their hearts, or some to save their country slain, or many who for truth braved martyrdom, or more who, in what common days may come, have toiled in hope, beyond the hope of gain, of doing something well,--all such would fain speak thus: these gifts more free than flowers from the earth are given. good world, if to our need ye offer bread and shelt'ring roof unsought, as guests our thanks we give, but not for greed, as if our gifts were bartered for and bought; and if, perchance, good world, ye offer nought, ah, well, that were of life the lesser meed._ j. s. jackson. father in heaven, we thank thee, as we enter upon another day, for strength with which to work. we thank thee for our tasks; for our opportunities to work for thee and for those we love, we thank thee. may we know the joy, when night shall come, of having accomplished something worthy. help us to see in that satisfaction a part of our pay. make each of us faithful in his place; and help the humblest worker to understand that consecration and not rank is the all-important thing. above all, may we not forget that living is giving, and may our desire either for rest or gain keep us from no helpful act. may we follow him who came to minister, and live as sons and daughters of god. amen. frank w. whippen. january _the sculptor moulds his clay with reverent hand, that clay thro' which his fancy flashes free-- quick with an answer to his soul's demand, and pliant to his fingers' minstrelsy! could ever bronze or marble so respond in wordless echo of the being's will? naught but the clay, as to a rapture fond could he with fire of genius thus infill! and so the common people are the clay, swift moulded by divine deific hand, until transfigured, in the glorious day, the statue of humanity shall stand! it knows no tinsel crown, this masterpiece. but all the sovereignty of god's release!_ mary hanaford ford. heavenly father, we are of thy plain common people: we feel ourselves of very little worth. for what can we do of ourselves? but, if thou wilt graciously use us, shaping us to thine ends as the potter his clay, it may be that we shall serve some worthy purpose. we therefore yield ourselves to thee, and beg thee to use us this day. make us pliant to thy purposes, make us a help to someone who needs us today. so take us into partnership with thyself, and so may this day be a day of delight, and our plain common lives be made rich with the glory of service. amen. c. h. wheeler. january _and i, too, sing the song of all creation, a brave sky and a glad wind blowing by, a clear trail and an hour for meditation, a long day and the joy to make it fly, a hard task and the muscle to achieve it, a fierce noon and a well-contented gloom, a good strife and no great regret to leave it, a still night--and the far red lights of home._ h. h. bashford. almighty god, we thank thee that thou art our father, and that thou lovest us as though thou hadst no other children; we adore thee for the beautiful world in which thou hast placed us; for trees and birds and flowers and sky, for friends and music and books and all the ten thousand mercies which crown our lives. we thank thee too, for hard tasks and severe disciplines, for everything that is intended to make us strong and brave and true. thou art the lord of the day and of the night also. give us grace to trust thee and to believe in thy motherly solicitude at all times. may thy goodness lead us to repentance and to joyous unselfish living and may we so improve our opportunities for service that we shall make others think of him who went about doing good and trusted in his father with a perfect trust. amen. dillon bronson. january _have we not all, amid life's petty strife, some pure ideal of a noble life that once seemed possible? did we not hear the flutter of its wings and feel it near, and just within our reach? it was. and yet we lost it in this daily jar and fret. but still our place is kept and it will wait, ready for us to fill it, soon or late. no star is ever lost we once have seen: we always may be what we might have been._ adelaide a. procter. o thou, whose goodness is new to us every morning and fresh every evening, we bless thee for thy patient and unforgetting care of all of us. though we transgress thy beneficent laws and frequently lose sight of our cherished ideals, our hunger and thirst for righteousness never dies, for we partake of thy divine nature. o that we might always be animated with thy spirit of disinterested love. we thank thee this day for the inspiration of light and joy of our gifted poets and pray that we may meet the daily trials of life with a sweet and courageous spirit, remembering that "no star we have ever seen will cease to shine." amen. william g. babcock. january _the future is lighted for us with the radiant colors of hope. strife and sorrow shall disappear. peace and love shall reign supreme. the dream of poets, the lesson of priest and prophet, the inspiration of the great musician, is confirmed in the light of modern knowledge; and, as we gird ourselves for the work of life, we may look forward to the time when in the truest sense the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdom of christ, and he shall reign forever and ever, king of kings, and lord of lords._ john fiske. all-wise and all-loving father, we invoke thy aid at the opening of a glad, new day. for the past we thank thee, remembering that each day yielded its blessings. we rejoice that the victories of yesterday are the promise of larger successes today. whenever during the day, we shall be conscious of our littleness, give us at that moment the vision of our possible largeness. teach us, however tumultuous be the outward conditions, to maintain the inward calm. today may thy love work its miracle upon our pain and pleasure. so through faithful, hopeful work may we find thy kingdom nearer at this day's close. amen. a. eugene bartlett. january _blessings on the man who smiles! i do not mean the man who smiles for effect, nor the one who smiles when the world smiles. i mean the man whose smile is born of an inner radiance, the man who smiles when the clouds lower, when fortune frowns, when the tides are adverse. such a man not only makes a new world for himself, but he multiplies himself an hundred fold in the strength and courage of other men._ george l. perin. blessed art thou, o lord, our father in heaven and on the earth! give to us of thy blessedness that all this day we may rejoice in thee. incline our hearts to see thy goodness and wisdom. make the gladness of our hearts constant that it may illumine our presence, so that those who walk with us may walk in thy light and give thee thanks. make thy joy our strength, whether expressed in storm or sunshine, that we may consent to thy will cheerfully. we ask these and all gifts in the name of him who would have his joy abide in us, that our joy may be fulfilled. amen. alexander mckenzie. january _talk happiness! the world is sad enough, without your woes. no path is wholly rough; look for the places that are smooth and clear and speak of those who rest the weary ear of earth, so hurt by one continuous strain of human discontent and grief and pain._ _talk health! the dreary, never changing tale of mortal maladies is worn and stale. you cannot charm or interest or please, by harping on that minor chord, disease. say you are well, or all is well with you, and god shall hear your words and make them true._ ella wheeler wilcox. heavenly father, by whose mercy we are permitted to greet another day, we offer thee this morning our grateful praise for all the blessings of this life. we take from thee with thankful heart the gift of health, conscious that we shall never know how rich the gift until we lose it. now, while it is ours, may we use it with abounding joy for the good of those we may meet this day. to be able to bring light where there is darkness, hope where there is despair, comfort where there is sorrow, and so to be the children of our father which is in heaven, for this we pray, with the pardon of our sins, in jesus' name. amen. francis h. rowley. january _the crest and crowning of all good, life's final star, is brotherhood; for it will bring again to earth her long-lost poesy and mirth; will send new light on every face, a kingly power upon the race, and till it comes, we men are slaves, and travel downward to the dust of graves. come clear the way, then, clear the way; blind creeds and kings have had their day, our hope is in the aftermath-- our hope is in heroic men, star-led to build the world again. to this event the ages ran; make way for brotherhood--make way for man._ edwin markham. o lord, make us like thee. there can be no greater ambition, no loftier desire, no holier purpose, for thou holdest the secret of brotherhood. like thee, the only begotten of the father, the essence of love, the joy of angels, the hope of the world,--make us like thee, o christ. let thy light be our light; thy service our joy; thy peace our inheritance. touch our lips that we may say no unkind word; touch our hearts that we may feel no wrong desires. may our living be for the world's good, our acts precious helps to thy kingdom, our all consecrated to thy blessed service. may we be satisfied when we awake with thy likeness. amen. william h. main. january _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. make my mortal dreams come true with the work i fain would do; clothe with life the weak intent, let me be the thing i meant; let me find in thine employ peace that dearer is than joy!_ john greenleaf whittier. heavenly father! we humbly beseech thee to breathe upon us thy holy spirit, that we may be thy true disciples, that we may be quick to see our brother's need, and quicker to relieve it. if he has lost his way, may we be aided to show it to him clearly. may we see our brother in the master's "prodigal," and find in every needy soul our sphere of service. forgive our weak excuses, and make the flickering embers burn to fervent heat, that the ideal thou hast given in thy word may command every power of our lives. for jesus' sake, amen. george whitaker. january _a german allegory tells of two little girls. they had been playing together in a strange garden, and soon one ran in to her mother full of disappointment. "the garden's a sad place, mother." "why, my child?" "i've been all around, and every rose-tree has cruel, long thorns upon it!" then the second child came in breathless. "o mother, the garden's a beautiful place!" "how so, my child?" "why, i've been all around, and every thorn-bush has lovely roses growing on it!" and the mother wondered at the difference in the two children._ anonymous. divine spirit and soul of this day! we rejoice in its accomplished and its prophetic beauty and wealth which even our undisciplined hearts and minds may readily perceive, but may we increase the joy of its activities and its whole divine meaning by a deeper appreciation of its ministry to the disciplined life we bear. if there shall be fortunes in its passing which we would not choose, if there shall be encountered any experiences we would shun, may we remember that our reverses only emphasize our successes, that our sorrows intensify our joys, that even the humiliation and shame of the "far country" add divine meaning to the father's house where wait the sandals and robes and rings for the comfort and beauty that are yet to be. may we learn that the thorn protects the rose, that the flaming sword turning in all directions protects the tree of life in every eden of the world. may we remember that every great and good fortune of life is guarded by a seeming hostility which bears in its soul the secret of a lasting benevolence appointed for our own good. amen. e. l. rexford. january _we are haunted by an ideal life, and it is because we have within us the beginning and the possibility of it. god is our continual incitement because we are his children. so the ideal life is in our blood and never will be still. we feel the thing we ought to be beating beneath the thing we are. every time we see a man who has attained our ideal a little more fully than we have it wakens our languid blood and fills us with new longings._ phillips brooks. o god, we thank thee each morning for ideals which appeal to us with such persistence that we have no peace unless we pursue them. even in our seeming indifference we are ill at ease, because thy voice calling to us disturbs our fancied content. we are not satisfied with ourselves nor with our attainments. "we shall be satisfied only when we wake in thy likeness." weary though we often are in our service yet we thank thee that thou relentlessly pursuest us with even greater and higher demands. help us in our onward and upward plodding. revive our failing spirits. lead us ever on. help us to realize that "in our patience we shall win our souls." we pray as followers of jesus christ. amen. theodore a. fischer. january _o singer of today, this glorious hour is all for you and me--what shall it give to us, and ask of fate--what splendid power in brain and hand, what glorious right to live among our fellows and to war with sin? what quickening of the pulse as we aspire to claim our right, and risk earth's joys to win, to conquer self, and force it through the fire! give us this force, dear god, and evermore give us a deepening love of all our fellowmen; give us new insight--courage to explore with all the tenderness of human ken the lowliest heart that beats in human kind, its glory and its soul to seek and find!_ william ordway partridge. o soul of all souls! baptize us afresh this morning into the lustral waters that we may devoutly thank thee that thou art and that thou dost clearly reveal thyself to christian souls through thy son, as the father of the great brotherhood of mankind. so wait upon us that we shall go forth to this day's duties resolved upon so living as to render the morning glad, the noon redolent with merciful activity, and the evening full of praise. thus quickened and enlarged the night will afford rest and recuperation fitting us to welcome the morrow, still hoping, loving, progressing, obedient to the sainted call, "up higher," being incessantly recompensed with the coveted refrain, "well done." amen. s. h. mccollester. january _there is one topic peremptorily forbidden to all well-bred, to all rational mortals, namely, their distempers. if you have not slept or if you have slept, or if you have headache, or sciatica, or leprosy or thunder stroke, i beseech you, by all angels, to hold your peace, and not pollute the morning, to which all the housemates bring serene and pleasant thoughts, by corruption and groans._ ralph waldo emerson. our father, when we remember the multitude of thy mercies our hearts are filled with peace and praise and we are ashamed to murmur and complain. turn our thoughts toward the love and joy that this day holds for us; its opportunities, its privileges and victories. let the morning light dispel the shadows on our faces and the fears in our hearts. thou hast glorified us and will glorify us again. help us to be grateful for the rose that smiles amidst the thorns and the light that ever shines behind the clouds. grant that the spirit of trust may prevail in us and send us on our way with power to conquer. amen. abram conklin. january _simplicity is a state of mind. it dwells in the main intention of our lives. a man is simple when his chief care is the wish to be what he ought to be, that is, honestly and naturally human. and this is neither so easy nor so impossible as one might think. at bottom it consists in putting our acts and aspirations in accordance with the law of our being, and consequently with the eternal intention which willed that we should be at all. let a flower be a flower, a swallow a swallow, a rock a rock, and let a man be a man, and not a fox, a hare, a hog, or a bird of prey; this is the sum of the whole matter._ charles wagner. dear heavenly father, we rejoice in the awakening of body and soul to new activities. we thank thee for the gift of divinity in the soul and for opportunity to give it expression. we would be true to ourselves, knowing we can thus alone be true to thee. o god, hush the voice of evil passion. quicken every noble aspiration. grant the vision of thy holy love that thy image within us may remain clear in the turmoil of our life. we pray thee stir the heart and mind that both may grow up to the full stature of man as it was in jesus, our saviour. amen. l. ward brigham. january _god has put the keys to his kingdom into your own hands. your intelligence is a key, your affection is a key, your conscience is a key. with these keys you are to unlock the great doors of life, and gain access to its heavenly treasures._ james m. pullman. master of life, as thou hast opened our eyes to see the sun, open the eyes of our hearts to see the splendor of thy law. and even as thou dost bring to birth, through the marriage of our eye and the sun, all the beauty of this visible world, so through the union between our hearts and thy holy will, create a world rejoicing in the beauty of truth and justice and peace. lead us this day deeper into the mystery of thy life and our life and make us interpreters of life to our fellows, through him who by his death opened for us the book of life, jesus christ our lord. amen. henry s. nash. january _a noiseless, patient spider, i mark'd how on a little promontory it stood isolated, mark'd how to explore the vacant, vast surrounding, it launch'd forth filament, filament, filament, out of itself, ever unreeling them, ever tirelessly speeding them._ _and you, o my soul, where you stand, surrounded, detached, in measureless oceans of space, ceaselessly musing, venturing, throwing, seeking the spheres to connect them, till the bridge you will need be form'd, till the ductile anchor hold, till the gossamer threads you fling catch somewhere o my soul._ walt whitman. thou infinite spirit, we are glad of all human relationships. we are thankful for all companionship with nature. we rejoice in the fellowship with books, yet like the child who grows tired with every plaything and every childish task and lonely for a mother's love, we look to thee with an infinite longing. in our effort to solve the problems of life, we throw our web of life hither and thither, but it will not hold. only when at last we have thrown the thread of faith to thee, shall the ductile anchor hold. our heavenly father, as we go forth into this day, may we not leave thee for any dream or phantom, but may we walk with thee all day long, and find in thee the answer to every longing and the solution of every problem. though we may not see, we may trust and wait. amen. george l. perin. january _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._ ruskin. _with a clear sky, a bright sun, and a gentle breeze, you will have friends in plenty; but let fortune frown, and the firmament be overcast, and then your friends will prove like the strings of the lute, of which you will tighten ten before you find one that will bear the stretch and keep the pitch._ gotthold. dear father, may the new day bring some fresh and inspiring thought of thyself. may it give some tender communion with the universe, kindling into beauty as thy smile shines through. may we make and keep a few dear friends. may some good book enrich the passing hours. may love flow through all acts, and the star of hope shine in all shadows. and trusting thee supremely, may we humbly do our best that good may abound on earth. amen. joseph h. crooker. january _the power of mere activity is often overrated. it is not what the best men do, but what they are, that constitutes their truest benefaction to their fellowmen. the things that men do get their value, after all, from the way in which they are able to show the existence of character which can comfort and help mankind.... 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._ phillips brooks. thou knowest, dear father, how often we wish to do many things which are beyond our power. help us to believe that thou dost accept the wish when we cannot do the deed. but we thank thee that we can do some things, though they are not large nor many. we know that as we grow in faith, in patience, in courage, in love, we radiate light and peace and power to those who are around us. as we begin a new day, we are uplifted by the thought that we have been called into being because thou desirest the love of children, and because we are to co-work with thee by loving and serving all whom we can reach. always, we believe, art thou ready to help us. always art thou brooding over us to draw us nearer to thee, and to give us light and strength to be fellow-workers with thee. in this new day, may we speak some word and do some work which shall please thee and give us joy as we shall lie down to sleep. amen. henry blanchard. january _we pride ourselves, in weighing worth and merit, too much in virtues that we but inherit. some punctual grandsire makes us hate delay and we are proud to keep our oath and day. but our ancestral follies and abuses we still indulge in, and make for them excuses. let him be proud, dared man be proud at all, who stands where all his fathers used to fall, holding their virtues fast and passing on still higher good through his own victories won._ isaac ogden rankin. this morning, the sun shines by his own inherent worth. the clouds often intercept his influence but he shines back of them and finds a way through the slightest cleft to tip them with glory. he always reveals himself--his inner self--and makes all purer and more beautiful. may we so shine! the world needs the divinity there is in us. we are a part of thee. thou art our deeper self. the nazarean prophet relied entirely upon his inner life and found ancient good uncouth. whatever clouds intercept our influence, teach us to reveal what conscience dictates, what intuition illumines, what reason shows, to purify our time, and all unrighteousness, wrong thinking and useless and hurtful custom. to this end, give us purity, courage, and nobility. amen. william s. morgan. january _my faith begins where your religion ends,-- in service to mankind. this single thread is given to guide us through the maze of life. you start at one end, i the other; you, with eyes fixed only upon god, begin with lofty faith, and, seeking but to know and do his will who guides the universe, you find the slender and mysterious thread leads down to earth, with god's divine command to help your fellowmen; but this to me is something strangely vague. i see alone the fellowmen, the suffering fellowmen. yet, with a cup of water in my hand for all who thirst, who knows but i one day, following faithfully the slender thread, may reach its other end, and kneel at last with you in heaven at the feet of god?_ alice wellington rollins. our father in heaven, author of life and light, justice and mercy, liberty and love, we hail with joy and gratitude this new born day, token of thy presence, good will and continued care. help us with high ideals, pure thoughts and noble endeavors to hallow thy name, trusting where we cannot prove, proving where we cannot trust, by a willing service to our fellowmen, ever advancing by faith, by works, with a strong heart, a firm step, a generous hand, a sunny smile, and a cheering voice, until we all come into the measure of the stature of the fulness of christ; and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. amen. henry n. couden. january _if you would have sunlight in your home, see that you have work in it: that you work yourself and set others to work. nothing makes moroseness and heavy-heartedness in a house so fast as idleness. the very children gloom and sulk if they are left with nothing to do. every day there is the light of something conquered in the eyes of those who work. in such a house, if there be also the good temper of love, sunshine never ceases. for in it the great law of humanity is obeyed, a law which is also god's law. for what said christ, "my father worketh hitherto and i work." sunlight comes with work._ stopford a. brooke. o thou, who art the source of light and life, we pause in thy presence at the opening of the day, that in the light of thy countenance we may see ourselves as we are and as we ought to be, and receive the inspiration to consecrated effort and worthy achievement. we thank thee that thou hast done so much for us and yet left so much for us to do. may we think how important are these lives we are going to live today; that no matter how small we are, this universe in all its majesty can never be complete without our effort, and thou, almighty god, art waiting with infinite patience for us to do our part. thus shall our work, however humble, be glorified by a godlike temper and a christlike faith. amen. frederick a. bisbee. january _all that is, at all, lasts ever, past recall: earth changes, but thy soul and god stand sure; what entered into thee, that was, is and shall be._ * * * * * _he fixed thee 'mid this dance of plastic circumstance, this present, thou, forsooth, wouldst fain arrest; machinery just meant to give thy soul its bent, try thee, and turn thee forth, sufficiently impressed._ robert browning. we thank thee, o father, for the yet unwrought possibilities of this day. show us thy purpose; or, if it please thee, withhold the entire plan, yet may our faith claim a divine sanction for each hour's work as a part of the fulfilment of thy purpose. we pray for strength and patience to have our souls rightly impressed by the cares, the joys, and disappointments of life. make the things of the body only incidental to us. save us from all but the best things. give us the happiness of harmony with thee. wilt thou grant these things through the power of thy spirit, and in the name of thy perfect son, the vision of whom transforms our lives. amen. george w. owen. january _beloved, let us love so well, our work shall still be better for our love and still our love be sweeter for our work._ elizabeth barrett browning. _if your name is to live at all, it is so much more to have it live in people's hearts than only in their brains! i don't know that one's eyes fill with tears when he thinks of the famous inventor of logarithms, but a song of burns or a hymn of charles wesley goes straight to your heart and you can't help loving both of them, the sinner as well as the saint._ oliver wendell holmes. our father, who art in heaven, help us to hold thee in our hearts this day, that we may live for thee, from the love of thee. forgive us that we have not always a thankful spirit. strengthen our wills to do good work, as in thy sight, with clean hands and heart. help us now as we pray, and flood the morning with the sunshine of thy face, that we may be glad all the day long, and bring other lives into the brightness of thy light. save us from a partial mind, that we may love all thy little ones with the same love of him who said "of such is the kingdom of heaven." amen. c. w. holden. january _all thoughts of ill; all evil deeds. that have their root in thoughts of ill; whatever hinders or impedes the noble action of the will;-- all these must first be trampled down beneath our feet if we would gain in the bright fields of fair renown the right of eminent domain. we have not wings, we cannot soar; but we have feet to scale and climb by slow degrees, by more and more, the cloudy summits of our time._ henry w. longfellow. we bless thee, lord, for the new day and for the new chance which it offers to our wayward lives. forgive the evil in them, and make the good efficient. let the tides of thy spirit bring to us cleansing, refreshment and power. in the day's business may we be brave, cheerful and considerate. grant us a clear vision of the path of honor and the will to choose it at whatever cost. we wait upon thee for renewal of our strength; for uplift as on eagle's wings; for unwearied running upon thy larger errands, if thou shalt ordain us to such high employ; but most of all, for grace to walk life's common ways without fainting. so at evening wilt thou send thy peace. amen. edward m. chapman. january _don't you touch the edge of the great gladness that is in the world, now and then, in spite of your own little single worries? well, that's what god means; and the worry is the interruption. he never means that.... if you are glad for one minute in the day, that is his minute; the minute he means, and works for._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. dear father, thou hast made us fit for joy. help us today to grasp our birthright of gladness. for those things which must be borne in sorrow give us submission. let us taste the salt tonic of our tears and feel the strength born of struggle and the peace wrested from trial. make us glad that friendly hands meet our own; that kindness is always sweet and sympathy divine. teach us to lay hold on the radiance of each hour, that the morning bow of promise may become our evening glory and prophesy another glad new day. as children find content and joy by looking into their father's face so we turn to thee. amen. effie mccollum jones. january _still must i climb if i would rest; the bird soars upward to his nest; the young leaf on the tree-top high cradles itself within the sky._ _i cannot in the valley stay: the great horizons stretch away; the very cliffs that wall me round are ladders unto higher ground._ _i am not glad till i have known life that can lift me from mine own; a loftier level must be won. a mightier strength to lean upon._ lucy larcom. heavenly father, as the bird that soars first looks upward, we turn our souls to thee, seeking inspiration that in the duties of today we may live to the full height of the faculties thou hast given. help us to know what is right and to follow it day by day continually. grant that our toils this day may be acts of service as sacramental as our prayer. in our weakness, grant us of thy strength that we may pass from glory to glory till we are transformed at last into the perfect image of thy spirit. and when our work on earth is ended, when the clods of the valley are sweet to our weary frame, take us home to thyself. amen. nathaniel s. sage. january _only a frown! yet it pressed a sting into the day which had been so glad; the red rose turned to a scentless thing: the bird-song ceased with discordant ring; and a heart was heavy and sad._ _only a smile! yet it cast a spell over the sky which had been so gray; the rain made music wherever it fell; the wind sang the song of the marriage-bell; and a heart was light and gay._ anonymous. with our tribute of praise, o father, we would begin this day; this day, which, with all its bounties, is thy gift. prepare us, we beseech thee, for the experiences of the hours as they open before us. gratefully remembering that we are thy children, may our duties weigh with such sacredness upon our hearts that we may shun the evil way as unworthy those so richly endowed and blest. write, we pray thee, thy law within us; and may our love of thee make it so easy and so joyous to obey that we shall continually grow into the likeness of him whose mission it is to fill the world with blessedness and peace. amen. charles w. tomlinson. february _father, i will not ask for wealth or fame, though once they would have joyed my carnal sense. i shudder not to bear a hated name, wanting all wealth, myself my sole defence. but give me, lord, eyes to behold the truth; a seeing sense that knows the eternal right; a heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth; a manly faith that makes all darkness light; give me the power to labor for mankind; make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; eyes let me be to groping man and blind; a conscience to the base; and to the weak let me be hands and feet; and to the foolish, mind; and lead still farther on such as thy kingdom seek._ theodore parker. heavenly father, we speak to thee this morning out of a sense of rest and trust. we would begin the day with thee and keep in thy company to its close. whether we work or pray, wilt thou rule our spirits? conscious in this moment of freedom, that we shall soon be pressed and absorbed by our own cares, we pray, father, that we may keep in mind the privilege and joy of bearing each other's burdens and so fulfilling the law of christ. nor ever permit us to fall away from perfect faith in thy purpose. work in us and through us to usher in the morning when truth shall spring out of the earth and righteousness shall come down from heaven. amen. isaac m. atwood. february _as when good news is come to one in grief, straightway he forgetteth his former grief, and no longer attendeth to anything except the good news which he hath heard, so do ye, also! having received a renewal of your soul through the beholding of these good things. put on therefore gladness that hath always favor before god, and is acceptable unto him, and delight thyself in it; for every man that is glad doeth the things that are good, and thinketh good thoughts, despising grief._ marius the epicurean. o lord, we know there are a thousand reasons why we should be glad. we cannot always forget our sorrows and our failures; there are manifold sources of temporary vexation and annoyance and harassing care, but in the face of thine overmastering providence and love we cannot long be vexed nor sad. if tears have dimmed our eyes let us brush away the tears. if troubles and cares have burdened our hearts let us rise triumphant over them all and for this day be glad; and in our gladness let us find our strength. amen. george l. perin. february _do not dare to be so absorbed in your own life, so wrapped up in listening to the sound of your own hurrying wheels, that all this vast pathetic music, made up of the mingled joy and sorrow of your fellowmen, shall not find out your heart and claim it and make you rejoice to give yourself for them.... be sure that ambition and charity will both grow mean unless they are both inspired and exalted by religion. energy, love, and faith,--these make the perfect man._ phillips brooks. o thou who art not far from any one of us, but art the source and sustainer of our life, gratefully do we acknowledge the mercy that has given us this new day with its certain opportunity for living the glad, true life. directed by thee, may this be for us a day of progress. may its duties be performed with alacrity and cheerfulness, its lessons learned with humility, its temptations met with resolute will, its crosses with patient hope. we thank thee for the life of the master who has shown us that if we would live thy divine life, ours must be one of continual service and constant progression. if, tried by the seeming drudgery of duties daily repeated, we long for the end of our labors or dream of an idle heaven, o forgive our weakness, and help us trustingly to obey thy voice as it whispers, "up and on, this is not thy rest." thus let the day close on hours well spent, and thy joy and peace fill our hearts. amen. john murray atwood. february _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 as that spartan mother, saying while she gave her son his shield, "with it, my son, or upon it." thou too shalt 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._ thomas carlyle. o thou god of goodness and grace, who dost turn thy smiling countenance upon the upturned faces of thy children, help us to find in the light of another day the continued proof of thy fatherly care and tender mercy. since thou art so well disposed towards us, give us courage to attempt anything which the duties of this day require, remembering that thou canst not ask anything beyond our strength, or withhold from us the blessing of thy divine approval. living under thy smile help us to be strong and calm and confident, delighting thy heart by our faith in thee and our love for our fellowmen. amen. samuel c. bushnell. february _this goodly frame, the earth, seems to me a sterile promontory; this most excellent canopy, the air, look you, this brave o'er-hanging firmament, this majestical roof fretted with golden fire, why, it appears no other thing to me than a foul and pestilent congregation of vapors. what a piece of work is a man! how noble in reason! how infinite in faculty! in form and moving how express and admirable! in action how like an angel! in apprehension how like a god!_ shakespeare. our father in heaven, we pray thee that this may be a bright and happy day in each of our lives. may there be sunshine in our hearts because they are attuned to thine. going about our daily tasks, thy spirit within us, may we make our little portion of the earth not a sterile promontory but a rich garden abounding in the fruits of the spirit, and may we, by thy grace, be enabled to dispel some of the pestilent vapors of wordliness and doubt. in all things, may we remember our divine parentage and conform our lives more and more to the pattern shown us by thy dear son, jesus christ, in whose name we pray. amen. francis e. clark. february _there was a merchant once, who on the way meeting one fatherless and lamed, did stay to draw the thorn which pricked his foot, and passed; and 'twas forgot; and the man died at last. but in a dream the prince of khojand spies that man again, walking in paradise. walking and talking in that blessed land, and what he said the prince could understand; for he said this, plucking the heavenly posies; "wonderful! one thorn made me many roses!"_ edwin arnold. dear father in heaven, with our life refreshed and renewed by sleep, we would face the duties of the day with strong hope and a ready courage. forbid that these shall in any degree be diminished by any difficulty or perplexity that may arise. we pray for wisdom and love. grant us that interest in others that shall impel us to help those who are in need. and may our desire to minister move us not only to dress the wounds of those whom the thorns have injured, but to clear the paths, along which men must pass, of those conditions and influences which inevitably maim and blight. may we serve thee faithfully and with gladness this day! amen. harry l. canfield. february _quicksand years that whirl me i know not whither, your schemes, politics fail, lines give way, substances mock and elude me, only the theme i sing, the great and strong-possess'd soul, eludes not, one's self must never give way--that is the final substance--that out of all is sure, out of politics, triumphs, battles, life, what at last finally remains? when shows break up what but one's self is sure?_ walt whitman. o thou, who beholdest all the souls of men, in our vision of another new day, help us to see as thou seest; to be conscious not of our own need and desert alone, but also of the deserts and needs of all those with whom we have to do; shaping our prayer and directing the effort that follows after all true prayer in accordance with this wider outlook. o thou, who fashionest the hearts of all, who observest all their works, we would strengthen and purify our hearts that they may be fitted to be fashioned by thee to noble ends, and set to some good service; and we would do our daily work as in the sight of one who knows and loves all honest, thorough workers, great or humble, wise or simple. amen. augustus mendon lord. february _truth should be the first lesson of the child and the last aspiration of manhood; for it has been well said that the inquiry of truth, which is the love-making of it, the knowledge of truth, which is the presence of it, and the belief of truth, which is the enjoying of it, is the sovereign good of human nature._ _we search the world for truth; we cull the good, the pure, the beautiful, from graven stone and written scroll, from all old flower-fields of the soul._ john greenleaf whittier. our heavenly father, we acknowledge thee as the author and giver of all truth. we bless thee that thou hast attuned our souls to its music, and that when with conscious life we touch its strings covering the universe we feel harmony with the divine. we thank thee for the truths of our sonship in thee and for the assurances of thy fatherhood. we bless thee for jesus who was the truth made life, and who is our daily guide to its blessings. we thank thee for the truth of immortality, with its encouragement to eager life today and its assurances of endless joyful tomorrows. make us seekers of truth, lovers of truth and examples of truth as it is in jesus our savior. amen. fred a. dillingham. february _all things are engaged in writing their history. the planet, the pebble, goes attended by its shadow. the rolling rock leaves its scratches on the mountain; the river, its channel in the soil; the animal, its bones in the stratum; the fern and leaf, their modest epitaph in the coal. the falling drop makes its sculpture in the sand or the stone. not a foot steps into the snow or along the ground, but prints, in characters more or less lasting, a map of its march. every act of the man inscribes itself in the memory of his fellows, and in his own manners and face. the air is full of sounds, the sky of tokens, the ground is all memoranda and signatures, and every object covered over with hints which speak to the intelligent._ _ralph waldo emerson._ our father, who art in heaven and in every manifestation of living nature, we turn our thoughts to thee with the rising of each new sun. we hear thy voice in the singing of every summer bird. we realize thy presence in the shifting shadows of the clouds. in the arching blue above us we realize something of the depth and breadth of the love that arches over the horizon of our life and stretches like the radiant bow of promise from the green hills of childhood to the sombre mountains of old age. we beseech thee to give us thoughts so beautiful and ennobling that even amid the sods and clods of life's daily drudgery we can always face the morning light of some new hope which comes like the old song sung in the new land. amen. john kimball. february _first, when i feel that i am become cold and indisposed to prayer, by reason of other business and thoughts, i take my psalter and run into my chamber, or, if day and season serve, into the church to the multitude, and begin to repeat to myself--just as children used--the ten commandments, the creed, and, according as i have time, some sayings of christ or of paul, or some psalms. therefore it is well to let prayer be the first employment in the early morning, and the last in the evening. avoid diligently those false and deceptive thoughts which say, wait a little, i will pray an hour hence; i must first perform this or that. for with such thoughts a man quits prayer for business that lays hold of and entangles him, so that he comes not to pray the whole day long._ martin luther. o lord, our heavenly father, who keepest covenant and loving kindness with thy servants, who walk humbly with thee, and who hast been attentive to the prayers of our fathers when they lifted up their hearts and their hands to thee, teach us to pray, and to love to pray. visit us in the night season and before the morning watch. touch our spirits with the flame of thy spirit, before the day's business lays hold upon us and entangles us, through jesus christ, our lord. amen. reuben kidner. february _in one of dean stanley's sermons to children, preached at westminster abbey, he told the following story: "there was a little girl living with her grandfather. she was a good child, but he was not a very good man; and one day, when the little child came back from school, he had put in writing over the bed, 'god is nowhere,' for he did not believe in the good god, and he tried to make the little child believe the same. what did the little girl do? she had no eyes to see, no ears to hear, what her grandfather tried to teach her. she was very small. she could only read words of one syllable at a time; she rose above the bad meaning which he tried to put in her mind; she rose, as we all ought to rise, above the temptation of our time; she rose into a higher and better world; she rose because her little mind could not do otherwise, and she read the words, not 'god is nowhere,' but 'god is now here.' that is what we all should strive to do. out of words which have no sense or which have bad sense, our eyes, our minds, ought to be able to read a better sense."_ william moodie. o thou, invisible presence, there can be no place where thou art not. thou, our father, art in heaven and on earth and everywhere. thou art in the order of the rock, the beauty of the flower, the light of the sun and stars, and goodness in the human soul. teach us to be conscious of thy nearness to us, and so may we never be afraid. in the light of thy countenance, may we see duty and truth, and recognize more easily the good in one another. amen. alva roy scott. february abraham lincoln born _chosen for large designs, he had the art of winning with his humour, and he went straight to his mark, which was the human heart; wise, too, for what he could not break he bent._ _upon his back a more than atlas-load-- the burden of the commonwealth was laid; he stooped, and rose up to it, though the road shot suddenly downwards, not a whit dismayed._ _hold, warriors, counsellors, kings! all now give place to this dear benefactor of the race._ richard h. stoddard. almighty father, we thank thee today for the gracious memory of thy servant who lived and died for the sake of a free and united nation. we thank thee more that we have his life inwrought into the very fabric of the life of the nation. we had in him "a hiding place from the wind and a covert from the tempest, a river of water in a dry place and the shadow of a great rock in a weary land." we gratefully join in praise with the thousands who found help and cheer in the shadow of his strength. and now we humbly beseech thee, help us in some small way this day to be a helper to the helpless, a friend to the needy, sunshine to those whose day will be gray and gloomy, the shadow of a great rock to those who are buffeted by the world's storms. thus shall we prove our gratitude to thee for the gift of thy servant whom we honor today, and thus shall we honor thee. we ask and offer all in the name of thy son jesus christ. amen. avery a. shaw. february _let us learn to be content with what we have. let us get rid of our false estimates, set up all the higher ideals--a quiet home; vines of our own planting; a few books full of the inspiration of a genius; a few friends worthy of being loved, and able to love us in return; a hundred innocent pleasures that bring no pain or remorse; a devotion to the right that will never swerve; a simple religion empty of all bigotry, full of trust and hope and love--and to such a philosophy this world will give up all the empty joy it has._ david swing. thou gracious spirit of life, our father, at the beginning of this new day we wait for a moment before thee with uncovered heads and with reverent spirits; thou knowest us through and through, whatever man may think of us thou knowest just what we are. in thy sight we need not pretend; we need not make believe, we need only be simple and genuine and brave and earnest. we need be glad in the possession of what we have. help us this day to rightly value that which is good and honest. let us for this day at least, put away all vanity and give ourselves unreservedly to thy service and the love of our fellow men. to this high end, may we have the sweet companionship of jesus. amen. george l. perin. february _we go through life as some tourists go through europe,--so anxious to see the next sight, the next cathedral, the next picture, the next mountain peak, that we never stop to fill our sense with the beauty of the present one. along all our pathways sweet flowers are blossoming, if we will only stop to pluck them and smell their fragrance. in every meadow, birds are warbling, calling to their mates, and soaring into the blue, if we will only stop our grumbling long enough to hear them._ minot j. savage. give us, o god, the vision to see the way where duty lies and strength to walk in it, to ever keep the forward look and never to lose heart today because of the stumblings and fallings in the yesterdays that are forever gone. let us remember that we are in thy hands and we are faithless to thee and to ourselves if knowingly we fail to do thy work. though we cannot see thee, we now see our fellow men and we shall best serve thee if, in love and patience, we help our fellows. amen. almon gunnison. february _may i reach that purest heaven--be to other souls the cup of strength in some great agony, enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, beget the smiles that have no cruelty, be that 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. our heavenly father, we bless thee for the gift of another day with all its opportunities for service. and we pray that our hearts may respond in sympathy with the heartbeats of those who love and toil and suffer around us today. may we learn to make their joys and sorrows our own. do not let our unfeeling hands strike the heart-strings of others harshly, nor allow our feet to go crushing roses of love, without thought. help us, we pray thee, to walk tenderly and reverently among our fellow men. may their hopes and noble endeavors ring within us the prayer bells of the soul. make us thus to grow large and tender and noble through our helpful ministries. amen. john wesley carter. february _ah, love and love alone at last will solve all the vast, threatening questions that distract mankind; that fellow-men in strife array, and the whole world with fierce contentions rend. still keep your idle millions under arms-- fed on the hard-earned substance of the poor-- still watch each other with keen jealousy, still slaughter thousands on the field of war, or strive with statesman's craft to arbitrate; thread the sly mazes of diplomacy, try communistic cures for every ill, and when all fails at last, for lack of love, try love--the mightiest of them all--and win!_ henry nehemiah dodge. god of the light,--within, without, who hast lifted the curtain of night from our abodes, perfect now thy blessing unto us, and take the veil from all our hearts, and make clear to us thy holy presence. filled with the everlasting light, may we look on each other, and on our work here below, and on the strifes and conditions of humanity, with a love and hope that are not of this world. may faith, hope and love abide with us--and may we realize that the greatest of these is love. hasten thou the time when by love alone thy kingdom shall come, and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. amen. william b. eddy. february _if the day and night are such that you greet them with joy, and life emits a fragrance like flowers and sweet-scented herbs, is more starry, more immortal,--that is your success. all nature is your congratulation and you have cause momentarily to bless yourself._ henry david thoreau. father, i have found thy gift of life, a sweet and beautiful thing. it has known cloud and rain, but these have nourished it, and the darkness has sheltered it. it has felt driving storms, but these have strengthened it. it has known sunshine too. and now every day is a transfiguration and every night a benediction. let thanksgiving be my prayer. what i need thou wilt give. my hands thou wilt touch with the soft petals of thy flowers; and the arms of thy strong care shall be about me. by the voices of brooks and rivers and winds and birds and little children thou wilt speak to me, and in the deeper silences i shall hear thy still small voice. father, i thank thee. amen. o. c. s. wallace. february _let us not care too much for what happens: let us not leave our peace of mind at the mercy of events._ charles g. ames. _let us lay hold of the happiness of today. do we not go through life blindly, thinking that some fair tomorrow will bring us the gift we miss today?... know thou, my heart, if thou art not happy today, thou shalt never be happy._ anna robertson brown. we thank thee, our father, that the satisfaction of righteousness is present as well as future. help us, we beseech thee, to live this day so that earth shall seem like heaven. in the proof of our adequacy to the demands of duty may we find a delight that shall more than compensate us for any pleasure or profit surrendered for its sake. may the sense of thine approval sanctify our joys and comfort our sorrows. may we win love by deserving it, and find happiness in bestowing it. through obedience to thy will may we add strength and spiritual beauty to our own character and carry into the evening shadows the sweet assurance that other lives have been enriched by our kind words and helpful deeds. we ask it as thy children. amen. j. frank thompson. february _'tis always morning somewhere, and above the awakening continents from shore to shore. somewhere the birds are singing evermore._ henry w. longfellow. _the inconveniences and the petty annoyances, the pains and the sorrows, do we ever forget them? indeed, no; we grumble and groan continually. the blue sky and the sunshine, the everyday mercies and the wonderful blessings that we accept as a matter of course, do we remember to rejoice because of them? only too seldom. on this one day, do let us be sincerely and expressedly thankful._ anonymous. our father, we rejoice to believe that thy love is the eternal sun which knows no eclipse and that in its pure shining, we thy children can go forward with brave hearts and radiant hopes, assured that thy wisdom hath left nothing unfinished and that "thy goodness faileth never." we greet this new day with newness of joy in thy fatherhood as our personal right, and with ascending ideals of a service whose gracious light shall kindle other souls into a larger hopefulness and a deeper tenderness. we would fill this day with all sunny thoughts, with all cheering words and with all generous deeds, and thus the more effectually bring the divine light into the human and make clearer the outlines of a heaven on earth. amen. arnold s. yantis. february _no blast of air or fire of sun puts out the light whereby we run with girdled loins our lamplit race, and each from each takes heart of grace and spirit till his turn be done, and light of face from each man's face in whom the light of trust is one; since only souls that keep their place by their own light, and watch things roll, and stand, have light for any soul._ algernon charles swinburne. o thou, who coverest thyself with light as with a garment, even the true light which lighteth every man coming into the world, shine thou in us, putting to flight all the powers of darkness, and guilt of sin, and selfishness. shine also through us to any that live in the shadow; and so fill us with thy radiant spirit, that we may be a lamp unto a neighbor's feet and a light unto his path. and when this day is done may every face we have met be the brighter for our meeting, and every heart braver with new joy and cheer and grace and strength. for in thee o lord, is life, and thy life is the light of men. amen. theodore parker. february _the longer on this earth we live and weigh the various qualities of men the more we feel the high, stern-featured beauty of plain devotedness to duty, steadfast and still, nor paid with mortal praise, but finding amplest recompense for life's ungarlanded expense in work done squarely and unwasted days._ james russell lowell. our dear heavenly father, we would greet thee as this morning greets us. we thank thee for the daily duty; that, amid this wondrous world, thou hast set somewhat for our doing. may we appreciate the honor. may we not grudge our best, even in the humblest tasks, since thou appointest them. strengthen us, we beseech thee, if sometimes the heart fails, and the tired hands get laggard. show us how the lowliest service becomes loftiest if done with the glorifying motive of pleasing thee. make us this day blithe in duty. when our heads find pillow may thy peace enfold us; forgive our failures; and, for jesus' sake, may we never cease endeavor. amen. wayland hoyt. february george washington. born . _welcome to the day returning, dearer still as ages flow, while the torch of faith is burning, long as freedom's altars glow! see the hero whom it gave us slumbering on a mother's breast; for the arm he stretched to save us, be its morn forever blest._ oliver wendell holmes. father of life, we thank thee that thou hast been with the fathers; that thou hast been with him whose birth this day we celebrate. thou wert willing to speak to them, and they were willing to hear thee and answer thee, "lo, here am i; send me." we thank thee that the memory of this great man has come down to us; of him who was first in war, first in peace, and first in the hearts of his countrymen; and we ask thee that thou wilt be with our countrymen today; that thou wilt teach us thy law, that we may walk in thy ways; that this may be that happy nation whose god is the lord. in all time of our trial, if we have sought thee we have found thee,--in all time of our success thou hast won for us our victories,--thou hast been with our counsellors. father, today, tomorrow, and in days to come, in our memories and in our hopes be with us still, our father, who art in heaven. amen. edward everett hale. february _if you always remember that in all you do in soul or body god stands by as a witness, in all your prayers and your actions you will not err; and you shall have god dwelling with you._ epictetus. _faith acts on our souls as a moral tonic; it takes the fret and fever out of our lives; it gives the appetite and desire for noble living; it removes despondency; it gives energy, courage, hope, patience, and persistence; and in its highest manifestations it makes our lives a blending of power, sweetness, and peace._ james m. pullman. father of spirits! we yield ourselves to thee. we will be afraid of neither sorrow nor death in a world where many saintly souls have sanctified them by a divine patience, and amid a providence wherein no evil thing can dwell. clinging unto thee, we shall not perish with the fashion of this world that passeth away. as sparks falling on the river, so shall the glories of our strength go out. but the graces of the holy soul shall be as the brightness of the firmament, and as the stars forever and ever. in thee, o lord, is our undying trust. amen. james martineau. february _be of good cheer, brave spirit; steadfastly serve that low whisper thou hast served; for know, god hath a select family of sons now scattered wide thro' earth, and each alone, who are thy spiritual kindred, and each one by constant service to that inward law, is weaving the sublime proportions of a true monarch's soul. beauty and strength, the riches of a spotless memory, the eloquence of truth, the wisdom got by searching of a clear and loving eye that seeth as god seeth. these are their gifts, and time, who keeps god's word, brings on the day to seal the marriage of these minds with thine, thy everlasting lovers._ ralph waldo emerson. o thou, who makest the outgoings of the morning and evening to rejoice, help us to welcome this new day as thy gift, to take up its duties with courage, and to follow the light which thou shalt give. conscious of the meaning and purpose of life, undismayed by the failures of past days, and ever remembering that thy strength is made perfect in human weakness, may we consecrate ourselves anew to the glad service of life, knowing that in so doing we enter into fellowship with all who have been workers together with thee, and into increasing likeness of soul to thy holy son. may the beauty of the lord our god be upon us, and may life become stronger and sweeter and richer, until at last we receive through grace the "well done!" of the master. amen. henry m. king. february _there is no music in a rest, but there is the making of music in it. in our whole life melody, the music is broken off here and there by "rests," and we foolishly think we have come to the end of time. god sends a time of forced leisure--sickness, disappointed plans, frustrated efforts--and makes a sudden pause in the choral hymn of our lives, and we lament that our voices must be silent, and our part missing in the music which ever goes up to the ear of the creator. how does the musician read the rest? see him beat time with unvarying count and catch up the next note true and steady, as if no breaking place had come in between. not without design does god write the music of our lives. but be it ours to learn the time, and not be dismayed at the "rests." they are not to be slurred over, nor to be omitted, nor to destroy the melody, nor to change the key-note. if we look up, god himself will beat the time for us. with the eye on him we shall strike the next note full and clear._ john ruskin. o god, help us to trust where we cannot see, and to feel that life is not necessarily a failure because we are shut out from its activities. grant us in sickness such visions and such communion with thee that disease of the body shall be transformed into a healer of the soul; and, as the crushed rose the sweeter fragrance emits, so may our sorrows chasten and refine us. o heavenly father, grant that all our sickness and pain and disappointment may so sweeten our dispositions, purify our character and strengthen our souls that we shall bring heaven's sunlight into the lives of all whom we meet. amen. myron w. haynes. february _love is the greatest thing that god can give us, for himself is love; and it is the greatest thing we can give to god, for it will also give ourselves, and carry with it all that is ours._ jeremy taylor. _high thoughts and noble in all lands help me, my soul is fed by such; but ah, the touch of lips and hands, the human touch! warm, vital, close, life's symbols dear, these need i most and now and here._ richard burton. our father in heaven, we bless thee this morning for all thy care and love; thou hast made our houses homes, sweet, quiet dwelling-places. we thank thee for sleep, for communion with one another in all holy and tender speech. we thank thee for all our hopes; the worlds are nearer than we thought, heaven's fragrance attempers the winds of earth, we almost hear the upper song: may we listen for it, may our souls delight in sweet anticipations of immortal fellowship, and may we come out of these high reveries determined to work more, suffer more patiently, to accept every discipline more willingly, and to do all our little day's work as men whose citizenship is in heaven. amen. joseph parker. february _flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth,-- this is the making of man, this is his problem of birth; born to all holiness, born to all crime, heir of both worlds, on the long slope of time climbing the path of god's plan; dust of the earth in his error and fear, weakness and malice and lust; yet, quivering up from the dust, flame of the spirit, unleaping and clear, yearning to god, since from god is its birth-- this is man's portion, to shape as he can, flame of the spirit, and dust of the earth-- this is the making of man._ priscilla leonard. o god, thou art the father of our spirits, but our spirits have come to us through ways of flesh. we are both spiritual and carnal. our spirits seek thee evermore, but our flesh turns away from thee and strives to drag us down. between our best and our worst is bitter conflict. help us to the discovery that all that lives is in like conflict, and that there can be no virtue and no glory except in overcoming. make us see that the spirit is stronger than the flesh because it is of god, and that in the obedience and inspiration of jesus, thy son and our brother, we may at last be enthroned with him. amen. cephas b. crane. february _neither let mistakes nor wrong directions, of which every man, in his studies and elsewhere, falls into many, discourage you. there is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. let a man try faithfully, manfully, to be right; he will grow daily more and more right. it is at bottom the condition on which all men have to cultivate themselves._ thomas carlyle. almighty god, our heavenly father,--in thine own loving way thou dost bless us when we do the right; when we fall into mistakes so teach us by thy judgments that we become wise unto salvation. help thy children to recognize their proneness to blunder, that they learn to walk circumspectly. when we fall into the wrong, grant that we lie prone not long but arise undismayed to greater effort. bring to bear upon us the influences of the holy spirit, that we strive earnestly and devoutly to be right at the centre of our being; that rightness be the fabric of our life. to thee be all glory evermore. amen. edward a. perry. february _henceforth i learn that to obey is best, and love with fear the only god, to walk as in his presence, ever to observe his providence, and on him sole depend, merciful over all his works, with good still overcoming evil, and by small accomplishing great things--by things deemed weak subverting worldly strong, and worldly wise by simply meek, that suffering for truth's sake is fortitude to highest victory, and to the faithful death the gate of life-- taught this by his example whom i now acknowledge my redeemer ever blest._ john milton. o thou eternal one before whom from day to day we walk and on whom we ever depend, help us to-day to love whatever is good and beautiful and to follow obediently the behests of thy spirit. may we overcome evil with good; and may we accomplish whatever tasks the hours as they pass demand of us, whether small or great, with such strength as may be vouchsafed us and with a wisdom begotten of meekness. if we must suffer for truth's sake may we manifest such humility and fortitude as shall be conducive to the highest success. open for us hourly the gates of life, as those who endeavor to be faithful to their high calling. these favors we ask in the name of him who redeems our lives from all evil and crowns us daily with his loving kindness. amen. edward day. march _all the strength of the world and all its beauty, all true joy, everything that consoles, that feeds hope, or throws a ray of light along our dark paths, everything that makes us see across our poor lives a splendid goal and a boundless future, comes to us from people of simplicity, those who have made another object of their desires than the passing satisfaction of selfishness and vanity, and have understood that the art of living is to know how to give one's life._ charles wagner. heavenly father, help us to be like thyself, as manifested in the person of jesus christ, thy son! it was his will to do the will of his father by living and dying for others. teach us so to live. help us to learn by positive personal experience that supremest joy comes only "in ministering unto others." teach us what jesus meant when he said: "i am among you as he that serveth." plant deeply within us his passion for a life of service. may our morning hours be gladdened and inspired by this divine purpose. let thy holy will be done in us this day. amen. charles parkhurst. march _the year's at the spring and day's at the morn; morning's at seven; the hill-side's dew-pearled; the lark's on the wing; the snail's on the thorn; god's in his heaven-- all's right with the world!_ robert browning. father in heaven, refreshed and heartened by the night, we begin again with thee the high adventure of our life. add to the beauty of the world about us a finer spiritual beauty in our souls. save us from our own undoing. if our thoughts are dark, shine in upon them with thy glory; if they be bright, make them to light the pathway of another. have us wholesomely to forget ourselves, in the joy of thy good world, the promise of our imperfection and the trust in god that maketh not afraid. and when the duties of the day are done, dismiss us, thy well-meaning children, with a quiet mind to rest. amen. albert wellman hitchcock. march _we will do something worth doing--that is the resolution for you and me._ edward everett hale. _we admire the man who embodies victorious efforts, the man who never wrongs his neighbor, who is prompt to help a friend, but who has those virile qualities necessary to win in the stern strife of actual life._ theodore roosevelt. father of lights in whom is no darkness at all, and in whose light we see light, help us to clearly see and never forget that only right deeds are worthy of a child of thine. may we in no moment forget that to yield to the wrong is to bring upon us thy just condemnation and sow for us a sure reaping of sorrowful repentance. by doing the things we know to be right and worth doing, the things worthy of our true selves and of our father and of our master whose we are, may this day, through us, yield some benefit to other children of thine, and bring to us the sweet reward of thine approval. amen. oscar f. safford. march _it is worth a thousand pounds a year to have the habit of looking on the bright side of things._ samuel johnson. _not by appointment do we meet delight and joy; they wait not our expectancy; but round some corner in the street of life, they, on a sudden, greet us with a smile._ gerald massey. our father, at the beginning of a new day, refreshed by the night's rest, we turn to thee for strength for the day's task. we know not what the hours hold for us, but this we do know, that come what may, thou wilt go with us to bless, to cheer; we shall not walk or work alone. as we faithfully and cheerfully perform our work, conscious of thy presence, there will come joys and smiles unexpected and unsought. this is thy way of teaching us faithfulness and endurance. may we soon learn, that if we would make the day happy and worth while, we must not seek our own pleasure and good, but that of our brethren. may we so live that when the night shadows are again upon us, there shall be no cause for shame or regret. in the master's spirit! amen. o. howard perkins. march _not in dumb resignation we lift our hands on high; not like the nerveless fatalist, content to do and die. our faith springs, like the eagle's, who soars to meet the sun, and cries exulting unto thee, "oh, lord, thy will be done."_ _thy will! it bids the weak be strong; it bids the strong be just; no lips to fawn, no hand to beg, no brow to seek the dust, wherever man oppresses men beneath the liberal sun, o lord, be there, thine arm made bare, thy righteous will be done._ john hay. it is with the beautiful assurance of thy love and kindness, our father, that we draw nigh unto thee. it is faith that seems to give us wings by which we rise above the darkness, into thy presence of light and love. we feel our divine relationship to thee, so that we lift up our hands to thee, as the child to the parent. we are content to do thy will, because we know then just what it is to love thee. our master taught us this great lesson by his own faith in thee. to do thy will means strength to the weak, hope to the hopeless. to the sorrowing there can be seen, beyond the tear, the rainbow of thy promise. thus, as we realize our sonship will we work to make all men feel their own power, and all become one in thy great love. may thy kingdom come and thy will be done, in christ our lord. amen. c. e. fisher. march _if you are my friend you cannot be indifferent to my faults of character, any more than you can be indifferent to my sickness or suffering. but, if you care to help me cure these faults, please let them alone! please make much of my good qualities if you can discover any. and especially bless me with the encouraging sight of a better man than myself, and cheer me with a high example. i know that there are times when a sharp or gentle rebuke is in order, and that "faithful are the wounds of a friend." but the wiser doctors have lost their faith in blood-letting; and they know that clumsy surgery kills more than it cures._ charles g. ames. in our prayer, our heavenly father, we desire to be consciously grateful for the opportunities this new day affords us of being helpful to each other. the inspiration so to act comes from thee. thou art the constant and never-failing helper of thy children. may we be mindful of the fact that our noblest service to another may not be an alms, but a look of encouragement, a word of cheer. enable us to be not too sensible of others' faults and failings. assist us to see and magnify the good in other lives. to this end may we be to others such examples in conduct and character as we would have them be to us. we offer and ask all in the spirit of jesus. amen. leroy w. coons. march _the mariner of old said to neptune in a great tempest, "o god! thou mayest save me if thou wilt, and if thou wilt thou mayest destroy me, but whether or no, i will steer my rudder true."_ montaigne. _i go to prove my soul i see my way as birds their trackless way. i shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, i ask not; but unless god send his hail or blinding fire-balls, sleet or stifling snow, in some time, his good time, i shall arrive; he guides me and the bird. in his good time!_ robert browning. once more we face the day that can be dreadful only to our poor sight and trembling faith. for thou hast made flame and pain, the hurricane and quaking earth to be thy ministers of grace. shall trust depart when shadows fall? thou art "in the shadow keeping watch above thine own." as truly in severity as in gentleness, thou art the all-loving and all-wise. shall we fear to go anywhere? lord, thou art everywhere! defend us only from the blindness and fear of ignorance and sin. draw us nearer to thee, this day, by any means in thy good pleasure, so that at last, truly knowing thy way, we shall rise above the worst that circumstances may do into joy unspeakable and peace unbroken. in the name of him made perfect through suffering. amen. henry b. taylor. march _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._ bishop huntington. infinite and holy one, by the tender mercies of thy great love show us this day the true life that is hid in thee. feed us with thy spirit that we hunger not. make us strong and merciful in thee. help us to be simple, brave, and true. give us to speak and live the truth. make us content with life while ever dreaming of the more perfect day. fix our lives in a great and brave integrity. humble us in our pride, lift us from our despondency. keep our hearts pure and our lips from speaking guile. send us forth in perfect faith that here and now our lives may be patterned after that of jesus without loss of influence over men. make us not ashamed to be good and forgiving and gentle in all our ways. amen. frederick w. bette. march _count each affliction, whether light or grave, god's messenger sent down to thee; do thou with courtesy receive him; rise and bow; and, ere his shadow pass thy threshold, crave permission first his heavenly foot to lave._ * * * * * _grief should be like joy, majestic, equable, sedate, confirming, cleansing, raising, making free. strong to consume small troubles; to commend great thoughts, grave thoughts, thoughts lasting to the end._ aubrey devere. our father, we would learn to trust thy love, to live so that thy grace shall have in us its perfect work. not the easy thing is what we ask, but strength for duty. give us the confidence that thou art by our side. let thy strong touch be felt, thy blessed presence seen. in all the turmoil that rages within, without, grant us thy peace. in childish helplessness, grant us the father's help. to grow like jesus is our heart's desire. all things that thy great heart permits or sends, we would receive with gratitude, that so our wills and lives may be in harmony with thine. and so day by day may something of the saviour's glory shine through us and bless and brighten other lives in need. amen. frank m. holt. march _dawn and its silence draw a silver sigh far in the east where early shadows lie all flocked and folded like soft peaceful sheep. the spirit of the spring stirs in its sleep, breathes into life a misty floating sheen; the willows dreamy drip of constant green; exultant beats a bird-heart o'er a nest, where dim, vague stirrings 'neath the tiny breast spell fresh the miracle of motherhood. ah, how the world is young! ah, how 'tis good! to feel the new life flutter mystic wing; like to a lark to feel one's soul upspring, transpierce the very limit of the sky, and toss its challenge to eternity!_ mary baldwin. o god, our heavenly father, make our hearts exultant, as the earth in the spring morning, with the radiance of thy presence. fill them with the joy and hopefulness of eternal youth, and cause them to be uplifted in gratitude and thankfulness to thee. we have seen earthly faces so beaming with the light of love that we never shall forget them. we have spoken names that are so endeared to us that they will linger in our memory as long as we live. so, o father, may it be with thy face and thy name. may thy face beaming upon us as the sun of righteousness win our love to holiness and virtue, making us fruitful of good works, and thy name be so woven in our affections that we shall cherish and hallow it forever. amen. edgar w. preble. march _you must be serving something, some one, that needs your help in order to really appreciate the divine care. it may be the parents' care of their children; the teacher and her scholars; the charity-worker and the poor, the friendless, the benighted; it may be friend helping friend--in some way the life of loving service must be there as something out of which god can help us think of and value the care which infinite love bestows upon us._ julian k. smyth. heavenly father, with the opening of a new day we thank thee for father love and mother love, for love of patriot and philanthropist, and for the love which that has called into being in our own hearts. through this love and the service of mutual helpfulness to which we have been led thereby, thou openest our eyes to behold the world pervaded and overruled by a spirit of infinite goodness, society resting upon mutual services, and through that service mankind rising to a nobler and diviner civilization. help us to be mindful of this heavenly vision, and so make our feet swift to run and our hands eager to work in the service of righteousness and mutual helpfulness. we ask in his name, who loving us, has taught us the divinity of service. amen. legrand powers. march _far better is it to dare mighty things, to win glorious triumphs even though checkered by failure, than to rank with those poor spirits who neither enjoy nor suffer much because they live in the gray twilight that knows neither victory nor defeat._ theodore roosevelt. _but only he whose judgment never strays beyond the threshold of the right, learns this-- not always is it good to have one's wish; what seemeth sweet full oft to bitter turns; fulfilled desire hath made mine eyes to weep. therefore, o reader of these lines, if thou would'st virtuous be, and held by others dear will ever for the power to do aright._ leonardo da vinci. god of the morning light, with the dawn of another day we come to thee with prayer for help in the steadfastness of our manifold duties. the cares that oppress us, the burdens we carry, the obligations that fall upon us, are too much for our little strength without thy help. that help we crave from thee, the only source of all-availing strength. let us not be dismayed by the powers of this world or busy ourselves in vain ambitions seeking the praise of men, but may we seek that divine approval which is of more worth than all the favors of earth. make us brave and strong to follow in the way of thine appointment, and grant that we may so sincerely feel and act in the busy times of this day that when the evening comes no wasted hours may be laid to our charge. amen. edward m. barney. march _you are in god's world; you are god's child. those things you cannot change; the only peace and rest and happiness for you is to accept them and rejoice in them. when god speaks to you, you must not believe that it is the wind blowing or the torrent falling from the hill. you must know that it is god. you must gather up the whole power of meeting him. you must be thankful that life is great and not little. you must listen as if listening were your life. and then, then only can come peace. all other sounds will be caught up into the prevailing richness of that voice of god. the lost proportions will be perfectly restored. discord will cease; harmony will be complete._ phillips brooks. almighty god! we thank thee for the peace and comfort of the night; for the new day and all the hope and peace and promise that it brings to us. help us that with glad faces and joyous hearts we may take up its every privilege and duty, doing, in the spirit of the master every good and helpful thing our hands find to do. and when the evening shall have come may we look back on a day of plenty, service, and peace, retiring to our rest with songs in our hearts and thanksgiving on our lips because thy blessings have been on this, as on all other days new every morning and fresh every evening. amen. george mayo gerrish. march _it is the first mild day of march: each minute sweeter than before, the red-breast sings from the tall larch that stands beside our door._ _there is a blessing in the air, which seems a sense of joy to yield, to the bare trees and mountain bare, and grass in the green field._ william wordsworth. our father, we wake each morning refreshed and thankful for the joy of living; for the air we breathe, the things we see, the sounds of nature's sweetest harmonies and all the beauty which surrounds our earthly life. may the wonders of the earth speak to us in witness of thy love. let springing-grass and opening flower remind us of the new life which is ours through the resurrection of our lord. his blessing like the light of the sun runs everywhere, carrying with it morning and hope, springtime and gladness. the joy is in the song of the birds, the murmur of the waters, the children's laughter and the song of happy hearts. attune our hearts to notes of praise and make us glad upon the earth until thou bringest us to perfect and unshadowed joys where we shall see thee as thou art and be like thee. amen. j. w. stephan. march _as to equality and inequality, all the beauty and glory of life come from inequalities. if we were all beethovens or shakespeares or marvelous in any one direction, life would be unbearable. who shall tell me if an easter lily is the equal of a rose, or if either is equal to an oak or a pine? the question of equality is out of the court. the one thing we need to do is to cultivate the finest and sweetest things in us; and then, whether we are one of the california big trees or the violet in a valley, we shall help on the beauty and glory of the earth._ robert collyer. our heavenly father, we thank thee for the manifold beauties of thy universe, the revelations of thyself to thy children. for those large wonders which stir men's minds and rouse their souls to awe, we thank thee, but not less for the little things of life, filling their places well, and showing daily to the seeing eye that without them thy universe could not be complete. help us to grasp the lesson that they teach. if thou hast given to us the great place, we thank thee, but we thank thee not less for the homely task, the humble duty, for it is all necessary to thy plan. help us, day by day, with stronger purpose, larger consecration, to fill our place, to do thy will, in his name. amen. george f. fortier. march _there must be a way of taking worry rightly, so that it shall do us good and not harm. worry, rightly taken, should train to quietness, humility, patience, gentleness, sympathy. it ought not to eventuate (though it naturally does) in making others suffer because we are uncomfortable; in making us a source of painful worry to others because we are worried ourselves._ a. h. k. boyd. father of love, thy blessing it is which gives us another day. help us to put before its cares the spirit that will banish care, to find in its beginning the power that will make labors happy and its ending sweet, and so to open our hearts to thy light that no gloom of night shall linger round our way. if heaviness there be in ours or others' lives may every wholesome cheer make it less sore. if remembered faults and follies quench a better hope, send thy patience and thy will to be our courage and fresh resolve. through all the noisy world may the secret music of thy law swell in our breasts and every step keep time with its glorious march. amen. john day. march _therefore to whom turn i but to thee, the ineffable name? builder and maker, thou, of houses not made with hands! what, have fear of change from thee who art ever the same! doubt that thy power can fill the heart that thy power expands! there shall never be one lost good! what was, shall live as before; the evil is null, is nought, is silence implying sound; what was good, shall be good, with, for evil, so much good more; on the earth the broken arcs; in the heaven, a perfect round._ robert browning. we thank thee, o god, that each morning brings us fresh assurance of thy wisdom and goodness--that the days have taught us to believe in thee and to trust thee as our perfect friend. we are glad that we can face the day in the faith that thou art sufficient to the needs of the day--to all the needs of all thy children. in this trust, we beseech thee, make us more and more to rejoice in life and its high privileges. help us to go on our way with gladness and peace in our hearts--to worship thee hourly by honest work, by faithful service, by kind words, by helpful deeds, and so, to find life good by doing something to make it good. amen. flint m. bissell. march _"if i were you," she said, "i should not worry. just make up your mind to do better when you get another chance. one can't do more than that. that is what i shall think of: that god will give each of us another chance, and that each one of us will take it and do better--i and you and everyone. so there is no need to fret over failure, when one hopes one may be allowed to redeem that failure later on. besides which life is very hard. why, we ourselves recognize that. if there be a god, some intelligence greater than human intelligence, he will understand better than ourselves that life is very hard and difficult, and he will be astonished not because we are not better, but because we are not worse. at least, that would be my notion of a god. i should not worry if i were you. just make up your mind to do better if you get the chance and be content with that."_ beatrice harraden. o lord, how often we have failed--how weak and frail we are--we have groped and stumbled along the pathway of life and have been defeated over and over again. yet in the light of thy providence and thy love in spite of all defeats, we take heart and face the day with hope. in thine economy no failure is ever final--we rejoice that thou openest before us another opportunity. let us be brave and earnest to seize the opportunities of these passing hours. amen. george l. perin. march _to every life there comes a time supreme: one day, one night, one morning, or one noon, one freighted hour--one moment opportune, one rift through which sublime fulfilments gleam; one time when fate goes tiding with the stream, one once in balance 'twixt too late, too soon-- and ready for the passing instant's boon that shall in favor tip the wavering beam. ah! happy he who, knowing how to wait, knows also how to watch and how to stand on life's broad deck alert, and at the prow, to seize the happy moment big with fate from opportunity's extended hand when the great clock of destiny strikes now!_ mary ashley townsend. our heavenly father! thou art the author of all our days, and all our times and seasons are hid in the unfolding mystery of thy thought and purpose. it is not given to us to know what a day or an hour may bring forth, but the opportune moments come, ways are opened before us to larger life and usefulness and privilege and duty. may we, by faithfulness, and watchfulness, and the readiness of those on duty, be prepared for each divinely offered opportunity. surrounded by blessings, may we live to bless. ministered unto, may we minister. grateful to thee, may we show our gratitude by service. in thy name, amen. dwight m. hodge. march _put out of your thought the past whatever it may be; let go even the future with its golden dream and its high ideal; and concentrate your soul in this burning, present moment. for the man who is true to the present is true to his best; and the soul that wins the ground immediately before it, makes life a triumph._ ozora stearns davis. almighty giver of every good, we come to thee amid the joys of a new morning, with its new blessings and opportunities. we would dedicate this day to thy service. we would forget the past and waste not our time in idle dreaming of to-morrow, but with consecrated zeal we would apply ourselves to the tasks thou hast appointed us for this present hour. thy hand is ever opened to let down the tokens of thy love. may all that is best within us rise up in answer, and may we be dedicated anew to our upbuilding in righteousness and the fulfilment of our duties to one another. may we this day follow the footsteps of the christ and prove ourselves his faithful disciples! amen. r. perry bush. march _i believe that today is better than yesterday, and that tomorrow will be better than today._ george f. hoar. _make yourselves nests of pleasant thoughts, bright fancies, faithful sayings; treasure-houses of precious and restful thoughts, which care cannot disturb nor poverty take away from you,--houses built without hands for your souls to live in._ john ruskin. dear father in heaven, around thy name cluster the most sacred and holy affections. thy name, indeed, is above every name infinite in love, and awakening in each heart a sense of filial gratitude. at this morning hour, therefore, we are mindful of the tie that binds us to thee, that provides a nesting-place for pleasant and restful thoughts, that makes duty less irksome, home-love more tender, sacrifice more willing, and character more noble. in this spirit we pray thee, o father, send us forth to the labor which awaits us, only to realize, under thy providence, that this is the best day of our life, and full of assurance and rejoicing for a still better tomorrow. in the light of faith, hope and love do we ask and offer all. amen. wilburn d. potter. march _scarce tangible may be the first glad sign, yet how it shakes us with a vernal thrill! the voice of the south wind behind the hill; or an elusive bird-note faint and fine; a flush at dawn along the wan sky-line; a lyrical exuberance in the rill; a something working its mysterious will both in majestic hole and tenuous vine!_ _it is the vernal spirit. in the earth it throbs and pulses; quickens in the air; and permeates all nature thro' and thro'. in the expectant poignancy of birth what raptures, what rare ecstasies we share-- old,--ah, how old!--and yet forever new!_ clinton scollard. o god, how good thou art! all thy works praise thee. the world is filled with thy glory. this dawning springtime brings thee very near every responsive heart. thou art the fountain of life. we see thee in bursting bud and incipient bloom. we hear thee in the rapture of birds and in the new-found gladness of sun-kissed rivulets. may we, the children of thy love, be new born into a deeper spirituality,--a richer life! may the beauty of the spirit breathing through our hearts call forth the latent goodness that slumbers there! speak through us the music of thy love. perfume us with the odors of thy heavenly grace, and may we walk this day in tune with thee! amen. joseph cooper. march _work is the grand cure of all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind--honest work, which you intend getting done._ thomas carlyle. _thank god every morning when you get up that you have something to do which must be done whether you like it or not. being forced to work and forced to do your best will breed in you temperance, self-control, diligence, strength of will, content and a hundred virtues which the idle will never know._ charles kingsley. kind father and friend, thy presence has watched over us all our days and has been a comfort in all our labors. we thank thee for thy unwearied watching over us. may we at the dawn of this new day, come to our tasks with thanks in our hearts and a song on our lips. may all life's stern duties and its perplexities get grace and beauty from our hallowed thoughts and sanctified resolves. we would ask that thy free spirit be with us this day to give us hope and joy in our several tasks. may the sweet peace of mind of those who learn to labor and to wait crown all our efforts. dear father, forgive our failures and keep us ever thine. amen. charles e. petty. march _ah, the mis-takings and the mis-leavings; and all the ignorant beginning, when we can only lay up things for late wisdom to repent of!_ _nothing really bad can ever happen.... i've meant right,--and i mean right now. i'll do the best i can, and the lord will take care of everybody._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. lord, thou comest to us with light and life, forgive us for coming to thee as aliens and beggars; daily thou art our refuge and strength, and this should subtract our fear and multiply our confidence, comfort and consecration. our needs are thy opportunity; we have more sunshine than we can use, more love than we can repay and more revelation than we can translate. o may this satisfy us early and strengthen us through all our days. alone we are very weak, but we are never alone; all of life is a company affair, for thou art with us; help us to be as truly thy children as thou art our father and mother. through our thinking, working and waiting may men see thee and glorify thee. o teach us to abide ever in thy love, and help us to work some helpful miracle by the gates of need, and to see the rainbow of prophecy through earth's tears and over its years. amen. alan r. tillinghast. march _'tis the fine souls who serve us, and not what is called fine society._ ralph waldo emerson. _we find what we look for in the world. i have always been looking for the nobler qualities in human beings, and i have always found them. there are great souls all along the highway of life, and there are great qualities even in the people who seem common and weak to us ordinarily._ ella wheeler wilcox. gracious father, we thank thee for the power thou hast given us to labor for our own and others' advancement and happiness. as we begin this new day we trust in thy bounty and would draw on thy strength to sustain us in our toil. we thank thee for the brave souls in every walk of life who have set us an example worthy to be followed. many have been or are notable in the world for their fortitude, honor and achievements; many others have been known to us but have been unheralded by men, and from all these we have ourselves been made more capable and faithful. by thy grace may we be aided in emulating the good we see in others, and be able to make the world a little brighter because of thy gift to us of this day. amen. frank s. rice. march _an old, worn harp that had been played till all its strings were loose and frayed, joy, hate, and fear, each one, assayed to play. but each in turn had found no sweet responsiveness of sound._ _then love the master-player came with heaving breast and eyes aflame; the harp he took all undismayed, smote on its strings, still strange to song, and brought forth music sweet and strong._ paul laurence dunbar. heavenly father, i pray thee that thou wilt help me to love to-day. thou art love and if thou shalt fill my life there will be no room for hate and no room for fear, for "perfect love casteth out fear." as the master stilled the waves in galilee, so speak thou peace to my soul, and bid all discord cease, that my whole life may be in tune with heaven, and may be one happy song. love alone can bring harmony out of discord, love out of hate, trust out of fear, and music out of a worn-out, or a long unused or misused life. so let love control the whole of my life for jesus' sake. amen. b. l. jennings. march _no stream from its source flows seaward, how lonely soever its course, but some land is gladdened. no star ever rose or set without influence somewhere. who knows what earth needs from earth's lowliest creature? no life can be pure in its purpose and strong in its strife, and all life not be purer and stronger thereby._ owen meredith. if i am this day to touch other lives helpfully so that they may be gladdened and strengthened for truer and nobler living, i shall need, my father, not only a clear perception of myself in relation to that to which thou dost call me, but also a clear vision of the christ who would be felt through me, not only the impulse of a strong purpose but also the endowment of power by thy spirit of power. that this may be, do thou test my purpose by that of thy son and fashion my life by his teaching, keeping my heart open always toward thee. amen. f. h. wheeler. march _i but open my eyes,--and perfection, no more and no less, in the kind i imagined, full-fronts me, and god is seen god, in the star, in the stone, in the flesh, in the soul and the clod. and thus looking within and around me, i ever renew (with that stoop of the soul which in bending upraises it too) the submission of man's nothing-perfect to god's all-complete, and by each new obeisance in spirit, i climb to his feet._ robert browning. thou infinite spirit, we cannot understand thee, yet we feel thy presence within us and about us. we cannot unravel the mystery of thy life, not even of our own lives, yet we feel ourselves linked as by chains of steel to thyself. we are poor and ignorant and little and finite; thou art great and strong and infinite, yet we cling to the thought that we are thy children. even in thine infinity thou stoopest to listen to us. thou carest for us, lovest us. o thou father of our souls, may we cling to thee to-day and every day. we do not ask thee to explain thyself, but we do ask that in storm and sunshine, in adversity and in prosperity, and in every emergency we may keep our anchorage to thee unbroken, and feel thy presence with us. amen. george l. perin. march _i wonder why it is that we are not all kinder to each other than we are. how much the world needs it! how easily it is done!_ henry drummond. _let us awaken to the divine privilege of sharing the heartaches of our friends; of the meaning of good fellowship; of that independence of spirit that does not imitate; of courage and pride that can endure adversity with dignity, and without fear._ anonymous. our heavenly father, help us through this new day to allow the impulses of our hearts to have fullest play. help us to help each other, lord, and of whatever grace or influence we have to bless and uplift our fellowmen to give generously and gladly. help us scatter sunshine along our pathway, to speak the cheering word to discouraged hearts and to lend the helping hand to feeble or halting ones along the way. may we find our greatest happiness following in the footsteps of our master, humbly serving our neighbor's needs, and doing good even at every wayside opportunity. amen. james f. albion. march _once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side; some great cause, god's new messiah, offering each the bloom or blight, parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right, and the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light._ james russell lowell. almighty father, we are before thee, asking for strength this day, that for today's duty we may have the help of thy infinite wisdom, as we know we have thy love, our father with his children. father, help us to look to thee for strength and wisdom in every moment of doubt. we are not afraid, because we can come to thee for counsel, and companionship. we can come to thee for everything, and we find everything if we seek for it with all our heart and soul and strength. so today, father, be with us to show each one of us here, the youngest or the oldest, the weakest or the strongest, what is the duty next his hand today, that we may enter into that work and go about our father's business. go with us and be with us as with thine own children. amen. edward everett hale. march _i long to accomplish great and noble tasks, but it is my duty and joy to accomplish humble tasks as though they were great and noble._ helen keller. _it is a fine notion of life to liken it to the loom. god puts on the warp in those circumstances in which we find ourselves, and which we cannot change. the woof is wrought by the shuttle of everyday life. it is made of very homely threads sometimes, common duties, unpromising and unwelcome tasks. but whoever tries to do each day's work in the spirit of patient loyalty to god is weaving the texture whose other side is fairer than the one he sees._ anonymous. our father in heaven, grant that we may be "faithful in that which is least," leaving to thy will whether we have the opportunity of being "faithful in much." may we understand that the value of our service is not so much in what we do as the spirit in which we do it. help us to remember that no service is common in thy sight, if it is done for thy glory and the betterment of humanity; that in blessing others, we ourselves are blessed; that life is mostly made up of little things, but a character which is perfected by thy grace and humble service is not a little thing, but a jewel to shine in thy crown forever. amen. e. t. curnick. april _april is here! there's a song in the maple, thrilling and new; there's a flash of wings of heaven's own hue; there's a veil of green on the nearer hills; there's a burst of rapture in woodland rills; there are stars in the meadow dropped here and there; there's a breath of arbutus in the air; there's a dash of rain, as if flung in jest; there's an arch of color spanning the west; april is here!_ eben e. rexford. o god, ever-living and ever-acting, all thy works praise thee, and thy saints bless thee! we rejoice that thou art bringing in this new springtime, and art preparing to pour out thy summer glory and bounty in garden and field and wood, that thy children may be richly blessed. as thou art working mightily in nature today so wilt thou work in us, thy children, that the blessed fruits of the spirit may appear in all that we think and do and are? and may the spontaneous spring song of the woods find its counterpart in the perpetual gladness of our souls sunk deep in the love of christ! amen. henry irving cushman. april _the sweetest sound our whole year round 'tis the first robin of the spring! the song of the full orchard choir, is not so fine a thing._ edmund clarence stedman. _the grass comes, the flower laughs where lately lay the snow, o'er the breezy hill top hoarsely calls the crow, by the flowing river the alder catkins swing and the sweet song sparrow cries, "spring, it is spring!"_ celia thaxter. accept from a heart of gratitude, o god, thanksgiving and praises for the glad anticipation of the coming days of spring. may the awakening of nature, this living garment in which thou hast robed thy mysterious loveliness, be to each of thy children symbol of the new life which comes to those who put their trust in the risen christ and of the higher life beyond where shadows are no more and light and gladness bless an eternity of joy. o, thou father of lights, make every hour of this opening day rich and radiant with thy effulgent presence through jesus christ. amen. kerr boyce tupper. april _within my earthly temple there's a crowd; there's one of us that's humble, one that's proud, there's one that's broken-hearted for his sins, there's one that unrepentant sits and grins; there's one that loves his neighbor as himself, and one that cares for naught but fame and pelf. from much corroding care i should be free if i could once determine which is me._ theodore martin. our heavenly father, we thank thee for our multiform life. thou hast made us a little lower than the angels and hast crowned us with glory and honor, yet how little we know ourselves! we go astray; we fall from our high estate; like the moth we flutter around the blaze that burns us. when we would do good, evil is present with us. yet through all complexity of thought and feeling, of passion and appetite, through all our wanderings and all our sins we thank thee that there shines clearly the light of our own divinity. we are thy children. help us, we pray thee, to know ourselves at our best. may we not be betrayed in this day's journey by any siren voice. let us go forth to the tasks of the day with the consciousness that until the evening shadows fall thou wilt be with us. amen. george l. perin. april _if we but knew the secret of that power that opes the bud in early days of spring, if we but knew what makes the robin sing his wondrous song just at the matin hour, if we but knew the priceless boon and dower of human life when man is truly king. if we but understood the little thing that vexes us just at the present hour, if we but knew--ah, well, 'tis vain to sigh and speculate on things beyond our ken! we know that earth is fair and life is sweet, and something tells us that we cannot die. and if we live and love the good, ah! then we face to face with truth some day must meet._ clarence hawkes. o lord, we thank thee for a day so sweet and fair as this, when the trees lift up their hands in a psalm of gratitude to thee, and every little flower that opens its cup and every wandering bird seem filled by thy spirit, and grateful to thee. we thank thee for all thine handwritings of revelation on the walls of the world, on the heavens above us and the ground beneath, and all the testimonies recorded there of thy presence, thy power, thy justice, and thy love. amen. theodore parker. april _yet we must give the children leave to use our garden tools, though they spoil tool and plant in learning. so the master may not scorn our awkwardness, as with these bungling hands we try to unroot the ill, and plant with good life's barren soil: the child is learning use. perhaps the angels even are forbid to laugh at us, or may not care to laugh, with kind eyes pitying our little hurts._ edward rowland sill. our father: thou knowest how unskilled are these hands and hearts of ours. thou knowest how much that we do, think, and speak often tends to retard the progress of that which we would promote. give us, then, this day that wisdom which is from above, that no touch of our hand may mar the beauty of one of thy creations: no thought nor word wrong one of thy creatures. help us to know that we are workers with god, and in this knowledge may we strive for that excellence of service that shall hasten the coming of that kingdom of peace, joy and righteousness which is life eternal. amen. florence kollock crooker. april _plant flowers in the soul's front yard, set out new shade and blossom trees, an' let the soul once froze an' hard, sprout crocuses of new idees._ _yes, clean yer house, an' clean yer shed, an' clean yer barn in ev'ry part; but brush the cobwebs from yer head, an' sweep the snow banks from yer heart._ sam walter foss. gracious father, help us gratefully to begin this day with thee. we expect the day to bring its accustomed routine of cares and duties, and its round of petty irritations, but we confidently believe that thou wilt help us in all our experiences. let this morning's freshness, hope and vigor be ours through the whole day. help us to put faith in the place of fear that all our efforts may be crowned with the success of helpfulness. may we go blithely about our business with kind words and cheerful faces that our day's work may be our day's worship. amen. augustus b. church. april _ye seek for happiness--alas the day! ye find it not in luxury nor in gold, not in the fame nor in the envied sway, for which o willing slaves to custom old, severe taskmistress, ye your hearts have sold. ye seek for peace, and, when ye die, to dream no evil dreams; all mortal things are cold and senseless then; if aught survive, i deem it must be love and joy, for they immortal seem._ shelley. o thou eternal god who hast given us life, help us to love thy will and to walk in thy way this day. if flowers chance to grow beside our path we would pluck them, but most of all would we rejoice in thee alone, knowing that in thy will is perfect peace. fill our souls with thy joy and strengthen us in the spirit of self-forgetfulness to spill it out into the lives of others. give us hearts "roomy, radiant, and full of laughter," learned of "jesus christ, whom not having seen we love; on whom though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice greatly with joy unspeakable and full of glory, receiving the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls." amen. walter healy. april _a gush of bird song, a patter of dew, a cloud and a rainbow's warning, suddenly sunshine and perfect blue-- an april day in the morning._ harriet p. spofford. _there is something in the air that's new and sweet and rare-- there's something too that's new, in the color of the blue that's in the morning sky, before the sun is high._ nora perry. infinite and holy one, be with us in the beauty of this new day. may the dewy sweetness of the dawn thou hast given to us be regarded as a token of thy love for thy children. as an atmosphere of joy and peace may be the thought of thy consolation and thy care. the delicate tints of thy sky arching over us may we compare to the blue of a constancy that is divine, and which is freely shown to even the humblest and more erring of thy flock. bless us and guide us on our pilgrim way, and inspire our hearts and our hands to perform well their daily task. in his name do we ask it. amen. edmund q. s. osgood. april _as i have walked in alabama my morning walk, i have seen where the she-bird--the mocking-bird sat on her nest in the briers hatching her brood, i have seen the he-bird also, i have paused to hear him near at hand inflating his throat and joyfully singing, and while i paused it came to me that what he really sang for was not there only, nor for his mate nor for himself only, nor all sent back by the echoes, but subtle, clandestine, away beyond, a charge transmitted and gift occult for those being born._ walt whitman. thou great spirit of life, our father, in heaven, and in the earth, with what myriad voices dost thou speak to us, sometimes with the voice of thunder and sometimes with the voice of bird. even the rocks and hills have their language. with every manifold voice thou tellest us that we do not live nor work for a day only. the song and the word and the work of today have larger relations. they pass over into other days. we pray this morning that the thoughts we think, the words we speak, and the work we do may be so true that they may be fit for another day. so may we begin _now_ to realize the meaning of eternal life. amen. george l. perin. april _if the stream had no quiet eddying place, could we so admire its cascade over the rocks? were there no clouds, could we so hail the sky shining through them in its still calm purity?_ _the night is mother of the day the winter of the spring, and ever upon old decay the greenest mosses cling. behind the cloud the starlight lurks, through showers the sunbeams fall: for god, who loveth all his works, has left his hope with all!_ john greenleaf whittier. our father, with childhood's glowing morning face we would turn to thee and be conscious that the brightness of life comes only to those upon whom the sun of righteousness shines with clear light. full of trust, full of joy, we turn our faces towards the light and take up the labors of life with entire confidence in the divine care and guidance that blesses the open vision, the faithful hand and the loving heart. we would follow our master, feeling that we could choose no better way, and content if we be not called to suffer more than he in his life of service and sacrifice, while our hearts praise the giver of spiritual things with unceasing happy songs. amen. ralph edwin horne. april _oh, the little birds sang east, and the little birds sang west, and i smiled to think god's greatness flowed around our incompleteness,-- round our restlessness, his nest._ elizabeth barrett browning. _and i saw that there was an ocean of darkness and death; but an infinite ocean of light and love flowed over the ocean of darkness; and in that i saw the infinite love of god._ george fox. father of light, in whom is no darkness at all, to thee we lift our longing eyes again. shine away the darkness of our minds by the light of thy presence. complete our incompleteness. bring us out of our restlessness into thy rest. we thank thee for our daily gifts,--bread to feed the body, strength to sustain the soul, light to guide the feet. help us to put away the mistakes of the past, remembering them only with the penitence that shall cause thee to remember them no more. help us all through this day to know ourselves surrounded by thine infinite love. amen. a. gertrude earle. april _just as you now play a piece without the music and do not think what notes you strike, though once you picked them out by slow and patient toil, so, if you begin of set purpose, you will learn the law of kindness in utterance so perfectly that it will be second nature to you and make more music in your heart than all the songs the sweetest voice has ever sung._ francis e. willard. father, we rejoice and will be glad all the day that thou hast made it possible for us and all thy children to learn the sweet song of true life and that thou dost give us so many opportunities for its practice. o lord, give us patience and kindness toward our fellowmen and trust in thee, so that whether the lessons be easy or hard we may take them cheerfully, believing that thou dost give us only that which is best. grant that we may be earnest and faithful until our souls can sing the highest, purest and sweetest notes, until we are in harmony with all good. amen. abbie e. danforth. april _so many little faults we find: we see them, for not blind is love--we see them; but if you and i remember them, perhaps, some by and by they will not be faults then, grave faults to you and me, but just odd ways, mistakes, or even less-- remembrances to bless._ george klingle. our dear father in heaven: for this day help us to be good. all through the long night thou hast watched over us. under thy wing have we been sheltered as the chickens under the wing of the mother. now that light has come we will help thee to keep this world sweet and bright and clean. help us to be true to this our promise; we resolve to be patient, steadfast, cheerful, kindly, sturdy, and good. our father, we need thee. we want to walk in thy way. help us, for we are thy children. amen. william channing brown. april _the man without a purpose is like a ship without a rudder; a waif, a nothing, no man. have a purpose in life, if it is only to kill and divide and sell oxen well, but have a purpose; and having it, throw such strength of mind and muscle into your work as god has given you._ thomas carlyle. _neither a borrower nor a lender be; for loan oft loses both itself and friend, and borrowing dulls the edge of husbandry. this above all: to thine own self be true and it must follow, as the night the day, thou canst not then be false to any man._ shakespeare. almighty god, at the commencement of this day's work may we look on high, and measure everything we are about to do by the scale of eternity. keep us from all littleness; may we not be turned aside by things that are insignificant and unworthy. help us, we beseech thee, to make the glory of our life commensurate with the splendors of our privileges. may we live life in a great spirit, realizing that there is no duty so simple, no position so humble, but that we may show forth the grandeur of trust, and obedience toward thee. may the great and holy purpose we cherish find its expression as we cooperate with the divine purpose. amen. j. h. barker. april _'twas one of those charmed days when the genius of god doth flow, the wind may alter twenty ways, a tempest cannot blow; it may blow north, it still is warm; or south, it still is clear; or east, it smells like a clover farm; or west, no thunder fear._ ralph waldo emerson. father of lights, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, we thank thee for the morning and for the sunshine. we rejoice in the light, but when it is hidden from us, we are thankful that in the upper air above our clouded morning it still fills thy heavens. thou gavest us good things while we slept, and now, refreshed by thy spirit, may we go forth to our appointed tasks with cheerful obedience and joyful expectation. if trial and trouble await us, or if, in the heat of the day the burden seems too great, may we still be comforted, because we put our trust in thee. amen. george batchelor. april _but spring-wind, like a dancing psaltress, passes over its breast, to waken it, rare verdure buds tenderly upon rough banks between the withered tree-roots and the cracks of frost, like a smile striving with a wrinkled face; the grass grows bright, the boughs are swol'n with blooms like chrysalids impatient for the air, the shining dors are busy, beetles run along the furrows; ants make their ado; above, birds fly in merry flocks, the lark soars up and up, shivering for very joy; afar the ocean sleeps; white fishing gulls flit where the sand is purple with its tribe of nested limpits; savage creatures seek their loves in wood and plain--and god renews his ancient rapture._ robert browning. o lord, who givest to mankind liberally, and upbraidest not, we thank thee for the blessings thou bestowest from day to day. we thank thee for this material world, now clad in its garment of northern beauty, for the great sun which all day pours down his light upon the waiting and the grateful world, and for the earth underneath our feet. we bless thee for the grass, bread for the cattle, its harvest of use spread everywhere, and for the various beauty which here and there spangles all useful things which thine eye looks down upon. may we use this world of matter to build up the being that we are to a nobler stature of strength and of beauty. amen. theodore parker. april _o brothers all! come near and hear a bird's melodious dreaming set to words, and flung the spring's new leaves and tender buds among, for very joy of life, and hope, and love in a world made broad enough for all god's creatures to be merry in, with joyous clash and din, and yet too small for any greed at all! lo! deep and sure is cut this truth in heaven's book of gold: out of one mother in the garden old were born the rich and poor._ maurice thompson. our father, may we begin this day with a song in our hearts,--a song as rich and full and free as the bird sings at the earliest dawning of the sun's light,--a song so attuned with infinite life and hope and love that it must be sung. thou giver of abundance unto the rich and poor alike, help our souls to mount unto the highest reaches of living thoughts and generous deeds, that we may give unto others as thou givest. unfettered by unholy passions and freed from the spirit of greed, may we feel the unity of the bonds of a universal brotherhood, and be just and true, honest, and helpful in all our dealings with all men this day. amen. henrietta g. moore. april _o spring, of hope and love and youth and gladness wing-winged emblem! brightest, best and fairest! whence comest thou when with dark winter's sadness the tears that fade in sunny smiles thou sharest? sister of joy! thou art the child who wearest thy mother's dying smile, tender and sweet: thy mother autumn, for whose grave thou bearest fresh flowers, and beams like flowers, disturbing not the leaves which are her winding-sheet._ shelley. god unchanging, and still the creator of the seasons, we look up to thee, as the springtide works out the miracle of the resurrection from the sleeping forms of the past season, in confidence and in trust that ever thou wilt bless us with a nobler, holier, sweeter, more wholesome life, as the seasons come and go. the resources of trusting hearts are always reinforced and reinvigorated by contact with thy life, thy power, thy goodness and thy love. out of the winter of our discontent, we enter the springtime of love, that leads us forward in confidence through the glad summer of growth to the soul's fruition and the place of rest and peace in our father's home beneath thine everlasting love. amen. francis a. gray. april _one sound always comes to the ear that is open; it is the steady drum-beat of duty. no music in it, perhaps,--only a dry rub-a-dub. ah, but that steady beat marks the time for the whole orchestra of earth and heaven! it says to you: "do your work,--do the duty nearest you!" keep step to that drum-beat, and the dullest march is taking you home._ george s. merriam. o thou great impelling spirit, whom we see manifest in all the world, as we open our eyes to the light of another morning, may we be as responsive to thy influence as the sun and the flowers which brighten our way. may we be very sensitive to thy promptings as we go about our day's work. may we be very quick to do the things thou wouldst have us do. may we give ourselves to thy service without reserve. when again the night shades draw about us, may our hearts be filled with deepest gratitude for all the experiences of the day, and, deep within, may our spirits be conscious of thy approving benediction, "well done, good and faithful servant; enter thou into the joy of thy lord." amen. frank lincoln masseck. april _thyself and thy belongings are not thine own so proper as to waste thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. heaven doth with us as we with torches do not light them for themselves; for if our virtues did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike as if we had them not. spirits are not finely touched but to fine issues, nor nature never lends the smallest scruple of her excellence but like a thrifty goddess, she determines herself the glory of a creditor, both thanks and use._ shakespeare. father, with faith and confidence in thee we begin the day's duties, with a blithe song upon our lips, expressing the melody of our souls, thanking thee for opportunities for work, and thought and love. we ask not for more blessings but to be more worthy of those we have, using and not abusing them. may our minds be open to thy truth, and hearts to thy love, and when received may we be almoners of both to the waiting world. may we keep by giving thy love abundantly, and grow through the glory of self-sacrifice. give us the heart, o god, to sanctify our work and to lift it above drudgery into the divinest service, and give us strength to perform it. amen. u. s. milburn. april _a man is simple where his chief care is the wish to be what he ought to be; that is honestly and naturally human. we may compare existence to raw material. what it is matters less than what it is made of; as the value of a work of art lies in the flowering of a workman's skill. true life is possible in social conditions the most diverse and with natural gifts the most unequal. it is not fortune or personal advantage, but our training them to account, that constitutes the value of life. fame adds no more than does length of days; quality is the thing._ charles wagner. heavenly father, our eyes are ever toward thee. we do not pray for the things of the world. teach us to walk in thy truth. though our days be few, may our lives be hopeful and cheerful. though our bodies be frail, may we be invincible in spirit. all thy children are immortal, but it is for us to attain the eternal life. may we know thee through jesus. then days and hours and minutes will disappear in the liberty and glory and peace of the life eternal. then poverty of worldly goods will be forgotten in the riches of the spirit. then the cares of the world that now is will be lost in the joy of the life that is to be. amen. reignold k. marvin. april _a little sun, a little rain, a soft wind blowing from the west-- and woods and fields are sweet again and warmth within the mountain's breast._ _so simple is the earth we tread, so quick with love and life her frame, ten thousand years have dawned and fled. and still her magic is the same._ stopford a. brooke. gracious god, we thank thee for the gift of sight whereby we behold the marvels of the outer world. but greater is our gratitude for the inner sight, the power to see things as they ought to be. if we but look deep enough, we find thy central laws ever at the heart of all life. with such insight, apparent confusion shall not bewilder us, life's cares shall not harden us, the world's show cannot dazzle us. give us, we pray thee, unceasing ability to wonder and admire, which brings perpetual youth; to hope, to believe, to trust; to rest content in working with thee, the eternal one, lord of the seasons, this is our heart's desire. amen. edward a. horton. april _"what is the secret of your life?" asked mrs. browning of charles kingsley; "tell me, that i may make mine beautiful too." he replied, "i had a friend." somewhere in her "middlemarch," george eliot puts it well: "there are natures in which, if they love us, we are conscious of having a sort of baptism and consecration; they bind us over to rectitude and purity by their pure belief about us; and our sins become the worst kind of sacrilege, which tears down the invisible altar of trust."_ william c. gannett. our heavenly father, we thank thee for all the sweet and sacred influences of life. music comes with its invisible fingers to weave a magic charm around our souls;--the home with its love is ours,--but we thank thee to-day for the sweet and saving influence of friendship,--for the counsel and fellowship of those who are wise and good and faithful to us. we would not walk alone--we would find strength in the strength of others, and faith in other's faith. let us cherish such fellowships and give back to those, who love us, love again. amen. george l. perin. april _live in the sunshine, don't live in the gloom, carry some gladness the world to illume. live in the brightness, and take this to heart; the world will seem gayer if you'll do your part. live on the housetop, not down in the cell; open air christians live nobly and well. live where the joys are, and, scorning defeat, have a good-morrow for all whom you meet. live as a victor, and triumphing go through this queer world, beating down every foe. live in the sunshine, god meant it for you! live as the robins, and sing the day through._ margaret sangster. o god, our heavenly father, thou who givest us the sunshine of this new day, thou who art the god of life and light, we ask thy help and thy strength as we again go out to our separate duties and cares. help us to fill this day with good deeds, to give cheer and comfort to all we meet. may our lips be clean. may our hearts be pure. and when the even time comes, may it find us conscious that we have put no cloud upon the day, that we have walked through its hours true disciples of the master who went about doing good. amen. william h. morrison. april _to weigh the material in the scales of the personal, and measure life by the standard of love; to prize health as contagious happiness, wealth as potential service, reputation as latent influence, learning for the light it can shed, power for the help it can give, station for the good it can do--to choose in each case what is best on the whole, and accept cheerfully incidental evils involved; to put my whole self into all that i do, and indulge no single desire at the expense of myself as a whole; to crowd out fear by devotion to duty, and see present and future as one; to treat others as i would be treated, and myself as i would my best friend; and to recognize god's coming kingdom in every institution and person that helps men to love one another._ william dewitt hyde. for the dear love that kept us through the night, and gave our senses to sleep's gentle sway, for the new miracle of dawning light, flushing the east with prophecies of day, we thank thee, o, our god! for the fresh life that through our being flows, with its full tide to strengthen and to bless, for calm, sweet thoughts, upspringing from repose, to bear to thee their song of thankfulness, we praise thee, o, our god! thou knowest our needs, thy fulness will supply our blindness--let thy hand still lead us on, till, visited by the dayspring from on high, our prayer, one only, "let thy will be done," we breathe to thee, o, god! amen. w. h. burleigh. april is it not possible, then, that the hindrances which arrest our progress, and the obstacles that lie broadly in our path, are the divinest agents of help which our creator could give us? the painful struggles to overcome and remove them develop in us strength, courage, self-reliance, and heroism. they are the hammer and chisel that release the statue from the imprisoning marble,--the plow and the harrow that break up the soil, and mellow it for the reception of the seed that shall yield an abundant harvest. perfection lies that way. mary a. livermore. we seek thy face anew this day, o our father, and ask thee that thou wilt help us to live our lives in constant communion with thee. let us see thee at every turn in the way. let us find thy hand in all our duties, all our meditations, all our intercourse with men, all our doings and all our deeds. help us to make thee our counsellor every hour. help us to undertake nought without thy blessings, to finish nought without thy benediction. morning and evening may we turn in prayer to thy throne. at every meal may we seek thy grace and give thee thanks. so may we find the blessing of them that abide in thy house. amen. j. coleman adams. april _i think the sweetest thought, the very central idea, of the revelation of the character of god to me, is this: that he does everything out of his supreme will. there is no one thing that i can say with more heartiness, or that has in it more echoes of joy, than "thy will be done." if anything works righteousness in me or in you, it is god. the nature of god is fruitful in generosity. he is so good that he loves to do good, and loves to make men good, and loves to make them happy by making them good. he loves to be patient with them, and to wait for them, and to pour benevolence upon them, because that is his nature._ henry ward beecher. father, we thank thee for the blessing. we know what are our privileges, we know what are our duties, and we are before thee again to consecrate this day in all its glory and beauty to thee, the father of perfect love. thou wilt be with us as we strive to be with thee. thou wilt make us strong when we are weak. thou wilt make us see where we are in darkness. thou wilt send us forth on thine infinite mission to the world. boys or girls, men or women, here we are, the living children of the living god, sent forward by thee to proclaim it that all may be one as christ jesus with thee and thou with him, that this world may be perfected into one, that men may know that thou art father and what the father has given us to do, that each one of us may lift up what has fallen down, that each one may open the eyes that are blind and the ears that are deaf, that each one of us may proclaim the gospel of thy perfect love. this is our prayer and our hope, in christ jesus. amen. edward everett hale. april _with every rising of the sun, think of your life as just begun._ _the past has shrived and buried deep, all yesterdays; there let them sleep._ _nor seek to summon back one ghost of that innumerable host._ _concern yourself with but today. woo it, and teach it to obey_ _your will and wish. since time began today has been the friend of man;_ _but in his blindness and his sorrow, he looks to yesterday and tomorrow._ _you, and today! a soul sublime, and the great pregnant hour of time,_ _with god himself to bind the twain! go forth, i say, attain, attain!_ ella wheeler wilcox. infinitely wise and loving father, our minds and hearts reach out to thee in this morning hour thankful that the rest of the night has prepared us for the work of the new day, and that the light brings the call to service. the past cannot be recalled, but today is ours. i and today, with god and in the spirit of jesus! priceless privilege! grant us, o father, to use it for thee, for humanity and "in his name." amen. samuel gilbert ayers. april _life is full of new beginnings. some change may come, something is sure to come, to close one chapter and begin another. life is planned just so, ... that there should be a break from former link and habit, often from imperfection and mistake, and a clear, clean start for the fulfilment of the best one has grown to, even in desire, unhampered by the poorest one has ever happened to be, or to get credit for._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. o, thou who dwellest in the light, help thy children this morning to see the light of thy truth and feel the warmth of thy love. we thank thee for the open doors of opportunity for helpful service; for the exhibition of kindness and for growth in the kingdom of heaven. may we clearly see the way to the eternal life and have strength to walk therein. may we so welcome thy truth that we shall be free from error and sin. may thy wisdom so guide our energies that we shall reach after greater perfection. may the evening of this day find us more in harmony with god than we now are. and may the evening of life find us rich in the treasures of heaven. amen. andrew willson. april _true worth is in being, not seeming; in doing each day that goes by, some little good--not in the dreaming of great things to do by and by, for whatever men say in blindness, and spite of the fancies of youth, there's nothing so kingly as kindness, and nothing so royal as truth._ _we get back our mete as we measure: we cannot do wrong and feel right; nor can we give pain and gain pleasure, for justice avenges each slight. the air for the wing of the sparrow, the bush for the robin and wren, but always the path that is narrow and straight for the children of men._ alice cary. almighty father, who with every morning dost give us a new day and with each day some fresh duty, mercifully equip us for every task that awaits us! give us eyes to see, and hearts to love the truth and right, and the disposition that makes every duty a delight, and the doing of good to others a sacred privilege. save us this day from angry passions and low desires. forgive us when we are selfish; recall us when we go astray; save us from wronging ourselves by thinking ill of others, and in all places and to all people give us the mind which was in christ jesus. amen. john cuckson. may _to the woods:--whoso goeth in your paths readeth the same cheerful lesson, whether he be a young child or a hundred years old, comes he in good fortune or in bad, ye say the same things, and from age to age. ever the needles of the pine grow and fall, the acorns on the oak, the maples redden in autumn and at all times of the year the ground pine and the pyrola bud and root under foot. what is called fortune and what is called time by men, ye know them not. men have not language to describe one moment of your life._ ralph waldo emerson. thou god of nature and of the human heart, we thank thee for our human relations, but we thank thee also for our kinship with the birds. we thank thee for that instinct which makes us to sympathize with the mating of the bird lovers and for that music of the heart which makes us to love the song of the birds. we pray this morning for a life so simple and natural that we shall be able to enter into sympathetic relations with everything that lives--the flowers of the garden, and the field--the bees that sip the flowers' honey, and the bird that makes her nest among the trees. if thou speakest to men in the glory of the heavens, thou speakest also in the manifold voices of all thy loving creatures. may our ears be trained to hear thee when thou speakest thus. amen. george l. perin. may _hail bounteous may, that doth inspire mirth and youth, and warm desire; woods and groves are of thy dressing, hill and dale doth boast thy blessing, thus we salute thee with our early song, and welcome thee and wish thee long._ john milton. almighty and all-loving father, who dost make all the earth to rejoice in the brightness of returning springtime, fill our hearts with like joy and renewal. graciously awaken in us the life that the cold or care or trouble or sorrow of the world often has caused to fade and go out. as our eyes behold all this outward beauty and glory, give unto us that spiritual vision by which we behold the beauty and glory of divine things. then when the springtime of our life passes with the summer and the summer ripens into the autumn, and our work is done, may we bring unto thee the harvest of spiritual riches. amen. james denormandie. may _success! it is won by a patient endeavor, energy's fire, and the flame-glow of will; by grasping the chance with a "now, now or never!" urging on, on! while the laggard stands still._ _success! it is facing life's trials, undaunted; fighting the present--forgetting the past: by trusting to fate, though for years she has taunted, and bearing time's scars; facing front, to the last!_ _success! would you win it and wear its bright token? smile and step out to the drummer's light lilt; fight on till the last inch of sword-blade is broken. then do not say die. fight on with the hilt!_ mary markwell. we thank thee, our father, that thou hast enriched our being with those faculties which prompt to noble endeavor. we rejoice in our power, guided by thy free spirit, both to overcome evil and to do good. help us, dear father, to recognize the great incentives of conscience and of duty, assured that in cheerful conformity thereto we shall find the sweetest zest of life. increase our faith in thee, o lord. enable us more clearly to realize that in the end truth and right will gain the victory. thus may we be inspired to live brave, true and wholesome lives. may we fight the good fight of faith and win the crown of life promised to all those who follow the conquering christ. in his name. amen. henry w. rugg. may _the green grass is bowing; the morning wind is in it; 'tis a tune worth the knowing, though it change every minute. 'tis a tune of the spring; every year plays it over._ ralph waldo emerson. _god does not send strange flowers every year. when the spring winds blow o'er the pleasant places the same dear things lift up the same fair faces. the violet is here._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. o god, father almighty, who bringest light out of darkness and at whose word night yields to day, we offer thee glad worship and praise. we thank thee for thy gifts which are beautiful and good; for flowers which renew old friendships and awaken new affections; for songs in which voices of all yesterdays sound through today's melodies; for rich memories of the past; for the joy of living now; for the hope of better days; for new expressions of abiding truth and fresh breathings of eternal love; for courage to do right and for confidence in righteousness. may we this day, mindful of earthly duty and of heavenly promise, humbly follow him "who went about doing good" and "gave himself a ransom for many." amen. w. i. ward. may _bishop brooks taught me no special creed or dogma; but he impressed upon my mind two great ideas--the fatherhood of god and the brotherhood of man, and made me feel that these truths underlie all creeds and forms of worship. god is love, god is our father, we are his children; therefore the darkest clouds will break, and though right be worsted, wrong shall not triumph. he said: "there is one universal religion, helen--the religion of love. love your heavenly father with your whole heart and soul, love every child of god as much as ever you can, and remember that the possibilities of good are greater than the possibilities of evil; and you have the key to heaven."_ helen keller. infinite spirit! we shall not look upon thee as a friend looketh upon the face of his friend, but may we learn to see thee in every form of life and beauty and service here in this great world of nature and of man. may we discover thee in the midst of common things and then they shall no more be common, but all things shall be sacred and divine. may we see thy face in all human faces, clasp thy hand in all human hands, and when we have walked with a friend, or talked with those we love, may it be as a walk with thee and a communion with thee. may we not think of thee as afar off but always near, making all things holy. may we realize that it is a diviner thing to serve the lowly who need our help than to praise the infinite who needeth not. may the sense of thy presence in all things be the inspiration and interpretation of all days for us. amen. e. l. rexford. may _the brown, brown woods of march are the green, green woods of may, and they lift their arms with a freer swing and shake out their pennons gay. and the brown, dead world of march, is the living world of today; life throbs and flushes and flashes out in the color and fragrance of may._ anonymous. infinite spirit of the winter and the summer and of the night and the morning, thou hast watched over and guarded, during its winter sleep and rest, this earth which thou hast made, and which thou hast made for a purpose--to be beautiful and fruitful in its season, to be a humble and obedient servant of thy will of goodness. and now, as the woods of may are radiant in the beauty of springtime, and ready to do thy will; so as we wake to the opportunity of this new day, may we rejoice in the privilege of living to thee and doing thy will in the glad service of lives lived as the master lived. amen. george wallace penniman. may _one who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, never doubted clouds would break, never dreamed, though right were worsted,--wrong would triumph, held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake._ robert browning. our father, in the heaven, we thank thee for the birth of a new day. may we be full of gladness during its golden hours, may our hearts be tranquil with god's peace. a day is a part of thy eternity. thou hast set us in the battle, thou art watching us in the fight; thou art training us by well-accepted controversy. may nothing of thy purpose be lost because of the blinding details of the conflict. strengthen our hearts to do the work of this day. help us to be as grateful as we are dependent upon god. inspire our whole life; help us quickly to learn why we are here, what we are to do while here, and the path that leads home when the work-day is over. in the name of the christ! amen. w. a. wood. may _then sing, ye birds, sing, sing a joyous song! and let the young lambs bound as to the tabor's sound! we in thought will join your throng, ye that pipe and ye that play, ye that through your hearts today feel the gladness of the may!_ william wordsworth. god of the morning, father of the soul, we bless thee for the light, for it is pleasant to behold the world made beautiful by the king of day, and sweet with the melody of the song of bird, and cheerful with the promise of hope in the swelling buds of spring. we join with thy faithful ones in ascriptions of praise to thee for the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of god. help us to look upon our every faculty of soul, and power of body, as gifts from thee, to be used for the advancement of love, truth and beauty, in our own hearts, and in the world. give us thine own help to bear every burden cheerfully, to stand erect before every responsibility, and if in our efforts to do much good for this day we seem to fail, may we look to jesus and learn of him that in a conscience void of offence there is no such thing as failure. help us to strive with the evil of the world and sin not, that at the close of the day we may look back and say, we have kept ourselves unspotted from the world. amen. l. l. greene. may _fairer grows the earth each morning to the eyes that watch aright; every dew-drop sparkles warning of a miracle in sight; of some unexpected glory waiting in the old and plain; poet's dream nor traveller's story words such wonders as remain._ william c. gannett. o thou, who makest things seen and temporal quiver and flash with thine own informing spirit, so illumine our pathways that the luz where we meet our duties may become the bethel where we meet our god. as thou dost clothe the lily with beauty and inspire the bird with song help us to grow into the beauty of holiness, and to know the joy of thy salvation. whatever our past, open our eyes this day to some better thing which thou hast always in reserve. teach us what hinders our attainment and help us burst through the barrier. make us so conscious of thy indwelling spirit that we may yield to its gracious impellings toward righteousness and peace and joy. amen. thomas d. anderson. may _listen to the exhortation of the dawn!_ _look to this day! for it is life, the very life of life. in its brief course lie all the varieties and realities of your existence; the bliss of growth, the glory of action, the splendor of beauty: for yesterday is but a dream, and tomorrow is only a vision, but to-day well-lived makes every yesterday a dream of happiness, and every tomorrow a vision of hope. look well, therefore to this day!_ _such is the salutation of the dawn._ from the sanskrit. dear god, in thy loving kindness, thou hast brought us to the opening of another day; from darkness to light, from sleep to wakefulness, from rest to labor. we thank thee for its opening glory and its coming opportunities; but above all, for the new strength we feel within ourselves to do its work and live its life. as radiant dawn climbs to full-orbed day and glides to setting sun, may we come to this day's close with the consciousness that we have lived a little closer to the great heart of the eternal in every thought, word and deed, that we have woven into the texture of our lives, and gently as twilight enfolds the fruitful earth, shall "peace that passeth understanding" enfold our souls. amen. thomas b. payne. may _as the insect from the rock takes the color of its wing; as the boulder from the shock of the ocean's rhythmic swing makes itself a perfect form, learns a calmer front to raise; as the shell, enameled warm with the prism's mystic rays, praises wind and wave that make all its chambers fair and strong; as the mighty poets take grief and pain to build their song; even so for every soul, whatsoe'er its lot may be-- building, as the heavens roll, something large and strong and free-- things that hurt and things that mar shape the man for perfect praise; shock and strain and ruin are friendlier than the smiling days._ john white chadwick. dear father, as the light of this morning follows the darkness of the night, may we devoutly believe that the light of thy love shall dispel all darkness and bring us into the morning of eternal peace. may we learn each day that our trials and sorrows are but stepping-stones in thy divine economy, to bring us up into the clearer atmosphere of heavenly thought and life. help us to live closer to jesus, to understand how even he was made glorious through suffering, and ever learn to conquer in his name. amen. elmer f. pember. may _i live for those that love me for those that know me true, for the heaven that smiles above me, and waits my coming, too; for the cause that lacks assistance, for the wrongs that need resistance, for the future in the distance, for the good that i can do._ g. l. banks. father, we bless thee for such as love us and those whom we love in the varying forms of affection, thanking thee for the sacramental cup of joy in which thou givest the wine of life to all of thy children, humble or high. we thank thee for that love which setteth the solitary in families at the beginning, and then reaches wide arms all around, and will not stay its hold till it joins all nations and kindreds and tongues and people into one great family of love. we bless thee for the noble men and women whose generous heart has lit the altar fire of philanthropy in many a dark and else benighted place. we thank thee for the unbidden faith which springs up in our hearts, impelling us to trust thee and love thee and keep every commandment of thine, and that while we know not what a day shall bring forth, we are sure of everlasting life. amen. theodore parker. may _gladness of morning-- to hear the lark begin his flight, and singing, startle the dull night from his watch-tower in the skies, till the dappled dawn doth rise; then to come in spite of sorrow, and at my window bid good-morrow through the sweetbrier, or the vine, or the twisted eglantine._ john milton. o thou, in whose light we see light, who hast lifted the shadows of night from our dwellings, complete now in our behalf thy ministry of light, we beseech thee, and let the day star arise in our hearts. make clear thy face unto us. rise with thy morning upon our souls. may the light which envelops us throughout the day be the radiance of thy presence. may our eyes behold only what thou revealest and our lives be warmed with the glow of thy love. o, that we may be new-born like the day and live a new life in thy mercies which are new every morning; that our love may rise fresh as the dawn and our obedience be as sure as the path of the law. let no shadow from the past dim the joy of thy presence. scatter the darkness of sense and self within us. as the morning reveals, interprets and fulfils the beauties of a world which was wrapped in night, may the mystery of our lives unfold, our latent forces be summoned to service, and our hearts find fulness of joy because we live in thee. amen. everett d. burr. may _it may be truly said that no man does any work perfectly who does not enjoy his work. joy in one's work is the consummate tool without which the work may be done indeed, but without its finest perfectness. men who do their work without enjoying it are like men carving statues with hatchets. a man who does his work with thorough enjoyment of it is like an artist who holds an exquisite tool which is almost as obedient to him as his own hand, and almost works intelligently with him._ phillips brooks. o heavenly father, we thank thee that thou hast placed us where we are and hast given us the work we have to do. we would not seek far and wide for some better place or more honourable task. we pray today for the spirit that shall make us glad in our common toil. we need not to fly away to find enjoyment; we have only to feel that in the duties of this day we are in partnership with thee,--then shall we be happy that thou hast called us to so divine a fellowship. make us strong and earnest and brave--that when the evening shadows fall we shall not look regretfully back because we have been unfaithful,--but that we may be satisfied and happy in the memory that we have been serving with thee. amen. anonymous. may _i love the flowers that come about with spring, and whether they be scarlet, white or blue, it mattereth to me not anything, for when i see them full of sun and dew, my heart doth get so full with its delight, i know not blue from red, nor red from white._ alice cary. father divine, we remember thee at the beginning of another day, and the obedience to thy laws of life which thou dost require. about us is thy beautiful world, thrilling with new life. we would that our lives today may be likewise beautiful, restrained from sin against body and spirit. as there is now in the earth, so there is always in human souls a springtide ready to burst forth into beautiful living. in our hearts there is always the stirring energy of a spiritual spring that needs but the warmth of thy heavenly sunshine. let that warmth now stream into our hearts that our lives today may show forth thy praise. amen. minot o. simons. may violet: "_well, but surely at least one ought to be afraid of displeasing god; and one's desire to please him should be one's first motive._" lecturer: "_he never would be pleased with us, if it were, my dear. when a father sends his son out into the world--suppose as an apprentice--fancy the boy's coming home at night, and saying, 'father, i could have robbed the till to-day; but i didn't because i thought you wouldn't like it.' do you think the father would be particularly pleased?" (violet is silent). "he would answer, would he not, if he were wise and good, 'my boy, though you had no father, you must not rob tills.' and nothing is ever done so as really to please our great father, unless we would also have done it, though we had had no father to know of it._" john ruskin. father of life, thy children raise their thoughts in prayer to thee at the dawning of each day. their prayer asserts love, trust and conformity to thy will. may the spirit of prayer abide with us the day through, that we may be dutiful and worthy. the moral law is thy way of life, may we make it our way by intelligent obedience. to know thee aright and to find our joy in thy life is to have fullness of being through purity and strength. o father, may we be as those who broaden and deepen and purify life by word and deed that none may suffer loss through us, but find aid to reach the perfect life in thee. amen. wilson m. backus. may _through the harsh noises of our day a low sweet prelude finds its way: through clouds of doubt and creeds of fear a light is breaking, calm and clear._ _henceforth my heart shall sigh no more for olden time and holier shore: god's love and blessing, then and there are now and here and everywhere._ john greenleaf whittier. our father, as we enter upon the duties of this new day, incline our minds and hearts unto thee. may we feel, amid its harsh noises, the assurance of thy love and care. if doubt or fear assail us may we turn unto thee who art the source of life, love and light, and find calm and peace. we would forget the things behind and make the most of the present. we rejoice that today is better than yesterday and that tomorrow will be better than today. thou art here now, as thou art everywhere always, to bless us with thy love and care. direct us through the hours of this day and may its close find us better children of thine. amen. john b. reardon. may _the sun does not shine for a few trees and flowers, but for the wide world's joy. the lonely pine of the mountain top waves its sombre boughs, and cries, "thou art my sun!" and the little meadow violet lifts its cup of blue, and whispers with its perfumed breath, "thou art my sun!" and the grain in a thousand fields rustles in the wind, and makes answer, "thou art my sun!" so god sits, effulgent, in heaven, not for a favored few, but for the universe of life; and there is no creature so poor or so low that he may not look up with child-like confidence, and say, "my father, thou art mine!"_ henry ward beecher. o god, the eternal source of all life, we rejoice that there are no bounds to thy love. we thank thee that thou givest us all things richly to enjoy. may we learn that thy bounties are for all human beings. make the hearts of men eager that the ignorant, the lowly, the poor, the wayward, may come into the full estate of knowing that they are children of god. let them in no way be denied the joy of unfolding the divinity within them. lead us all into those fields of labor where we can be our best selves and develop our lives by what we do to meet the growing demands of truth and love and goodness. wherever the morning breaks and the sunshine falls upon human faces, may its cheer make homes happy and true, men and women good, and little children joyous. amen. alva roy scott. may _hear the master's risen word! delving spades have set it free, wake! the world has need of thee, rise and let thy voice be heard, like a fountain disinterred, upward springing, singing, sparkling; through the doubtful shadows darkling; till the clouds of pain and rage brooding o'er the toiling age, as with rifts of light are stirred by the music of the word; gospel for the heavy-laden, answer to the labourer's cry; "raise the stone, and thou shalt find me: cleave the wood, and there am i."_ henry van dyke. god of light and strength and beauty, for this day we thank thee. the morning hours come to us freighted with messages of gladness. thou, our father, art refreshing our spirits, and home seems dearer, love more sacred and the way of duty clearer before our waiting feet. we thank thee for life as it is given us, day by day. help us to fill it with honest, cheerful, fruitful service. may we realize and rejoice in the nobility of labor, and may we learn how it is that a child of thine, standing in his own place, giving himself to the tasks of the hour, imparts strength and courage to his fellow-worker, and helps the world forward in the path of righteousness and peace. so may thy will be done in and through us. amen. john p. forbes. may _o the green things growing, the green things growing the faint sweet smell of the green things growing! i should like to live, whether i smile or grieve, just to watch the happy life of my green things growing._ dinah mulock craig. _not all these sweets, these sounds, this vernal blaze, is but one joy, express'd a thousand ways; and honey from the flowers, and song of birds, are from the poet's pen, his overflowing words._ leigh hunt. o thou who art the creator of life in every form in which it is expressed in the earth, we thank thee for the grass and the flowers, the trees and the shrubs, the music of the streams and the melody of the birds. as nature is ever vocal with thy praise, so may our hearts be attuned to deepest joy that we are a part of thy creation and made capable of constant exultation in the beauty and the beneficence of thy purpose therein displayed. in this spirit may we rejoice and be glad in this new day which thou hast made for us. amen. i. j. mead. may _as one familiar with the sonatas and the symphonies of beethoven, while passing along the street in summer, gets, from out of the open window, a snatch of a song or a piece that is being played, catching a strain here and another there--and says to himself, "ah, that is beethoven. i recognize that: it is from such and such a movement of the pastoral" or whatever it may be;--so men in life catch strains of god in the mother's disinterested and self-denying love, in the lover's glow, in the little child's innocent affections. where did this thing come from? no plant ever brought out such fruit as this?_ henry ward beecher. father of all and giver of every good thing, to thee we pray; to thee we look for light, for truth, for beauty. in the travail of thought may there come only the highest and best good. where there is division we ask for unity; where there is confusion we ask for serenity; where there is discord, we ask for harmony. may divergent paths lead to the larger way of widening vision, distinctive service, unstinted love. hasten the day when thy purpose shall be accomplished in us, and when that which is now imperfect shall become the perfected whole. grant to us wisdom to pursue noble ends with intelligent zeal, and patient effort, and in a charitable and hopeful spirit. amen. c. c. clark. may _it is very interesting to watch a plant grow, it is like taking part in creation. when all outside is cold and white, when the little children of the woodland are gone to their nurseries in the warm earth and the empty nests on the bare trees filled with snow, my window-garden glows and smiles, making summer within while it is winter without. it is wonderful to see flowers bloom in the midst of a snow-storm! i have felt a bud "shyly doff her green hood and blossom with a silken burst of sound," while the icy fingers of the snow beat against the window panes. what secret power, i wonder, caused this blossoming miracle? what mysterious force guided the seedling from the dark earth up to the light, through leaf and stem and bud, to glorious fulfilment in the perfect flower? who could have dreamed that such beauty lurked in the dark earth, was latent in the tiny seed we planted? beautiful flower, you have taught me to see a little way into the hidden heart of things. now i understand that the darkness everywhere may hold possibilities better than even my hopes._ helen keller. grant us, o god, this day, vitality of brain and heart, to lay hold on the ordinary events and experiences of life, and transmute them into beautiful and permanent values for ourselves and others. may we have courage, love and faithfulness, to conquer adversities and fulfil our duties. and should the winter of discontent and disappointment beat without against our souls, even so may thy kingdom come. amen. julius p. west. may _brother--there is no payment in the world! we work and pour our labor at the feet of those who are around us and to come. we live and take our living at the hands of those who are around us and have been. no one is paid. no person can have more than he can hold. and none can do beyond the power that's in him. to each child that's born belongs as much of all our human good as he can take and use to make him strong._ _and from each man, debtor to all the world, is due the fullest fruit of all his powers, his whole life's labor, proudly rendered up, not as return--can moments pay an age? but as the simple duty of a man. can he do less--receiving everything?_ charlotte perkins gilman. o, thou most bountiful giver! we thank thee this morning for all the conveniences and comforts, the stored knowledge and acquired wisdom, the inspirations and encouragements of our daily life. truly others have lived as thy children and labored as thy servants, by mind and hand and heart, and we are wondrously permitted to enter into the fruits of their labours. grant unto us this day, o father, so to strive and so to live that some other life may be cheered and blessed by the spirit and by the fruit of our day's service. may our thoughts and words and deeds somehow express our gratitude for the blessings which we are constantly receiving. amen. william h. gould. may _what a wonderful thing it is to meet a man or woman whose manners are instantly open and free--opening up a direct road between him or her and yourself!_ edward carpenter. _there is a world in us that god keeps to himself, except when he calls some few souls, with special errand for us, to receive a glimpse. it is full of life, and growths, and wonders, that are to be developed and revealed. we ourselves know not what we shall be; but he knows that we shall be like him.... it is the world of the spiritual microscope._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. our father and mother god,--we have cried for thee as little children cry for parental love to wait upon their wants, and, like babes that cry, we have looked for thee in nothing else. we would be now thy sons and daughters of a larger growth, who learn to find thee in a more complete and blessed fellowship of service and sacrifice with thee, of united thought and will with thine, of such living as shares in thy perfect and eternal life. help us so to be and so to live that even in ourselves we may get glimpses of thine infinite good will and faithfulness, and show in our human lives, that god is in his world and all is well. amen. george w. kent. may _what are we set on earth for? say to toil: nor to seek to leave the tending of thy vines, for all the heat of the day, till it declines, and death's mild curfew shall from work assoil. god did anoint thee with his odorous oil to wrestle, not to reign; and he assigns all thy tears over, like pure crystallines, for younger fellow-workers of the soil to wear for amulets. 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._ elizabeth barrett browning. our father in heaven, we devoutly thank thee for that ceaseless and refreshing tide of blessing that, from the reservoir of thine exhaustless goodness, flows into our hearts and lives. and we further thank thee that among the choicest of those blessings, is the one of being, not merely the receptacles of this inflow, but also co-workers with thee, and with thy son, our saviour, jesus christ, in carrying forward to successful issue thy beneficent purposes of grace and salvation. grant us, we beseech thee, day by day, such an infusion of thy holy spirit as shall fittingly equip us for the gladsome and effective discharge of the duties of this divine relation, and its exalted privileges. all of which grant for thy mercy's sake. amen. charles p. nash. may _the deepest secret of life is love. without love there is no enthusiasm, and without ideals there is no enthusiasm. we freeze our hearts by selfishness, and stifle them by sordidness. we fix our eyes upon the little field circumscribed by our day's activities and ends. with no wide-reaching affection and no uplifting ideal, we make of our life a treadmill and of our duty an unwelcome drudgery. we disclaim the highest endowment of the soul and deny our sonship to god. narrow faiths and narrow hopes put fetters on the spirit, and small affections keep small the heart._ philip s. moxom. our father, every morning is a fresh witness of thy loving kindness. when we sleep the vigils of thy love are round about us. at the threshold of this new day, may it please thee to inspire us with lofty aims, so that we may rise out of our selfish selves into conscious kinship with thee. help us to know the mystery of love, how limitless and all-conquering it is. animated by its sweet law, may we go out into this great, needy world with hearts to sympathize and words to cheer and hands to minister. then we shall know the divine sweetness of our christian faith, the joy of christlike living; we shall know that love is the fulfilling of the law. amen. q. h. shinn. may _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._ _every day is a fresh beginning; listen, my soul, to the glad refrain, and, spite of old sorrow and older sinning, and puzzles forecasted and possible pain, take heart with the day, and begin again._ susan coolidge. o thou, who makest all things new, we are glad each day is not only a new day but one unlike any before it. everything breathes freshness and newness of life; a new heaven is over our heads, a new earth beneath our feet. we know this day will be full of new opportunities for work, new scenes for pleasure, new chances to make better our lives. if yesterday was not all we could wish, if there were failures in duty, or loss of faith in ourselves, and thy great love, may this be filled with larger faith, greater hope, complete love. may we so take heart in this quiet morning hour, that we may be brave and faithful all the day, so that in spite of old sorrows and older sins, the memory of which may now and then shadow our way, we may find ourselves when the evening shall come, nearer heaven in heart and life, and more worthy to be called thy children. amen. william f. potter. may _o friend, never strike sail to a fear! come into port greatly, or sail with god the seas.... he has not learned the lesson of life who does not every day surmount a fear._ ralph waldo emerson. _there is no storm but this of your own cowardice that braves you out; you are the storm that mocks yourself; you are the rocks of your own doubt; besides this fear of danger there's no danger here and he that here fears danger does deserve his fear._ richard crashaw. thou knowest, o lord, the weakness of our human nature, and how prone we are not only to shrink from the difficulties and to tremble at the dangers which lie in our way, but to allow imaginary difficulties and dangers to hinder us from living as thy children should. help us, we pray thee, to be free from all such fear today. be thou our refuge from whatsoever may threaten us, either without or within. deliver us from faint-heartedness and enable us to stand fast in the glorious liberty of those who fear nothing but to offend against thee and to wrong their own immortal souls. we ask it as disciples of christ. amen. edwin c. sweetser. may _whichever way the wind doth blow, some heart is glad to have it so; then blow it east or blow it west, the wind that blows, that wind is best._ _my little craft sails not alone: a thousand fleets from every zone are out upon a thousand seas; and what for me were favoring breeze might dash another, with the shock of doom, upon some hidden rock. and so i do not dare to pray for winds to waft me on my way, but leave it to a higher will to stay or speed me; trusting still that all is well, and sure that he who launched my bark will sail with me through storm and calm, and will not fail, whatever breezes may prevail, to land me, every peril past, within his sheltering heaven at last._ caroline atwater mason. o lord let us know that we do not sail life's seas alone. thou art the god of the storms. thou goest with us whithersoever we go. grant us, our heavenly father, that we may not suffer shipwreck of our faith. grant us that the voyage of our lives may be prosperous, and that at last, whether soon or late we shall find some harbor of rest and peace. amen. george l. perin. may _our memorial day celebrations will be but a hypocritical play-acting unless they shall remind us of the cause and the country for which our brave soldiers gave their lives. it is not enough for us to recall their names and sing their praises. we must love the country they loved and in our turn be ready to do the hero's part._ george l. perin. _but what is it to love one's country? is it to carry a banner in a procession? is it to shout as we see the flag? is it to fling bunting from the tops of the buildings, and send off sky-rockets in the evenings? vastly deeper than that is love of country, deeper than any soldier's uniform, deeper than any pictures of battleships with which we adorn our walls._ w. h. p. faunce. god of the nations, we thank thee today for every heroic deed of every heroic soul. we rejoice that in every hour of real emergency there have ever been men who were ready to die for their country. o lord, may the memory of their sacrifice ever remain to us and to the children of coming generations a sacred heritage. yet, o lord, let us not be satisfied to glorify their deeds with a memory. let us do them the higher honor of consecrating our lives to the service of the country they loved. so shall we, in the honor we render them find the title to our honor. thus in _our_ land and in _our_ time may thy kingdom come and thy will be done. amen. george l. perin. may _to be glad of life because it gives you the chance to love and to work and to play and to look up at the stars; to be satisfied with your possessions, but not contented with yourself until you have made the best of them; to despise nothing in the world except falsehood and meanness, and to fear nothing except cowardice; to be governed by your admirations rather than your dislikes; to covet nothing that is your neighbor's except his kindness of heart and gentleness of manners; to think seldom of your enemies, often of your friends, and every day of christ; and to spend as much time as you can, with body and with spirit in god's out-of-doors--these are little guide-posts on the footpath to peace._ henry van dyke. o thou god of peace and of love. how shall we come to thee? how shall we share thy strength and know thy life? let us commune with thy gracious spirit and so learn thy way. how beautiful the vision which prayer unfolds to us when we worship in spirit and truth! we see the virtues which ennoble and sanctify other lives. sweet and tender patience appears and in her light ruffled and distorted tempers are subdued and clothed in their right mind. faith is seen and as irresolution and doubt take their flight, confident trust and cherished conviction appear in magnetic power. so, o lord, would we read the signs which other lives present. so would we strengthen our own aspirations and make real the vision. so, o father, would we find thy peace. amen. augustine n. foster. june _a season for simple living with the kindly sun and the blue sky, days of keen delight in little things, of joyous questing after beauty, days for the making of true friends by being a true friend to others, days when we may enlarge our little lives by excursions to strange places, by friendly association, by the companionship of great thoughts, days that may teach us to live nobly, to work joyously, to play harder, to do our labor better. so should each june bring us indeed a golden summer._ edwin osgood grover. heavenly father, thou givest all good things. we thank thee for life and hope and cheer. in gratitude we consecrate this day to blessing thy children, and so to serving thee who hast said, "inasmuch as ye have done it unto these, ye have done it unto me." teach us the gladness of a life responsive to thy messages through nature. grant us the joy of making friends by being friendly with our fellow men. whatsoever we may do, at work or at play, may it be in the spirit of the saviour. we begin this day with thee. by its ministries may our comrades be helped and our lives together be made nobler, stronger, and well-pleasing in thy sight. amen. maurice a. levy. june _over the shoulders and slopes of the dune, i saw the white daisies go down to the sea, a host in the sunshine, an army in june, the people god sends us to set our hearts free._ _the bobolinks rallied them up from the dell, the orioles whistled them out of the wood, and all of their singing was "earth, it is well," and all of their dancing was, "life, thou art good!"_ bliss carman. o thou, who art the father of light and love, from whom cometh down every good and perfect gift, we thank thee for this new born day, which thou sendest us, for the splendor of thy presence in the sunlit sky above us and the blossoming earth beneath; for spring-time flowers that border our paths with loveliness and happy bird song, lifting our hearts to responsive joy and praise. we thank thee for life and health, for home and friends, for opportunities and duties, for temptations and trials, yea, for the very sorrows and bereavements which bring us to ourselves in penitence, to others in sympathy, and to thee in faith and adoration. thy will be done! thy kingdom come! amen. charles w. wendte. june _one small life in god's great plan, how futile it seems as the ages roll, do what it may, or strive how it can, to alter the sweep of the infinite whole! a single stitch in an endless web, a drop in the ocean's flow and ebb! but the pattern is rent where the stitch is lost, or marred where the tangled threads have crossed; and each life that fails of its true intent mars the perfect plan that its maker meant._ susan coolidge. o thou, the heavenly father, in whom we live and move, whose life-giving spirit is ever around us like the air we breathe,--we lift our thoughts to thee in reverence and gladness at the coming of the new day. we are glad for the quiet hours of the night, while the stars shine over us. may we be ready now, with willing and obedient hearts, for the work, the cares, the joys and the friendly converse of the day. we know how small our lives are; may we share the thoughts of thy infinite mind, may thy power and beauty, thy justice and goodness possess us. may our feeble wills be strong to carry the current of the one good will that sways the universe. amen. charles f. dole. june _i have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer i live, the more convincing proofs i see of this truth, that god governs in the affairs of men._ benjamin franklin. _all i have seen teaches me to trust the creator for all i have not seen. whatever it be which the great providence prepares for us, it must be something large and generous; and in the great style of his works. the future must be up to the style of our faculties, of memory, of hope, of imagination, of reason._ ralph waldo emerson. o thou, who in thy greatness holds the planets on their way, and in thy providence guides the sparrow's flight, and in thy tenderness marks the sparrow's fall, may we not be blind to thy foot-prints in the events of every day, but see them guiding our way and feel more and more thy love. father, we ask not for great things, but we ask thee to help us in the little needs and longings that fill our every day, to be the strength of our every endeavor, that in our daily walk, we may feel that the earth is warm with life and joy, that the air is full of strength, that there comes to us from every side some message, sweet and tender, if only we can be patient, trustful, believing that all things work together for good to them who seek to do thy will amen. joshua young. june _and do not fear to hope. can poet's brain more than the father's heart rich good invent? each time we smell the autumn's dying scent, we know the primrose time will come again; not more we hope, nor less would soothe our pain. be bounteous in our faith, for not misspent is confidence unto the father lent: thy need is sown and rooted for his rain, his thoughts are as thine own; nor are his ways other than thine, but by their loftier sense of beauty infinite and love intense. work on! one day, beyond all thought of praise a sunny joy will crown thee with its rays; nor other than thy need, thy recompense._ george macdonald. our father, in the gratitude of loved and loving children we thank thee for life and all the faith and hope and love thy goodness has awakened in our souls. for the splendors of the world and the greater splendor of the mind radiant with thy love, we bow in rapture and adoration. overwhelmed at times by the mysteries and vicissitudes of life, we will trust thy will to lead us out of darkness into the light of thine informing spirit of truth and wisdom. conscious of our weakness and needs, we rejoice that strength and supply are assured to us in the permanence of thy fatherhood. lead us more and ever more to realize that in thee we live and move and have our being. amen. richmond fisk. june _when a feller goes a-huntin' for a rose he shouldn't be a-thinkin' of the thorn; he must woo it, he must win it-- where his heart beats he must pin it an' breathe the breath that's in it every morn!_ _when a feller goes a-huntin' for a rose he shouldn't see the thorn beneath its breast, but for all its thorny foes. red and reckless,--one poor rose is sweet enough, god knows, for the best._ frank l. stanton. o lord, our god, so great is our life we may find that for which we look,--the good or the bad. send us into this day with eyes searching for the good. beholding it may we admire it and admiring it we shall become like it changed into the same image from character to character by the spirit. may we be more concerned to do right than not to do wrong. save us from a humility that is weakness and give us largeness of life without pride. may we want nothing so much as opportunity,--opportunity to be, to do, to suffer. may we not strive for bigness but for fitness and may our reception of the christ be our forgiveness and our salvation for his name's sake. amen. t. c. martin. june _the beauty of work depends upon the way we meet it,--whether we arm ourselves each morning to attack it as an enemy that must be vanquished before night comes, or whether we open our eyes with the sunrise to welcome it as an approaching friend who will keep us delightful company all day, and who will make us feel at evening, that the day was well worth its fatigues._ lucy larcom. our heavenly father, thou givest us light for the hours of labor and darkness for the hours of slumber. we toil and then we rest. we sleep and then we arise, to perform the tasks which await us. convince us, o god, that the life which thou hast given us to live is more than working that we may rest, and resting that we may work. persuade us that it is for some great and good end. help us to understand that even as we live in thee so thou dost fulfil thine eternal purposes in and through us. teach us that our smallest effort is important to thee. so may we dread no duty. so may every moment of every day be precious in our sight. amen. roger s. forbes. june _and those who heard the singers three disputed which the best might be; for still their music seemed to start discordant echoes in each heart._ _but the great master said, "i see no best in kind, but in degree; i gave a various gift to each, to charm, to strengthen, and to teach._ _"these are the three great chords of might, and he whose ear is tuned aright, will hear no discord in the three, but the most perfect harmony."_ henry w. longfellow. o god, our heavenly father, we thank thee for all thy mercies new every morning, and fresh every evening, but especially we bless thee that thou callest us to thy service and kingdom by jesus christ, our lord, and hast vouchsafed to each of us some gracious gift whereby we may accomplish thy holy will concerning us. grant that we may so improve and use that pearl of price as to enhance greatly the welfare of thy children. help each to see the good in all, and all to see the good in each, that all may strive together in sinless and sweet accord for the common weal and thus for the glory of thy name, and so hasten the happy day when all souls shall be one, as prayed the saviour of the world. amen. alfred p. putnam. june _men talk sometimes as if the passage of a ship through the sea or a bird through the air is a fit symbol of man's passage through this world. i do not think so. a better symbol would be the passage of a plough through the soil leaving a furrow behind. what does the furrow include? all the memory of every beautiful picture and landscape you have ever seen. it includes the memory of every experience, every sweet association, every tie of love, whether of father, mother, wife or children. all these, whether living or dead, speak to you. they have a voice, a language that you will understand._ george l. perin. we thank thee, o god, for the many influences past and present which have had a share in the moulding of our lives and characters toward a larger usefulness and a more perfect realization of the christian ideal. we thank thee for the mother's love which watched over us through years of helplessness; for the father's love which made provision for our wants, for the human sympathy which has everywhere blessed and strengthened us and made life brighter; for the friends of youth and age who have helped us to better things. grant, o god, that a memory of these blessings may abide with us so long as life may last, and that as we have been helped by others to walk the way of life we may not forget to extend a helping hand to those who may need our comfort and our sympathy. orin edson crooker. june _it is not to taste sweet things, but to do noble and true things, and vindicate himself under god's heaven, as a god-made man, that the poorest son of adam dimly longs. this dim longing for what is noble and true, the still small voice which calls to one imperatively in moments of temptation, is the safeguard which, if hearkened to, not only protects one in severe trials of manliness and womanliness, but also incites to the formation of a fine character, without which all acquisitions, all graces and accomplishments, all talents and all learning, are but as sounding brass and a tinkling cymbal._ thomas carlyle. almighty god, our heavenly father, in grateful recognition of thy love and watchful care, we thank thee for the repose of the night and the promise of the day. our desire is to do thy will, and we ask for the guidance and inspiration of thy spirit. enable us to perform faithfully all the work that thou hast given us to do. grant us a sufficiency of thy grace to treat all our fellowmen as children of thine, and when night comes may we have the blessed assurance that through the experiences of this day we have become a little more like thine own glorious self in love and holiness. we ask it in the name of jesus, our example, and saviour. amen. warren s. perkins. june _now it is june, and the secret is told; flashed from the buttercup's glory of gold; hummed in the bumblebee's gladness, and sung new from each bough where a bird's nest is swung; breathed from the clover-beds, when the winds pass; chirped in small psalms, through the aisles of the grass._ henry james, sr. dear father, in the morning hour of this new day, we thank thee for the glorious revelation of thyself in the open book of nature. may we love the beautiful and therein love thee, with a true and abiding affection. grant unto us the understanding that it is only as we have the spirit of the beautiful in our lives that we can appreciate the beautiful without us. so may we value this life, which is from thee, as a means of attaining a larger usefulness and for realizing that goodness which is ever heavenly. in simply trying to be nobler, more unselfish, like unto christ, we pray, that we may learn how good is life. amen. thomas edward potterton. june _methinks i love all common things, the common air, the common flower, the dear, kind, common thought that springs from hearts that have no other dower, no other wealth, no other power, save love; and will not that repay for all else fortune tears away?_ bryan waller procter. we thank god for the beauty of the world. we thank god that it is good to be alive. we thank god for the joy that joins us to thy world in gladness, and makes it seem to be the open book of thy graciousness and tenderness and compassion. we thank thee also for the ministry of those days that were not bright, but that were full of comfort, even in their darkness, into which god came shrouded, only to reveal himself more clearly as the light. we thank thee for the intervening by the hand of love and tenderness that is human, so that our best nature was called out for love's sake, and all the lower forces of our lives led in the leash of that sweet attraction. we thank god for everything for which our life is better, and pray thee to help us to use thy mercies to turn them into strength, not the strength of praise alone, but the strength of service also. amen. thomas r. slicer. june _a creed is a rod, and a crown is of night; but this thing is god, to be man with thy might, to grow straight in the strength of thy spirit, and live out thy life as the light._ algernon charles swinburne. _life is fuller and sweeter for every fulness and sweetness that we take knowledge of. and to him that hath, cannot help being given from everything._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. infinite love and beauty, who stirrest in the tiniest seed that breaks its earthly shell to greet the light and warmth of thy beneficence and round its life in blade and flower and ripened fruit,--awake in us, we pray, that we may burst the casements of our dead selves and live to bear the fruits of completed lives. be love alone our creed and service our crown; and in the sweetness and light of these twin ministers draw thou us on, until having taken full knowledge of the fulness and sweetness of our lord the christ, we shall have measured in our spiritual stature, his perfect manliness and strength. thus shall we have indeed and to us shall be given from everything. amen. albert c. white. june _he fails who climbs to power and place up the pathway of disgrace. he fails not who makes truth his cause, nor bends to win the crowd's applause. he fails not, he who stakes his all upon the right and dares to fall. what though the living bless or blame, for him the long success of fame!_ richard watson gilder. our heavenly father, help us when we fail to see and know the truth and its blessed influence for good. help us to combat bravely the evil in the world and to look to thee for encouragement and success. help us, if we fail, to regain our footing and to reach the higher because of the effort which thy love prompts. we gratefully accept the power which thy wisdom gives and thank thee for the opportunity to use its strength. be thou our guide and we shall fear no failure, nor overestimate the worth of success. so shall we "rejoice in the lord always,"--in failure because of thy help and in success because of thine approval. in the name of jesus christ our lord and redeemer. amen. william e. gibbs. june _a singer sang a song of tears, and the great world heard and wept for the song of the sorrows of fleeting years, and the hopes which the dead past kept: and souls in anguish their burdens bore, and the world was sadder than ever before._ _a singer sang a song of cheer, and the great world listened and smiled, for he sang of the love of a father dear and the trust of a little child; and souls that before had forgotten to pray, looked up and went singing along the way._ emma c. dowd. almighty god, our heavenly father, our trust is evermore in thee, and we would keep that trust as a song within our hearts, which may cheer and bless and strengthen us. when the night is dark and the day is dreary may that song be with us, and when cares oppress and sorrows meet us, may our prayers still rise to thee, for thou art the god of our lives. let not the day's discouragements depress us, nor its failures find us weak or helpless, nor its trials leave a stain upon our souls. but because we have thy song of love within our hearts may we march to heavenly music, and ever go upon our way rejoicing. amen. paul revere frothingham. june _it is only the sincerity of human feeling that abides. as for a thought, we know not, it may be deceptive; but the love, wherewith we have loved it, will surely return to our soul; nor can a single drop of its clearness or strength be abstracted by error. of that perfect ideal that each of us strives to build up in himself, the sum total of all our thoughts will help only to model the outline; but the elements that go to construct it, and keep it alive, are the purified passion, unselfishness, loyalty, wherein these thoughts have had being._ maeterlinck. o god, our heavenly father, help us to take up the cares of this day with an unselfish heart, and in loyalty to what is right and good. keep us in right relation to those with whom our lot is cast, in sympathy with the unanxious joy of the world and with the deeper life which is its source. we desire to enter into the thought and the love of the most hopeful souls, that, in all the needful pauses of the day, we may find cheer, incentive, and the ampler rest: through jesus christ, our lord. amen. charles h. leonard. june _"does the road wind up-hill all the way?" "yes, to the very end!" "will the day's journey take the whole long day?" "from morn to night, my friend!"_ _"but is there for the night a resting-place?" "a roof for all when the dark hours begin." "may not the darkness hide it from my face?" "you cannot miss that inn."_ _"shall i meet other wayfarers at night?" "those who have gone before." "then must i knock or call when just in sight?" "they will not keep you standing at that door."_ _"shall i find comfort, travel-sore and weak?" "of labor you shall find the sum." "will there be beds for me and all who seek?" "yea,--beds for all who come!"_ christina rossetti. our heavenly father, we thank thee for this new day. may it be an open door to faithful service. open our eyes that we may see all vexations, distresses, and toil as angels in disguise sent to strengthen and fulfil us, to prepare us for larger blessings at our journey's end. as the blue sky of thy loving kindness is broader and more enduring than the clouds that sometimes hide it, so teach us to trust thine unfailing love that overarches and outlasts all weariness and pain. when life and strength fail us here, may we find them transformed and glorious in the city of god hereafter. be thou our shield and our reward now and forever. amen. john m. wilson. june _those homelier wildflowers, which we call weeds; yellow japanned buttercups and star-disked dandelions, lying in the grass, like sparks that have leaped from the kindling sun of summer; the profuse daisy-like flower which whitens the fields, to the great disgust of liberal shepherds, yet seems fair to loving eyes, with its button-like mound of gold set round with milk-white rays; the tall-stemmed succory, setting its pale blue flowers aflame one after another; the red and white clovers; the broad, flat leaves of the plantain,--"the white man's foot," as the indians called it;--those common growths which fling themselves to be crushed under our feet and our wheels, making themselves so cheap in this perpetual martyrdom that we forget, each of them is a ray of the divine beauty._ oliver wendell holmes. our heavenly father, however poor and mean and commonplace our lives may seem to be, in our better moments we think of ourselves as thy children. we may have failed sometimes but we shall not utterly fail. in thy sight, nothing is common or worthless. no life shall be cast as rubbish to the void. however commonplace our tasks may seem, let us feel ourselves in partnership with god, and go forth to the duties of the day with high hope and sense of dignity. so shalt thou make even our little lives of some real service to the world. we pray to thee in the spirit of him, who though the humblest of all, was yet master of all. amen. george l. perin. june _there's a real grace of character in forgetting the things which disturb the harmony of life._ hamilton w. mabie. touch your lips with gladness and go singing on your way, smiles will strangely lighten every duty; just a little word of cheer may span a sky of gray with hope's own heaven-tinted bow of beauty. wear a pleasant face wherein shall shine a joyful heart, as shines the sun, the happy fields adorning; to every care-beclouded life some ray of light impart, and touch your lips with gladness every morning. nixon waterman. o thou who art from everlasting to everlasting, our god and father, we flee unto thee as the one who is able to save us from all foes within and without. we confess our weakness and our many grievous faults, and beseech thee to touch us by thy spirit, that with penitent and lowly hearts we may seek thee as our everlasting friend and helper. be patient yet a while with our shortcomings and frowardness. suffer us yet a little that thine infinite grace and compassion may arouse us from our spiritual slumber unto the glorious life of obedience and love. in this new day we would be made to feel thy presence and the light and joy and peace, which thou dost promise to all who diligently seek thee through jesus christ our lord. amen. clarence e. rice. june _now is the high tide of the year, and whatever of life hath ebbed away comes flooding back with a ripply cheer, into every bare inlet and creek and bay; now the heart is so full that a drop overfills it, we are happy now because god wills it._ james russell lowell. holy, holy, holy, lord god almighty! early in the morning we approach unto thee. the whole round of creation is burdened with the exuberance of thy life, and everywhere is hallowed ground. we come with unshod feet. the sun, mighty minister of thy great goodness, flooding the world with light and piercing all things with his fiery arrows, calls back to life the sleeping earth, and assures us that we are partakers of thy light and thy love and thy life. o most glorious god! may these thy mercies, fresh every morning, be with us through the day to strengthen us to do thy will, we ask in the name of him who came that we may have life and have it abundantly. amen. frank w. collier. june _man hath much need of courage; and need to brace his spiritual nerve in solitude; self-trusting, self-sustained, and self-imbued; seeking god in his own heart's secret place. to perfect self, and in that self embrace the triune essence of truth, beauty, and good; this is fulfilment, this beatitude throned high above base fears and hopes more base. what shall it profit us, if, gaining all the privilege of priest-made paradise, we lose therewith our self which is the soul? and wherefore should we shrink from even the fall, if haply we should fail with steadfast eyes fixed only on so bright, so pure a goal?_ john addington symonds. heavenly father, we thank thee for the gift of a new day, for the tasks which it brings, and for the strength with which we rise to its requirements. help us, through all this day, to remember thee. thou art our strength, our guide, our inspiration. fill us with the courage born of faith. let us feel that, seeking to do right, we shall be moved and aided by an unseen power. in all our experiences this day, help us to speak the truth, to be loyal to friendship, to be steadfast in principle, to fight the good fight and to keep the faith. bless our endeavors to give heart and hope to other souls; and grant them the presence of thy loving spirit. amen. john clarence lee. june _let a man start out at breakneck speed in the morning, pushing and driving and hurrying as if it were a matter of life and death to accomplish a given task before noon, and he will generally end by working himself into a fever of anxiety and harassing care before night, and the man who, under any pretext whatsoever, whether for the sake of wealth or learning or pleasure, has pursued this mad, rushing, whirling method of life for fifteen or twenty years, will find himself thoroughly disqualified for the normal enjoyment of life thenceforward to the end of his days._ george l. perin. most gracious god! thou who hast sustained us through the night watches, and who now openest to us the day, with its promise of good and opportunity for service, we still depend upon that heavenly faithfulness which never fails. we look to thee for the quickening of our best powers. we would be laborers together with thee to-day, not as driven to irksome tasks, but as honored with a welcome privilege. whether we plant or water may we do it faithfully, and then trust thee for the desired increase. may it please thee to quiet our anxieties, to lay to rest our unworthy fears, and to assure us of thine over-ruling providence; and thus through all our toiling may we enjoy large measures of the peace that passeth understanding. amen. james edward wright. june _i do not say you can make yourself merry and happy when you are in a physical condition which is contrary to such mental condition, but by practice and effort you can learn to withdraw from it, refusing to allow your judgments and actions to be ruled by it. "what does that matter?" you will learn to say. "it is enough for me to know that the sun does shine, and that this is only a weary fog that is round about me for a moment. i shall come out into the light beyond presently." this is faith,--faith in god, who is light._ george macdonald. our father, residing in the light incomprehensible and who art seeing and providing all good for thine immortal household, when mid investing clouds we shall hail thy presence, transforming weakness into perfect strength and sighs and groans into joy and swelling songs, above all the many rightful subjects of christian petition, we pray that thou wilt always press us near to thee to feel thy loving heart-beats and dwell in the light in which is no darkness at all. we pray not to be spared any of our full part of the burdens needful to this day, but to be given the measure of grace to maintain unfaltering steps. behold with compassion the errors that befall us as we, too, compassionate others. amen. jacob straub. june _we are all perhaps familiar with the story of the little housemaid, who, when she was asked why she thought she had become a christian, replied, after a little hesitation, "because i sweep under the mats." a very poor reason at first sight, and only significant from the fact of the master-motive underlying the fact itself. a child's reasoning--but did not quaint old herbert employ the same fine logic when he sang:_ _"who sweeps a room as for thy laws. makes that and the action fine!"_ william moodie. dear lord of life and light, at the dawn of another day we rise to thank thee for thy watchful care, imparting strength and vitality during the closed hours of the night. thy gift of eternal life is ours by thy creatorship and love, and we would pray that in no way during this coming day shall we dishonor our birthright by evil thought or action. help us to aspire to hold fast and develop thy holy characteristics, normal to us and made active by our wills. we thank thee for the goal revealed to us as our destiny, the spirit displayed by our master, jesus christ, and like him may we lean on thee daily for the strengthening of our faith and the maturing of our plans. amen. charles e. lund. june _they are tired of what is old, we will give it voices new; for the half hath not been told of the beautiful and true._ george macdonald. _the common problem, yours, mine, everyone's, is not to fancy what were fair in life provided it could be--but finding first what may be, than find how to make it fair up to our means, a very different thing._ robert browning. thou infinite heart! our hearts go out after thee, not for past, not for future, not for what was, though dear, not for what may be, though in vision precious,--not these the burden of our prayer. our hearts crave peace, comfort with what is. may we confide in thee so utterly that the old pain is eased, the anxious foreboding is dispelled, self-will merged in divine will, self-direction yielding to divine leading. lo! our prayer is answered in the making and we are helped. amen. stanford mitchell. june _today is your day and mine, the only day we have, the day in which we play our part. what our part may signify in the great whole, we may not understand, but we are here to play it, and now is our time. this we know, it is a part of action, not of whining. it is a part of love, not cynicism. it is for us to express love in terms of human helpfulness. this we know, for we have learned from sad experience that any other course of life leads toward weakness and misery._ david starr jordan. our father, author alike of the morning light and guardian through the darkness and shadow of the night, grant us the right spirit as we go forth to the unknown experiences of this day. we would not look eagerly for our own comfort and happiness, but would find them as thy free gift while we are employed in giving comfort and happiness to others. illuminate our lives with happy thoughts, cheerful words and blessed hopes, that we may go forth with no purpose but to do thy will, and seeking no reward more glorious, than thine approval whispered into loving and attentive hearts, in thy name. amen. lewis g. wilson. june _a persian fable says: "one day a wanderer found a lump of clay, so redolent of sweet perfume its odors scented all the room. "what art thou?" was his quick demand; "art thou some gem from samarcand, or spikenard in this rude disguise, or other costly merchandise?" "nay, i am but a lump of clay." "then whence this wondrous perfume--say?" "friend, if the secret i disclose, i have been dwelling with the rose," sweet parable! and will not those who love to dwell with sharon's rose, distil sweet odors all around, though low and mean themselves are found? dear lord, abide with us, that we may draw our perfume fresh from thee._ anonymous. our father, which art in heaven,--we thank thee for the memory of those who lived in thy spirit and labored in thy love. the fragrance of their lives abides with us. we thank thee for the prophets of great hopes,--for those who have seen the invisible, and have searched patiently for the city of their god. we bless those who by their pure hearts and unselfish lives have revealed unto us our greater selves. help us to learn of them the way of life. help us to live in such thoughts and deeds as made them truly great. keep our hearts so pure to-day, our vision of the master life so clear, that our path, before and after us, shall be as the light of day. amen. frederick w. betts. june _tell you what i like the best; 'long about knee-deep in june, 'bout the time the strawberries melts on the vine,--some afternoon like to jes' git out and rest, and not work at nothing else._ _orchard's where i'd ruther be-- needn't fence it in for me! jes' the whole sky overhead, and the whole airth underneath._ james whitcomb riley. help us, o thou who art the lord of life, that we may this morning praise thee for the beauty of the world and for the joyful privilege of wandering in the green fields and by the sparkling brooks, and of resting tired body and weary limb beneath the sweet orchard shade, gazing with gladdened eyes at the blue canopy above, all forgetful of the toil and din of the far off city. o may our hearts this day be in tune with nature and in harmony with thyself; and as we contemplate thy works this and every day may our hearts go out in loving and practical sympathy toward those whose lives are spent within the narrow confines of sunless courts. hear us for the saviour's sake. amen. francis w. brett. june _give us, o give us the man who sings at his work. be his occupation what it may, he is equal to any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. he will do more in the same time--he will do it better--he will persevere longer. one is scarcely sensible of fatigue while he marches to music. the very stars are said to make harmony as they revolve in their spheres. wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness, although past calculation its power of endurance. efforts to be permanently useful, must be uniformly joyous--a spirit all sunshine, graceful from very gladness, beautiful because bright._ thomas carlyle. almighty god, we turn to thee in adoration and praise as we pause upon the threshold of this new day. grant, we pray thee, that a song be in our hearts as we go about the duties of the passing hours. whatever our experiences, whether of joy or sorrow, may we truly value the truthful spirit. if thou callest us to bear burdens or to stand upon the mountain top of exultant achievement may we not forget to sing of thee. yea, o god, we would be ever of the company of trusting souls, for such are near to thee. and when earthly days are past and the life of the freed spirit is over, grant that our lives may blend in full accord with the music of love, in sunshine of joy, in the beauty of holiness. we praise thee now and ever. amen. stephen h. roblin. june _full-leafed in pride of deepest green, the earth in the sunshine basks serene, where linden blossoms crowded cling, a thousand bees are murmuring. as showers drift from the freshened land with a seven-barred bow is the rain-cloud spanned. the wild rose yields her subtlest scents where hay cocks pitch their fragrant tents. the longest day's too brief for june, the night too short for such a moon!_ sara andrew shafer. we thank thee, our father, for the wonderful world in which we live; for the glory of the heavens; for the beauty of the earth; for the bright morning following the star-crowned night; for the song of birds, the hum of bees, the fragrance of flowers, and the laughter of children, for the industry of men and women, for all thy gifts of love. as again the lengthening shadows creep across our pathway, may we redouble our energies that no labor of love may be left undone. so fill us with thy presence, so lead us by thy spirit this day, that in our homes we may be patient, in our occupations sweet, in our social relations brotherly, in all things christlike, for jesus' sake. amen. arthur wright. july _let me go where'er i will i hear a sky-born music still: it sounds from all things old, it sounds from all things young, from all that's fair, from all that's foul, peals out a cheerful song._ _it is not only in the rose, it is not only in the bird, not only where the rainbow glows, nor in the song of woman heard, but in the darkest, meanest things there alway, alway something sings._ _'tis not in the high stars alone, nor in the cups of budding flowers, nor in the redbreast's mellow tone, nor in the bow that smiles in showers, but in the mud and scum of things there alway, alway something sings._ ralph waldo emerson. dear father in heaven, we thank thee for all the sweet voices of the world, not only for the harmonies of the great masters of song but for the sweet voice of the mother as she sings her song of love, for the bird in the spring time. we thank thee for the music in the prattle of children, and the kindly word spoken everywhere. the world is full of music if only we have music in our own hearts. we pray, as we set forth again this morning, for spirits in tune with all that is sweet and good. wherever we go this day, let the world sing to us and make us glad. amen. george l. perin. july _a little bird with plumage brown, beside my window flutters down, a moment chirps its little strain, then taps upon my window-pane. and chirps again, and hops along, to call my notice to its song; but i work on, nor heed its lay, till, in neglect, it flies away._ _so birds of peace and hope and love come fluttering earthward from above, to settle on life's window-sills, and ease our load of earthly ills; but we, in traffic's rush and din too deep engaged to let them in, with deadened heart and sense plod on, nor know our loss till they are gone._ paul laurence dunbar. my voice shalt thou hear in the morning, o lord, in the morning will i direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up; and looking up, may we not fail to realize that, amid the turmoil of this outward life, thou art ever present to give peace and rest in the inner life. should we fail to recognize that presence we shall lose the comfort which thou art ever ready to bestow, and must ourselves bear burdens which thou wouldst gladly bear for us or take from us. thou knowest our frame and rememberest that we are dust. open our spiritual vision to behold that divine resources are subject to our daily prayer. in the name of jesus, the christ. amen. o. w. scott. july _blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god. blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of god. blessed are ye when men shall revile you and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for my sake._ matthew v. , , . o god, our heavenly father, we thank thee that thou dost overrule our weakness, failure and sins to the accomplishment of thy divine plan for us. we recall with pleasure our successes in the past year, and if we have failed, wilt thou show us where and when and teach us the way of amendment. we thank thee for our hope and faith which have come to us from the bible. here, on every page and in every biography, have we learned of christ jesus, the way, the truth and the life. we thank thee that through him our sins are forgiven, and we have learned to know thee, o blessed father, which knowledge is eternal life. may we walk with him, moment by moment in a life of loving service to all mankind, during all the remaining days of our life. amen. e. m. warner. july _one flag, one land, one heart, one hand, one nation, evermore!_ oliver wendell holmes. _and for your country, boy, and for that flag, never dream a dream but of serving her, though the service carry you through a thousand hells! no matter what happens to you--no matter who flatters or abuses you--never look at another flag, never let a night pass but you pray god to bless that flag._ edward everett hale. thine, o god, is the kingdom. and blessed is the nation whose god is the lord. we believe that thy hand has been in the founding and the fortunes of this land. we do homage to it for its ideals, its principles, its glorious company of apostles of truth, its noble army of martyrs for liberty and humanity; we love and cherish it as our home and our shrine; but we hallow it, we stand in awe of it, as the scene of thy special activity, the instrument of thy holy purposes. may its vision not pass; may the clouds that hang over it be dispersed by the clear shining of the sun of righteousness and peace; may the dream of freedom with fraternity be realized here, even here, upon these shores, that thy saving health may be known among all nations. amen. c. ellwood nash. july _far up the crag, 'twixt sea and sky, where winds tempestuous, blowing by, leave giant boulders swept and bare; where forked lightnings fitful flare, and petrels sound their stormy cry._ _a dainty bluebell, sweet and shy, lifted its head complacently, as guarded by the tenderest care, far up the crag._ _and now, whenever fear draws nigh, in thought i stand 'twixt sea and sky, and, as of old in my despair, i bless the power that set it there-- that tiny thing with courage high, far up the crag!_ florence e. coates. eternal presence, may we now speak to thee? or, consciously within thy presence, should our lips be still? art thou the infinite mercy, and shall we say, be merciful? shall we persuade the love that can not once withhold itself? we would not ask, were prayer to change established law. but, we will open here our hearts, and so receive the blessedness that seeks us and has sought us,--sought us as the sunlight sought us early,--seeks us as the raindrops seek us in the storm. not more canst thou withhold the goodness from us. we wait receptively, unbarring all our rust-hinged doors to welcome the true favors that now find us. in sweet trust, asking or unasking, we abide ever in thee. amen. perry marshall. july _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._ john ruskin. father divine, thou art indeed kind. thine are the ways of kindness, of wisdom, and of love,--the ways of pleasantness and the paths of peace. in simple and humble spirit as becometh thy children, may we walk with thee accomplishing the work to which thou dost call us. our work is thy work, our business the father's business; the business of justice, mercy and truth. when loyal and true, we are what we are, and do what we do by thy grace. so help us to honor thee in all the duties of life,--"not slothful in business,--fervent in spirit,"--pleasing thee and therefore happy ourselves. amen. isaac p. coddington. july _threefold is the form of space: length, with ever restless motion, seeks eternity's wide ocean; breadth with boundless sway extends; depth to unknown realms descends._ _all as types to thee are given; thou must onward strive for heaven, never still or weary be, wouldst thou perfect glory see; far must thy researches go wouldst thou learn the world to know; thou must tempt the dark abyss wouldst thou prove what being is._ _naught but firmness gains the prize,-- naught but fulness makes us wise,-- buried deep, truth ever lies!_ proverbs of confucius. our heavenly father, help us this day to make good our privilege to feel and think of thee as we do. help us this day to make ourselves part of our brotherhood, and our brotherhood part of thee. we know not what the day hath in store for us, but we pray thee to help us have in store for it our better heart, our better hands. send thy holy spirit into our life to calm and to strengthen; that we may be steadfast and true; that we may give and be forgiven. bless all thy children this day, and may our labor end as it began, in thee, with thee, for thee. amen. louis h. buckshorn. july _o impatient ones! do the leaves say nothing to you as they murmur to-day? they are not fashioned this spring, but months ago; and the summer just begun will fashion others for another year. at the bottom of every leaf-stem is a cradle, and in it is an infant germ; and the winds will rock it, and the birds will sing to it all summer long, and next season it will unfold. so god is working for you and carrying forward to the perfect development all the processes of our lives._ henry ward beecher. o eternal father, giver of all spiritual grace, we thank thee for thy presence in our hearts. may we realize that thou hast the best possible plan for every human life. help us to be patient and joyful in the consciousness that thou art carrying forward thy blessed work in us. thy love, o lord, is equal to thy wisdom, and thou wilt always do what is best for us. may thy holy will be our delight, so that we may each trust in thee at all times and cheerfully say, thy will, o lord, not mine, be done. thou who dost care for the birds and the lilies art ever mindful of us, thy children. deliver us from worry and may thy peace guard our hearts and minds in christ jesus. amen. george h. cheney. july _let us hope that one day all mankind will be happy and wise; and though this day never should dawn to have hoped for it cannot be wrong. and in any event, it is helpful to speak of happiness to those who are sad, that thus at least they may learn what it is that happiness means. they are ever inclined to regard it as something beyond them, extraordinary, out of their reach. but if all who may count themselves happy were to tell, very simply, what it was that brought happiness to them, the others would see that between sorrow and joy the difference is but as between a gladsome, enlightened acceptance of life and a hostile gloomy submission; between a large and harmonious conception of life, and one that is stubborn and narrow._ maeterlinck. o lord, we thank thee for the special providence which is over everything which thou hast created, and wherein thou residest with all thine infinite perfections. we thank thee that thou carest for us all, that in our day of joy we know it is thou who fillest our cup, by giving us the faculties which make it run over at the brim. we thank thee that thou art with us in our days of hardship and of calamity, that when our own heart cries out against us, thou art greater than our heart, and, understanding all things, blessest us in secret ways; and when we are cast down and go stooping and feeble, with hungering eyes and a failing heart, that thou still art with us, and leadest us from strength to strength and blessest us continually. amen. theodore parker. july _were any of us really disappointed or melancholy in a hayfield? did we ever lie fairly back on a haycock and look up into the blue sky, and listen to the merry sounds, the whetting of scythes and the laughing prattle of women and children, and think evil thoughts of the world or our brethren? not we! or, if we have so done we ought to be ashamed of ourselves, and deserve never again to be out of town during hay-harvest._ thomas hughes. dear heavenly father, we devoutly thank thee for the beautiful open face of nature shining upon us; for the splendor of the fields where the birds wing their merry flight; for the breath of the flowers and the grass beneath the scythe, like the odor of incense; and most of all, for the merry shouts of women and children and men in the meadow, in the heyday of happiness, as they fill their souls with the freedom of the children of god, and live in the open where no evil breath can come. grant that we may live spiritually forever in the fragrant hayfields of life, where the birds sing and the children shout, and where no covering or roof can ever shut out the sunshine of life's eternal bliss. amen. robert s. kellerman. july _a story is told of a king who went into his garden one morning and found everything withering and dying. he asked an oak that stood near the gate what the trouble was. he found that it was sick of life and determined to die, because it was not tall and beautiful like the pine. the pine was out of heart because it could not bear grapes like the vine; the vine was going to throw its life away, because it could not stand erect and have as fine fruit as the pomegranate; and so on throughout the garden. coming to the heart'sease, the king found its bright face uplifted, as full of cheerfulness as ever. said the king, "well, heart'sease, i am glad to find one brave little flower in this general discouragement and dying. you don't seem one bit disheartened." "no, your majesty. i know i am of small account; but i concluded you wanted a heart'sease when you planted me. if you had wanted an oak, or a pine, or a vine, or a pomegranate, you would have set one out. so i am bound to be the best heart'sease that ever i can."_ william moodie. like the wise king of old, i pray thee, gracious lord, give unto me wisdom. may thy pillar of light guide my footsteps so that i go not astray in the wilderness of sin and selfish ambition. help me to acquire a pure heart and a contented spirit. amidst all the vicissitudes of fortune, let faith induce me to say, "whatever god doeth is well." amen. m. m. eichler. july _what shall i do to be just? what shall i do for the gain of the world--for its sadness? teach me, o seers that i trust! chart me the difficult main leading out of my sorrow and madness, preach me the purging of pain._ _shall i wrench from my finger the ring to cast to the tramp at my door? shall i tear off each luminous thing to drop in the palm of the poor? what shall i do to be just? teach me, o ye in the light, whom the poor and the rich alike trust; my heart is aflame to be right._ hamlin a. garland. infinite spirit, thou seest us just as we are. in thy sight there can be no make-believe; we need not seek to offer thee as a penance for our sins some cheap alms to the poor, for thy favor cannot be bought. we pray simply that we may be just,--that we may be true. if we have wronged anyone, help us to right the wrong. if we have been false to ourselves or false to our neighbors, o lord, make us true,--we seek no easy admission to a far-off heaven, we seek thy presence here and now, today, by the only pathway open, the pathway of righteousness and truth. that we may enter this pathway, grant us we pray thee the illumination of thy holy spirit. amen. george l. perin. july _the law of worthy life is fundamentally the law of strife. it is only through labor, painful effort, by grim energy and resolute courage, that we move on to better things._ theodore roosevelt. _if we would please god we must watch every stroke and touch upon the canvas of our lives; we may not think we can lay it on with a trowel and yet succeed. we ought to live as miniature painters work, for they watch every line and tint._ spurgeon. as we begin this new day, o our father, may such energy and vigor, such strength and courage, such faith and hope be ours that the problems and tasks awaiting us may be boldly and gladly met as challenges to our powers. may that abundant life be in us which shall make our difficulties a tonic, and the struggle to achieve high aims a joy. may we be resourceful, equal to life, adequate to every situation, able to stand this universe,--men who can. may we count it a privilege to live, to have a vision of life's possibilities, and to have the fellowship of so many good men and women by the way. amen. george r. dodson. july _with place, with gold, with power--oh, ask me not with these my little hour of life to blot. a little hour indeed! and i would fain its moments spend in what is worth its pain. what traveler would faint through troublous lands to gather only what must leave his hands the moment that he takes his homeward ship? earth's goods and gauds give every man the slip; but wealth of thought and richer wealth of love, must pass for coin in any world above. the good to others done while here i strive is all at last that shall my dying shrive; and, setting sail, my slight self-conquest's store is all my freight if i shall come to shore._ anonymous. o father, god! the span of our influence is both near and far; may it also be direct and strong. thou hast planted mighty virtue and unquenchable love in our hearts. love knows the secret of imparting virtue's value to all the wretchedness in life. so, we beseech thee, direct our hearts to altitudes of holiness and set our feet in the highways of helpfulness. may the charm of gentleness be in every service to-day, and may the tone of tenderness carry love's message over all barriers to the hearts that need. thus would we keep our confidence with thee and bind ourselves more profitably to our fellows. so shall thy great name be honored among men. amen. j. o. randall. july _what seems to grow fairer to me as life goes by, is the love and peace and tenderness of it. not its wit and cleverness and grandeur of knowledge, but just the laughter of little children, and the friendship of friends, and the cosy talk of the fireside, and the sight of flowers and the sound of music._ j. r. green. now that thou givest us the light of a new day, grant that it carry with it the brightness of hope and courage for whatsoever the day may offer. always behind the clouds is the shining that never fails; always beyond the labor which irks us is the joy of attainment. open our eyes that we may see the best which shall be in the day; its love of friends, its sights of beauty, its music, its wisdom such as no day before could possess, its voices of the spirit awaiting the listening ear, its tears of compassion and sympathy. give us our daily bread such as shall feed the heart and enrich the mind and grant us forgiveness when we are blind to the common treasures of this thy world. amen. george a. thayer. july _methought that in a solemn church i stood. its marble acres, worn with knees and feet, lay spread from door to door, from street to street. midway the form hung high upon the rood of him who gave his life to be our good; beyond, priests flitted, bowed, and murmured meet among the candles shining still and sweet. men came and went, and worshipped as they could; and still their dust a woman with her broom, bowed to her work, kept sweeping to the door. then saw i slow through all the pillared gloom across the church a silent figure come. "daughter," it said, "thou sweepest well my floor!" "it is the lord!" i cried, and saw no more._ george macdonald. our father, who art ever with us, help us this day so to reveal thee through our common tasks, our relations with one another, in our homes and at our work, that men may know and love thee better. this is thy most beautiful world. may we not mar its glory by our selfishness, but by the gentleness and sweetness of our lives make it more beautiful. may we this day not add to another's burden of care or pain. but may we by our words and deeds sweeten and brighten and strengthen the lives of those whom we meet. for thy goodness and mercy to us, for the opportunity of service, for love and sympathy, we thank thee and pray that our devotion to thy truth may reveal the thankfulness of our hearts. amen. arthur l. wheatherly. july _for i, a man, with men am linked, and not a brute with brutes; no gain that i experience must remain unshared; but should my best endeavor to share it, fail--subsisteth ever god's care above, and i exult that god, by god's own ways occult, may--doth, i will believe--bring back all wanderers to a single track._ robert browning. father of all souls in all worlds, our best friend forever, in thy good keeping we cannot wander beyond thy loving care. we thank thee for life, for the fair world we live in, enriched by thy countless benefits, for the glad tidings of thy fatherly love that never fails, for the brotherhood that binds together all thy children, and for the immortal hope that beckons us up and on. by faithful living may we make life divine, and by brotherly service show thee our gratitude and love. may the gospel of jesus prevail in all hearts, speedily bring all wanderers home, draw our souls heavenward, and prepare us for higher and larger realms of service, where we shall forever live to thy glory. amen. rush r. shippen. july _that man has a liberal education who has been so trained in youth that his body is the ready servant of his will, and does with ease and pleasure the work that it is capable of; whose intellect is a clear logic engine, ready to spin the gossamer as well as forge the anchors of the mind--one full of life and fire but whose passions are trained to come to heel by a rigorous will; the servant of a tender conscience; who has learned to love beauty, to hate vileness and to respect others as himself; such a one is in harmony with nature; they will get on together._ thomas henry huxley. our father, we would face this day in conscious companionship with thee. give us to know thy will, to do thy work. help us to interpret aright thy constant revelation of love in nature and in the experiences of life. give us strength so to will and so to act that we may make this day rich in the joy that comes from helpful living. may divine impulse find quick expression in righteous deed. in thine unresting effort to make this world thine own may we join with glad hearts. rejoicing in thy love, strong in the consciousness of thy presence, may we go to our day's work with unwavering purpose to do thy will. amen. lathan a. crandall. july _a lily grows mysteriously, pushing up its solid weight of stem and leaf in the teeth of gravity. shaped into beauty by secret and invisible fingers, the flower develops we know not how. but we do not wonder at it. every day the thing is done; it is nature, it is god. we are spiritual enough at least to understand that. but when the soul rises slowly above the world, pushing up its delicate virtues in the teeth of sin, shaping itself mysteriously into the image of christ, we deny that the power is not of man. a strong will, we say, a high ideal, the reward of virtue, christian influence--these will account for it. spiritual character is merely the product of anxious work, self-command, and self-denial. we allow, that is to say, a miracle to the lily, but none to the man. the lily may grow; the man must fret and toil and spin._ henry drummond. this morning, our god, we need thee! give us thyself afresh in the holy inspiration of heart warmth and burning love, that today we may have power from above while we walk and toil with things and folks of earth. may we be the vase to hold the blossoming beauty of thy unfolding. so may that beauty which thou givest unfold in acts which we are led to perform, and the holiness of this day set fast character drawn from thee. thus may we all who are thy children gladden the earth with unfolding beauty and kindness and shut out the things that are earthy. amen. e. e. small. july _the more simply you live, the more secure is your future; you are less at the mercy of surprises and reverses. an illness or a period of idleness does not suffice to dispossess you; a change of position, even considerable, does not put you to confusion. having simple needs, you find it less painful to accustom yourself to the hazards of fortune. you remain a man, though you lose your office or your income, because the foundation on which your life rests is not your table, your cellar, your horses, your goods and chattels, or your money. in adversity you will not act like a nursling deprived of its bottle and rattle. stronger, better armed for the struggle, presenting like those with shaven heads, less advantage to the hands of your enemy, you will also be of more profit to your neighbor._ charles wagner. o thou who art ever the same, with the growing light of a new day, we would again take thy name upon our lips; and again invite the dear consciousness of thy presence. we do not know what this day may yield us. it may bring disaster; perhaps cherished hopes must be surrendered; plans may miscarry, clouds may gather, and storms may rage, but we will not be unmanned. we will not surrender our hold upon thee. may we thus be enabled to meet disaster with courage, and unlooked for joy with the poise of humility. guard our goings-out and our comings-in, and lead us into the beauteous paths of ripe content. amen. james harry holden. july _love wore a suit of hodden gray and toiled within the fields all day._ _love wielded pick and carried pack and bent to heavy loads the back._ _though meagre fed and sorely lashed, the only wage love ever asked,_ _a child's wan face to kiss at night, a woman's smile by candle light._ margaret sangster. our father in heaven, we thank thee for love. how rich a gift it has been to us, and how exhaustless. it has been the source of all other gifts. we thank thee for the brightness and gladness with which love invests the sunny day, and more for the patience and hope which it inspires when the sky is overcast and the way grows weary. in joy or sorrow we can ask nothing better than that it be our constant guest. we thank thee for home life which offers us every hour its opportunity to give and to receive love. may it be to us the symbol of thy great household which thy love pervades. and as we thus think of it may our home life grow to us more holy and divine and thy love for all thy children more personal and tender until thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven. amen. vincent e. tomlinson. july _the entire object of true education is to make people not merely do the right things, but enjoy the right things--not merely industrious, but to love industry--not merely learned, but to love knowledge--not merely pure, but to love purity--not merely just, but to hunger and thirst after justice._ john ruskin. o father, fill us with thy love today, with love for thee, and love for the morning light and all thy glory. fill us with love for the work that thou dost give us to do, with love for the truth that thou dost reveal to us and with love for the ideals of purity and righteousness that thou dost set before us. may we have love for all thy children. make us realize that they are all our brothers and sisters. make us strive to have thy will done in their lives. make us eager to have them know thee. amen. charles b. bliss. july _if you were toiling up a weary hill, bearing a load beyond your strength to bear. straining each nerve untiringly and still stumbling and losing foothold here and there and each one passing by would do so much as give one upward lift and go his way, would not the slight reiterated touch of help and kindness lighten all the day?_ _if you were breasting a keen wind which tossed and buffeted and chilled you as you strove, till baffled and bewildered quite, you lost the power to see the way, and aim and move, and one, if only for a moment's space, gave you a shelter from the bitter blast, would you not find it easier to face the storm again when the brief rest was past?_ susan coolidge. our father, as we thank thee for the friendly service and sympathy that bless and strengthen our daily lives, we pray that our gratitude may move us to give a like service and sympathy as freely as we receive. in the day to whose beginning thou hast brought us, let our hearts and hands be ready to meet the needs of those with whom we come in touch. so influence our wayward wills that we shall not walk in selfish ways, nor forget the ties that bind us to one another, and to thee. keep us conscious of our birthright as thy children, that our acts and aims may be filial and fraternal and loyal to jesus christ our lord. amen. costello weston. july _it matters little where i was born, whether my parents were rich or poor, whether they shrank from the cold world's scorn or walked in the pride of wealth secure; but whether i live an honest man, and hold my integrity firm in my clutch, i tell you brother, plain as i am, it matters much._ from the swedish. dear father in heaven, good giver of all, for birth in a land fair and free, for parents with pluck, if not the best luck, who toiled and who suffered for me. who never knew fear, though the scorners were near, whom circumstance filled not with pride, i thank thee! these gifts, more than all on the lists, have mattered with me, and abide. while striving and struggling my manhood to build, to live like thine own perfect son, i find on earth's face not just one single place where such work so well can be done as in the fair land which from thy gracious hand comes to me a home to enjoy, where man, who should grow, may all liberty know in seeking the soul's high employ. amen. frederick c. priest. july _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._ thomas carlyle. creator of things, father of spirits, standing at the dawn of a new day we seek thy blessing. we know not what awaits us, thou knowest, grant us guidance! help us to see all our duties in the light of thy countenance. thou hast made the little and the large, help us to see our duties in their relation to thy plans. whatsoever we do, help us to do all to thy glory. help us to sweep our floors as to thy laws, right our rooms as a part of thy universe, care for our clothes as gifts from thee. help us to see thee in the souls thou hast sent into the world, to treat them as thinking-thoughts of thine, expressions of thy life. may we owe no man anything but to love, may the sun never set on an unpaid bill. for thy name's sake. amen. o. p. gifford. july _write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. no man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is doomsday. today is a king in disguise. today always looks mean to the thoughtless, in the face of an uniform experience that all good and great and happy actions are made up precisely of these blank todays. let us not be so deceived, let us unmask the king as he passes._ ralph waldo emerson. our father, we thank thee for this morning that ushers in the only day of which we have promise. whether it proves to be a day of sunshine or of clouds,--of joy or of sorrow,--may we live it with thankfulness, with perfect confidence that thou wilt always give us that which is for our own good. help us to spend this day in doing well what our hands find to do; may our souls breathe the spirit of love and helpfulness to all, and may we have abundantly the influence of thy divine spirit to keep us pure. amen. luther f. mckinney. july _i like the man who faces what he must with heart triumphant and a step of cheer; who fights the daily battle without fear; sees his hopes fail, yet keeps unfaltering trust that god is god; that somehow, true and just, his plans work out for mortals; not a tear is shed when fortune, which the world holds dear, falls from his grasp; better, with love, a crust than living in dishonor; envies not, nor loses faith in man; but does his best, nor even murmurs at his humbler lot; but with a smile and words of hope, gives zest to every toiler; he alone is great who by a life heroic conquers fate._ sarah knowles bolton. gracious father, last night we laid ourselves down in peace to sleep, but it was thou who madest us to dwell in safety, and when we awoke this morning we found ourselves still with thee. thy loving favor was keeping faithful watch and ward while we slumbered. we thank thee for thy kindly care of our lives during the darkness and danger of the night. confident of thy continued presence and armed with thy unfailing strength, we would go forth to meet the duties and delights of the new day. god with us, we will overcome every temptation, endure every trial, bear every burden, and improve every opportunity of character-building and service-rendering, in the trustful and courageous spirit of jesus christ our lord. amen. ralph e. conner. july _how large a part of our godward life is travelled, not by clear landmarks seen far off in the promised land, but as travellers climb a mountain peak, by putting footstep after footstep, slowly and patiently, into the prints which someone going before us, with keener sight, with stronger nerves, tied to us by the cord of saintly sympathy, has planted deep into the pathless snow of the bleak distance that stretches up between humanity and god.... so we ascend by one another. we live by one another's blessings._ phillips brooks. our father, we thank thee for the light of a new day. may a new spirit and new courage come to our hearts. we thank thee for all those who by patient toil and self-forgetting effort have made life as sweet and precious to us as it is. if we can no longer hear the voices nor see the faces of those we love or have reason to revere, may we be able to see their foot-prints and to take the way they trod, though that way seem steep and hard. may we be assured that the upward way leads to the expanding view and brings us to the splendor of the setting sun or of the still more glorious dawn. amen. hilary bygrave. july _a prince went into the vineyard to examine it. he came to a peach tree, and said, "what are you doing for me?" the tree said, "in the spring i give my blossoms and fill the air with fragrance, and on my boughs hangs the fruit which men will gather and carry into the palace for you." "well done!" said the prince. to the chestnut he said, "what are you doing?" "i am making nests for the birds, and shelter cattle with my leaves and spreading branches." and the prince said, "well done!" then he went down to the meadow and asked the grass what it was doing. "we are giving our lives for others, for your sheep and cattle that they may be nourished." and the prince said, "well done!" last of all he asked the tiny daisy what it was doing, and the daisy said, "nothing, nothing. i cannot make a nesting-place for the birds, and i cannot give shelter for the cattle, and i cannot send fruit into the palace, and i cannot even give food for the sheep and cows,--they do not want me in the meadow. all i can do is to be the best little daisy i can be." and the prince bent down and kissed the daisy, and said, "there is none better than thou."_ anonymous. help us, o father, not to wait for the great opportunities which may never come. help us to do with faithfulness the duties which lie close at hand. in our homes this day and wherever we may be--at school or on the street or at our work--fill our hearts with the spirit of christ and let that spirit speak in every word which passes our lips and shine from our faces and work with our hands. amen. walter a. tuttle. july _i will be glad all day for this cool draught and the clear drops i dash upon my brow; for the fresh glint of sunlight on the tree and the bird singing on the bough._ _i will be glad for that stored strength of life which lasts the day because the spirit wills; for the live air that wings from far and breathes the vigor of the everlasting hills._ _what scope of toil, what loss or what reward, i do not know. it is enough that now i pledge the day's good cheer with this cool draught and the drops dashed upon my brow._ charles p. cleaves. our father, we are nursed in thine arms, we are rested in the heart of jesus, so that we know no more the emptiness of earth and the poverty of time, for our citizenship is in heaven, already do we walk the streets of gold. out of the highest rapture may we come to do earth's plainest work, earth's hardest toil, with patient hearts and willing hands, knowing that death can be but for a moment, that all things are meant, in the sovereignty of god to give themselves up to the rule of life. thus may thy children be loyal citizens, patient workers, honest merchantmen, wise parents. be with all men who trust thee; melt the mountains before their coming, and open the gates of difficulty ere they reach them, and give them to feel that the greatness of thy mercy is the proof of its divinity. amen. joseph parker. july _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._ romans viii. - . _these verses seem to me to express completely the remedial power of god's love. in this rough and tumble world of ours, of hard conditions, of disasters many, of untold misery, there are temptations enough for men to lose faith in god's love. it is well now and then to have an outburst of faith like this with the assurance that nothing can ever separate any child of god from the divine compassion and the divine care._ george l. perin. our heavenly father, it is good for us to believe that through all storms and all darkness and all sickness and all infirmity, even through death itself, thy love abides. as we enter upon this day, we know not whither we shall go, but we thank thee for the assurance that we may not go away from thee. thou followest us with thy care and wrappest us around with thy love, as with a garment. in all that we do today may we know that thou seest us, and if our way be steep, may we be sure that thou lovest us. amen. george l. perin. august _begin the morning by saying to thyself, i shall meet this day with the busybody, the ungrateful, the arrogant, deceitful, envious, unsocial. all these things happen to them by reason of their ignorance of what is good and evil. but i who have seen the nature of the good that it is beautiful, and of the bad that it is ugly, can neither be injured by any of them--for no one can fix on me what is ugly--nor can i be angry with my neighbor, nor hate him. we are made for coöperation; to act against one another, that is contrary to nature; and it is acting against one another to be vexed and turn away._ marcus aurelius. eternal spirit of love, teach us the power of love. help us to learn that love is supreme, and hence envieth not, nor vaunteth itself, nor seeketh its own, but suffereth long and is kind. we, who in jesus of nazareth have seen the glory of thy likeness and experienced the sweetness of thy love, desire like him to reveal thee in our lives, to be loving and gentle, sincere and generous, to cooperate with friend and stranger in all that is good, to live so that they can work with us for the advancement of everything righteous. fill us, therefore, with thy spirit, and send us forth today in thy service. amen. william w. guth. august _"god!" let the torrents, like a shout of nations, answer! and let the ice-plain echo, "god!" "god!" sing, ye meadow streams, with gladsome voice ye pine groves, with your soft and soul-like sounds! and they, too have a voice, yon piles of snow, and in their perilous fall shall thunder, "god!"_ _ye living flowers that skirt the eternal frost! ye wild goats sporting round the eagle's nest! ye eagles, playmates of the mountain storm! ye lightnings, the dread arrows of the clouds! ye signs and wonders of the elements! utter forth "god!" and fill the hills with praise!_ samuel taylor coleridge. heavenly father, how long have thy servants thirsted after thee--thou spring of everlasting life! in this land of our home the meditations of ages surround us, and through the treasured thoughts of the wise in many generations we are lifted into a light beyond the solitary soul. countless are thy witnesses, eternal god! the stars without number are but a little part of them; and the prayers and aspirings of every heart of man can never cease to speak thee. humbled and blind amid thy manifold glories, may we find rest in the simplicity of christ, and be among the pure in heart who alone can see thee. amen. james martineau. august _o god, my master god, look down and see if i am making what thou wouldst of me. fain might i lift my hands up in the air from the defiant passion of my prayer; yet here they grope on this cold altar stone, graving the words i think i should make known. mine eyes are thine. yea, let me not forget, lest with unstaunched tears i leave them wet, dimming their faithful power, till they not see some small, plain task that might be done for thee. my feet, that ache for paths of flowery bloom, halt steadfast in the straitness of this room. though they may never be on errands sent, here shall they stay, and wait thy full content. and my poor heart, that doth so crave for peace, shall beat until thou bid its beating cease. so, thou dear master god, look down and see whether i do thy bidding heedfully._ alice brown. o god, our heavenly father, from whom cometh to us again this gift of life, may we be able to use as thou wouldst have us the fresh revelation and energy of each morning hour. may we be helped to see more clearly that task with all its blessings, which thou placest within our reach today. freshen our souls anew with the coming sunlight and quicken our will that we may perceive and fulfil our present duty gladly, eagerly, successfully, however humble in the spirit of those who remember that if done for thy sake and beneath thy laws even servile labors shine. amen. hobart clark. august _we thank thee for all that thou hast made, and that thou hast called it good! we thank thee! we enter into thy work, and go about thy business._ edward everett hale. _o, it is great, and there is no other greatness. to make some work of god's creation a little fruitfuller, better, more worthy of god; to make some human hearts a little wiser, manfuller, happier,--more blessed, less accursed,--it is a work for god._ thomas carlyle. heavenly father, we would begin the day with noble purpose; may we scorn all meanness, and lift up our heads unto the lord as men who have a great expectation. our hope is in a living god; thou wilt not allow our life to wander into darkness; if for a small moment we are forsaken, we shall be gathered with ineffable and everlasting mercies. in the confidence of thy presence, in the assurance of thy sustaining grace, we look steadfastly to heaven, and then we look hopefully to earth, and we know that, having begun the day with prayer and praise and pious expectancy, its hours shall all be gladdened and its even-tide shall be a benediction. guide us with thine eyes; sustain us by thy mighty power; keep us this day without sin. amen. joseph parker. august _the scenery around your house may be monotonous, without a mountain or sea or lake or hill; but an upward look at the clear sky will put you in instant communication with infinite beauty and majesty. no spot on earth is common or barren over which the skies bend in solemn silence. no human life need be barren or common which is connected by the great network of moral law with any other being._ j. h. carlisle. our god and father, the author of beauty, the rewarder of all them that seek thee, we, thy children, come to thee at the opening of this new day. may we have hearts so pure that we shall see thee; minds so open that we shall talk with thee; and lives so true that we shall reveal thee. let toil become to us as a sacrament. reveal to us the beauty of life as well as of holiness and help us to live with upturned faces, so that we may catch the glory of thy presence, and reflect it to all around us. may we walk with thee, thinking thy thoughts, having thy visions of beauty and of life. when life's evening shall come gather us in thine arms of love to be with thee in the home which thou hast prepared for us and hast beautified with earth's fairest treasures through jesus christ, our lord. amen. john galbraith. august _how good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ all the heart and the soul and the senses forever in joy!_ robert browning. _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._ jean ingelow. our heavenly father, all thy works prove thy goodness; the world thou givest us is good; the powers with which thou dost endow us are adapted to deeds of goodness. we know full well that we do evil as well as good. some of our days close in sadness.... at the beginning of this day we pledge ourselves to try harder than ever to do something good, to make somebody happy, to keep our minds filled with pure thoughts, to set our ambitions on worthy objects; and we pray that thou who art "the power not ourselves that makes for righteousness" shalt work with us that through our effort and thy help the day shall end in joy and peace. amen. lee s. mccollester. august _our lives are songs; god writes the words, and we set them to music at pleasure; and the song grows glad, or sweet, or sad, as we choose to fashion the measure. we must write the music, whatever the song, whatever its rhyme or metre; and if it is sad, we can make it glad, or, if sweet, we can make it sweeter._ ella wheeler wilcox. we thank thee, o god, that thou hast made us responsive to all the beauty and gladness about us, and that we may make our lives one grand, sweet song. we know there is much that may spoil the song. but we thank thee, that if we follow the great leader, we can change all discordant notes into harmony. help us through him to tune our lives into accord with thine. especially may we live in peace with each other. make us strong to return good for evil, to meet irritability with patience, unkindness with gentleness and harsh words with quiet speech. so may our lives "be filled with music, and the cares that infest the day, shall fold their tents like the arabs, and as silently steal away." amen. james m. payson. august _back of the canvas that throbs the painter is hinted and hidden, into the statue that breathes the soul of the sculptor is bidden, under the joy that is felt lie the infinite issues of feeling; crowning the glory revealed is the glory that crowns the revealing. great are the symbols of being, but that which is symbolled is greater; vast the create and beheld, but vaster the inward creator._ richard realf. thou, lord, who hast created us surely for good and not evil, for thou art good and doest good, wilt go with us through all the day. help us to keep in mind thy presence, that we may walk before thee and be perfect, that we may walk with thee and be pleasing to thee, that we may walk after thee, humbly, reverently. may we prize the glories that come with the hours, not suffering them to make us conceited or self-centered, or unduly independent, but utilize them as means to make us more fully a part of thee. give us this day complete victory over each temptation as it arrives, and may we feel when night falls that we have acquitted ourselves well in the campaign, and done what we could to make, not only ourselves, but the world around us, better. amen. james mudge. august _each night is followed by its day, each storm by fairer weather, while all the works of nature sing their songs of joy together. then learn, o heart, their songs of hope! cease, soul, thy thankless sorrow; for though the clouds be dark today, the sun will shine tomorrow._ t. edgar jones. father of light! who causeth light to shine out of darkness and maketh day to follow the night; we thank thee for thy loving care that has brought us from the slumber and rest of night to behold the light of a new day. may we rejoice in it, and cheerfully enter upon its duties and experiences. may the grace of thy presence make our sunshine, that we may walk in the light of heaven, breathe its atmosphere and engage in its service; doing thy will in the service of one another and in the service of love, truth and goodness. may the light of faith, hope, and love shining within us, dispel all darkness and sorrow from our lives, that light which shines so lustrously from the life of jesus christ our lord. amen. robert t. polk. august _never say, "it is nobody's business but my own what i do with my life." it is not true. your life is put into your bands as a trust, for many others besides yourself. if you use it well, it will make many others happy; if you abuse it, you will harm many others besides yourself._ james m. pullman. almighty father, whom, though we have not seen, we love, we know not what this day may bring forth but we know that it shall be for good as our trust is in thee. we look up and adore thee, and we believe and love and obey. throughout all the hours of this day may we be "diligent in business, fervent in spirit, serving the lord." we believe in the victory of good over evil, of light over darkness; help us to bear our part courageously in the battle. be merciful to us and make us merciful to one another. may we be numbered with those who are pure in heart, and see god in the humblest service to the humblest people. we beseech thee to answer according to thy love not only these prayers which we utter with our lips but also the silent prayers of our heart. amen. harold pattison. august _prince florimel and prince carimel were twin brothers, the sons of a king, and no one could tell which of the two ought to succeed to the throne, for they were both exactly the same age. so one day they went to a wise magician, and asked him which of them ought to be king after their father's death. "he who is most worthy," said the magician. "but how shall we find out who is most worthy?" "he who possesses the magic flower that grows in the enchanted forest shall be found most worthy," he answered. so the two brothers travelled through the enchanted forest until they found the magic flower; but it grew in such a dangerous place that carimel would not attempt to reach it. florimel, however, clambered down the rocks and plucked the flower; and when he had got it, what do you think he did with it? why, he gave it to his brother, for the name of that magic flower was unselfishness._ william moodie. our father, with thankful hearts for all thy goodness to us in the past,--we seek thy holy spirit's guidance for the day before us. help us to live not for self alone, but for the good of all with whom we mingle. may the needy, suffering, and struggling ones all about us gather strength because of our devotion to thee. so inspire us to forget ourselves, that we may the better remember our master, and the privileges and duties of a life's service to thy children. wilt thou not, infinite one, thus help us, this day, and in all the days to come, to live to thy glory! amen. lewis p. bates. august _to do something for someone else; to love the unlovely; to give a hand to the unattractive; to speak to the uncongenial; to make friends with the poor and folks of lowly degree; to find a niche in the church of the lord, and to do something out of sheer love for him; to determine in his house to have his mind; to plan to win at least one for the master; to aim to redeem past time that is lost; to will to let one's light shine; to cut off practices that are sinful and costly; to add the beauty of holiness--this is to make one's life a thing of beauty and this is to grow in grace, for growing in grace is simply copying the beautiful life of the altogether lovely one._ edward f. reimer. infinite father, we rejoice that it is possible for us to be workers together with thee by giving our sympathy, love and help to thy needy children. as thou hast honored us by appointing us to such a gracious ministry, may we seek to honor thee in return by trying to do thy blessed will. in all lowly and gentle ways, may we do what we can to bind up the broken-hearted, to relieve the distressed, to strengthen the weak. let none who suffer look to us in vain for some manifestation of the christ-like spirit. may we so meet and treat the sad, the lonely, the tempted, that they shall take knowledge of us that we have been with jesus. so may his heavenly teaching bear sweet fruit in our conduct and characters, and so may the kingdom which he came to establish grow apace in the world. in his name. amen. willard c. selleck. august _let me feel that i am to be a lover. i am to see to it that the world is better for me, and to find my reward in the act. love would put a new face on this weary old world in which we dwell as pagans and enemies too long; and it would warm the heart to see how fast the vain diplomacy of statesmen, the impotence of armies and navies and lines of defence, would be superseded by this unarmed child. this great, overgrown, dead christendom of ours still keeps alive at least the name of a lover of mankind. but one day all men will be lovers: and every calamity will be dissolved in the universal sunshine._ ralph waldo emerson. what manner of love hast thou bestowed upon us, dear lord, that we should be called thy children! as thou hast loved us, so teach us each to love the world. this day someone will go forth to business on land or sea burdened with heavy cares: some father disheartened and discouraged will take up the trials of yesterday wondering what the end will be--some mother dismayed with her lot will cry "how long?" help us, o lord to minister to them in word or look, in prayer or gift. as the sun shall this day bring light and life to this old earth causing it to yield its highest purpose, so grant that thy love may give through us a new inspiration to all mankind. hasten the time when all shall love thee as thou hast loved the world. then will each love the other. then will the sword and the spear be molten into the plowshare and the pruning hook, and the desert shall bud and blossom as the rose. amen. edwin alonzo blake. august _thou art, o god, the life and light of all this wondrous world we see; its glow by day, its smile by night, are but reflections caught from thee. where'er we turn, thy glories shine, and all things fair and bright are thine._ thomas moore. almighty god, our heavenly father, who hast safely brought us to the beginning of this day, defend us in the same with thy mighty power. grant that this day we fall into no sin. create in us a clean heart and renew a right spirit within us. open our eyes that this day may be a fresh disclosure of thyself, the unseen presence; endow us with thy strength that, in joy and pain, it may lead us into thy house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. enable us so to use the things of the world that while they abide we may not lose thy presence, and when they pass we may not stand alone. so shall the spirit of christ inflame us. amen. frederick w. perkins. august _it ain't no use to grumble and complain, it's just as cheap and easy to rejoice; when god sorts out the weather and sends rain, why, rain's my choice._ james whitcomb riley. _when you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you, till it seems as if you could not hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that's just the place and time that the tide will turn._ harriet beecher stowe. father, we pray thee that in every emergency of our lives we may be faithful to the duty which the day demands, and with reverent spirits acquit us like men, doing what should be done, bearing what must be borne, and so growing greater from our toil and our sufferings, till we transfigure ourselves into noble images of humanity, which are blameless within and beautiful without, and acceptable to thy spirit. so may thy kingdom come and thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven; for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory, the dominion and honor forever and ever. amen. theodore parker. august _it was only a glad "good morning" as she passed along the way; but it spread the morning's glory over the livelong day._ carlotta perry. _smile upon the troubled pilgrims whom you pass and meet; frowns are thorns, and smiles are blossoms, oft to weary feet. do not make the way seem harder by a sullen face; smile a little, smile a little, brighten up the place._ ella wheeler wilcox. father, in this morning hour, we would look into thy face and feel the sweetness of that transforming influence which is forever baptizing thy world with light and gladness, adding beauty to beauty and glory to glory. baptize us anew, with this all-pervading spirit and send us out into this day's work to meet its varied experiences with trusting hearts and smiling faces. may we each send forth a brightening, gladdening influence to cheer and strengthen and uplift every weary, troubled pilgrim whom we meet on this day's journey. so may it be ours to enter into closer and diviner fellowship with thee, our father, whose greatest joy is to impart joy and blessing to thy waiting children. amen. annette j. shaw. august _there are nettles everywhere, but smooth green grasses are more common still; the blue of heaven is larger than the cloud._ elizabeth barrett browning. _flower in the crannied wall, i pluck you out of the crannies;-- hold you here, root and all, in my hand, little flower--but if i could understand what you are, root and all, and all in all, i should know what god and man is._ alfred tennyson. o thou, who hast gemmed the heavens with round, revolving worlds, the earth with beauty and the coronet of our minds with royal faculties, we do not know what "the little flower is, root and all, and all in all" and yet, dear lord, through the clear and the convincing revelation of thy dear son; through the divine image which thou hast implanted within us; through the mighty and the persuasive witness from experience, we do feel and believe that thou art the great creator, preserver and benefactor; that thou hast called us to do a noble, a specific work; that we ought not to neglect the gift that is in us; to this end wilt thou help us to be pure, brave, faithful and strong, that we may fight the good fight, and win the crown of righteousness. amen. albert hammatt. august _o ye, so far above me on the height, i cannot hear your voices as ye stand facing the vast, invisible to me. but i can see your gestures of delight, and something guess of that wide, glorious sea, the glimmering isles of that enchanted land, the winds which from that ocean freshly blow. and so your vision lifts me toward the height, although ye have forgot me far below._ _but you, my brother, you, my near of kin, who some few steps above me on the steep look smiling back to cheer me ever on, who lend a hand as i the chasm leap, and stay your haste that i the crag may win, thinking it scorn for strength to climb alone; you with your morning song when sings the lark, you, with unflagging purpose at high noon, and quiet-hearted trust when comes the dark,-- to you i owe it that i climb at all._ mary frances wright. spirit of the infinite life! we praise thee that our visions of the divinest rise far beyond the borders of our known and familiar fields, that the resources of our unwearied life are in those mysterious regions that we have not explored. and yet we rejoice that the shadows of these holy visions fall across our common ways, reporting thus from the infinite and the unknown the possibilities of greater fortunes yet to be. in this life of thee may we dwell, seeing thee in the life about us and evermore seeking to lead the life toward those high places that are always waiting the coming of those who aspire toward thee. amen. e. l. rexford. august _the flowers got into a debate one morning as to which of them was the flower of god: and the rose said: "i am the flower of god, for i am the fairest and the most perfect in beauty and variety of form and delicacy of fragrance of all the flowers." and the crocus said: "no, you are not the flower of god. why, i was blooming long before you bloomed. i am the primitive flower; i am the first one." and the lily of the valley said modestly: "i am small, but i am white; perhaps i am the flower of god." and the trailing arbutus said: "before any of you came forth i was blooming under the leaves and under the snow. am i not the flower of god?" and all the flowers cried out: "no, you are no flower at all; you are a come-outer." and then god's wind, blowing on the garden, brought this message to them: "little flowers, do you not know that every flower that answers god's spring call, and comes out of the cold, dark earth, and lifts its head above the sod and blooms forth, catching the sunlight from god and flinging it back to men, taking the sweet south wind from god and giving it back to others in sweet and blessed fragrance--do you not know they are all god's flowers?"_ lyman abbott. our heavenly father, in thy sight, there are no nations, there is no north and no south, no east and no west; there is no black and no white; jew and gentile, bond and free,--all are thine. o, lord, give us so much breadth of sympathy that we shall be able to understand at least dimly the universality of thy love. amen. george l. perin. august _sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife! to all the sensual world proclaim one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name._ walter scott. _do not pray for easy lives. pray to be stronger men. do not pray for tasks equal to your powers. pray for powers equal to your tasks. then the doing of your work shall be no miracle. but you shall be a miracle. every day you shall wonder at yourself, at the richness of life which has come to you by the grace of god._ phillips brooks. our heavenly father, we thank thee for the rest of the night and the joy and beauty of the morning. this day we accept as a loving tribute of thy love to thy children. may we not mar it by unhallowed thoughts, unkind, hasty and regretful speech and shameful and evil deeds. may ours be the illumination which comes from moral and spiritual conquest. may we feel the ties that bind us tenderly to thee and to one another; and work for that large human brotherhood, which holds in its strong embrace even the most distant and isolated member of the human family. may we go forth to our work with a deep and abiding faith in the power of good over evil and willing to do our share in the building up of thy kingdom of love and righteousness, peace and good will here upon earth. amen. hendrik vossema. august _we learn wisdom from failure much more than from success, often discover what will do by finding out what will not do, and probably he who never made a mistake never made a discovery. horne tooke used to say of his studies in intellectual philosophy that he had become all the better acquainted with the country through having had the good luck sometimes to lose his way._ samuel smiles. our father, in the strength of our nightly rest and daily bread we go forth to whatever needs us or awaits us. nothing from thee is too difficult for us to attempt; nothing too grievous for us to bear. teach us how priceless is thy gift of life, how close we are to the fountain of strength, how sure of success is every effort to bring good to pass. reverently and believingly would we hearken to thee in our inmost souls. let not our failures dishearten us, or the delay of results cause chill of doubt or fear. may our presence have strength and peace for others, and our lives proclaim that thou livest and art good to all. in the name of christ we lift our prayer. amen. samuel c. beane. august _at bannockburn lord randolph murray was being sorely pressed by a large body of cavalry. sir james douglas got leave from bruce to go to his aid, but just as he came up he found the english in disorder, and many horses galloping away with empty saddles. "halt!" he cried to his men; "these brave men have already repulsed the enemy; let us not diminish their glory by seeking to share it."_ william moodie. o god of hosts! on many a field of battle wilt thy soldiers fight this day. help them to be brave and true. give them a glorious victory. help us who watch to give them full credit for their valor. may we not diminish by seeking to share their glory. may we not render their deeds commonplace by insisting that "it is so easy, so natural, for them to be good," implying that their struggle has not been hard or that their victories had not been what ours have proven to be. help us, o lord, with valor to fight our own battles and run our own race and with gratitude to be glad in others' victories. amen. j. frank chase. august _the bee that sips her sweets from flowers fair, flying on careless wing now here, now there, with azure skies above, green sward below, and soft south wind to bear her to and fro, might seem the soul of self-devoted ease, her life a draught of nectar without lees. not so! her prime is full of strenuous deed that shames our own in generous meed of work for other's good. long summer days she builds her golden house, with guerdons stays her queen, uprears her young, and stores her food-- then sudden shuns her wealth, her home, her brood, and seeks new haven on an unknown sea, leaving her life-work to posterity._ henry hoyt moore. gracious father in heaven, and all about me, thy gentleness doth ever tend to make life greater and richer. thy providence is so wholesomely good, i would fain be completely at home in it. thou art very gracious. help me to be as gracious in my way as thou art in thy wonderful way. when i acknowledge that thou art good and wise, there comes a joyous freedom to my spirit that makes life a sweet pleasure. i desire ever to work in the fulness of this faith without grudging, without suspecting, an open, glad and fruitful service. oh, help me then to love my fellows more, and thee sincerely! amen. elihu grant. august _drudgery is the gray angel of success.... look at the leaders in the professions, the solid men in business, the master-workmen who begin as poor boys and end by building a town to house their factory-hands, they are drudges of the single aim.... "one thing i do."... mr. maydole, the hammer-maker of central new york, was an artist: "yes," he said, "i have made hammers for twenty-eight years." "well, then you ought to be able to make a pretty good hammer by this time." "no, sir," was the answer, "i never made a pretty good hammer--i make the best hammer made in the united states."_ william c. gannett. o lord, we remember our daily duties before thee, the hard toil which thou givest us in our manifold and various avocations, and we pray thee that there may be in us such a confidence in our nature, such earnest obedience to thee, we reverencing all thy qualities and keeping thy commands, that we shall serve thee every day, making our life one great act of holiness unto thee. may our continuous industry be so squared by the golden rule that it shall nicely fit with the interests of all with whom we have to do, and so by our handicraft all mankind shall be blessed. amen. theodore parker. august _his larger life ye cannot miss in gladly, nobly using this._ bayard taylor. _there are saints enough if we only know how to find them--sainthoods of the fireside and of the market place. they wear no glory round their heads; they do their duties in the strength of god; they have their martyrdoms and win their palms, and though they get into no calendars, they leave a benediction and a force behind them on the earth when they go up to heaven._ phillips brooks. our father, in whose life are our lives, help us to use all things nobly and so find joy in thee. we thank thee for faithful souls who in humblest station have reflected thy life and have worked for blessing. in thy strength they have sought to build thy kingdom, and though they have had no glory of men they yet have wrought for thee and have won place in thy heart. because they have aided the world and others have entered into their labors their good work shall remain and its quiet influence shall be a benediction. though they have lived obscure lives and have filled obscure places they have been precious in thy sight and are numbered with thy saints. may we, like them, eternally serve thee. amen. george h. young. august _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. o god, thou knowest the hours in which we desire thee. thou knowest that thou hast made us to love truth and to walk in the light and when we are unjust, unkind, unloving, then we are not true to ourselves,--then we forget that we are living souls and that thou art our father. let us not draw nigh to thee with our lips while our hearts are far from thee, but, knowing how dependent and frail we are, may we feel that it is a good and helpful thing to draw nigh unto thee by faith and prayer,--and to take thought of that infinite love which holds us all in its arms of strength and mercy. lift up our minds today, warm our affections, and deepen within us the feeling of reverence, of gratitude, and guide all the longings of our hearts aright. amen. joshua young. august _life may be given in many ways, and loyalty to truth be sealed as bravely in the closet as the field, so bountiful is fate; but then to stand beside her, when craven churls deride her, to front a lie in arms and not to yield, this shows, methinks, god's plan and measure of a stalwart man, limbed like the old heroic breeds, who stands self-poised on manhood's solid earth, not forced to frame excuses for his birth, fed from within with all the strength he needs._ james russell lowell. heavenly father, in this new day may we recognize a new opportunity for seeking thy purpose in us; to become stronger children of thine, and worthier followers of thy son. whatever be our trial give us courage to stand without compromise, for that which we believe to be true; give us grace to rise superior to praise or blame, timidity or self-interest; to be loyal to the best in us, and be ever ready to protest against wrong and injustice. help us to know ourselves as temples of thine; to know that the essential principal in us is not dust, but god; to rise to that dignity of sonship that compels one to choose the right and say: "here i stand, i cannot do otherwise." in his name. amen. herbert h. graves. august _all we have willed or hoped or dreamed of good, shall exist; not its semblance, but itself; no beauty, nor good, nor power whose voice has gone forth, but each survives for the melodist, when eternity affirms the conception of an hour. the high that proved too high, the heroic for earth too hard, the passion that left the ground to lose itself in the sky, are music sent up to god by the lover and the bard; enough that he heard it once: we shall hear it by and by._ robert browning. o god, our heavenly father! we come before thee at this morning hour, thanking thee for thy loving care, that has protected us through the night, and for the blessed sleep, that has brought refreshment to our bodies and minds. we are grateful, o father, for this new day, rich in hope and promise and opportunity, and we pray that, as its hours pass, we may be kept very near to thee, that the "words of our mouth and the meditations of our heart, may be acceptable in thy sight," that when the day is done, and we come to thee at its close, we need in no wise to be ashamed. amen. nellie mann opdale. august _how often does the chopper of some stone, while toiling at his task of heave and shock, find in the heart-space of a severed rock the impress of some fern that once had grown, full of aspiring life and color-tone, deep in the forest where the shadows flock, till, caught within the adamantine block, it lay for ages hidden and unknown! so many a beauteous thought blooms in the mind but unexpressed, droops down into the soul and lies unuttered in the silence there until some opener of the soul shall find the fern-like fossilled dream, complete and whole, and marvel at its beauty past compare._ alfred l. donaldson. o mighty potter, to whose steadfast eyes a thousand years lie open as one day, thy patient hand set firm on life's great wheel this heavy, shapeless clay. rough and imperfect, yet it owns thy touch; spare not, nor stay, the pressure of thine hand; make known thy power; and soon, or late, let love perfect what love hath planned! amen. l. h. hammond. august _the dark green summer, with its massive hues, fades into autumn's tincture manifold; a gorgeous garniture of fire and gold the high slope of the ferny hill indues. the mists of morn in slumbering layers diffuse o'er glimmering rock, smooth lake, and spiked array of hedgerow thorns a unity of gray. all things appear their tangible form to lose in ghostly vastness. but anon the gloom melts, as the sun puts off his muddy veil. and now the birds their twittering songs resume, all summer silent in the leafy dale. in spring they piped of love on every tree, but now they sing the song of memory._ hartley coleridge. ever blessed father, in whose pleasant world we are glad to awake again, looking forward to a happy and useful day, we beseech thy loving guidance through these hours. may we look abroad with gratitude and love upon this beautiful earth, doubly beautiful in the waning summer time, when a new splendor comes across the hills, and thou dost reveal thyself, as of old, in the burning bush. grant that we may look through nature up to nature's god. grant that the mists of doubt and uncertainty which often hide thee from us may be dispersed in the sunlight of a happy faith, and that the heart, so often sad and silent, may once more lift its cheerful song to thee. amen. alfred gooding. august _no rare creative inspirations throng my quiet spirit, silent, sad and lone; no sapphic flame hath on its altar shone; no music to my nature doth belong. thou art the sunlight, i am memnon's stone, thou art the zephyr, i give back its song; the harp Æolian can do no wrong to the soft airs which wake an answering tone: upon my soul, oh, then breathe tenderly; subdue the discord, still the jarring strain; so may the harp-strings yield but melody. if notes discordant give thy keen ear pain, set the fine chords again to harmony; let but sweet echoes of thyself remain._ ada foster murray. o thou who art the source of all that is and the giver of all that makes life blessed, we thank thee that thy providence abides through every change and that thou dost cheer the loneliest lot with the comfort of thy presence. thou hast been with us in times past and now on this last day of the summer months, we would thank thee for the blessings of the closing season and ask for the continuance of thy unfailing care and the enrichment of our souls with the gifts of thy spirit. bring us into harmony with all that is pure and good, and enable us to walk in the light of thy favor and in the paths of thy commandments. amen. charles h. vail. september _'neath harvest moon the stricken summer lies still smiling bravely in her brightest bloom, her heart yet holds no hint of gloom, no trace of sadness in her sunlit eyes. we love thee, summer, child of paradise-- a myriad host announce thy coming doom chanting the requiem of thy wintry tomb, while lovingly look down the tender skies; a holy hush is in the hazy air as in thy radiant beauty thou dost sleep! nature, arrayed in rainbow colors fair, is strong of heart her vigil long to keep: we know the secret thou dost seek to tell,-- thou art immortal, summer, fare thee well._ anna a. gordon. heavenly father, behind all changes dost thou lurk in eternal constancy. never lingering, each good of life gives place to the better thou hast in store, and in glory and gladness resigns to that which comes after. from the good that is, may we learn to pass cheerfully to the better that is to be,--from the cool morning and sunny noon to the purple gloaming and the star-lit night, from the tender spring and glowing summer to the golden autumn and snow-pure winter, from the sweet life that now is to that fulness of realization whose sweeter splendors eye hath not seen nor the heart of man conceived. we place our hands in thine and would walk with thee in holiest trust and serenest peace. amen. thomas w. illman. september _"i will be happy all the day let come what may." 'twas early morning when the word was said, and like a journey 'cross a weary plain there stretched the hours, but i was comforted as heart and voice sung o'er the sweet refrain, "i will be happy all the day let come what may."_ _"i will make hope and only hope my horoscope." the sombre, brooding clouds of discontent oppress one's spirit like a throbbing pain; one frets and moans in one's environment, but with a look ahead i sing again, "i will make hope and only hope my horoscope."_ frederick a. bisbee. yea, lord, we thank thee that we may hope and be happy all the day for omnipotence is our father and our changeless friend, and we have naught to fear. we are glad of life and thank thee for all that makes it heroic or beautiful or sweet. we rejoice in our home, in our dear ones, and in the precious human loves that reflect the love divine. pardon our sins, we pray thee, and work out thy purposes in us. may we work and hope on and be glad in thee filling this day so full of useful employ that when the night shall come, we shall lie down to sleep upon thy loving children like tired but happy children, and so find rest and refreshment for another day with men and thee. amen. carl f. henry. september _there's a dance of leaves in that aspen bower, there's a titter of winds in that beechen tree, there's a smile on the fruit, and a smile on the flower, and a laugh from the brook that runs to the sea._ william cullen bryant. _o sweet september! thy first breezes bring the dry leaf's rustle and the squirrel's laughter, the cool, fresh air, whence health and vigor spring and promise of exceeding joy hereafter._ george arnold. o lord, we thank thee for the spring, which brought her handsome promise, for the gorgeous preparation which the summer made in his manly strength, and we bless thee for the months of autumn, whose sober beauty now is cast on every hill and every tree. we thank thee for the harvests which the toil and the thought of man have gathered already from the surface of the ground, or digged from its bosom. we bless thee for the other harvests still growing beneath the earth, or hanging abundant beauties in the autumnal sun from many a tree, all over our blessed northern land. amen. theodore parker. september _do right, and god's recompense to you will be the power to do more right. give, and god's reward to you will be the spirit of giving more: 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._ frederick w. robertson. o lord, we thank thee for thy manifold gifts unto the children of men. thou givest life and all the sustenance of life. thou givest our fair and beautiful world. thou givest us the power of hope and faith and thought. from thine own giving may we learn that it is more blessed to give than to receive. teach us, o lord, to give more freely and more gladly, and may we learn how our own life, and joy and growth are involved in the spirit in which we give and serve. in all our giving and all our serving may we keep before us the vision of the master who gave himself that we might live. amen. george l. perin. september _our birth is but a sleep and a forgetting: the soul that rises with us, our life's star, hath had elsewhere its setting, and cometh from afar. not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory, do we come from god who is our home: heaven lies about us in our infancy, at length the man perceives it die away and fade into the light of common day._ william wordsworth. o eternal god, who art without beginning of days or end of years, from whom cometh all our life; pardon, we beseech thee, the sins of thy children, wherein we have darkened thine own image within us. let not our light die away amid the common toil and daily care, but so glorify our life with thy spirit, that we may gladly present both souls and bodies to thy service an acceptable sacrifice, and, learning to love thee above all things, may be approved in thy sight as true disciples of thy son jesus christ. amen. william e. gaskin. september _a haze on the far horizon, the infinite tender sky, the ripe, rich tint of the corn-fields, and the wild geese sailing high, and all over upland and lowland the charm of the goldenrod-- some of us call it autumn, and others call it god._ william h. carruth. once more, o god, thou partest the curtains of night to bless us with a new day. in its dawning thou revealest thyself to us anew. fresh beauties break upon our vision; new evidences of thy goodness appear; new joys rise in our hearts. we thank thee for the harvest of corn that feeds our bodies and the harvest of beauty that feeds our souls; for the blue of the distant hills and the wide stretch of meadow and prairie; for golden flower and flying bird; for the nearness of thy presence in the brooding haze; for the thoughts unutterable that rise within us. in thankfulness may we go forth to our daily tasks and live in consciousness of thy eternal presence and love. amen. rodney f. johonnot. september _i come under your windows, some fine morning, and play you one of my adagio movements, and some of you say,--this is good, play us so always. but, dear friends, if i did not change the stop sometimes, the machine would wear out in one part and rust in another. how easily this or that tune flows! you say, there must be no end of such melodies in him. i will open the poor machine for you one moment, and you shall look. every note marks where a spur of steel has been driven in. it is easy to grind out the song, but to plant these bristling points which make it was the painful task of time._ oliver wendell holmes. we thank thee, father, for thy love which, like the morning light, fails not to greet us at each opening day. while its radiant beams light up the pathway from our hearts to thine, we come, with eager steps, for morning worship and for praise. take thou, we pray, the hand outstretched out to thee and lead us safely through another day. grant us the strength to do our very best and leave results with thee. we do not ask for ease, but victory; not for the praise of men, but for the blessing of our god upon our heaven-appointed task. grant us the joy supreme of knowing, when the sun has set, that we have left undone no duty to our god or fellowman. amen. j. w. annas. september _admit into thy silent breast the notes of but one bird and instantly thy soul will join in jubilant accord._ _the perfume of a single flow'r inhale like breath of god, and in the garden of thy heart a thousand buds will nod._ _toward one star in heaven's expanse direct thy spirit's fight, and thou wilt have in the wide world, my child, enough delight._ johanna ambrosius. our father in heaven, as thou turnest the earth once more toward the light to give us another day may we not forget that all things come of thee. thou givest us this beautiful earth, adorned with a thousand varied beauties, crowded with opportunities and possibilities, for our home. day and night, sunshine and the rain, labor and trial, joy and victory, all are from thy hand. whatever the circumstances of our life, whatever our labor and place, help us to remember that life is a school in which to learn, an arena where we may fight and win. may we gain wisdom and strength to win the victory which is life eternal, and in finding that may we find peace and content in thee. amen. frederick a. taylor. september _give me the gospel of the fields and woods-- the sermons written in the book of books; the sweet communion of the things of earth fresh with the warm baptism of the sun. give me the offertory of bud and bloom, the perfect caroling of happy birds. give me the creed of one of god's fair days wrought in the beauty of its loveliness; and then, the benediction of the stars, his eloquent ministers of the night._ james ravenscroft. heavenly father, we praise thee for the breaking day, the singing birds, the dew in the meadows, the fragrance of the flowers, ascending like old-time incense from jewish altar, the sun gilding the hill-tops, the veiled stars, the gliding river, mirroring in its depths, sedge and tree and overhanging sky. thou hast ordained that we nestle in the bosom of nature and feel the touch of god. pour strength into our beings from bird and flower, and thy spirit which moves in them, that our youth may be renewed like the eagle's. so shall the memories of earth enrich our heaven. we praise and supplicate in the name of jesus. amen. l. a. freeman. september _just whistle a bit if the day be dark and the sky be overcast: if mute be the voice of the piping lark, why, pipe your own small blast._ _and it's wonderful how o'er the gray sky-track, the truant warbler comes stealing back. but why need he come? for your soul's at rest, and the song in the heart,--ah, that is best._ paul laurence dunbar. our heavenly father, we thank thee for the assurance that all things work together for good to them that love thee. help us to live this day in joyous faith in that promise. may we realize that behind all clouds the sun still shines, and that the father's wisdom never errs, and his love never fails. give us courage for this day's conflicts, grace for its trials, and strength for its duties. guide our feet in the way of thy commandments and fill our souls with the joy of thy presence. may our lives no less than our lips praise thee. amen. charles f. rice. september _for each true deed is worship; it is prayer, and carries its own answer unaware. yes, they whose feet upon good errands run are friends of god, with michael of the sun; yes, each accomplished service of the day paves for the feet of god a lordlier way. the souls that love and labor through all wrong, they clasp his hand and make the circle strong; they lay the deep foundation stone by stone, and build into eternity god's throne!_ edwin markham. our heavenly father, we, thy children, turn to thee in gratitude and hope for this new day of opportunity. may our high calling in christ jesus loom large before our eyes. deliver us, we humbly beseech thee, from making ourselves and our concerns chief in thought and effort. may we find our lives in saving those whose sky is dark, whose burdens are heavy, and whose faith is perishing. with zest, as do the angels, when we hear thy spirit's voice, may we turn and obey. to let these hours of service prove to us, not only that thou art, but that thou art the rewarder of them that diligently seek thee. through jesus christ, our lord. amen. dewitt s. clark. september _good name, in man or woman, dear my lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls. who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; but he that filches from me my good name, robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed._ shakespeare. god of all righteousness and charity, breathe upon me the spirit of thine own charity and righteousness, that i may deal worthily with the good name of every human being with whom i have to do. help me, that i may bring no injury to the fair fame of any. may the law of kindness be in my lips, and the spirit of helpful justice in my heart. inspire me to come, whenever i ought, to the rescue of the slandered, that i may deliver them into the liberty of human fellowship. and not to me alone, o god, but to all men, teach this divine lesson of fair judgment and sweet help, that they may live together as children in thy gracious family. amen. william n. clarke. september _i searched for love in heart of city's hum; i searched for love upon the shining sand of ocean beach; and then on towering cliffs i sung a pleading song that love unto my heart might come; but love came not._ _i searched for love no more, but labored sore to ease those hearts whom sorrow'd touched before, faint hope that in sweet work i'd surely find some compensation for a fate unkind-- when, lo! love came._ bessie l. russell. for love and life and light and breath and ease, for work, success and hope, for power to please, for conscience clear, for faith without alloy, for common share in common human joy, i thank thee, gracious god! for loneliness and shadow, sickness, care, for failure, doubt, remorse, death, and despair, for sleepless nights, for aching heart and brain, for common share in common human pain, i thank thee, gracious god! amen. margaret wentworth. september _in fallow fields the goldenrod and purple asters beck and nod. the milkweed launches fairy boats; in tangled silver the cobweb floats. pervasive odors of ripening vine, fill the air like a luscious wine. the gentian blooms on the browning waste; with coral chains is the alder laced. the blackbirds gather, and wheel and fly, the swallows twitter a low "goodbye!"_ sara andrew shafer. father in heaven, we love thee, we cannot help it. thy blessings around us on every side tell us of thy love. our love leaps involuntarily from our hearts responsive to these numberless delights. we thank thee for the rich harvests that burden the fields, for the acres of beauty that reach over hill and through meadow, for the stars that make cheerful the night. help us to bless thee when the storms come to disappoint and destroy. may we realize that the tempest comes from the good father, that he has sent it, a great blessing in disguise. great father, help us to know and feel that everything coming from thee is good. so may thy kingdom come to thy children of earth. amen. charles edward davis. september _once, out of all the anguish and the sorrow of my heart, i wrote a song, and put my pent-up passion in its art. and the great world never heeded this soulful human groan, for it bore a burden infinitely heavy of its own._ _once, out of all the happiness and joy within my breast, i made a little song and blithely sent it on its quest. and the great world, with its infinitely many joys, divine, still had room and instant welcome for this little song of mine._ william f. dix. o god, i thank thee that thou hast numbered me with the children of the day. o immanuel, make thy presence to be a sun within me this day. may i dispel clouds or reveal the rainbows ever half-hidden in robes of mists. may i melt snows and bring spring-time freshets of joy. may i shed light that shall turn groans into songs. may i shine on till i shall stand before the great white throne that is encompassed with an unbroken rainbow, and take up the angelic music among that starry host of souls who have found the true "music of the spheres," and are: "forever singing as they shine, 'the hand that made us is divine.'" amen. elliott f. studley. september _all is best, though we oft doubt what the unsearchable dispose of highest wisdom brings about, and ever best found in the close. oft he seems to hide his face, but unexpectedly returns, and to his faithful champion hath in place bore witness gloriously._ john milton. our father, we have ever dwelt in thee, though sometimes we have forgotten it. while our eyes slept, it may be that to our spirit's sight a ladder was set up on the earth and the top of it reached to heaven, and on it thy angels were ascending and descending to help us. now again, o father, comes to us from thy hand of love the food and the tasks of a new day. help us then to put away the error from which we fled or should have fled yesterday. this morning let us set up the stone of our bethel that through the day we may be reminded in all we do, that thou art in this place with us. whether we see thee or not, let us take courage and make this a day nearer thee. fill us with jesus' own large sympathies for others, with jesus' purpose to seek and to serve the right, and especially grant us jesus' complete trust in thy perfect goodness. in his name, we ask it. amen. merrill c. ward. september _as far as earth is from the sky, so love is high. where alpine lakes their vigils keep is love more deep._ _in nature there no boundaries are that tell how far love goes; love's measure, as each countless star, god knows._ * * * * * _one only thing we know: love comes to stay; though god's to give, it is not even his to take away._ marian alden. o god, our heavenly father, we recognize our dependence upon thee for the bounties of thy never-failing providence, and as we enter upon this new day to which thou has safely brought us, we ask thy help that we may receive it as a gift from thee and may consecrate ourselves more perfectly in the least things as well as in the greatest, to thy service. help us to be faithful to all the duties and responsibilities of our lot. deliver us from all useless discontent, all idle doubts and foolish fears. in all our dealings may we be simple and sincere. strengthen us to do at every moment that which we feel to be right and good in thy sight, and through loyal obedience to thy will may we rise into a clearer vision of the things that belong to thy heavenly kingdom. amen. william h. fish. september _some people are always grumbling because roses have thorns. i am thankful that thorns have roses._ alphonse karr. _there are those who want to get away from all their past; who if they could, would fain begin all over again. their life seems one long failure. but you must learn, you must let god teach you, that the only way to get rid of your past is to get a future out of it._ phillips brooks. our heavenly father, the remembrance of thee fills life with all that is most beautiful and bright. our deepest sorrows, our most bitter experiences come when we forget thee. no life can be a failure which strives to do thy will. sorrow may come to us, but just as an artist may darken a flower, in painting, before retouching it to make its color all the brighter, so we know that thou, who givest color to the flowers, may for a season permit sorrow to darken our lives; but thou art only in the midst of thy work. at thy retouch, life becomes the more beautiful. help us to pray, not simply, "lord, remember me," for it is not possible for thee to forget thy children; we pray "assist us to be always mindful of thee." amen. e. mcp. amee. september _the sooner we read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest a little eastern apothegm of howard hinton's the better: two balls were together in a box, a gold and a gilt ball. the gilt ball was carefully done up in tissue paper, and securely wedged into one corner; but the gold ball was loose, and went rolling about with every movement of the box. "oh, please, do take care of yourself!" said the gilt ball, peeping out apprehensively from the folds of the tissue paper. "why, where's the harm?" answered the gold ball, as it took a fresh lurch to an opposite corner. "oh, how can you?" cried the other; "you'll rub it off." "rub what off?" asked the gold ball.... the gold won't rub off.... only the gingerbread gilt._ ellice hopkins. heavenly father, we hear the loving call of this new day and on the wings of the morning we would speed to the work and worship of the beautiful hours thou hast given us. we thank thee that thou hast made us for the hurry of the market place as well as for the quiet of the home. may our own lives be brightened by contact with our fellowmen. may the pure gold of the spirit of christ be ours in purity of personal thought, in the benediction of words of strength and sweetness and in the varied service we may render our neighbors in the name of jesus our lord and saviour. amen. james f. allen. september _o heart of mine, we shouldn't worry so! what we've missed of calm we couldn't have, you know! what we've met of stormy pain, and of sorrow's driving rain, we can better meet again, if it blow!_ _for we know, not every morrow can be sad; so, forgetting all the sorrow we have had, let us fold away our fears, and put by our childish tears, and through all the coming years, just be glad._ james whitcomb riley. heavenly father, thy very name fills our hearts with confidence and peace. for we know that out of thy fatherly goodness all earthly providences are bestowed and administered for our good. so, for our unwilling submission, when thou hast led us into hard and thorny pathways, we ask thy generous forgiveness; and for our ingratitude when pleasure and prosperity have attended us, we entreat thy tender patience. as thou hast commanded us to rejoice in thy salvation, may our hearts be filled with gladness to-day; and, as thou hast counselled us that when we lack wisdom, we may ask of thee, we beseech thee to bestow upon us now and evermore the wisdom of cheerfulness and joy. in the name of jesus, amen. edmund l. smiley. september _we all shrink, like cowards, from new duties, new responsibilities. we do not venture to go out of the beaten track of our daily life. close to us, on each side of the road, are those whom we might help or save with one good action, one kind word. but we are afraid. we say: "i am not prepared; i am not ready; i have not time; i am not qualified; find some better person; send some one else." perhaps we have only one talent, and, therefore, instead of using it, we hide it, and when the master comes we shall meet him with the old answer: "i was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth. lo! there thou hast that is thine."_ james freeman clarke. from the base sin of selfishness, o lord, deliver us. teach us by thy life of ministry and sacrifice for others that the more fully and willingly we lose ourselves in service for our fellowmen, the more surely we shall find ourselves in thee. as we go forth this day in paths that thou hast prepared for us, help us to so forget ourselves in acts of kindness and words of comfort that each one whom our lives may touch, may become thereby a happier, purer, stronger soul. take thou the care of these lives of ours, while, with thee, in busy streets and crowded shops where greed is grasping and sin is lurking, we shall try to care for souls of others, who need the help that we might give. then, at the eventide today or on the morrow, it will be our joy like thine to find ourselves again in hearts made happy, in lives inspired, in souls redeemed. amen. george b. dean. september _before god's footstool to confess a poor soul knelt and bowed his head, "i failed!" he wailed. the master said, "thou didst thy best--that is success!"_ anonymous. _straight from the mighty bow, this truth is driven: "they fail, and they alone, who have not striven." fly far, o shaft of light, all doubt redeeming, rouse men from dull despair and idle dreaming. high heaven's evangel be, gospel god-given; they fail, and they alone, who have not striven._ clarence urmy. we thank thee, o god, for the light that reveals to us the divine estimate of life, that lifts the veil of mystery from struggle and sacrifice and enables us to interpret their meaning as elements of successful living. we praise thee for the truth that assures us that we are in this world to win, to overcome, to be more than conquerors. we pray that we may be too busy to dream and too brave to doubt. strengthen us for life's conflict, help us to carry our burdens cheerfully, fight courageously, strive lawfully, that we may be worthy to be counted among those who shall receive the crown of righteousness and hear at last the "well done" of the master. amen. george s. scrivener. september _be diligent and faithful, patient and hopeful, one and all of you; and may we all know, at all times, that verily the eternal rules above us, and that nothing finally wrong has happened or can happen._ thomas carlyle. _if you entered the workshop of a blacksmith, you would not dare to find fault with his bellows, anvils and hammers. if you had not the skill of a workman, but the consideration of a man, what would you say? "it is not without cause the bellows are placed there; the artificer knew, though i do not know, the reason." you would not dare to find fault with the blacksmith in his shop, and do you dare to find fault with god in his world?_ st. bernard. we thank thee, o loving father, that we are not alone in the universe with longing for the higher life. there are a thousand revelations of thee in our fellowmen. and when we cannot find thee, for blindness, in nature or in ourselves, we can see thee revealed in the lives heroic that surround us. in the abstract thou art hard to find; in the lives of men thou art always visible. we thank thee that there is a contagion of rightness and that love is a vital seed that fills the world with its kind. we are fearful of love sometimes, fearing to waste it on a loveless world. help us to see that every atom we give becomes an ocean to ourselves. amen. albert c. grier. september _to be at all--what is better than that? i think if there were nothing more developed, the clam in its callous shell in the sand were august enough i am not in any callous shell; i am cased with supple conductors, all over they take every object by the hand, and lead it within me; they are thousands, each one with his entry to himself; they are always watching with their little eyes, from my head to my feet; one no more than a point lets in and out of me such bliss and magnitude, i think i could lift the girder of the house away if it lay between me and whatever i wanted._ walt whitman. our heavenly father, we thank thee for all the delicate beauty as well as for the rugged strength of these bodies in which thou hast set us to live. but more wonderful than the habitation of the soul is the soul itself. thou hast made us a little lower than the angels, thou hast crowned us with glory and honor, and we join reverently in the words of the great poet-prophet who said of man--"in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god!" o lord, we thank thee for this great thought of our own life. yet let us not be vain nor proud. we pray rather that we may be inspired to live so earnestly and so nobly that we shall prove our title now to all that we have dreamed as our natural birthright. so shall we feel ourselves to-day sons and daughters of god. amen. george l. perin. september _i do believe the common man's task is the hardest. the hero has the hero's aspiration that lifts him to his labor. all great duties are easier than the little ones, though they cost far more blood and agony._ phillips brooks. _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.... i am not afraid of accident as long as i am in my place.... every man's task is his life-preserver. the conviction that his work is dear to god and cannot be spared, defends him._ ralph waldo emerson. o thou who art the giver of every good and perfect gift, help us better to understand the measure of thy giving; that we count not those blessings only which make life smooth and easy and of tame comfort but the things that make life resolute and hearty, and that put to test the vigor of our souls, that give us chance to prove our high nobility and unfaltering courage; the things that build for the soul's fine substance of eternal worth--these are thy blessings, too, for which we thank thee. give us entrance into thine eternal living through strong activity and zest of life; that manhood have its eager challenge and womanhood its glowing opportunity to assert themselves as winning joy through bafflement and thy strong peace that passeth not away, through steadfast consecration to high service. amen. george h. badger. september _if i can put one touch of a rosy sunset into the life of any man, or woman i shall feel that i have worked with god. he is in no haste; and if i do what i may in earnest i need not worry if i do no great work. let god make his sunsets; i will mottle my little cloud. to help the growth of a thought that struggles toward the light, to brush with gentle hand the earth stain from the white of one snowdrop--such be my ambition._ george macdonald. help us, our father, to know that we have here at hand all that we need to make this day what it ought to be; that we need not look afar, but in the duty of this present moment, in the opportunity to learn, to serve and thus to grow, which the morning offers, is all that is necessary to make this day sound and serviceable; in such a day we shall find enduring joy and from it thou, the giver of all days, wilt derive satisfaction, since it will do its full share in fulfilling thy purpose. and may we see that if we make our todays what they should be thou wilt take care of the tomorrows. amen. herbert e. benton. september _my neighbor hath a little field, small store of wine its presses yield, and truly but a slender hoard its harvest brings for barn or board. yet tho' a hundred fields are mine, fertile with olive, corn and wine; tho' autumn piles my garners high, still for that little field i sigh. for ah! methinks no otherwhere is any field so good and fair. small tho' it be, 'tis better far than all my fruitful vineyards are, amid whose plenty sad i pine-- "ah, would the little field were mine!" large knowledge void of peace and rest, and wealth with pining care possest-- these by my fertile lands are meant. that little field is called content._ robertson trowbridge. heavenly father, as prayed thy servant of old, so we this morning repeat "give us neither poverty nor riches." help us this day, in whatsoever state we are, therewith to be content. may no complaining word proceed out of our mouths. above all may no murmuring thought lodge within us. so shall we rest in peace with thee, and god, even our god, shall bless us. yet, o lord, forbid that we should remain satisfied with any portion, which our best effort, with thine assistance, can improve. then shall we grow in grace and more and more approach the stature of true men and women, in christ jesus. amen. m. emory wright. september _forenoon and afternoon and night--forenoon and afternoon and night,--forenoon, and--what? the empty song repeats itself. no more? yea, that is life. make this forenoon sublime, this afternoon a psalm, this night a prayer, and time is conquered, and thy crown is won._ edward rowland sill. help me, o lord, if i shall see times when i walk from hope apart, till all my days but seem to be the troubled week-days of the heart. help me to find, in seasons past, the hours that have been good or fair, and bid remembrance hold them fast, to keep me wholly from despair. help me to look behind, before, to make my past and future form a bow of promise, meeting o'er the darkness of my day of storm. amen. phoebe cary. september _the iris-pillar suggested the burning bush on horeb. in moses' time, nature, in the regard of science, was a mere bush, a single shrub. now it has grown, through the researches of the intellect, to a tree. the universe is a mighty tree; and the great truth for us to connect with the majestic science of these days, and to keep vivid by a religious imagination, is, that from the roots of its mystery to the silver-leaved boughs of the firmament, it is continually filled with god, and yet unconsumed._ t. starr king. almighty god, our heavenly father, who in all ages has been revealing thyself to men as a god of righteousness and love, we approach thy throne of grace this morning confessing our unworthiness and pleading thy forgiving love. while humbling ourselves before thee because of the consciousness of our unworthiness, we yet approach thee, our father, with filial trust and confidence, yea, with gladness of heart and holy boldness in the all-prevailing name of jesus christ our lord. we bless thee for thy watchful care over us amid all the dangers, temptations and difficulties of the past. truly thou hast been with us, and although thy people have often been surrounded by fire, the bush has not been consumed. in the future as in the past, be thou our god and guide and finally bring us into thine everlasting kingdom, through jesus christ our lord. amen. a. k. maclennan. september _would you like to hear what sort of questions the school-boys had to answer eighteen centuries ago? very well; you shall. a rabbi, who lived nearly twenty years before christ was born, set his pupils thinking by asking them, "what is the best thing for a man to possess?" one of them replied, "a kind nature;" another, "a good companion;" another, "a good neighbor." but one of them, named eleazer, said, "a good heart." "i like your answer best, eleazer," said the master, "for it includes all the rest."_ francis augustus cox. our father in heaven, we are happy to believe that thou dost wish us to have the best. thou dost teach us that the best possession we can have is a good heart, for out of the heart are the issues of life. thou art the searcher of hearts,--if our hearts are hard thou canst give us hearts of flesh, if they are sinful thou canst create clean hearts within us. even if they are desperately wicked thou canst make them new. grant us, therefore, thy holy spirit we humbly beseech thee, that our hearts may be pure and good. thus may we ever possess the best possible treasure, and thus may we perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy name. through jesus christ our lord. amen. willard t. perrin. october _month of fruits and falling leaves, under thy opalescent skies the vagrant summer idly lies, while coming autumn deftly weaves rare tints for tall ungarnered sheaves of goldenrod, kissing the eyes of purple asters as she dyes the vine that swings beneath the eaves._ _and all the bending hedgerows seem a joseph's coat of colors. hues that shame the rainbow's royal arch set all the harvest fields a-gleam with beauty, fresh with fragrant dews to crown the season's onward march._ george w. shipman. author and giver of every good and perfect gift whose infinite presence and power underlie all growth and life and activity, who revealest thyself in the varied forms of beauty which come so rapidly in the revolving year, in the green grass and blossoming roses and lilies and refreshing, fast-succeeding fruits, we thank thee that thou art now crowning the year with thy goodness and inviting us to gather in from tree, garden, field, forest, mine, what will feed, clothe, protect us during the wintry season given us, free from arduous labors, to find enjoyment in books, music and social intercourse. these blessings remind us to present to thee the fruits of the spirit, love, joy, peace, long suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, meekness, temperance. amen. calvin s. locke. october _one answered, on the day when christ went by, "lord, i am rich; pause not for such as i. my work, my home, my strength, my frugal store, the sun and rain--what need have i of more? go to the sinful who have need of thee, go to the poor, but tarry not for me. what is there thou should'st do for such as i?" and he went by._ _long years thereafter, by a palace door, the footstep of the master paused once more from whence the old voice answered piteously,-- "lord, i am poor, my house unfit for thee; nor peace nor pleasures bless my princely board, nor love nor health; what could i give thee, lord? lord, i am poor, unworthy, stained with sin,--" yet he went in._ mabel earle. we who are poor in spirit, turn to thee who art the giver of every good and perfect gift, to hold out our empty hands and pray that thou wilt make us rich. during the past days and years we have been out in thy world striving for more things and then more things and yet more things, forgetful of the fact that a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. now, realizing the poverty of our real lives, we ask thee to bestow upon us those eternal riches which pertain to the human soul and possessing which we shall have treasure in that heaven within where moth and rust do not corrupt nor thieves break through and steal. so shall we be rich indeed. amen. frank oliver hall. october _be strong! we are not here to play, to dream, to drift. we have hard work to do, and loads to lift. shun not the struggle; face it. 'tis god's gift._ _be strong! say not the days are evil,--who's to blame? and fold the hands and acquiesce--o shame! stand up, speak out, and bravely, in god's name._ _be strong! it matters not how deep intrenched the wrong, how hard the battle goes, the day how long, faint not, fight on! tomorrow comes the song._ maltbie davenport babcock. o our father, we thank thee for this new morning. truly the light is sweet and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the same. lift thou upon us the light of thy countenance and bid us go in peace. so shall we begin the day aright. with gentle skill thou dost deal with us. thou art not careless with us or hasty or impatient. help us to be strong in thee. may we be able to cast out of our lives everything that would grieve thee and harm us. with a loving spirit may we serve thee this day. may we be rooted and grounded in love. however hard the battle may go give us courage and confidence to believe that through christ, strengthening us, we can do all things required of us. lord, increase our faith. amen. j. e. hawkins. october _nobody proves god's being. but, suddenly, one sees god is here. one speaks and god answers. thereafter all is sure._ edward everett hale. _there is nothing that so persuades us of the great realities of moral and spiritual being as the man in whom god is manifest, the type of our human nature at its best, and the indorsement of the sublime faith that god in humanity is the supreme revelation of himself!_ horatio stebbins. blessed father, as the morning light has triumphed in its struggle to overcome darkness, so thou dost gently but irresistibly call us from slumber to the glories and duties of the new day. may we be strong in the sweet assurance that the unfolding hours are full of blessing because thou art caring for us. help us to do thy will by enabling us to minister to those around us. may the words of our mouth and the industry of our hands reveal thy guiding love. enable us to order our ways by the habit of trust that we have learned through thy constancy. wilt thou disappoint our fears, steady our hearts, and show us the way of obedience, peace and service that we may realize the good through the day and rejoice in it, as disciples of christ. amen. james d. corby. october _thou knowest not what argument thy life to thy neighbor's creed hath lent; all are needed by each one; nothing is good or fair alone._ ralph waldo emerson. _men will not be content to live every man for himself, nor to die every man for himself. in work, in art, in study, in trade--in all life, indeed, the children of god, called by a saviour's voice, will wish to live in the common cause. they will live for the common wealth,--this is the modern phrase. they will bear each other's burdens,--this is the phrase of paul. they will live in the life of love. and it will prove true as it was promised, that all things are added to the community which thus seeks the kingdom of god and his righteousness._ edward everett hale. eternal god, who dost still create the light, and make the morning and the evening of our days, by thy light we look to thee. in thy light we worship thee. gird us with strength to work with thee to bring thy kingdom in. may we lose and find ourselves again in the larger whole of life by ministering to others' needs; by bearing others' burdens; by sharing their joys and tears and the common fruits of toil, thus making our life and faith in thee become their own. let thy work appear unto thy servants, and establish thou the work of our hands upon us; yea, the work of our hands establish thou it; and let thy beauty and thy glory be upon us forever and ever. amen. c. e. holmes. october _master, to do great work for thee, my hand is far too weak! thou givest what may suit, some little chips to cut with care minute, or tint, or grave, or polish. others stand before their quarried marble, fair and grand, and make a life-work of the grand design which thou hast traced; or, many-skilled, combine to build vast temples, gloriously planned. yet take the tiny stones which i have wrought just one by one, as they were given by thee, not knowing what came next in thy wise thought. let each stone by thy master-hand of grace form the mosaic as thou wilt for me and in thy temple-pavement give it place._ frances ridley havergal. father, we are shortsighted and weak, and hence cannot do our best work without thine aid. we rejoice in the privileges and opportunities of this day. thou hast counted us worthy to work for thee. thou canst use our loaves and fishes, but dost require us to bring thus our little all for thy blessing. we are inspired with hope to make our consecration to thee. make this a day of glorious service. guide us in our thoughts and work. glorify thyself in our life. and wherever the close of this day may find us may it be with the feeling that we have done our best by thy blessing and help. amen. j. w. fulton. october _"whatever the weather may be," says he-- "whatever the weather may be, it's the songs ye sing, an' the smiles ye wear, that's a-making the sun shine everywhere; an' the world of gloom is a world of glee, wid the bird in the bush, an' the bud in the tree an' the fruit on the stim o' the bough," says he, "whatever the weather may be," says he-- "whatever the weather may be!"_ james whitcomb riley. o father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning, help us today so to trust thee that our joy may be unclouded. thy love is unchanging in its radiance and warmth. therefore let it glow in me and through me light someone who may be in darkness. o strong son of god, who art the same, yesterday, today, yea, and forever, enable us, we beseech thee, to be brave and cheery as though thyself wast in the darkest hours as in the brightest. teach us that the storm and trial is just our opportunity to shine. cleanse us of all disobedience and darkness. be our constant comforter. let others see that it is christ within us. amen. thomas w. smith. october _look up to god, and say, "make use of me for the future as thou wilt. i am of the same mind; i am equal 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 private condition; dwell here, or be banished; be poor or rich? under all these circumstances i will make thy defence to men. i will show what the nature of everything is."_ epictetus. merciful father, we begin this day, knowing not what the end may be, with thoughts of thee and thy loving kindness. may this be to us a day of joy, a day upon which we can look back and say we have been blessed by thee. we pray for that spirit that enabled others to labor in the cause of love and righteousness, and while we may not be able to accomplish all the good we have set our hearts upon, may the thought that our lives and our labors have not been in vain, inspire us and others with courage to continue the work of helping and blessing our fellowmen. amen. donald fraser. october _men deny the divine existence with as little feeling as the most assert it. even in our true systems we go on collecting mere words, playmarks and medals, as the misers do coins; and not till late do we transmute the words into feelings, the coins into enjoyments. a man may for twenty years believe the immortality of the soul; in the one-and-twentieth, in some great moment, he for the first time discovers with amazement the rich meaning of this belief, and the warmth of this naphtha-well._ richter. o thou who slumberest not, nor sleepest, in the dawn of this new day we look trustingly to thee. while the night has been enfolding us, thy loving care has held us in the everlasting arms. may this day be for us a fresh consecration. may we be ennobled in thee. may we share thy life in things small or great. however humble our lives--however emptied our experience of that which wins the plaudits of men, may we manifest thee. by us may thy kingdom come and thy will be done. amen. george h. young. october _thou wilt not hold in scorn the child who dares look up to thee, the father,--dares to ask more than thy wisdom answers. from thy hand the worlds were cast; yet every leaflet claims from that same hand its little shining sphere of star-lit dew; thine image, the great sun, girt with his mantle of tempestuous flame, glares in mid-heaven; but to his noontide blaze the slender violet lifts its lidless eye, and from his splendor steals its fairest hue, its sweetest perfume from the scorching fire._ oliver wendell holmes. thou great spirit of life and power, we do not shrink in terror before thee, but come to thee in trust and love. though we cannot fathom the mystery of thy life nor measure the might of thy power, yet we have learned to call thee father; and even as the violet lifts its face to the noonday sun to find the secret of its life, so we lift our faces to thee, to find the secret of our lives. thou answerest us with tenderness. thou speakest to us in love. fresh from sleep, we put our hands in thine to be led forth to the duties of the day. may we go forth with that confidence and hope, which are born of trust in thee, our father. amen. george l. perin. october _now believe me, god hides some ideal in every human soul. 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 that whatever we get short of that will burn up like stubble, though the whole world try to save it._ robert collyer. god of all power and might, come into our lives with thy might and thy power. awaken us from that slumber of death-in-life which easily and sweetly steals through the door, and, like some new delilah, binds the strong will within. come, come as the fresh morning sun, to drive away the mist of our sloth and indecision. come, enter; and bring with thee the upstirring power and the wide radiance of the life divine. come, enter, and abide! when thou art absent, though life be easy, it doth not satisfy us; but when thou art present, though life be hard, it doth also content us. o god of all power and might, come thou into our lives with thy might and thy power. amen. melvin brandow. october _if you really want to help your fellowmen, you must not merely have in you what would do them good if they should take it from you, but you must be such a man that they can take it from you. the snow must melt upon the mountain and come down in a spring torrent, before its richness can make the valley rich. and yet in every age there are cold, hard, unsympathetic wise men standing up aloof, like snow banks on the hill tops, conscious of the locked up fertility in them and wondering that their wisdom does not save the world._ phillips brooks. o thou, who hast kept us safely during the unconsciousness of our slumbering hours and brought us refreshed to this morning light, prepare us for the duties of this day by filling us with the assurance that we are thine, and that thou lovest us. help us to be more like thee, to love thee more and serve thee better. may we manifest our love to thee by our willingness to be of service to our fellowmen. make us warm-hearted and true, helpful and kind, reflecting thy love and doing thy will. we are glad to live in this beautiful world. and we pray that we may be faithful co-laborers with jesus christ, in bringing light, love and joy to all lives. amen. eugene m. grant. october _a few more smiles of silent sympathy, a few more tender words, a little more restraint in temper, may make all the difference between happiness and half-happiness to those i live with._ stopford a. brooke. _others shall sing the song, others shall right the wrong, finish what i begin, and all i fail to win, what matter, i or they, mine or another's day, so the right word be said, and life the sweeter made?_ john greenleaf whittier. father, so little of the world in which we live is thy world, so much our world, the petty, dwarfed world of our own small vision, that we lose heart and fail to do our share. help us to see that, as in the densest swamps the sweetest flowers grow, so, even in our darkest hours, we still may be sweet at heart, saying the word, doing the deed, giving the sympathy, that will make the world sing and blossom. if there are times when pain and darkness obscure our vision of thee, help us to look on to the sunset of our day, when the black pall is transfigured at the touch of thy glory,--when sorrow and failure transcended by gentleness are our beauty and salvation. amen. john m. davidson. october _there is not a man in the world who is not saved by hope every day of his life. rob one of hope and you have robbed him of his power. nothing may so quickly unnerve a man and render him helpless as to take hope out of his heart. what is poverty? what is sickness? what is disaster? what are daily burdens? what signifies the desertion of friends, what of death itself so long as a man can hope? the man who hopes will brush every difficulty out of the way. he will put aside every suggestion of failure. take hope out of a man's heart and you have taken all. put hope into a man's heart and you have given all._ george l. perin. we thank thee, o god, for the light of another morning, for the privilege of entering upon another day. we shall meet with those who do not understand life nor the world in which we live. it is to them only a place to bear burdens, to toil, to endure. give us, o father, understanding minds and hearts. teach us to know that life is a great opportunity, that thy plans for each one are very broad, that the world is full of open doors; and inspired by this knowledge may no despondent soul cross our path without being helped and made to feel that every life through the love of god and the guidance of god may be made sublime. amen. alexander dight. october _ho! for the bending sheaves, ho! for the crimson leaves flaming in splendor! season of ripened gold, plenty in crib and fold, skies with a depth untold liquid and tender._ james russell lowell. source infinite and eternal of light and life; creator of being flowing on forever; minister far and wide of unspeakable bounty; through whose power rise the riches of nature; from whose abundance descend all gifts to man; soul of our souls and safeguard of the world; to whom all intelligence looks through every dawn; and by whose support the heart of man is stayed; let there be to our steps paths of brightness; to our lives laws of justice, kindness, and trust, that we may abound in doing good and by grace, mercy, and truth duly shown, may obtain grateful remembrance evermore. amen. edward c. towne. october _there is something in the autumn that is native to my blood touch of manner, hint of mood; and my heart is like a rhyme, with the yellow and the purple and the crimson keeping time._ _the scarlet of the maples can shake me like a cry of bugles going by. and my lonely spirit thrills to see the frosty asters like a smoke upon the hills._ richard hovey. o father, my heart is lonely till i feel thy spirit near, and then the glory of the season brings a message to my soul. help me now to see thy master hand in the great beauty of the world. may my soul that feels the glad riot of color know that he who gives such beauty and bounty has for me far richer blessings in the great fields of the future. may this day, begun with nature's rhythm be set with the music of holy purpose and noble service. and may the music sound not alone for me, but for others that we together may march forward in the spirit of him who loved the lilies of the field and the fowls of the air. amen. charles e. varney. october _thousands of years ago a leaf fell on the soft clay, and seemed to be lost. but last summer a geologist in his ramblings broke off a piece of rock with his hammer, and there lay the image of the leaf, with every line and every vein and all the delicate tracery preserved in the stone through those centuries. so the words we speak and the things we do today may seem to be lost, but in the great final revealing the smallest of them will appear._ james russell miller. our father we thank thee for the light of this new day. tenderly thou hast withdrawn the curtain of the night and shown us the beauties and glories of nature, reminding us of thine own blessed verdict in the dawn of creation, "behold they are very good." good indeed, is it to live in such a world, and we thank thee for our being. we ask this morning, dear lord, not for the perishing things of earth, but for continued power and disposition to enjoy thee and thy works, for a faith that never wavers and a hope that never grows dim, for such a portion of this world's goods as the wise may enjoy without harm and the righteous hold without wrong. amen. james sallaway. october _nay, i wrong you, little flower, reading mournful mood of mine in your looks, that give no sign of a spirit dark and cheerless: you possess the heavenly power that rejoices in the hour, glad, contented, free and fearless,-- lifts a sunny face to heaven when a sunny day is given; makes a summer of its own, blooming late and all alone._ henry van dyke. we thank thee, o father, that, to those who obey the command of jesus to consider them, the flowers become prophets of god and preachers of righteousness. we thank thee for the worship which they render thee, so pure, so brave, so glad, and so acceptable. they may not hinder thee and thou dost work thy perfect will in them; o give us the wisdom and the grace to make thee welcome to our hearts until in us also thou shalt work thy perfect will. so may we find our true use and felicity, and render unto thee the praise that is thy due. and this we ask through jesus christ, our lord. amen. charles r. tenney. october _season of mists and mellow fruitfulness! close bosom friend of the maturing sun; conspiring with him how to load and bless with fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run; to bend with apples the moss'd cottage trees, and fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; to swell the gourd, and plump the hazel-shells with a sweet kernel; to set to budding more and still more later flowers for the bees, until they think warm days will never cease, for summer has o'er brimmed their clammy cells._ john keats. our dear heavenly father, thou hast ever been wooing us by a thousand influences and voices to thyself and our souls are ever restless till they rest in thy love. the voices of nature everywhere speak to us of thy goodness and thy power and all verdure and blossom and fruitage is but the answer of the inanimate world to thy call of life. shall we do less than these, o god, when upon us thou hast stamped thine own image and made our being the house beautiful for thine indwelling! we are thy disciples indeed if we bear much fruit and have love one for the other. mould us, fashion us, mature us, dear lord, till the angels, watching at the gates and on the towers, say we look like thee. and this we ask in jesus' name. amen. george m. smiley. october _i pluck an acorn from the greensward, and hold it to my ear and this is what it says to me: "by and by the birds will come and nest in me. by and by i will furnish shade for the cattle. by and by i will provide warmth for the home in the pleasant fire. by and by i will be shelter from the storm to those who have gone under the roof. by and by i will be the strong ribs of the great vessel, and the tempest will beat against me in vain, while i carry men across the atlantic." "o foolish little acorn, wilt thou be all this?" i ask. and the acorn answers, "yes, god and i."_ lyman abbott. almighty god, we believe that thou art present and controlling in all the operations of nature. not a sparrow falls to the ground without thy notice. all life is of thy giving. plants, animals, and worlds alike are governed by thy laws. we realize in some measure thy omnipotence. we should fear to draw near to thee if thou hadst not revealed thyself to us in jesus christ as a god of love. thou, o god, art love. we believe that thou wilt give to all thy children eternal life. as from the acorn comes the oak, clothed in royal beauty, seemingly life from death, so from what seems death shall our immortal spirits rise to dwell forever with thee. we adore thee, o god. we love thee for thy goodness and thy love shown to us. be gracious unto us and bless us for our saviour's sake. amen. cyrus northrop. october _i suppose every day of earth, with its hundred thousand deaths and something more of births,--with its loves and hates, its triumphs and defeats, its pangs and blisses, has more of humanity in it than all the books that were ever written, put together. i believe the flowers growing at this moment send up more fragrance to heaven than was ever exhaled from all the essences ever distilled._ oliver wendell holmes. our heavenly father, thou art in all nature and in all human history. if we really know our world and our fellowmen and ourselves, we shall know thee. as we enter upon the work of this new day, we pray that we may feel thy presence with us. thou art never far away from us; we cannot get away from our world, and we cannot fly from ourselves. thou art with thy world and thou art with thy children. we ask not so much for thy presence, as for the consciousness of thy presence. may we learn to know thee in the world about us and in the secret places of our own hearts. then shall all life be fragrant and beautiful and this day somewhat divine. amen. george l. perin. october _the best thing to take people out of their own worries, is to go to work and find out how other folk's worries are getting on._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. _socrates thought that if all our misfortunes were laid in one common heap, whence every one must take an equal portion, most persons would be content to take their own and depart._ plutarch. our father in heaven, the light of this new day is the light of thy countenance, therefore we rejoice. in thy sunshine our souls find strength for the burdens thou dost give, and even through thy shadows we reach the peace which passeth understanding. yet thou art comfort to us that we may comfort the troubled and the distressed with the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted. set thou our feet in the paths of service. make us, we pray thee, glad ministers of thy mercy, and in binding up the wounds of others may we have balm for our own. by this day, may we grow in patience and power, and in the knowledge of thy love. amen. leon o. williams. october _life has a thousand pages--love and scorn, hope and adventure, poverty and sin, despair and glory, loneliness forlorn, age, sorrow, exile, all are writ therein--; and on each page, however stern or sad, are words which gleam upon the crabbed scroll, revealing words, that make our spirits glad, and well are worth the study of the soul. we may not lightly shrink from any leaf, for on it may be writ the word we need. god turns the page--whatever joy or grief he opens for us, let us wisely read._ priscilla leonard. fill our souls with thy light, o god, that we may ever hope. give us the poise of endless progress. make our souls free and joyous as the bird's wing. give us the courage of our convictions in all places, under all conditions. make us brave. take away all forms of fear, whether of man, of nature, or of thee, and make us feel that each is our mighty friend, but thou supreme over all, faithful each moment to our being, in ten thousand sweet, true, tender, life-giving, life-sustaining ministries. teach us to look for thee everywhere, and to see thy order, and thy beauty, facing all things heavenward. may our ideals be perfect holiness, perfect strength, perfect love, perfect service. make our faith great in the higher estate, where our faculties, only dawning here, shall rise in a glorious morning of the soul. amen. a. n. alcott. october _suppose a kindly word of mine could lift the clouds and bring sunshine; am i my brother's keeper?_ _suppose the weary worker toils, for scanty pittance delves and moils; am i my brother's keeper?_ _suppose in penury and fear my neighbor see the wolf draw near; am i my brother's keeper?_ * * * * * _perhaps--who knows?--perhaps i'm not! self-centred soul! hast thou forgot the marvel of our common lot, the mystic tie that binds us all who dwell on this terrestrial ball, stupendous hope of time and song, the bourne for which the ages long? how hard our hearts must seem to thee, exhaustless fount of charity!_ henry nehemiah dodge. we thank thee, our father, for the light of a new day and for its opportunities of service for thee and thy great cause. we rejoice that thou dost not only set duty clearly before us, but also dost grant power to perform it. may we realize not only that we are "our brother's keeper," and that our lives are helpful or harmful every day, but may we be increasingly grateful that we may every day by thy grace be fellow-helpers and workers together with god. amen. william full. october _it is of no use to dispute about the indian summer. i never found two people who could agree as to the time when it ought to be here, or upon a month and day when it should be decidedly too late to look for it. it keeps coming. for my part, i think we get it now and then, little by little, as "the kingdom" comes. that every soft, warm, mellow, hazy, golden day, like each fair, fragrant life, is a part and out-crop of it; though weeks of gale and frost, or ages of cruel worldliness and miserable sin may lie between._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. vouchsafe thy blessing, o heavenly father, upon this morning service of thanksgiving and prayer. we thank thee that each year thou sendest seed-time and harvest, to us thy children. for the beauty and bounty of the autumn, for all thy material gifts, for friends and home, and for our precious christian faith, we are deeply grateful to thee. give us the attentive mind, the receptive heart, that we may see thy providence and love in every event of life. banish fear and doubt from our minds. guard us from all temptations. may the spirit of christ abide in our hearts, and enable us to glorify thee in all our works and lives. in its power and glory may thy kingdom come, and remain upon the earth forever. amen. elbert w. whitney. october _pleasant smiles, gentle tones, cheery greetings, tempers sweet under a headache or a business care or the children's noise; the ready bubbling over of thoughtfulness for one another, and the habits of smiling, greeting, forbearing, thinking in these ways; it is these above all else which makes one's home "a building of god; a house not made with hands," these that we hear in the song of "home, sweet home."_ william c. gannett. almighty father, the light of another day breaks in upon our lives, to reveal to us unfinished tasks and unsought duties. the sorrows and joys of the coming day are hidden from our sight, enswathed in the folded hours of toil. but thou knowest all our heedless ways and tempers that chafe from impatience; thou seest the measure of our needs and dost consider our desires. give unto us the consciousness of thine everlasting arms about us. and then when the shadows lengthen and the twilight hushes the hum of toil, our spirits shall know no weariness and bear no stain. give ear unto this our morning prayer, o thou light of light. amen. francis treadway clayton. october _how can people help loving things, when they are full of life magnetism, that even a finger touch gets the thrill of?_ _it is not the sunshine, or any other tangible why, that accounts for the pleasantness of old house corners. it is the pureness and the pleasantness that have clustered there; the very walls have drunk these in._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. our heavenly father, wilt thou keep our home life bright and sweet? guard our lips from harsh words, our lives from shame. if quarrels arise, help us to be the first to forgive and forget. in the hour of temptation may we say no, because of a father's splendid honor, and a mother's pure face! in the time of trial or seeming defeat may we be brave and of good cheer! teach us that home is made dear, not by its furnishings, but by the memories and inspirations of the hours we spent under its roof with those who loved us and were always tender and true! bind us together in the bonds of love and peace, and keep us always united and a happy family. amen. henry r. rose. october _there are loyal hearts, there are spirits brave, there are souls that are pure and true; then give to the world the best you have, and the best shall come back to you._ _give love, and love to your heart will flow, a strength in your utmost need; have faith, and a score of hearts will show their faith in your word and deed._ _for life is the mirror of king and slave, 'tis just what you are and do; then give to the world the best you have, and the best will come back to you._ madeline s. bridges. almighty father, we come to thee for a father's blessing, that this day we may go about thy work and enter into thy business, alive in thy spirit and strong in thy strength. we ask this for ourselves, each of us, that we may be knit to each other as brothers with brothers, to bear each other's burdens. we ask it most of all for home, that in home-life there always may be joy and peace and love, each seeking another's good, brothers and sisters with sisters and brothers, fathers and mothers with their children, that home may be the place of thy holy spirit and the home of joy. today we would come and go as thy messengers, in our own lives welcoming the father, who is with us seeking thy strength and asking for thy good will. bless us today with thy blessing. amen. _edward everett hale._ october _we are never more discontented with others than when we are discontented with ourselves. the consciousness of wrongdoing makes us irritable, and our heart in its cunning quarrels with what is outside it, in order that it may deafen the clamor within._ _in the conduct of life, habits count for more than maxims, because habit is a living maxim, become flesh and instinct. to reform one's maxims is nothing; it is but to change the title of the book. to learn new habits is everything, for it is to reach the substance of life. life is but a tissue of habits._ henri-frÉdÉric amiel. our heavenly father, we pray that our daily life may take on that dignity and calmness and tranquillity which are the possession of those who truly and inwardly trust and confide in the eternal goodness, who believe that our days are ordered by a higher power, and that through all there runs a thread,--a chain of infinite love, binding us all to thee and to one common universal good and blessedness. in this faith, keep us, o holy father, and, filled with love to thee and to our neighbor, may we pursue our way and do our work, anxious only to have thee in all our thoughts. in thy name, amen. joshua young. october _thus pass away the generations of men!--thus perish the records of the glory of nations! yet, when every emanation of the human mind has faded, when in the storms of time the monuments of man's creative art are scattered to the dust, an ever new life springs from the bosom of the earth. unceasingly prolific nature unfolds her germs, regardless though sinful man, ever at war with himself, tramples beneath his foot the ripening fruit!_ alexander von humboldt. infinite spirit, thou buildest the monuments of thy power in the rocks of the mountains, but thou buildest the monuments of thy love in the hearts of men. when the bodies and the works of men have perished the rocks will abide and the trees will bear their fruit. but when the rocks have crumbled the souls of men will abide. if that which is seen is temporal, we thank thee o lord, that the unseen is eternal. we are awed by the majesty of the seas and the mountains. but we are inspired by the immortality of the soul. heavenly father, may we live today as if made for eternity. so may our lives be dignified and glorified. amen. george l. perin. october _god doth not need either man's work, 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._ john milton. o god, who didst give to thy servant light in his blindness and music in the heart, grant that i may this day be swift to run on all errands of mercy and truth, or patient to wait thy will, if so thou commandest. make me as unswerving as are the stars above me, as trustful as the birds who sing at dawn, and fear not what the day may bring. may i be strong to resist all evil, and cleave to that which is good. may i be conscious that in the loneliest hour thou art near, and in the most solitary place there is the communion of saints. may thy power flow through human weakness, and may all the trials and testings of life lead me constantly to the rock that is higher than i. so may thy will be done in my life as it is in heaven. amen. w. h. p. faunce. november _i saw the long line of the vacant shore the sea-weed and the shells upon the sand, and the brown rocks left bare on every hand, as if the ebbing tide would flow no more, then heard i, more distinctly than before, the ocean breathe and its great breast expand, and hurrying came on the defenceless land the insurgent waters with tumultuous roar. all thought and feeling and desire, i said, love, laughter, and the exultant joy of song have ebbed from me forever! suddenly o'er me they swept again from their deep ocean bed and in a tumult of delight, and strong as youth, and beautiful as youth, upbore me._ henry w. longfellow. we give thee hearty thanks, most holy father that thou hast not delivered up our souls to the emptiness and longing of despair. in thy mercy and wisdom hast thou ordained that we may taste ever afresh the deepest joys of life and ever anew feel the thrill of its loftiest inspirations. like the sea is our life for its largeness; like the sea in its ebbs and flows. o father of life, flood our souls this day with a tide from the ocean of thine own love lifting our lives to highest service and bliss. and thine shall be all the honor and praise. amen. e. w. lutterman. november _the bird, let loose in eastern skies, when hastening fondly home, ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies where idle warblers roam. but high she shoots through air and light above all low delay, where nothing earthly bounds her flight, nor shadow dims her way._ _so grant me, god, from every care, and stain of passion free, aloft, through virtue's purer air, to hold my course to thee! no sin to cloud--no lure to stay my soul, as home she springs;-- thy sunshine on her joyful way, thy freedom in her wings!_ thomas moore. o god, who art both life and truth, the author of our being and the light which lighteneth all, the source of our soul's life, and the goal towards which we strive, as cleaves the lark at dawn the heavenly blue, so may our souls be freed from sense, whose music siren-like would seek to draw us from our flight to thee. as that same bird rejoices in the morning light, and sounds its note of praise, so may our souls be tuned to heavenly symphonies, and may the sunshine of thy love, resplendent in secure omnipotence, give glad assurance to our hearts, nor cease to guide our way, until we reach that central orb, our soul's true home, and find eternal rest in thee. amen. albert b. shields. november _there is ever a song somewhere, my dear; there is ever a something sings alway: there's the song of the lark when the skies are clear and the song of the thrush when the skies are gray, the sunshine showers across the grain, and the bluebird trills in the orchard tree; and in and out, when the eaves drip rain, the swallows art twittering ceaselessly._ _there is ever a song somewhere, my dear, be the skies above or dark or fair, there is ever a song that our hearts may hear-- there is ever a song somewhere, my dear-- there is ever a song somewhere!_ james whitcomb riley. o god, the giver of all harmony and joy, before whom the morning stars sang together, by whom the voice of the sparrow is heard, we thank thee that we may serve thee with gladness and come before thy presence with singing. put thy new song into our mouths and help us to render the acceptable praises of the upright and pure in heart. help us to love all thy creatures and to delight in the songs thou hast taught them. especially enable us to bless our brother men, to hush their sighing and swell their singing, to strengthen the chorus of joy and praise with which thou hast ordained the world shall be filled. we ask with confidence because we know thy love. amen. j. francis cooper. november _the snow has capped yon distant hill, at morn the running brook was still, from driven herds the clouds that rise are like the smoke of sacrifice; ere long the frozen sod shall mark the ploughshare, changed to stubborn rock. the brawling stream shall soon be done-- sing, little bird! the frosts have come._ oliver wendell holmes. almighty god, our heavenly father, thou art the giver of all good gifts, and all that comes from thy hand is good. may we accept thy providences. in the dreary days of winter as in the pleasant summer season, thy mercies are new every morning and fresh every evening. even when our hearts are chilled with grief and disappointment and failure, we would still put our trust in the eternal goodness. help us, o god, to be truly grateful for everything that comes to us. in the winter of the soul may we learn the lessons of patience and resignation. thus, with faith triumphant and with hearts full of gladness may we sing our songs of praise to thy holy name forever and forever. amen. arthur w. grose. november _it is will alone that matters! will alone that mars or makes, will, that no distraction scatters, and that no resistance breaks._ henrik ibsen. _no man can choose what coming hours may bring to him of need, of joy, of suffering; but what his soul shall bring unto each hour to meet its challenge--this is in his power._ priscilla leonard. infinite god, who perceivest the destinies of worlds and of men; who bringest to pass all that we enjoy, and who permittest all that we suffer; may i this day be enabled to recognize thy fatherly goodness, in the morning mists, even as in the noonday brightness! should sorrow becloud my pathway, should disappointment make its keen thrusts, should temptation lay its attractive coils, may my soul be made aware of thy consoling presence, enjoy the compensations of thy grace, assert the potency of the wisdom from above! and mayest thou reveal thyself! so may be fanned to a flame the divine spark in my heart, whereby all are made partakers of the victory with and through our lord, jesus christ. amen. ernest w. burch. november _"yes," she answered, lifting her eyes to his face; "i, too, have felt it, hermas, this burden, this need, this unsatisfied longing. i think i know what it means. it is gratitude;--the language of the heart, the music of happiness. there is no perfect joy without gratitude. but we have never learned it, and the want of it troubles us. it is like being dumb with a heart full of love. we must find the word for it, and say it together. then we shall be perfectly joined in perfect joy."_ henry van dyke. almighty god, forbid that we shall ever be satisfied with the rich gifts of thy land, or until the gifts have brought us, appreciative, humble, grateful, to thee, the giver of them all. help us to see that this is their high office, disregarding which the noblest of them becomes a stumbling block, accepting which the humblest of them becomes a means of grace and of surpassing gladness. move us, then, to such acceptance of thy favors as shall bring us to thee rejoicing, that we may need less the experiences which shall bring us to thee weeping. and hallow all our human loves by lifting us to a common sense and acknowledgment of thy transcendent love, as shown especially in jesus christ. amen. charles r. tenney. november _"what is the real good?" i asked, in musing mood. "order," said the court; "knowledge," said the school, "truth," said the wise man, "pleasure," said the fool, "love," said the maiden, "beauty," said the page, "freedom," said the dreamer, "home," said the sage; "fame," said the soldier, "equity," said the seer. spake my heart full sadly-- "the answer is not here." then within my bosom softly this i heard: "each heart holds the secret; kindness is the word."_ john boyle o'reilly. oh, father, we are in a world of wonder and of bountiful promise. we scarcely know which to choose. of all life's quests we would seek the highest and best. thou art a lord gracious and kind. grace is but another name for kindness. it is this which is pronounced as a benediction sabbath after sabbath, and for which we lift up our faces morning after morning, to receive. crown us with thy loving kindness and tender mercies. but not for ourselves alone! as we meet the weary and heavy burdened in life, inspire us to show them the kindness of our god. as freely as we have received, so freely may we impart. amen. w. g. richardson. november _what a blessed thing it is that we can forget! today's troubles look large, but a week hence they will be forgotten and buried out of sight. says one writer, "if you should keep a book and daily put down the things that worry you, and see what becomes of them, it would be a benefit to you." the art of forgetting is a blessed art, but the art of overlooking is quite as important._ aughey. lord, we know not the path our feet must walk today; yet we are not anxious. "thy word will be a lamp to our feet," and what we need to know thou wilt reveal just when we need to know it. help us not to forget that we are under our father's care; that he knoweth our frame, that he will not unduly burden us; that he will not "suffer us to be tempted beyond that which we are able to bear;" that he will make "all things work together for good to them that love him." so may this day be one of peace to us, and through us may some troubled heart find rest. amen. george skene november _learn to laugh. a good laugh is better than medicine. learn to tell a story. a well told story is as welcome as a sunbeam in a sick room. learn to keep your own troubles to yourself. the world is too busy to care for your ills and sorrows. learn to do something for others. even if you are a bedridden invalid there is always something that you can do to make others happier, and that is the surest way to attain happiness for yourself._ the beacon. father of all mankind, may the spirit of cheer mark this new day. may the smile of thy benediction rest upon us, and give courage to meet the duty and bear the burden. help us each moment to know something of the highest joy of serving thee. may that joy never be absent from our pain. may it consecrate every pleasure. may it lift us nearer the stature of the christ, that the light of our life may shed its beams on the pathway of other lives,--a light in their darkness, an assurance of sympathy in affliction, an inspiration to do and endure. so may all gladly go to their appointed duty, one with thee, even as christ, whose followers we aim to be. amen. charles t. billings. november _take whatever is good in man, and argue that god is not only that, but infinitely better than that. in fashioning your conception of god, make it as resplendent in justice, as august in truth, as noble and pure in love, as radiant and wondrous in pity, as enduring as you please. never be afraid that you will overdraw the divine character. god is never better in your thought or imagination than he is in himself._ henry ward beecher. almighty god, we thank thee for the great thoughts and high hopes which lie deep in human hearts. we thank thee for the visions of the perfect life which lead us ever toward the light. we long to follow those who lead the way to thee. by faith and love may we be bound to them. as voices of thy spirit may they be to us. bless us this day with hunger for righteousness. feed us with the bread of life. endow us with high hopes and determined wills, that we may be faithful. amen. frederick w. betts. november _there was a man who smiled because the day was bright; because he slept at night; because god gave him sight to gaze upon his child! because his little one could leap and laugh and run; because the distant sun smiled on the earth, he smiled._ _he toiled and still was glad because the air was free; because he loved, and she that claimed his love and he shared all the joys they had! because the grasses grew; because the sweet wind blew; because that he could hew and hammer he was glad._ s. e. kiser. o lord, who dost bountifully provide for us the necessities and comforts of life, and makest us glad in the enjoyment of the same; grant, we beseech thee, that we may so use these, thy gifts, that in all our blessings we find thee to be the source and author of all our happiness--of our health and prosperity, of our joys and hopes, and of the holy relations of friends and family; lest, resting content in that which is less, we fail to attain to that which is greatest--truly to know thee and to love thee, which is the very end of our being and the consummation of all bliss; through jesus christ our lord. amen. william h. p. hatch. november _i have seen a curious child, who dwelt upon a tract of inland ground, applying to his ear the convolutions of a smooth-lipped shell; to which, in silence hushed, his very soul listened intensely; and his countenance soon brightened with joy; for from within were heard murmurings, whereby the monitor expressed mysterious union with its native sea: even such a shell the universe itself is to the ear of faith; and there are times, i doubt not, when to you it doth impart authentic tidings of invisible things; of ebb and flow, and ever-during power; and central peace, subsisting at the heart of endless agitation._ william wordsworth. father of lights, with whom can be no variation or shadow that is cast by turning, give to me the joy of the love that endures as seeing him who is invisible; that where thy speaking voice is, there may be my listening ear; that above the waste and clamor of the tasks that exhaust me in bodily strength, there may be supplied a power of will to do the right and a fellowship with all righteous men everywhere. help me to remember that life consists not in the abundance of the things i possess. let my faith see through doubt, endure through temptation and privation, and cleave steadfastly to god, remembering that love believing is love triumphing. through jesus christ our lord. amen. adolph a. berle. november _when jeremy taylor had lost all--when his house had been plundered and his family driven out of doors, and all his worldly estate had been sequestered--he could still write thus: "i am fallen into the hands of publicans and sequesterers, and they have taken all from me. what now? let me look about me. they have left me the sun and moon, a loving wife and many friends to pity me, and some to relieve me; and i can still discourse, and, unless i list, they have not taken away my merry countenance and my cheerful spirit and a good conscience; they have still left me the providence of god, and all the promises of the gospel, and my religion, and my hopes of heaven, and my charity to them, too; and still i sleep and digest, i eat and drink, i read and meditate--and he that hath so many causes of joy and so great, is very much in love with sorrow and peevishness, who leaves all these pleasures, and chooses to sit down upon his little handful of thorns."_ samuel smiles. father of all mercies, who thyself art more to us than the utmost of thy gifts; we thank thee for those blessings of our life which come like the manna fresh every morning and pass with the passing day. still more we thank thee for the blessings which abide, like a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night, witness of thine own presence ever continuing with us. give us grace and wisdom so to receive the ministries of this new day, that by means of them we may enter more fully into the divine friendship and the everlasting habitations. whatever may fail us, grant us such hold upon thyself as shall be the having of all things, through jesus christ our lord. amen. james fairbairn brodie. november _native goodness is unconscious, asks not to be recognized; but its baser affectation is a thing to be despised. only when the man is loyal to himself shall he be prized._ * * * * * _if i live the life he gave me, god will turn it to his use._ bayard taylor. _live not without a friend! the alpine rock must own its mossy grace or else be nothing but a stone._ _live not without a god! however low or high, in every house should be a window to the sky._ william wetmore story. eternal god, who hast neither dawn nor evening, yet sendest us alternate mercies of the darkness and the day; there is no light but thine, without, within. as thou liftest the curtain of night from our abodes, take also the veil from our hearts. rise with thy morning upon our souls: quicken all our labor and our prayer: and though all else declines, let the noontide of thy grace and peace remain. may we walk, while it is yet day, in the steps of him who, with fewest hours, finished thy divinest work. amen. james martineau. november _i found it difficult the other night to cross a muddy street because of the deep shadow cast by my own body which stood between the electric light and the walk over which i was crossing. not a little of the time, i fear, do we stand in our own spiritual light, making our own pathway black with ugly shadows cast by our own personality, while the light flashes all around us. if you would avoid the shadows walk toward the electric light in the heavens and let its beams fall in your face._ george l. perin. our pathway, heavenly father, is dark and lone. sad and sinister suggestions born in our own hearts blind our souls and stay our steps. but with thee there is no night. light is thy shadow. unto thee, therefore, we would turn in the sweet surrender of the spirit. in our darkness which leadeth unto death show us the way. walking by thy guidance, intent upon thy will, may we rest with unforgetting memory upon thy sevenfold promise of life. give us the gift of the morning star. with thee by our side may this new day bring us a new vision of duty, a larger girding for life, the nobler hope, the truth that makes men free. and unto thee be thanks, praise and glory. amen. franklin hamilton. november _the first principle of christianity is to forget one's self. when wilberforce was straining every energy to get his bill for the emancipation of slaves passed, a lady once said to him, "mr. wilberforce, i'm afraid you are so busy about those slaves that you are neglecting your own soul." "true, madam," he said; "i had quite forgotten that i have one." that remark contains one of the deepest truths of christianity._ henry drummond. o lord, give us the mind of the master! we would look on our fellow creatures as he looked on them. we would be free from all taint of envy, jealousy, and sin. we would have his single eye and his hearing ear. we know that thou art in man, for it is thy spirit which quickens within him every pure thought and moves to every unselfish deed. give us a due sense of humility and appreciation that we may enter into the secret thought and understand the sincere purpose of all the toilers of this present world! thus would we abide forever with the saints, the seers, and the singers, of all climes and ages! amen. eben h. chapin. november _do we not know that more than half our trouble is borrowed? just suppose that we could get rid of all unnecessary and previous terror; just suppose that we could be sure of final victory in every conflict, and final emergence out of every shadow into brighter day; how our hearts would be lightened! how much more bravely we should work and fight and march forward! this is the courage to which we are entitled and which we may find in the thought that god is with us everywhere._ henry van dyke. o gracious and infinite presence, thou art the peace that dwells in the shade of night and the brightness and hope of this new day. we are gratefully conscious of the loving strength that stands ever ready to help. the call of the day's work is in our ears and the courage manfully to labor is in our hearts. strengthen us, father, when weariness of toil dissolves our noble resolutions; calm us when petty vexations distract from our holy purposes. may midday find us refreshed by thy grace and eventide solaced by thy benediction. and now as we go forth to duty let our hearts know no terror but the fear of wrong-doing and our minds no anxiety but the earnest desire to toil fruitfully. grant that we may see beneath life's busy activities the great good thou art working out among men and to this end learn to labor and to wait. amen. charles r. east. november _there is no thing we cannot overcome. say not thy evil instinct is inherited, or that some trait inborn makes thy whole life forlorn, and calls down punishment that is not merited. back of thy parents and grandparents lies the great eternal will. that, too, is thine inheritance, strong, beautiful, divine, sure lever of success, for him who tries. pry up thy faults with this great lever, will, however deeply bedded in propensity, however firmly set, i tell thee firmer yet is that strange power that comes from truth's immensity!_ ella wheeler wilcox. o eternal goodness, help us now, as another morning dawns, to readjust ourselves to thy purpose of blessing. we believe that the most certain, significant and permanent fact of the universe is that thou art our father. thus we are the heirs of thy sufficient grace. there is no curse of ancestry for him who knows thee as his parent. there is no weakness of the flesh for him who, through touch with thee, becomes strong in the spirit. help us all through this day to deny the chain of every earthly folly and sin, to stand erect and free as becometh children of the infinite. so, finding and using the wisdom of our master, who, most of all men, gained success, may we overcome the world. amen. george e. huntley. november _all things seem rushing straight into the dark-- but the dark still is god._ george macdonald. _love is and was my king and lord, and will be, tho' as yet i keep within the court on earth, and sleep encompass'd by his faithful guard,_ _and here at times a sentinel who moves about from place to place, and whispers to the worlds of space, in the deep night, that all is well._ alfred tennyson. o god, our heavenly father, we thank thee that thou hast led us into this new day. we thank thee also, that, though its experiences are untried and its issues involved in uncertainty, we are unafraid, full indeed of glad expectation, because we know thee as our king and lord. help us in obedience and love to keep close to thee, so that, if ever quick darkness shall come upon us, we may still be undisturbed because of thy presence, to whom the darkness and the light are both alike. this we ask in the name of him who loved us and gave himself for us. amen. charles r. tenney. november _let thy day be to thy night a letter of good tidings. let thy praise go up as birds go up, that when they wake shake off the dew and soar; so take joy home and make a place in thy heart for her, and give her time to grow and cherish her; then will she come and oft will sing to thee when thou art working in the furrows; ay, or weeding in the sacred hour of dawn. it is a comely fashion to be glad-- joy is the grace we say to god._ jean ingelow. our father, we thank thee for the blessings of night. in this new morning hour, we pray for stout hearts and strong to meet the day's work. may we go forth with a song on our lips and the joy of renewed youth in our souls. amid the tumults of the day enable us to hear thy becalming voice. then, though in dreariest labor, we shall have glad hearts, though pressed by dullest cares, we shall keep uncrushed hopes, though distracted by earth's din, we shall hear heaven's music. abide with us, benign spirit. inspire us to do our duty, and to learn that therein, alone, may true joy be found. amen. george runyon longbrake. november _the weather-prophet tells us of an approaching storm. it comes according to the programme. we admire the accuracy of the prediction, and congratulate ourselves that we have such a good meteorological service. but when, perchance, a bright crystalline piece of weather arrives instead of the foretold tempest, do we not feel a secret sense of pleasure which goes beyond our mere comfort in the sunshine? the whole affair is not as easy as a sum in simple addition, after all,--at least not with our present knowledge. it is a good joke on the weather bureau. "aha, old probabilities!" we say, "you don't know it all yet; there are still some chances to be taken!"_ henry van dyke. our heavenly father, thou hast covered us with the darkness and we have slept under the shadow of thy care. thou hast opened for us again the gates of the morning, and refreshed, we rise to praise thee. the memory of mercies past inspires our hope for today. reveal thyself to us by thy spirit and through thy word; make nature to minister to us in the heavens above and the fields below; let every experience lead us toward thyself. help us to see thy face in those about us, and honor thee in loving, helpful ministry to them. bring to us today a fresh and larger sense of thy presence, forgiveness, and care, and so the assurance that all things are working together for our good. in the name of jesus christ our saviour. amen. samuel h. greene. november "_i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills._" psalm cxxi. . _peace is the message of the hills, a peace that broods upon their mighty heads, and fills their forest solitudes; the leaping mountain waterfalls, as each unto the other calls, blend in a murmuring noise whose silver rushing music stills the pretty play of human moods, and bids the calmed soul rejoice in the deep secrets of the woods, the majesty of nature's voice._ priscilla leonard. dear god and father of us all, who maketh thy sun to rise out of the sea and tintest the hills with the rosy promise of the day, we look up when we awake and seeing the light upon the mountains know that the day is coming to fill the world with beauty and glory. with thankful hearts we praise thee, and pray that to us may be granted that loftiness of nature, that stability of character, that repose of mind and heart and life that is prefigured to us in the natural world. grant that we may each become mediums of thy love and hope to all who may chance to look up to us for guidance along the shores of life's tempestuous ocean. may the spirit of the eternal find such expression in us and through us, this day, that all who come within the radiance of our joy may come into the consciousness of the joy of the eternal. amen. thomas j. horner. november _and he said unto me, o daniel, a man greatly beloved, understand the words that i speak unto thee, and stand upright: for unto thee am i now sent, and when he had spoken this word unto me, i stood trembling. then said he unto me, fear not, daniel, for from the first day that thou didst set thy heart to understand and to chasten thyself before thy god, thy words were heard, and i am come for thy words.... then there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man and he strengthened me and said, o man, greatly beloved, fear not: peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong._ book of daniel. our heavenly father, we thank thee that thou art not far from us at any time. we have only to look up reverently and to our imagination thou art standing near. we have only to wait in the darkness of the night to feel thy presence with us. we have only to listen at any time to hear thy voice. thou deignest to stop and speak to us when we are in trouble, to guide our footsteps when we have lost our way, to renew our courage when we have become disheartened. o lord, speak to us this day, saying to us, as unto him of old, "peace be unto thee, be strong, yea, be strong." amen. george l. perin. november _let star-wheels and angel-wings, with their holy winnowings, keep beside you all the way: lest in passion you should dash, with a blind and heavy crash. up against the thick-bossed shield of god's judgment in the field._ elizabeth barrett browning. _be diligent and faithful, patient and hopeful, one and all of you; and may we all know, at all times, that verily the eternal rules above us, and that nothing finally wrong has happened or can happen._ thomas carlyle. almighty god, our father in heaven, the giver of every good and perfect gift, teach us, we pray thee, how to do thy will on earth as it is done in heaven, as the goal of our lives. send down exceeding, abundantly above all that we can ask or think, the blessed influences of thy holy spirit, to transform each heart and all the world into the kingdom of heaven. give us the morning star of hope. feed us from the tree of life. teach us thy redeeming love. grant that we may have some part with thee in the redemption of the world, and be permitted to join with the whole glad earth in the chorus, "blessing and honor and glory and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the lamb forever and ever." amen. f. n. peloubet. november _what is the crown of the whole of life lived faithfully here? it is not a crown of gold or gems in another life; it is simply more life; a broader use of power, a healthier capacity, a larger usefulness. you are faithful unto death, through the misapprehensions and imperfections and absence of appreciation or gratitude in this preparatory world, and then there is offered to you inevitably and legitimately the crown of a larger, more serviceable, more effective life._ francis g. peabody. to thee, o author of our lives, we speak thanksgiving and gratitude for thy gifts of love and trust. help us to bring them into full exercise this day. by them may we know the experience of burdens made light and yokes made easy. with them, let us realize that we are effective workers with thee. because of them, show us how all our tasks are transformed to divine endeavors. through them, set free all other of our highest impulses. so, o god, shall we know the fulness of life, we and all our loved ones. so shall we see doubt change to faith and blindness to vision. so shall our influence through word and work be the ministry of hope and of joy to any disconsolate, and to any who are a weak guide to the source of strength. for newness of life, for all the fruits of the spirit, whereby the heart is ever young and in joyous companionship with the christ, for all this we pray now and ever. amen. william h. mcglauchlin. november _the child frightened in his play runs to seek his mother. she takes him upon her lap and presses his head to her bosom; and with tenderest words of love, she looks down upon him and smooths his hair and kisses his cheek, and wipes away his tears. then, in a low and gentle voice, she sings some sweet descant, some lullaby of love; and the fear fades out from his face, and a smile of satisfaction plays over it, and at length his eyes close, and he sleeps in the deep depths and delights of peace. god almighty is the mother and the soul is the tired child; and he folds it in his arms and dispels its fears, and lulls it to repose, saying "sleep, my darling, sleep! it is i who watch thee."_ henry ward beecher. blessed master! we thank thee that every tired and weary child may find rest in the bosom of the father. each morning brings with it new cares, new duties, new privileges, new responsibilities; for all these, we need thy protecting care, and pray for thy divine guidance. when wearied and burdened with the cares of daily life, wilt thou help us to flee to thee as the frightened child flees to the loving mother; and wilt thou encircle us with thine arms of love, and whisper in our ears words of comfort and cheer and of forgiveness. teach us to trust thee in the morning, to walk with thee through the day, and to commit our ways to thee at all times. amen. samuel m. dick. november _certainly there never was a busier life than that of jesus,--his whole great mission bounded by three hurried years. yet in the morning he says to his friends: "let us come apart and rest awhile;" and again when the evening is come he is in the mountain apart, alone. that is the place of worship in a world of work. it is not a refuge from duty, or a shirking of it; it is the renewal of power to meet one's duty and do it. the work of life is not to be well done with a hot, feverish, overwhelmed, and burdened mind; it is to be well done with a mind calmed and fortified by moments of withdrawal; and it is to be best done by one who from time to time pulls himself up in his eager life and permits god to speak to his soul._ francis g. peabody. o spirit of grace, who withholdest thy blessing from none, take from us the tediousness and anxiety of a selfish mind, the unfruitfulness of cold affections, the weakness of an inconstant will. with the simplicity of a great purpose, the quiet of a meek temper, and the power of a well-ordered soul, may we pass through the toils and watches of our pilgrimage; grateful for all that may render the burden of duty light; and even in strong trouble rejoicing to be deemed worthy of the severer service of thy will. amen. james martineau. november _god gives to every man the virtue, temper, understanding, taste, that lifts him into life, and lets him fall just in the niche he was ordain'd to fill._ william cowper. _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?_ henry david thoreau. holy father, help us to be thankful that no life is beneath thy notice. if a sparrow cannot fall without thee, how much more is thine eye fixed upon thy child. teach us, o lord, that there is a divine purpose in each life. but may we not try to choose this without thee. show us how to wait upon thee in holy silence till thou dost make it known to us. o master, say to us: "as the father hath sent me into the world even so have i sent you." when we have found at the cross our little mission, o sustain us and help us to keep it steadily in view--let us share thy holy enthusiasm when thou didst say: "my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work." o father, when we are depressed whisper to us: "your labor is not in vain in the lord." may our mission transform us into the likeness of jesus, and may we say with him at evening: "i have glorified thee on the earth; i have finished the work thou gavest me to do." amen. l. p. johnson. november _though wrong may win, its victory is brief, the tides of good at first no passage find; each surge breaks, shattered, on the sullen reef,-- yet still the infinite ocean comes behind._ _the road of right has neither turn nor bend, it stretches straight unto the highest goal; hard, long, and lonely?--yes, yet never soul can lose its way thereon, nor miss the end._ priscilla leonard. we thank thee, heavenly father, that awaking, we are conscious that thou art near. walk with us, through the untried path of this day's duty and service. we rejoice that thou art in thy world. within its striving is thy calm. around its restlessness is thy rest. thy purpose fashions its achievements; thy love shapes its future. help us to see it with clearer vision, to hold it fast with firmer faith. when wrong seems to triumph, may we know that it is already perishing, and hold hard by truth and love and faith. give us grace to spend this day as becometh children of god in honor, in courtesy, in sympathy, in confident trust. when the way seems long and lonely, straight and steep, help us to sing as we march forward, since thou art with us, who hast said, "i will never leave thee nor forsake thee." amen. charles c. p. hiller. november _she was a droll little figure of a girl with a quaint old face, that showed too early the lines of care and work, and her clothing betokened a poverty-stricken home. evidently not much of brightness had touched her life, but her face always lightened up when she mentioned her school or her teacher. "why is it that you love your teacher so well?" she was asked one day. her eyes shone and her lips smiled happily as she replied, "because she's glad to me!" what a tribute was that! what an evidence was that of a happy heart that radiated its gladness! if we cannot bring other offerings of much value to the children and the poor among us, how blessed are we if we can bring gladness!_ estelle m. hart. almighty god, teach us how to be glad. put some gladness into our hearts. show us where gladness is hidden in our little world about us, so that we may find it and use it. give us the wisdom of jesus, who, although a man of sorrows, yet spake ever of his joy and his peace. we feel that the secret of things must be gladness, that somehow there is a covered joy even in what we call our sufferings. let us find that. keep our hearts pure of the soiling of evil desire, for we know that no gladness can come from the muddy fountains of sin. let our hands be busy at some good part of the world's work, for we know that idleness never went hand in hand with joy. let our minds be open to acknowledge, love and obey the truth, for we feel that truth alone can satisfy our hearts. and let us feel to-day the duty of gladness we owe to our fellow-creatures. let us give to them what we would receive from thee. amen. frank crane. december _but winter has yet brighter scenes--he boasts splendors beyond what gorgeous summer knows; or autumn with his many fruits, and woods all flushed with many hues, come when the rains have glazed the snow and clothed the trees with ice, the incrusted surface shall upbear thy steps, and the broad arching portals of the grove welcome thy entering._ william cullen bryant. our father, we know that thou wilt commune with us if only we truly seek thee; thou art the infinite consciousness and thou dost include within thyself our finite consciousness. we have our life in thy life. this morning we would be mindful of thy presence. the northern groves with snow-laden, bended branches bid us enter and worship. thou dost send forth the rays of thy sun and touch them aglow with the reflected beauty of the snow-flake. thou hast also created us. the flake reflects the sun, and may we reflect thee, through living righteously. help us to do the right and to forego the wrong. amen. fred alban weil. december _"a commonplace life," we say, and we sigh; but why should we sigh as we say? the commonplace sun in the commonplace sky makes up the commonplace day. the moon and the stars are commonplace things, and the flower that blooms and the bird that sings, but dark were the world and sad our lot if the flowers failed and the sun shone not; and god, who studies each separate soul out of commonplace lives makes his beautiful whole._ susan coolidge. our infinite father, we open our hearts to thee, for where thou art heaven is. as the morning sun gives light and life to earth, so thou givest light and life and joy to us. we say good-morning to thee, and as we listen thy good-morning comes to us. as it comes we glow and expand like the opening flower. may this glowing spirit of love be in all we say and do and think this day, and still continue through all days to come. when we are vexed and weary with trials and labor, make us to remember this morning glow of thy love that it may renew rest and peace within us. help us, o our father, to enter the beauty of this day and this life by claiming our heritage as "children of light" and going forth to fulfil the common duties of the day as "children of god." amen. walter dole. december _no matter! so long as the world is the work of eternal goodness, and so long as conscience has not deceived us. to give happiness and to do good, there is our only law, our anchor of salvation, our beacon light, our reason for existing. all religions may crumble away; so long as this survives we have still an ideal, and life is worth living. nothing can lessen the dignity and value of humanity so long as the religion of love, of unselfishness and devotion endures; and none can destroy the altars of this faith for us so long as we feel ourselves still capable of love._ henri-frÉdÉric amiel. our heavenly father, we thank thee for a night of peaceful rest, and we are glad to begin a new day with full assurance of thy loving care. we hope for pleasant ways and large success, but thy wisdom is better than our wishes and if it is appointed us to meet difficulties or temptations, we pray for strength to sustain a manly warfare. we have faith that whatever our condition thou wilt still provide a way by which lofty purpose and resolute endeavor may use the circumstances of our life for a nearer approach to thee and for service to our fellowmen. to this end be then the light of our way and the strength of our life, through jesus christ our lord. amen. j. smith dodge. december _he was a friend to man, and lived in a house by the side of the road._ homer. _there are hermit souls that live withdrawn in the peace of their self-content; there are souls, like stars, that dwell apart, in a fellow-less firmament; there are pioneer souls that blaze their paths where highways never ran:-- but let me live by the side of the road and be a friend to man._ _let me live in a house by the side of the road. where the race of men go by-- the men who are good and the men who are bad, as good and as bad as i. i would not sit in the scorner's seat, or hurl the cynic's ban:-- let me live in a house by the side of the road and be a friend to man._ sam walter foss. our father in heaven, we come with thanksgiving for the light of another day and all the blessings which it brings from thee. may the precious moments before us be filled with activity. forgive us if we have been remiss in seizing our opportunities and so lead us this day that if we shall be called to thee, the sweet voice of the master may greet us with, "inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me." in jesus' name. amen. j. e. charlton. december _one old lady kept a sighing; said she wasn't young, didn't look as sweet's she used to, times were all unstrung; troubles doubled aches, and favors went a flying past, wrinkles stung like thorns, and eyesight kept a failing fast._ _one old lady kept a saying life was like the spring, brighter blossoms always coming, birds around to sing; troubles came--and went; she let 'em, didn't count the throng. thanked the lord 'most every morning she'd been young so long!_ jessie m. shaw. our heavenly father, wilt thou forgive us for the sighs and tears and frowns and doubts of yesterday? especially wilt thou forgive us for all that was little and petty and mean? may we begin again today with larger vision, higher hope and nobler ambition. may there be no sighs for lost beauty, no grief over faded youth and no lamentation over lost fortune. thankful and glad for what we have, may we find our joy in using it for some high end. so may we conserve the youth of the heart and the light of the soul. amen. george l. perin. december _there is never a sky of winter to the heart that sings alway; never a night but hath stars to light, and dreams of a rosy day._ _the world is ever a garden red with the bloom of may; and never a stormy morning to the heart that sings alway!_ frank l. stanton. o thou who art the love, the light, and the life in whom is no discord, no darkness, no disease nor death; but who art ever radiating sympathy, vision and health; we give thee hearty thanks for the consciousness of thy abiding presence when we possess a humble and contrite spirit. may we ever remember that nothing but our own selfishness, pride, and forgetfulness can break this constant communion with thee. open our hearts just now for the inflow of the divine love in order that we may pass it on to others today. open our eyes today that we may see thee everywhere striving against selfishness in the lives of all men. fill us with thy life today in order that there may go out to others a heavenly harmony, a song, a symphony, that will dispel discord, darkness and disease; that will overcome evil with good. amen. e. j. helms. december _as the bird trims her to the gale, i trim myself to the storm of time, i man the rudder, reef the sail, obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime; "lowly faithful, banish fear, right onward drive unharmed; the port, well worth the cruise, is near, and every wave is charmed."_ ralph waldo emerson. heavenly father, keep our faces in the light and upward. make us courageous in the storm. help us to consecrate all our powers against the contrary winds and listen for the loving voice of him who walks the rough waves and comes toward our frail barks. may we never be afraid; may we know peace and rest and trust. o saviour, help us to know the reality of thy love and friendship, and hear thee say in the darkest hour, "all is well." may no storm be too severe, no burden too heavy, no task too hard. so let us believe and live. amen. cortland myers. december _love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee, corruption wins not more than honesty. still in thy right hand carry gentle peace, to silence envious tongues. be just, and fear not: let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, thy god's, and truth's; then if thou fall'st, o cromwell, thou fall'st a blessed martyr!_ shakespeare. father almighty, we do trust in thee, and we ask thee for everything. thou art pleased to give us everything. thou dost give us the light by which we see. thou dost give us this air which we breathe and with which we speak. best of all, thou hast shown us that we are one family of thy children, alive in thy life and strong in thy strength. thou dost give us the water that we drink and the food that we eat. everything is thine while it is ours. now, father, we are here to consecrate these gifts to thy service, to come and go indeed as thy children; when we speak, to speak the word that thou shalt teach; when we act, to do the thing that thou wouldst. moreover, inspire us with thine holy spirit, that we may so come and go in our father's service, and for the coming of thy kingdom in this world, that all men may be one, and may bear one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of christ. amen. edward everett hale. december _each soul, alone unto herself, must bear the heartache out of which man wins despair or hope according to his faculty. nathless one thing is certain; who hath known truth, beauty, goodness, shining in their sphere, shall not be lost through any lesser lure. on black tempestuous waves he may be thrown; yet to the right port shall he surely steer, and god himself shall make his doing pure._ john addington symonds. o god, with the dawn we would lift our grateful hearts to thee! we know not what thou hast in store for us this new day, but we rejoice that we are in thy thought, and that we cannot pass beyond the reach of thy love. helpless and weak, we pray for courage to be undaunted by the uncertainties of life, and that we may meet all its duties with a firm and tranquil mind. grant that we may be helpful to all with whom we come in contact and forbid that we should judge others hastily or uncharitably. may our minds and hearts be open to the truth, that we may know and do thy gracious will. guided and guarded by thee, may the day be full of peace, purity and power. amen. george m. howe. december _there was never a song that was sung by thee, but a sweeter one was meant to be. there was never a deed that was grandly done, but a greater was meant by some earnest one. for the sweetest voice can never impart the song that trembles within the heart._ _and the brain and the hand can never quite do the thing that the soul has fondly in view. and hence are the tears and the burdens of pain, for the shining goals are never to gain but enough that a god can hear and see the song and the deed that were meant to be._ benjamin r. bulkeley. almighty god, our heavenly father, who hast illumined the morning with the brightness of thy life, we rejoice in the potency of the influence that brings us into communion with thee. for the blessed revelation of thyself, for life and all things that nourish it, for the earth and the fulness thereof, for daily comforts and mercies and for the light that lighteth every man who cometh into the world, we give thee thanks. we thank thee too for the songs that we have sung and for the better songs that are in our hearts. we thank thee for every noble deed and also for the dreams of nobler deeds that men have cherished. o lord, bless our work and fill us with aspiration for nobler service. bless the poor, the sick, and those that mourn. hear this our prayer and answer our petition through jesus christ our lord. amen. frank d. sargent. december _love the spot where you are, and the friends god has given you and be sure to expect everything good of them._ john albee. _when do we lift each other up? must we gain a height first or can we reach up our feebleness together to the hands that do offer us a mighty help from on high? near doing, and near living, and near loving; these life-particles make the great heaven, as the little polarized atoms of light, all magnetized one way, make the great blue in which the stars burn forever._ mrs. a. d. t. whitney. no discontent could harass us if we had a deeper faith in thee and a broader love for those about us. we praise thee, therefore, that we may be rooted and grounded in christ. and that our little lives may glorify him by bringing forth abundant fruit. thou dost give us the holy privilege of being co-laborers with thee in the salvation of needy humanity. around us are the countless opportunities for ennobling and gladdening the lives of those whose courage burns low, or who have never known the transforming companionship of christ. we would not forget that we are debtors to thee and to that great host whose love and service has inspired us. may we be not selfish takers only, but generous givers. may there be less gloom, fewer shackles, less guilt in the world because we are mastered by the spirit of christ. amen. philip l. frick. december _have you learned lessons only of those who admired you, and were tender with you, and stood aside for you?_ _have you not learned great lessons from those who reject you, and brace themselves against you? or who treat you with contempt, or dispute the passage with you?_ walt whitman. help us, o god, always to be hopeful; teach us what it means to hope in thee, and may we experience the truth of the promise which says: "he will strengthen your heart that hopes in him;" but help us not to indulge in too fond hopes nor to be too easily elated by future dreams. may we see life clearly as it is and be ready to accept courageously whatsoever thou sendest us. help us to accept all our joys as thy blessings; all our duties as thy commands, and our sorrows as of thine appointment, and help us to believe that thou wilt turn even that which seems to harm us, into everlasting good and everlasting joy. amen. john f. meyer. december _life should be a giving birth to the soul, the development of a higher mode of reality. the animal must be humanized: flesh must be made spirit; physiological activity must be transmuted into intellect and conscience, into reason, justice, and generosity, as the torch is transmuted into light and warmth. the blind, greedy, selfish nature of man must put on beauty and nobleness. this heavenly alchemy is what justifies our presence on the earth; it is our mission and our glory._ henri-frÉdÉric amiel. our father, this world is thy world, and this day is thy renewed gift of opportunity to learn life's lesson more perfectly. we need clearer insight into thy designs, that we may loathe every form of selfishness, and love devotion. give us to know the christ more intimately, and in the strength of his apprehended presence help us to employ this day in practising the holy principles he taught. assist us this morning to have, and throughout this day to keep, such an attitude of glad co-operation with him, that work shall be shot through and through with joy in anticipation of its glorious result. so may this day be to us a time of real soul expansion; a wooing and a winning of that which is highest, even a purer, noble character. amen. j. edwin lacount. december _'tis the mind that makes the body rich, and as the sun breaks through the darkest clouds, so honor peereth in the meanest habit. what, is the jay more precious than the lark, because his feathers are more beautiful? or is the adder better than the eel, because his painted skin contents the eye?_ shakespeare. in this world of mingled good and evil, amid the ceaseless struggle of the better with the worse, grant unto us our father, the cheerful assurance that we are enlisted in the service of the good, bound for the better, and destined for the best. reveal to us each day some task that we can do for thee, some chance to bear with christ the burden of another, some call to take the side of the right against the wrong. help us to conquer hardship by patience, despair by hope, fear by courage, and hate by love; and may we find the peace, the power, the glory of thy perfect will and thy great kingdom reflected and reproduced in our hearts and lives. amen. william dewitt hyde. december _call him not old, whose visionary brain holds o'er the past its undivided reign, for him in vain the envious seasons roll who bears eternal summer in his soul. if yet the minstrel's song, the poet's lay, spring with her birds, or children at their play, or maiden's smile, or heavenly dream of art, stir the few life-drops creeping round his heart, turn to the record where his years are told,-- count his gray hairs,--they cannot make him old!_ oliver wendell holmes. thou infinite spirit of life, in thy sight, there is no old age. the step may grow feeble, the hair may whiten, the eye may grow dim, but each human soul is still thy child. we gather about the tables of earth, families of children, some older, some younger, but all young in thy sight. we pause for a moment this morning to pray for the spirit of youth. let us cherish the power of hoping and of believing. let us have that fine quality of the child life which keeps it facing the future with glad expectancy. let us not give over our toils till we must. let us not relinquish our interest in life till the evening shadows fall, and even at the last, let us lie down like the child who sleeps with his hand in the hand of his mother. amen. george l. perin. december _o toiling bands of mortals! o unwearied feet, travelling we know not whither! soon, soon, it seems to you, you must come forth on some conspicuous hilltop, and but a little way further, against the setting sun, descry the spires of el dorado. little do ye know your own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor._ robert louis stevenson. our father, we thank thee for the work that thou givest us to do; for its joy, for its zest, even for its very task and weariness. we would interpret our labor by the highest good it brings us; through our brave and cheerful doing thy heaven of peace is found. we thank thee for our diviner hopes, and for the spirit that would complete them. they light our days with gladness, and set our feet in large places, and though the higher hill-tops seem far away, yet meeting our duties faithfully, we do see them, and looking back we find the places of our departure lying far below. o blessed tasks! o blessed hopes! that lead us ever to our father's love. amen. albert j. coleman. december _god speaks to hearts of men in many ways: some the red banner of the rising sun, spread o'er the snow-clad hills, has taught his praise. some the sweet silence when the day is done; some, after loveless lives, at length have won his word in children's hearts and children's gaze; and some have found him where low rafters ring to greet the hand that helps, the heart that cheers; and some in prayer, and some in perfecting of watchful toil through unrewarding years; and some not less are his, who vainly sought his voice, and with his silence have been taught,-- who bore his chains who bade them to be bound, and at the end in finding not have found._ anonymous. o god, all voices of the earth are thine, even when there is no speech or language, thy messages have many ways to reach the listening heart. give us this day to hear at least some whisper of thy grace. if it may be, open our minds and attune our spirits to receive more than we could hitherto interpret of the assurances sent to us by elevated goodness and love. so let us be defended this day against wrong, and do our work in joy and peace through the knowledge that thou art with us, our friend and helper even unto the end. amen. howard n. brown. december _did you ever see a schoolboy tumble on the ice without stooping immediately to re-buckle the strap of his skates? and would not ignotus have painted a masterpiece if he could have found good brushes and a proper canvas? life's shortcomings would be bitter indeed if we could not find excuses for them outside of ourselves. and as for life's successes--well, it is certainly wholesome to remember how many of them are due to a fortunate position and the proper tools._ henry van dyke. our father, god, help us to begin this new day with the right spirit in our hearts,--the spirit of love toward thee and our fellowmen. help us to begin the day if possible without mistake. if, in our human weakness we find that we have not succeeded, that we have erred or gone astray, help us not to despair, not to be discouraged; help us to know and to seek and to love the right. help us never to forget what we owe to thee, to our friends, and the beautiful world thou hast given us. daily bread we have, opportunities open, like books on every hand. greater than all life's bitter is its sweet. ever ready is the master to bless; ever ready is the spirit to comfort thy children look up and praise the father eternal. amen. ransom a. greene. december _i love thee, o son of man! for thy strength and thy sweetness, for thy simplicity, thy courage, thine infinite tenderness, for thy glance which strengthens and pardons us, quickens us and lifts us up; for all that thou hast brought us of consolation, of peace and of warmth of heart. abide thou with us! teach us to see the divine spark imprisoned in every stone of the highway._ charles wagner. o lord, our heavenly father, we thank thee for all thy manifold mercies to us, for all thy constant care and watchfulness over us from the beginning of our lives to this day, for the revelations of thy presence in the world about us, in the shining sky, in the earth beneath our feet, and in the faces of our friends. bless us, o lord, this day, with health and strength and a good courage, and grant that we may show our gratitude for all thy goodness not only with our lips but in our lives, through jesus christ, our lord. amen. george hodges. december _in every "oh my father!" slumbers deep a "here, my child."_ tholuck. _this world, with its wonderful creations, its beauties, and mysteries may lead a child up to the father's throne, if his heart and mind are open to it. fill the heart with goodness and there is no place for badness. fill the soul with heaven, and there is no hell. and this delightful time will come when "god is all and in all."_ abbie e. danforth. our father, who art in heaven; we know that thou hast been good to us. we thank thee for the daily witnesses of thy love. and we would walk worthily before thee. but we are weak. help us, o father to see clearly what thou would'st have us do! give us strength. fill us with thy spirit, that all the way we may be pure and patient. help us to walk aright. in the name of jesus christ. amen. charles h. puffer. december _grand is the seen, the light, to me--grand are the sky and stars, grand is the earth, and grand are lasting time and space, and grand their laws, so multiform, puzzling, evolutionary; but grander far the unseen soul of me, comprehending, endowing all those, lighting the light, the sky and stars, delving the earth, sailing the sea, (what were all those, indeed, without thee, unseen soul? of what amount without thee?) more evolutionary, vast, puzzling, o my soul! more multiform far--more lasting thou than they._ walt whitman. o thou, our heavenly father, in spirit we reach out to thy great spirit. quicken within us visions of what things we may do this day, with thee at hand, thy love abounding. give us vision that we may rise to the opportunities of our daily task. let thy holy spirit bear witness to the reality of our dreams and aspirations, that we may look not idly upon our opportunities, but rather that each new opportunity shall challenge us to nobler effort. o keep us this day full of faith in ourselves and thee, each obedient to our vision, until full purposed, winning thine approval, we shall accomplish the thing for which thou sendest us, and thine be the glory. amen. james d. tillinghast. december _i see the wrong that round me lies, i feel the guilt within, with groan and travail cries i hear the world confess its sin._ _within the maddening maze of things, and tossed by storm and flood, to one fixed stake my spirit clings: i know that god is good._ _i know not where his islands lift their fronded palms in air; i only know i cannot drift beyond his love and care._ john greenleaf whittier. o thou, without whose care a sparrow does not fall, who through the pathless sky dost guide the bird seeking its distant nest, thy trusting children are safe in thy dear love. we know not the way before us, but thou dost know; our feet may stumble in rough paths, but thou wilt hold us up. glad in this confidence, may we begin the day with song and finish it, whatever may befall us, in the calm assurance that all things work for good. give us patience in perplexity, hope amid our fears, and faith to trust thy holy will as best. thus walking in thy love may we reach home at last to see our saviour's face. amen. stephen a. norton. december _wouldst make thy life go fair and square? thou must not for the past feel care; whatever thy loss, thou must not mourn; must ever act as if new-born. what each day wants of thee, that ask; what each day tells thee, that make thy task; with pride thine own performance viewing, with heart to admire another's doing; above all, hate no human being, and all the future leave to the all-seeing._ goethe. dear father, grateful for another new-born day, myself new-born, i greet thee! yesterday and all other yesterdays are in thy keeping. _this day is mine!_ for the failures of the past i care not, nor do i mourn the losses of the days gone by. _today i am new-born!_ indeed, aspiring to thy comprehensive wisdom, i may see my past and my present as one, and out of that past i may select--even from failures and losses--such experiences and lessons as will help me live the present--at least this one day which is mine!--more nobly, more fully, more usefully, more beautifully. may i, knowing myself to be thy child, respect myself as a creative spirit able to look upon its own work and to say: "behold, it is good!" and above all, i pray: that, to-day and always, i may grow in grace and loving-kindness,--hating no one, but feeling, thinking, speaking, acting with good will towards all thy creatures! _this day is mine!_ the future i leave to thee, all-seeing father! but feel myself thy open-eyed and confident child. amen. charles fleischer. december _'mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home; a charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, which sought through the world is ne'er met with elsewhere._ _an exile from home splendor dazzles in vain, oh give me my lowly thatched cottage again; the birds singing gaily, that came at my call, give me them, and that peace of mind dearer than all._ j. howard payne. o god, our heavenly father, we thank thee for the blessings of home; for the shelter, safety, and hallowed associations of our domestic habitation; for the sympathy and helpfulness of family relationship. help us we pray thee to make ours an ideal household, bright with cheerfulness, an exemplification of christian faith and hope. may the happiness of all be the object of each. to that end help us to be patient toward one another, kind and forgiving. may we realize by many beatific experiences that it is better to give than to receive, better to serve than to be served. may we be disposed, as occasion may arise, to share, for a season, the comfort and inspiration of our home with those who are homeless. we thank thee for the bright assurance that beyond the fading scenes and transitory experiences of this life, there is, awaiting us, an eternal abiding place in "a continuing city" whose maker and builder is god, where there shall be no more parting, and where the shadows of our present life shall forever flee away. amen. charles conklin. december _that ever-vivid scene of bethlehem.... a father, a mother, and a child are there. no religion which began like that could ever lose its character. the first unit of human life, the soul, is there, in the new-born personality of the childhood. but the second unit of human life, the family, is just as truly there in the familiar relation of husband and wife and the sacred, eternal mystery of motherhood._ phillips brooks. "glory to god in the highest, and on earth peace." we take up the angel symphony and give it new breath, this gladsome day of days. thou who didst send thy son in the likeness of a little child, that by his life of increase in love and beauty and wisdom and power he might give us courage to begin as children the obedience that alone leads at last to the measure of the stature of his fulness, accept our unutterable gratitude for all that gift. and oh, may he be born in us and formed in us, the hope of glory, that so we may share his peace, his victory, his exaltation, his union with thee. amen. c. ellwood nash. december two are the pathways by which mankind can to virtue mount upward; if thou shouldst find the one barr'd, open the other will lie. 'tis by exertion the happy obtain her, the suffering by patience, blest is the man whose kind fate guides him along upon both! schiller. o thou who hast kept us safely during the unconsciousness of our slumbering hours, and brought us refreshed to this morning light, prepare us for the duties of this day by filling us with the assurance that we are thine, and that thou lovest us. help us to be more like thee, to love thee more and serve thee better. may we manifest our love to thee by our willingness to be of service to our fellowmen. make us warm-hearted and true, helpful and kind, reflecting thy love and doing thy will. we are glad to live in this beautiful world. and we pray that we may be faithful co-laborers with jesus christ, in being light, love and joy to all lives. amen. charles r. tenney. december _stronger, and more frequently, comes the temptation to stop singing, and let discord do its own wild work. but blessed are they that endure to the end,--singing patiently and sweetly, till all join in with loving acquiescence, and universal harmony prevails, without forcing into submission the free discord of a single voice._ _this is the hardest and the bravest task which a true soul has to perform amid the clashing elements of time. but once has it been done perfectly unto the end; and that voice--so clear in its meekness--is heard above all the din of a tumultuous world: one after another chimes in with its patient sweetness; and, through infinite discords, the listening soul can perceive that the great tune is slowly coming into harmony._ lydia maria child. our father, who art in heaven! we thank thee that we are permitted to see the light, engage in the duties and enter into the experiences of this new day. we thank thee for the order and harmony of this wonderful universe; that every force and law and being supports and balances every other force, law and being; that every life contributes to or may contribute to the welfare of every other life, and we pray, that each one of us may come into such relations with thee, the great harmonizing soul of things, as to add our little note to the full anthem of perpetual and adorable praise. in christ's dear name, we ask and offer all. amen. a. j. patterson. december _it is said that a friend once asked the great composer, haydn, why his church music was always so full of gladness. he answered, "i cannot make it otherwise; i write according to the thoughts i feel; when i think upon my god, my heart is so full of joy that the notes dance and leap from my pen; and since god has given me a cheerful heart, it will be pardoned me that i serve him with a cheerful spirit."_ _pardoned? nay, it will be praised and rewarded. for god looks with approval and man turns with gratitude to everyone who shows by a cheerful life that religion is a blessing for this world and the next._ henry van dyke. our father in heaven, we awake this morning with a sense of thankfulness for the beauty and glory of thy creation. we praise thee that as thy children we can be conscious of the kingdom of heaven always about us. so we pray for that attitude of mind and spirit of soul that will unlock for us the divine life. help us to be conscious of thee in all the varied experiences of this day. if it shall be a day of burdens, give us strength to play our part uncomplainingly, if a day of joy to accept it with true gratitude; and when the shades of night shall call us to our rest, may our memory of the day bring us peace. amen. edward c. downey. december _ah, don't be sorrowful, darling, and don't be sorrowful, pray; taking the year together, my dear, there isn't more night than day._ _'tis rainy weather, my darling; time's waves they heavily run; but taking the year together, my dear, there isn't more cloud than sun._ alice cary. we thank thee, heavenly father, for the days just as they come. nor would we measure the sunshine against the storm as if to test thy goodness by some petty form of bookkeeping. thou presidest over all our days, and whatever may be the face of nature we trust thy love. let us go forth today, not in critical mood nor despondent mood but in the mood of high christian faith, anxious, not to test thy providence, but ready to do our own part, taking care to hold our cup of blessing open-side up; so shall it catch the manna when it falls. then shall each passing day be full of blessing. amen. george l. perin. december _fades the rose; the year grows old; the tale is told; youth doth depart-- only stays the heart._ _ah, no! if stays the heart, youth can ne'er depart, nor the sweet tale be told-- never the rose fade, nor the year grow old._ richard watson gilder. dear father, we thank thee for the year now coming to its close, and for all that has blessed us in it. help us to keep the good wherewith it has done us good in lasting memory. by the flight of time which its passing emphasizes move us to earnestness in the labors committed to our hands. beyond this help us that we may be undisturbed, remembering that thou art our dwelling place, and that we are the children of thy love and the sharers of thy everlastingness. so may we keep the vision of youth, the vision to which endings are but beginnings, the good leading to the better, and the best forever more. may thy blessing be upon all whom we love and should pray for in this and every day, in jesus' name. amen. charles r. tenney. december _be not afraid, dear friend. what of sickness! what of sorrow! what of failure! what of misfortune! what of death! is not this god's world? are not you god's child? go forth into the new year with brave heart. when fortune smiles, smile with her. when fortune frowns, smile the more, and trust in god._ george l. perin. our heavenly father, we stand upon the utmost verge of the old year. forgetting the things that are behind, we stand with our faces looking earnestly into the future. we do not despise the past, we do not forget its manifold blessings. we do not forget that thou hast been with us in the old year; for all this we would be grateful. with clear vision and earnestness of purpose, we would stand looking into the future expectantly, ready for its duties and its responsibilities; yet not ostentatiously nor with over-confidence, for we know our own infirmities, our own weaknesses. we would enter upon the new year with confidence, not because of our own strength, but because of thy living presence. thou art always with us, thou art pouring out thy spirit upon us. o lord, let us believe in thee, and believing, let us have a heart for any fate. amen. george l. perin. services for special days _good friday_ _easter_ _thanksgiving day_ _birth of a baby_ _child's birthday_ _father's birthday_ _mother's birthday_ _general birthday_ good friday _why dost thou glare so fierce o death, as thou wouldst pierce, with thine uplifted dart, my sinking heart?_ _yet though men fear thee so wherever thou dost go, and tremble at thy feet, thou art a cheat!_ _though men thy pity crave, though naught from thee can save, thy master rules above, thou servest love._ henry nehemiah dodge. o thou, who didst not spare thine own son, but didst deliver him up for us all, we cannot ask thee to withhold us from our gethsemane nor even from our calvary. but when thou callest us to go down into the gloom or up to the cross, remember, o god, that we are dust. might we so dwell with thee in thy secret place, as to abide under thy shadow! there, sheltered and unafraid, we should sustain the rod as eager for its chastening stroke, praying only for wisdom to learn its lesson and acquire its discipline. with the picture of the crucified savior before us, we only cry this day as he taught us, thy will be done. amen. c. ellwood nash. easter _see, in that rock-hewn garden sepulchre, the holy one of god, despised and slain, with nail-torn hands and feet, and spear-pierced side, his gentle brow by mocking thorns defaced; see where he lies, obedient unto death. into that pallid face the glow of life begins to steal, while silent and in awe the heavenly watchers stand. now they with haste unwind the scented wrappings from his form that fill the place with rich aromas rare, perfume of spicery and sweet spikenard's breath lingering since love her alabastron broke, and with her tresses wiped these tear-bathed feet. and then, their joyful faces all aglow like flashing sunbeams, quickly by a touch they roll away the stone with jarring shock, as if an earthquake passed, and sitting there behold their lord go forth, death's conqueror!_ henry nehemiah dodge. o thou eternal one, who gatherest our fleeting moments into thy permanence, when we draw close to thee the terrors of change and vicissitude pass away, and a sense of the stability and security of all that is good brings us peace. we rejoice to know through thy gospel that "life is ever lord of death." "thou didst not suffer thy holy one to see corruption," and we trust that because he lives we shall live also. o grant that, believing in him, we may not see death save as a door to more abounding life, and so realize our privilege daily to be risen with him in the newness and power of an endless life. amen. c. ellwood nash. thanksgiving _make a joyful noise unto the lord, all ye lands._ _serve the lord with gladness: come before his presence with singing._ _know ye that the lord he is god; it is he that hath made us, and not we ourselves; we are his people, and the sheep of his pasture._ _enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name._ _for the lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations._ psalm . for days of health, for nights of quiet sleep; for seasons of bounty and of beauty, for all earth's contributions to our need through this past year: good lord, we thank thee. for our country's shelter; for our homes; for the joy of faces, and the joy of hearts that love: for the power of great examples; for holy ones who lead us in the ways of life and love: for our powers of growth; for longings to be better and do more; for ideals that ever rise above our real: for opportunities well used; for opportunities unused, and even those misused: good lord, we humbly thank thee! for our temptations, and for any victory over sins that close beset us; for the gladness that abides with loyalty and the peace of the return: for the blessedness of service and the power to fit ourselves to others' needs: for our necessities to work; for burdens, pain, and disappointments, means of growth; for sorrow; for death: for all that brings us nearer to each other, nearer to ourselves, near to thee; for life: we thank thee, o our father! william c. gannett. birth of a baby _where did you come from, baby dear? out of the everywhere into the here._ _where did you get your eyes so blue? out of the sky as i came through._ _what makes the light in them sparkle and spin? some of the starry spikes left in._ _where did you get that little tear? i found it waiting when i got here._ _what makes your forehead so smooth and high? a soft hand stroked it as i went by._ _what makes your cheek like a warm white rose? something better than anyone knows._ _whence that three-cornered smile of bliss? three angels gave me at once a kiss._ _where did you get those arms and hands? love made itself into hooks and bands._ _feet, whence did you come, you darling things? from the same box as the cherub's wings._ _how did they all just come to be you? god thought about me, and so i grew._ _but how did you come to us, you dear? god thought of you, and so i am here._ george macdonald fresh from the gates of heaven, our father, this dear child has come, opening in our hearts springs of new and deeper affection. we thank thee for this life whose coming has filled our lives with sunshine. teach us how to live that we may guide it aright, so that as the years pass more and more sunlight shall be radiated. even as thine angels kissed the sweet rosebud lips and left a smile thereon, so may we kiss away the tears of life. heavenly father, we consecrate this child to thy service. we pray that the ears may learn to listen for thy voice, speaking in truth and purity. may the tiny hands be ever ready to do a service of love and may the feet be swift to do thy bidding. tenderly guide this precious child, for it needs thy guidance, and safely guard it through all the years, lest it go astray. this we ask in the name of him who took little children in his arms and blessed them, saying--"suffer little children to come unto me, and forbid them not, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." amen. florence h. perin. a child's birthday _a dreary place would be this earth, were there no little people in it: the song of life would lose its mirth, were there no children to begin it:_ _no little forms, like buds to grow, and make the admiring heart surrender: no little hands on breast and brow, to keep the thrilling love-chords tender._ _the sterner souls would grow more stern, unfeeling nature more inhuman, and man to stoic coldness turn, and woman would be less than woman._ _life's song, indeed, would lose its charm, were there no babies to begin it; a doleful place this world would be, were there no little people in it._ john greenleaf whittier. our dear heavenly father, thou lookest upon us all as thy children,--whether our hair be flaxen or brown or white with age. we thank thee today for the children of our own household, for our children, and all the children, and especially do we thank thee for the one whose birthday we celebrate here to-day. may thy blessing be upon him (her), may the skies be bright over his (her) head,--may the birds sing to him (her). may the flowers blossom around his (her) pathway. thro' all the journey of this life let him (her) have the guidance of thy father hand. amen. george l. perin. a father's birthday _the boy enjoyed this kind of a father at the time, and later he came to understand, with a grateful heart, that there is no richer inheritance in all the treasury of unearned blessings. for, after all, the love, the patience, the kindly wisdom of a grown man who can enter into the perplexities and turbulent impulses of a boy's heart, and give him cheerful companionship, and lead him on by free and joyful ways to know and choose the things that are pure and lovely and of good report, make as fair an image as we can find of that loving, patient wisdom which must be above us all if any good is to come out of our childish race._ henry van dyke. by thy very name, our father, thou hast ennobled and sanctified the office of parenthood and attracted to it our respect and love. thou hast commanded us to honor father and mother, that our days may be lengthened. assured thus of thy approval, o god, we call upon thee to hallow our joy and gratitude on this anniversary day. we thank thee for him whom we honor as "father in the flesh" and pray thee to grant him yet many days with health and strength to minister and to be ministered unto, to grow in grace and in favor with god and man, and to taste the sweet tributes of love and the rewards of good deeds finely done. amen. c. ellwood nash. a mother's birthday _blessings on the hand of woman! angels guard her strength and grace; in the cottage, palace, hovel,-- o! no matter where the place. would that never storms assailed it, rainbows ever gently curled; for the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world._ _blessings on the hand of woman! fathers, sons and daughters cry; and the sacred song is mingled with the worship in the sky,-- mingles where no tempest darkens, rainbows evermore are curled; for the hand that rocks the cradle is the hand that rules the world._ john gray. heavenly father, thou plantest anew thine own love in the hearts of thy children and so multipliest thyself on the earth. we thank thee today for the manifold incarnation of thyself in the hearts of all true mothers. we have known the magic charm of mother love and it relates us anew to thee. here we celebrate the birthday of one who has honored us and blessed us by a sacred ministry. we thank thee, our father, for all the sweet memories of the past, for all the joy of the present relation with her, and for the hope that these sacred associations may long continue. wilt thou bless her whose birthday we honor here. crown her with long life and happy days and the sweet consciousness of having ministered in love. amen. george l. perin. general birthday _birthdays, what are they? one will say they are mileposts on the highway of life, marking the distance already traveled and suggesting what yet remains of the journey. another looking into the deeper meaning of the years will suggest that they are memorial tablets recording the service of a passing life. but no matter under what figure you think of them, the coming into this world of a human life with all the magic powers of thought and love and faith and service is a thing of such transcendent moment, as to make it well worth while to mark the passing of the years._ george l. perin. father of all, it is thou who hast made us and given us all things richly to enjoy; we thank thee, therefore, for the birthday to which we have come. we thank thee for the physical life, and all that makes it glad; for the power of intellect, and all the wealth it feeds upon; for love, and all the forms of love which answer to it; for faith which looks on thee and heaven; for service, the exercise and opportunity of every gift and grace. help us to be faithful that our felicity may be secure in thee, and that we may ever recall the day of our birth with rejoicing. this we ask in jesus' name. amen. charles r. tenney. * * * * * transcriber's note: minor typographical errors and inconsistencies have been corrected without comment. unmatched quotation marks were left as they were in the original. page , march : "and grass in the green fields" changed to "field". a calendar of sonnets by helen jackson , january o winter! frozen pulse and heart of fire, what loss is theirs who from thy kingdom turn dismayed, and think thy snow a sculptured urn of death! far sooner in midsummer tire the streams than under ice. june could not hire her roses to forego the strength they learn in sleeping on thy breast. no fires can burn the bridges thou dost lay where men desire in vain to build. o heart, when love's sun goes to northward, and the sounds of singing cease, keep warm by inner fires, and rest in peace. sleep on content, as sleeps the patient rose. walk boldly on the white untrodden snows, the winter is the winter's own release. february. still lie the sheltering snows, undimmed and white; and reigns the winter's pregnant silence still; no sign of spring, save that the catkins fill, and willow stems grow daily red and bright. these are the days when ancients held a rite of expiation for the old year's ill, and prayer to purify the new year's will: fit days, ere yet the spring rains blur the sight, ere yet the bounding blood grows hot with haste, and dreaming thoughts grow heavy with a greed the ardent summer's joy to have and taste; fit days, to give to last year's losses heed, to reckon clear the new life's sterner need; fit days, for feast of expiation placed! march month which the warring ancients strangely styled the month of war,--as if in their fierce ways were any month of peace!--in thy rough days i find no war in nature, though the wild winds clash and clang, and broken boughs are piled at feet of writhing trees. the violets raise their heads without affright, without amaze, and sleep through all the din, as sleeps a child. and he who watches well may well discern sweet expectation in each living thing. like pregnant mother the sweet earth doth yearn; in secret joy makes ready for the spring; and hidden, sacred, in her breast doth bear annunciation lilies for the year. april no days such honored days as these! when yet fair aphrodite reigned, men seeking wide for some fair thing which should forever bide on earth, her beauteous memory to set in fitting frame that no age could forget, her name in lovely april's name did hide, and leave it there, eternally allied to all the fairest flowers spring did beget. and when fair aphrodite passed from earth, her shrines forgotten and her feasts of mirth, a holier symbol still in seal and sign, sweet april took, of kingdom most divine, when christ ascended, in the time of birth of spring anemones, in palestine. may o month when they who love must love and wed! were one to go to worlds where may is naught, and seek to tell the memories he had brought from earth of thee, what were most fitly said? i know not if the rosy showers shed from apple-boughs, or if the soft green wrought in fields, or if the robin's call be fraught the most with thy delight. perhaps they read thee best who in the ancient time did say thou wert the sacred month unto the old: no blossom blooms upon thy brightest day so subtly sweet as memories which unfold in aged hearts which in thy sunshine lie, to sun themselves once more before they die. june o month whose promise and fulfilment blend, and burst in one! it seems the earth can store in all her roomy house no treasure more; of all her wealth no farthing have to spend on fruit, when once this stintless flowering end. and yet no tiniest flower shall fall before it hath made ready at its hidden core its tithe of seed, which we may count and tend till harvest. joy of blossomed love, for thee seems it no fairer thing can yet have birth? no room is left for deeper ecstasy? watch well if seeds grow strong, to scatter free germs for thy future summers on the earth. a joy which is but joy soon comes to dearth. july some flowers are withered and some joys have died; the garden reeks with an east indian scent from beds where gillyflowers stand weak and spent; the white heat pales the skies from side to side; but in still lakes and rivers, cool, content, like starry blooms on a new firmament, white lilies float and regally abide. in vain the cruel skies their hot rays shed; the lily does not feel their brazen glare. in vain the pallid clouds refuse to share their dews; the lily feels no thirst, no dread. unharmed she lifts her queenly face and head; she drinks of living waters and keeps fair. august silence again. the glorious symphony hath need of pause and interval of peace. some subtle signal bids all sweet sounds cease, save hum of insects' aimless industry. pathetic summer seeks by blazonry of color to conceal her swift decrease. weak subterfuge! each mocking day doth fleece a blossom, and lay bare her poverty. poor middle-agèd summer! vain this show! whole fields of golden-rod cannot offset one meadow with a single violet; and well the singing thrush and lily know, spite of all artifice which her regret can deck in splendid guise, their time to go! september o golden month! how high thy gold is heaped! the yellow birch-leaves shine like bright coins strung on wands; the chestnut's yellow pennons tongue to every wind its harvest challenge. steeped in yellow, still lie fields where wheat was reaped; and yellow still the corn sheaves, stacked among the yellow gourds, which from the earth have wrung her utmost gold. to highest boughs have leaped the purple grape,--last thing to ripen, late by very reason of its precious cost. o heart, remember, vintages are lost if grapes do not for freezing night-dews wait. think, while thou sunnest thyself in joy's estate, mayhap thou canst not ripen without frost! october the month of carnival of all the year, when nature lets the wild earth go its way and spend whole seasons on a single day. the spring-time holds her white and purple dear; october, lavish, flaunts them far and near; the summer charily her reds doth lay like jewels on her costliest array; october, scornful, burns them on a bier. the winter hoards his pearls of frost in sign of kingdom: whiter pearls than winter knew, or empress wore, in egypt's ancient line, october, feasting 'neath her dome of blue, drinks at a single draught, slow filtered through sunshiny air, as in a tingling wine! november this is the treacherous month when autumn days with summer's voice come bearing summer's gifts. beguiled, the pale down-trodden aster lifts her head and blooms again. the soft, warm haze makes moist once more the sere and dusty ways, and, creeping through where dead leaves lie in drifts, the violet returns. snow noiseless sifts ere night, an icy shroud, which morning's rays will idly shine upon and slowly melt, too late to bid the violet live again. the treachery, at last, too late, is plain; bare are the places where the sweet flowers dwelt. what joy sufficient hath november felt? what profit from the violet's day of pain? december the lakes of ice gleam bluer than the lakes of water 'neath the summer sunshine gleamed: far fairer than when placidly it streamed, the brook its frozen architecture makes, and under bridges white its swift way takes. snow comes and goes as messenger who dreamed might linger on the road; or one who deemed his message hostile gently for their sakes who listened might reveal it by degrees. we gird against the cold of winter wind our loins now with mighty bands of sleep, in longest, darkest nights take rest and ease, and every shortening day, as shadows creep o'er the brief noontide, fresh surprises find. 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 _they go from strength to strength_.--ps. lxxxiv. . _first the blade, then the ear, after that the full corn in the ear_.--mark. iv. . 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 _the lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore_.--ps. cxxi. . _lord, thou hast been our dwelling-place in all generations_.--ps. xc. . 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 _as thy days, so shall thy strength be_.--deut. xxxiii. . _sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof_.--matt. vi. . 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 _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. , . 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 _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. . ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house.--i peter ii. . 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 _in all ages entering into holy souls, she [wisdom] maketh them friends of god, and prophets_.--wisdom of solomon vii. . 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 _the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power_.--eph. i. . 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 _as we have therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men_.--gal. vi. . _let brotherly love continue_.--heb. xiii. . 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 _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_.-- chron. xxxi. . _what, shall we do, that we might work the works of god_?--john vi. . 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 _because thy loving-kindness is better than life, my lips shall praise thee_.--ps. lxiii. . _whosoever shall seek to save his life shall lose it; and whosoever shall lose his life shall preserve it_.--luke xvii. . 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 _i will be glad, and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered my trouble; thou hast known my soul in adversities_.--ps. xxxi. . 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 _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. . 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 _speak not evil one of another, brethren_.--james iv. . _let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice_.--eph. iv. . 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 _thy servants are ready to do whatsoever my lord the king shall appoint_.-- sam. xv. . 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 _for this is the will of god, even your sanctification_.--i thess. iv. . 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 th 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 _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_.-- thess. ii. , . 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 _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. , . 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 _thou shalt rejoice in every good thing which the lord thy god hath given unto thee_.--deut. xxvi. . _rejoice evermore. in everything give thanks_.--i thess. v. , . 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 _let the heart of them rejoice that seek the lord_.--ps. cv. . _the joy of the lord is your strength_.--neh. viii. . 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, th century. january _the lord taketh pleasure in his people: he will beautify the meek with salvation_.--ps. cxlix. . 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 _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. , . 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 _then shall we know, if we follow on to know the lord_.--hosea vi. . 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 _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. , . 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 _i will bless the lord, who bath given me counsel_.--ps. xvi. . _not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the lord_.--rom. xii. . 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 _if ye know these things, happy are ye if ye do them_.--john xiii. . _therefore to him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin_.--james iv. . 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 _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. . _it doth not yet appear what we shall be_.--i john iii. . 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 _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. . 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 _o fear the lord, ye his saints: for there is no want to them that fear him_--ps. xxxiv. . _thou openest thine hand, and satisfies the desire of every living thing_.--ps. cxlv. . 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 _i the lord will hold thy right hand, saying unto thee, fear not; i will help thee_.--isa. xli. . _show thy marvellous loving-kindness, o thou that savest by thy right hand them which put their trust in thee_.--ps. xvii. . 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 _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. , . 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 _in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths_.--prov. iii. . _he leadeth me_.--ps. xxiii. . 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 _now the god of patience and consolation grant you to be like-minded one toward another, according to christ jesus_.--rom. xv. . _let patience have her perfect work_.--james i. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. , . 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 _if any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body_.--james iii. _set a watch, o lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips_.--ps. cxli. . 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 _blessed are they that keep judgment, and he that doeth righteousness at all times_.--ps. cvi. . _thou shalt be stedfast, and shalt not fear: because thou shalt forget thy misery, and remember it as waters that pass away_.--job xi. , . 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 _whoso putteth his trust in the lord shall be safe_.--prov. xxix. . _i will cry unto god most high; unto god, that performeth all things for me_.--ps. lvii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. , . 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 _i was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine_.--matt. xxv. . 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 _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. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. february _i have finished the work which thou gavest me to do_.--john xvii. . _she hath done what she could_.--mark xiv. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. it is thy duty oftentimes to do what thou wouldst not; thy duty, too, to leave undone what thou wouldst do. thomas Ã� kempis. february _blessed be the lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits_.--ps. lxviii. . _nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living god, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy_.--i tim. vi. . 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 _let him do to me as seemeth good unto him_.-- sam. xv. . 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 Ã� 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 _i would have you without carefulness_.--i cor. vii. . 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 _if ye fulfil the royal law according to the scripture, thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself, ye do well_.--james ii. . 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 _serve him with a perfect heart, and with a willing mind_.--i chron. xxviii. . 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 _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. , . 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 _it is good for me that i have been afflicted; that i might learn thy statutes_.--ps. cxix. . _but though he cause grief yet will he have compassion, according to the multitude of his mercies_.--lam. iii. . 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 _my meat is to do the will of him that sent me and to finish his work_.--john iv. . 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 _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. . _them that were entering in, ye hindered_.--luke xi. . 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 _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. . 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 _be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto god_.--phil. iv. . 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 _let the lord do that which is good in his sight_.--i chron. xix. . _let thy mercy o lord, be upon us, according as we hope in thee_.--ps. xxxiii. . 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 _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. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _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 _the lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth_.--ps. cxlv. . _i sought the lord, and he heard me, and delivered me from all my fears_.--ps. xxxiv. . 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 _trust in the lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed_.--ps. xxxvii. . 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 _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. . 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 _unto you that fear my name shall the sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings_.--mal. iv. . _o send out thy light and thy truth: let them lead me_.--ps. xliii. . 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 _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. . 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 _but to do good and to communicate forget not: for with such sacrifices god is well pleased_.--heb. xiii. . _for this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another_.--i john iii. . 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 _i made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments_.--ps. cxix. . _ye know not what shall be on the morrow_.--james iv. . 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 _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. - . 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 _and every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure_.--i john iii. . 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 _the shadow of a great rock in a weary land_.--isa. xxxii. . _in returning and rest shall ye be saved; in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength_.--isa. xxx. . 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 _there are diversities of operations, but it is the same god which worketh all in all_.--i cor. xii. . _i form the light, and create darkness: i make peace, and create evil: i the lord do all these things_.--isa. xlv. . "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 _study to show thyself approved unto god, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed_.-- tim. ii. . _and let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap if we faint not_.--gal. vi. . 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 _thou shalt rejoice before the lord thy god in all that thou puttest thine hands unto_.--deut. xii. . _be ye thankful_.--col. iii. . 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 _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. . _i am with thee to deliver thee_.--jer. i. . 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 _cast thy burden upon the lord, and he shall sustain thee: he shall never suffer the righteous to be moved_.--ps. lv. . 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 _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. - . 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 _he that abideth in me, and i in him, bringeth forth much fruit_.--john xv. . _let the beauty of the lord our god be upon us_.--ps. xc. . 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 _i have called upon thee, for thou wilt hear me, o god: incline thine ear unto me, and hear my speech_.--ps. xvii. . _ye people, pour out your heart before him: god is a refuge for us_.--ps. lxii. . 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 _hear me, o lord. for thy loving-kindness is good: turn unto me according to the multitude of thy tender mercies_.--ps. lxix. . _let, i pray thee, thy merciful kindness be for my comfort, according to thy word unto thy servant_.--ps. cxix. . 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 _whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of god_.--i cor. x. . _with good will doing service, as to the lord, and not unto men_.--eph. vi. . 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 _where hast thou gleaned to-day_?--ruth ii. . 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 _finally, be ye all of one mind, having compassion one of another, love as brethren, be pitiful, be courteous_.--i peter iii. . 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 _showing all good fidelity, that they may adorn the doctrine of god our saviour in all things_.--titus ii. . 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 _thou shalt worship the lord thy god, and him only shalt thou serve_.--matt. iv. . _blessed are they that keep his testimonies, and that seek him with the whole heart_.--ps. cxix. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. "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 _your heavenly father knoweth that ye have need of all these things_.--matt. vi. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. march _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 _beloved, thou doest faithfully whatsoever thou doest_.-- john . _and this also we wish, even your perfection_.-- cor. xiii. . 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 _i will both lay me down in peace, and sleep: for thou, lord, only makest me dwell in safety_.--ps. iv. . _he giveth his beloved sleep_.--ps. cxxvii. . 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? franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _i will hear what god the lord will speak: for he will speak peace unto his people_.--ps. lxxxv. . 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 _are they not all ministering spirits_?--heb. i. 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 _if we love one another, god dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us_.--i john iv. . _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. . 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 _giving thanks always for all things unto god_.--eph. v. . 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 _there shall no evil befall thee_.--ps. xci. . _whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell safely, and shall be quiet from fear of evil_.--prov. i. . 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 _thou shall guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory_.--ps. lxxiii. . _there remaineth therefore a rest to the people of god_.--heb. iv. . 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 _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. , . 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 _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. , . 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 _know ye not that ye are the temple of god, and that the spirit of god dwelleth in you_?--i cor. iii. . 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 _as for thee, the lord thy god hath not suffered thee so to do_.--deut. xviii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. . 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 _in the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul_.--ps. xciv. . _perplexed, but not in despair; cast down, but not destroyed_.-- cor. iv. , . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. april _that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect will of god_.--rom. xii. . 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 _the lord is my shepherd; i shall not want_.--ps. xxiii. . _they that seek the lord shall not want any good thing_.--ps. xxxiv. . 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 _watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation_.--matt. xxvi. . 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 _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. , . 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 _wherefore, beloved... be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless_,-- peter iii. . 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 _be perfect, be of good comfort, be of one mind, live in peace; and the god of love and peace shall be with you_.-- cor. xiii. . _he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love god whom he hath not seen_?--i john iv. . 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 _in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us_.--rom. viii. . 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 _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. , , . _as having nothing, and yet possessing all things_,-- cor. vi. . 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 _we know that all things work together for good to them that love god_.--rom. viii. . _as for you, ye thought evil against me; but god meant it unto good_.--gen. . . 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 _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. , . 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 _blessed is that man that maketh the lord his trust_.--ps. xl. . _that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life_.--i tim. ii. . 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 _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. . 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 _the hand of our god is upon all them for good that seek him_.--ezra viii. . _into thy hand i commit my spirit_.--ps. xxxi. . 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 _i waited patiently for the lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry_.--ps. xl. . _tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience; and experience, hope,_--rom. v. , . 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 _be ye therefore perfect, even as your father which is in heaven is perfect_.--matt. v. . _as for me, i will behold thy face in righteousness; i shall be satisfied, when i awake, with thy likeness_.--ps. xvii. . 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 _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. . 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 _these were the potters, and those that dwelt among plants and hedges: there they dwelt with the king for his work_.--i chron. iv. . 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 _bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of christ_.--gal. vi. . 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 _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. . 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. ). 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 _if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it_.--rom. viii. . _one day is with the lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day_.-- peter iii. . 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 _speak ye every man the truth to his neighbor_,--zech. viii. . _for our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity... we have had our conversation in the world_.-- cor. i. . 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 _the lord is thy keeper: the lord is thy shade upon thy right hand_.--ps. cxxi. . _great peace have they which love thy law: and nothing shall offend them_.--ps. cxix. . 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 _i will arise and go to my father_.--luke xv. . 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 _speak unto the children of israel, that they go forward_.--ex. xiv. . _no man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of god_.--luke ix. . 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 _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 _the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of god of great price_.--i peter iii. . _to present you holy, and unblameable, and unreproveable in his sight_.--col. i. . 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 _the lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble; and he knoweth them that trust in him_.--nahum i. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. may _who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, out of weakness were made strong_.--heb xi. , . 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 _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. . 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 _be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love_.--rom. xii. . _in her tongue is the law of kindness_.--prov. xxxi. . 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 _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. , . 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 _this is the day which the lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it_.--ps. cxviii. . _why stand ye here all the day idle_?--matt. xx. . 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 _the lord gave, and the lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the lord_.--job i. . 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 _the lord redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that trust in him shall be desolate_.--ps. xxxiv. . _though he slay me, yet will i trust in him_.--job xiii. . 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 _shall we receive good at the hand of god, and shall we not receive evil_?--job ii. . _thou hast dealt well with thy servant, o lord, according to thy word_.--ps. cxix. . 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 _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. . 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 _i pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil_.--john xvii. . 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 _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. . _put on therefore... kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, long-suffering_.--col. iii. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 Ã� kempis. may _my presence shall go with thee, and i will give thee rest_.--ex. xxxiii. . _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. . 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 _finally, my brethren, be strong in the lord, and in the power of his might_.--eph. vi. . _no man can serve two masters_.--matt. vi. . 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 _wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do_.--i thess. v. . _thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself_.--matt. xix. . 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 _we know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren_.--i john iii. . _he that loveth not knoweth not god; for god is love_.--i john iv. . 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 _rest in the lord, and wait patiently for him_.--ps. xxxvii. . _trust in him at all times_.--ps. lxii. . 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 _to be spiritually minded is life and peace_.--rom. viii. . 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 _the beloved of the lord shall dwell in safety by him; and the lord shall cover him all the day long_.--deut. xxxiii. . 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, . may _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 _be content with such things as ye have_.--heb. xiii. . _i have learned, in whatsoever state i am, therein to be content_.--phil. iv. ( 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:-- . allow thyself to complain of nothing, not even of the weather. . never picture thyself to thyself under any circumstances in which thou art not. . never compare thine own lot with that of another. . 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. . 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 _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. i . 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 _o my father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as i will, but as thou wilt_.--matt. xxvi. . 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 _the lord beareth your murmurings, which ye murmur against him_.--ex. xvi. . 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 _he that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much_.--luke xvi, . _the lord preserveth the faithful_.--ps. xxxi. 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 _strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and long-suffering with joyfulness_.--col. i. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. may _be not slothful, but followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises_.--heb. vi. . 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 _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_.-- mac. vi. . _zebulon and naphtali were a people that jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field_.--judges v. . 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 _let all those that put their trust in thee rejoice: ... let them also that love thy name be joyful in thee_.--ps. v. . _he maketh me to lie down in green pastures_.--ps. xxiii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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_.-- cor. iii. . 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 _the righteous shall be glad in the lord, and shall trust in him_.--ps. lxiv. . _whoso trusteth in the lord, happy is he_.--prov. xvi. . 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 _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. . 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 _speak, lord; for thy servant heareth_.--i sam. iii. . 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 _him that overcometh will i make a pillar in the temple of my god_.--rev. iii. . _in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of god through the spirit_.--eph. ii. . 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 _ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day_.--i thess. v. . _light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart_.--ps. xcvii. . 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 _who hath despised the day of small things_? zech. iv. . 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 _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. . 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 Ã� kempis. june _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. . _the lord my god will enlighten my darkness_.--ps. xviii. . 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 _in the day when i cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul_.--ps. cxxxviii. . 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 _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_.-- esdras vii. , . 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 _if we walk in the light as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another_.--i john i. . _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. . 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 _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. . 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 Ã� kempis. thou hast made us for thyself, o lord; and our heart is restless until it rests in thee. st. augustine. june _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. , . 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 _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. , . 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 _consider the lilies of the field, how they grow_.--matt. vi. . 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 _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. . _i trust in the mercy of god for ever and ever_--ps. lii. . 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 _the lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul_.--ps. cxxi. . 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 _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 _thou calledst in trouble, and. i delivered thee_.--ps. lxxxi. . _be strong, and of good courage; dread not, nor be dismayed_.--i chron. xxii. . 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 _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. , . 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 _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. . 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 _even so, father; for so it seemed good in thy sight_.--matt. xi. . 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 _my times are in thy hand_.--ps. xxxi. . _every purpose of the lord shall be performed_.--jer. li. . 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 _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. , . '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 _the kingdom of god is within you_.--luke xvii. . 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 _the lord preserveth the simple_.--ps. cxvi. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. june _let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off_.--i kings xx. . _put on the whole armor of god_.--eph. vi. . 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 _and the work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness and assurance forever_.--isa. xxxii. . 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 _in the morning, then ye shall see the glory of the lord_.--ex. xvi. . _serving the lord; rejoicing in hope_.--rom. xii. , . 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 _herein do i exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward god, and toward men_.--acts xxiv. . _i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: i will guide thee with mine eye_.--ps. xxxii. . 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 _he shall redeem israel from all his iniquities_.--ps. cxxx. . 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 _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. . _remember, o lord, thy tender mercies, and thy loving-kindnesses; for they have been ever of old_.--ps. xxv. . 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 _he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind_.--isa. xxvii. . _a bruised reed shall he not break_.--isa. xlii. . 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 _i the lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee_.--isa. xlii. . _o keep my soul, and deliver me: for i put my trust in thee_.--ps. xxv. . 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 Ã� 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 _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 _be ye kind one to another_.--eph. iv. . 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 _love is of god; and every one that loveth is born of god, and knoweth god_.--i john iv. . _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. . 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 _the lord will perfect that which concerneth me: thy mercy, o lord, endureth forever: forsake not the--works of thine own hands_.--ps. cxxxviii. . 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 _when he giveth quietness, who then can make trouble_?--job xxxiv. . _none of these things move me_.--acts xx. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. every hour comes with some little fagot of god's will fastened upon its back. f. w. faber. july _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. . 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 _and the lord shall guide thee continually, and satisfy thy soul in drought_.--isa. lviii. . 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 _be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind_.--rom. xii. . 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 _lift up your heads, o ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the king of glory shall come in_.--ps. xxiv. . _ye are the temple of the living god_.-- cor. vi. . 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 _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. . _i will sing unto the lord, because he hath dealt bountifully with me_.--ps. xiii. . 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 _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. . _the power of an endless life_.--heb. vii. . 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 _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. . _and the lord make you to increase and abound in love, one toward another, and toward all men_.--i thess. iii. . 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 _the lord is good to all: and his tender mercies are over all his works_.--ps. cxlv. . _for every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills_.--ps. . . 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 _then i said, i have labored in vain, i have spent my strength for naught, and in vain_.--isa. xlix. . 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 _for which cause we faint not; but, though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day_.-- cor. iv. . 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 _whoso is wise, and will observe these things, even they shall understand the loving-kindness of the lord_.--ps. cvii. . 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 _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. . 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 _walk worthy of god, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory_.--i thess. ii. . _surely the lord is in this place; and i knew it not_.--gen. xxviii. . 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 _he knoweth the way that i take_.--job xxiii. . _man's goings are of the lord; how can a man then understand his own way_?--prov. xx. . 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 _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, . 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 _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. . 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 _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. . 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 _but this i say, brethren, the time is short_.--i cor. vii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. . _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. . 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 _be not hasty in thy spirit to be angry: for anger resteth in the bosom of fools_.--eccles. vii. . _let not the sun go down upon your wrath_--eph. iv. . 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 _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. . _why are ye so fearful? how is it that ye have no faith_?--mark. iv. . 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 _thou hast made him exceeding glad with thy countenance_.--ps. xxi. . 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 _he satisfieth the longing soul, and the hungry soul he filleth with good_.--ps. cvii. (r. v.). _that ye might be filled with all the fulness of god_.--eph. iii. . 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. . 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 _o receive the gift that is given you, and be glad, giving thanks unto him that hath called you to the heavenly kingdom_.-- esdras ii. . _thanks be unto god for his unspeakable gift_.-- cor. ix. . 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 _bless the lord, o my soul, and forget not all his benefits_.--ps. ciii. . 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 _if thou canst believe, all things are possible to him that believeth_.--mark ix. . _nothing shall be impossible unto you_.--matt. xvii. . 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 _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_.-- cor. iv. . 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 _the things which are impossible with men are possible with god_.--luke xviii. . _unless the lord had been my help, my soul had almost dwelt in silence_.--ps. xciv. . 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 _the cup which my father has given me, shall i not drink it_?--john xviii. . _whatsoever is brought upon thee, take cheerfully_.--ecclesiasticus ii. . 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 _the lord thy god shall bless thee in all thy works, and in all that thou puttest thine hand unto_.--deut. xv. . 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 _master, what shall i do to inherit eternal life_?--luke x. . _whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might_.--eccles. ix. . "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 _in your patience possess ye your souls_.--luke xxi. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help_.--ps. cxxi. . _my grace is sufficient for thee_.-- cor. xii. . 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 _god hath not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind_.-- tim. i. . 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 _whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap_.--gal. vi. . 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 _o turn unto me, and have mercy upon me; give thy strength unto thy servant, and save the son of thy handmaid_.--ps. lxxxvi. . 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 _beloved, if our heart condemn us not, then have we confidence toward god_--i john iii. . 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 _teach me thy way, o lord, and lead me in a plain path_.--ps. xxvii. . 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 _wait on the lord: be of good courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, i say, on the lord_.--ps. xxvii. . _he giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength_.--isa. xl. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _we then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak, and not to please ourselves_.--rom. xv. . _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 _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. . 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. , 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 _seekest thou great things for thyself? seek them not_.--jer. xlv. . 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 _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. . 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 _see that ye refuse not him that speaketh_.--heb. xii. . 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 _be silent, o all flesh, before the lord_.--zech. ii. . 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 _being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it_.--phil. i. . _he that endureth to the end shall be saved_.--matt. x. . 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 _they that know thy name will put their trust in thee: for thou, lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee_.--ps. ix. . _yea, the lord shall give that which is good_.--ps. lxxxv. . 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 _am i my brother's keeper_?--gen. iv. . 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 _walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love_.--eph. iv. , . 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 _now therefore keep thy sorrow to thyself, and bear with a good courage that which hath befallen thee_.-- esdras x. . 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 _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. . _the lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy_.--james v. . 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 _blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of god_.--matt. v. . 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. . 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 _the eyes of all wait upon thee; and thou givest them their meat in due season_.--ps. cxlv. . _what time i am afraid, i will trust in thee_.--ps. lvi. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. september _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. , . 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 _o lord, i am oppressed, undertake for me_.--isa. xxxviii. . 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 _if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me_.--luke ix. . 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 _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. . 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 _continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving_.--col. iv. . _watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong_.--i cor. xvi. . 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 _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. . 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 _lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head_.--john xiii. . 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_, . september _thy kingdom come_.--matt. vi. . 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 _she obeyed not the voice; she received not correction; she trusted not in the lord; she drew not near to her god_.--zeph. iii. . 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 _it is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the lord_.--lam. iii. . _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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _call unto me, and i will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not_.--jer. xxxiii. . _and i have also given thee that which thou hast not asked_.--i kings iii. . 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 _can ye drink of the cup that i drink of? and be baptized with the baptism that i am baptized with_?--mark. x. . 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 _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. - . 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, . september _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. - . 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 _all the paths of the lord are mercy and truth unto such as keep his covenant and his testimonies_.--ps. xxv. . 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 _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. , . _that which i see not, teach thou me_.--job xxxiv. . 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 _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. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _how excellent is thy loving-kindness, o god! therefore the children of men put their trust under the shadow of thy wings_.--ps. xxxvi. . _the eternal god is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms_.--deut. xxxiii. . 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 _the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that thou mayest do it_.--deut. xxx. . 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 _show me thy ways, o lord; teach me thy paths_--ps. xxv. . 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 _when i awake, i am still with thee_.--ps. cxxxix. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. . 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 _when i sit in darkness, the lord shall be a light unto me_.--micah vii. . _there be many that say, who will show us any good? lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us_.--ps. iv. . 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 _my little children, let us not love in word, neither in tongue; but in deed, and in truth_.--i john iii. . _but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves_.--james i. . 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 _blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see god_.--matt. v. . _follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the lord_.--heb. xii. . 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 _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. , . 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 _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. , 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 _i am purposed that my mouth shall not transgress_.--ps. xvii. . _in the multitude of words there wanteth not sin: but he that refraineth his lips is wise_.--prov. x. . 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 _judge not, that ye be not judged_.--matt. vii. . _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. . 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 _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. . 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 _say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not_.--isa. xxxv. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. october _i had fainted, unless i bad believed to see the goodness of the lord in the land of the living_--ps. xxvii. . _i will surely do thee good_.--gen. xxxii. . 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 _and because ye are sons, god hath sent the spirit of his son into your hearts, crying, abba, father_.--gal. iv. . 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, . 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 _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. . (r. v.). _he that believeth shall not make haste_.--isa. xxviii. . 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 _as for me and my house, we will serve the lord_.--josh. xxiv. . 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 _now the lord of peace himself give you peace always by all means_.-- thess. iii. . _the lord will give strength unto his people; the lord will bless his people with peace_.--ps. xxix. . 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 _and when the people complained, it displeased the lord_.--num. xi. . 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 _singing and making melody in your heart to the lord_.--eph. v. . _sanctify the lord god in your hearts_.--i peter iii. . 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 _we desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end_.--heb. vi. . _the lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil_.-- thess. iii. . 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 _he that sinneth against me wrongeth his own soul: all they that hate me love death_.--prov. viii. . _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. , . 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 _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. , . _sin shall not have dominion over you_.--rom. vi. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. . _fear ye not, stand still, and see the salvation of the lord, which he will show to you to-day_--ex. xiv. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _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. . 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 _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. . 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 _be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good_.--rom. xii. . 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 _i am the almighty god; walk before me, and be thou perfect_.--gen. xvii. i. _consecrate yourselves to-day to the lord_.--ex. xxxii. . 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 _father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done_.--luke xxii. . 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 _teach me to do thy will; for thou art my god: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness_.--ps. cxliii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. , . 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 _turn you to the strong hold, ye prisoners of hope_.--zech. ix. . 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 _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_.-- cor. xii. . 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 _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. . 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 _behold, i have refined thee, but not with silver; i have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction_--isa. xlviii. . 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 _that good thing which was committed unto thee keep by the holy ghost which dwelleth in us_.-- tim. i. . 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 _and enoch walked with god: and he was not; for god took him_.--gen. v. . 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 _of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named_.--eph. iii. . 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 _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 _wherefore putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbor: for we are members one of another_.--eph. iv. . 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 _a soft answer turneth away wrath: but grievous words stir up anger_.--prov. xv. i, _doest thou well to be angry_?--jonah iv. . 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 _the temple of god is holy, which temple ye are_.--i cor. iii. . 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 _he will fulfil the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them_;--ps. cxlv. . _delight thyself also in the lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart_.--ps. xxxvii. . 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 _i was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision_.--acts xxvi. . _the lord our god will we serve, and his voice will we obey_.--josh. xxiv. . 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 _lo, i come to do thy will, o god_.--heb. x. . _teach me to do thy will, for thou art my god_.--ps. cxliii. . 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 _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. . 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 _in him we live, and move, and have our being_.--acts xvii. . _whither shall i go from thy spirit? or whither shall i flee from thy presence_?--ps. cxxxix. . 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 _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. , 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 _i must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work_.--john ix. . _wherefore have ye not fulfilled your task_?--ex. v. . 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 _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. . 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 _thou art my servant: i have formed thee; thou art my servant: o israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me_.--isa. xliv. . 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 _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. . 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 _thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee_.--isa. xxvi. . 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 _every day will i bless thee; and i will praise thy name for ever and ever_.--ps. cxlv. . _commit thy works unto the lord, and thy thoughts shall be established_.--prov. xvi. . 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 _hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he bath given us of his spirit_.--i john iv. . 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 _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. . _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 _ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the--will of god, ye might receive the promise_.--heb. x. . 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 _man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of god_.--matt. iv. . _a man's life conisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth_.--luke xii. . 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 _your father knoweth what things ye have need of_.--matt. vi. . _seek ye first the kingdom of god, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you_.--matt. vi. . 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 _i have taught thee in the way of wisdom; i have led thee in right paths_.--prov. iv. . 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 _be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart, all ye that hope in the lord_.--ps. xxxi. . _let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid_.--john xiv. . 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 _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. . 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 _behold, i am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou guest_.--gen. xxviii. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. november _the lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us_.--ps. cxv. . 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 _yea, i have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with loving kindness have i drawn thee_.--jer. xxxi. . 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 _my sons, be not now negligent: for the lord hath chosen you to stand before him, to serve him_.-- chron. xxix. . 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 _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. . _we are troubled on every side, yet not distressed_.-- cor. iv. . 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 _charity envieth not, ... thinketh no evil_--i cor. xiii. , . _why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother_?--rom. xiv. . _he that despiseth his neighbor sinneth_.--prov. xiv. . 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 _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 _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. . 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 _fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called_.--i tim. vi. . 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 _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. . _take heed, and be quiet; fear not, neither be faint-hearted_.--isa. vii. . 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 _this god is our god for ever and ever: he will be our guide even unto death_.--ps. xlviii. . _for the lord shall be thy confidence_.--prov. iii. . 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 _acquaint now thyself with him, and be at peace_.--job xxii. . _all thy children shall be taught of the lord; and great shall be the peace of thy children_.--isa. liv. . 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 _blessed be the god and father of our lord jesus christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings_.--eph. i. . _as sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing_.-- cor. vi. . 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 _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. . 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 _behold, we count them happy which endure_.--james v. . _if ye endure chastening, god dealeth with you as with sons_.--heb. xii. . 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 _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. . _ye shall serve the lord your god, and he shall bless thy bread and thy water_.--ex. xxiii. . 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 _i delight to do thy will, o my god: yea, thy law is within my heart_.--ps. xl. . 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. franÃ�ois de la mothe fÃ�nelon. 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 _so teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom_.--ps. xc. . _seek not ye what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink, neither be ye of doubtful mind_.--luke xii. . 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 _and as many as walk according to this rule, peace be on them, and mercy, and upon the israel of god_.--gal. vi. . 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 _return unto thy rest, o my soul; for the lord hath dealt bountifully with thee_.--ps. cxvi. . _we which have believed do enter into rest_.--heb. iv. . 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 _thou understandest my thought afar off_.--ps. cxxxix. . _who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults_.--ps. xix. . 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 _the fruit of the spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance_.--gal. v. , . _herein is my father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples_.--john xv. . 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 _we trust in the living god_.--i tim. iv. . 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 _and now, lord, what wait i for? my hope is in thee_.--ps. xxxix. . _o lord, be gracious unto us; we have waited for thee_.--isa. xxxiii. . 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 _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. . 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 _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. , . 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 _i will wait upon the lord, that hideth his face from the house of jacob, and i will look for him_.--isa. viii. . 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 _thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of jesus christ_.-- tim. ii. . 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 _giving thanks unto the father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light_.--col. i. . 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 _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. - . 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 _the peace of god, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through christ jesus_.--phil. iv. . _let the peace of god rule in your hearts_.--col. iii. . 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 _wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of god through christ_.--gal. iv. . 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 _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. , . _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 _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. . _as he thinketh in his heart, so is he_.--prov. xxiii. . 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 _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. . _i will direct all his ways_.--isa. xlv. . 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 _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. , . 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. leaves of life for daily inspiration by margaret bird steinmetz the bible text used in this book is taken from the american standard edition of the revised bible, copyright, , by thomas nelson & sons, and is used by permission. dedicated to those who have helped in gathering these leaves--and to those who may gather something from them. acknowledgments the macmillan company, new york, n.y. shailer mathews, jane addams, newell dwight hillis, marion crawford. the century company, new york, n.y. s. weir mitchell, theodore roosevelt, john kendrick bangs, richard watson gilder, edith thomas. oxford university press, london, e.c. annie matheson. the saalfield publishing company, akron, ohio. joseph jefferson. mitchell kennerley, new york. theodosia garrison: my litany. thomas y. crowell company, new york, n.y. charles w. eliot: the durable satisfactions of life. j.r. miller. the pilgrim press, boston, mass. henry ward beecher. harper & brothers, new york, n.y. will carleton: farm legends. margaret e. sangster: easter bells. elbert hubbard, roycroft shop, east aurora, n.y. printed by special permission of the publishers. w.b. conkey, hammond, ind. ella wheeler wilcox, copyrighted . national w.c.t.u., evanston, ill. frances e. willard. american baptist publication society, philadelphia, pa. w.e. winks. rand, mcnally & company, chicago, ill. marie bashkirtseff. tennesseean and american, nashville, tenn. g. rice. cosmopolitan magazine, new york, n.y. o. henry. the h.m. rowe company, baltimore, md. edwin leibfreed: poems. permission from president wilson for the excerpts from his speeches. houghton mifflin company, boston, mass. kate douglas wiggin, richard watson gilder, josephine peabody, john hay, hugo münsterberg, edith thomas, lyman abbott, john burroughs, elizabeth stuart phelps, thomas bailey aldrich, julia ward howe, harriet beecher stowe, joel chandler harris, lucy larcom, bret harte, bayard taylor, alice freeman palmer, thomas w. higginson. charles scribner's sons, new york, n.y. henry van dyke: music and other poems. maltbie d. babcock: thoughts for every day living. sidney lanier: poems of sidney lanier. robert bridges: robert bridges' poems. george meredith: last poems. james anthony froude: short studies on great subjects. robert louis stevenson: poems and works. w.e. henley: poems. eugene field: western verse. g.p. putnam's sons, new york and london. arthur christopher benson: along the road, silent isle, from a college window, joyous gard, lord vyet and other poems. little, brown & company, boston, mass. emily dickinson, laura e. richards, edward everett hale. george h. doran company, new york, n.y. sir oliver lodge, arnold bennett, j. stalker, a.h. begbie. fleming h. revell company, new york, n.y. percy c. ainsworth, e.h. divall, margaret e. sangster, j.h. jowett, george matheson. longmans, green & company, new york and london. william james. dodd, mead & company, new york, n.y. maurice maeterlinck, hamilton mabie, ian maclaren, jerome k. jerome, g.k. chesterton, paul laurence dunbar. small, maynard & company, boston, mass. mrs. charlotte perkins gilman, john b. tabb, ernest crosby. lothrop, lee & shepard company, boston, mass. paul hamilton hayne. doubleday, page & company, garden city, new york charles wagner, edwin markham, helen keller. e.p. dutton company, new york. george macdonald. january janus am i; oldest of potentates; forward i look, and backward, and below i count, as god of avenues and gates, the years that through my portals come and go. i block the roads, and drift the fields with snow; i chase the wild fowl from the frozen fen; my frosts congeal the rivers in their flow, my fires light up the hearths and hearts of men. --henry w. longfellow. january first bartolome esteban murillo, baptized . paul revere born . betsy ross born . maria edgeworth born . arthur hugh clough born . old things need not be therefore true, o brother men, nor yet the new; ah! still awhile the old thought retain, and yet consider it again! we! what do we see? each a space of some few yards before his face; does that the whole wide plan explain? ah, yet consider it again! alas! the great world goes its way, and takes its truth from each new day; they do not quit, nor can retain, far less consider it again. --arthur hugh clough. there are two sorts of content; one is connected with exertion, the other habits of indolence. the first is a virtue; the other a vice. --maria edgeworth. oh send out thy light and thy truth; let them lead me: let them bring me unto thy holy hill, and to thy tabernacles. --psalm . . almighty god, lead me in the search for life. teach me what is important and what is unimportant; what is false, and what is true. remove the hindrances that keep me from the worthiest deeds, and grant that i may have the peace that comes with surrender of self to thy will. amen. january second general james wolfe born . colonial flag first raised . mary carey thomas born . to what profit we could use the time for our present task that we spend in impatient waiting and wondering over the future! so often the future is just one step up from the present, but some of us miss it by preferring to wait for an elevator. --m. b. s. prepare to live by all means, but for heaven's sake do not forget to live. you will never have a better chance than you have at present. you may think you will have, but you are mistaken. --arnold bennett. he that riseth late must trot all day, and shall scarce overtake his business at night; while laziness travels so slowly that poverty soon overtakes him. he that lives on hope will die fasting. --benjamin franklin. whatsoever thy hand findeth to do, do it with thy might, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in sheol, whither thou goest. --ecclesiastes . . gracious father, my heart burns with shame when i think how much i claim, and how little i am. i pray that my body may not cast a shadow to-day, and cloud the light of my life to-morrow. cleanse the windows of my soul that i may take in thy glory. amen. january third marcus tullius cicero born b.c. . martin luther excommunicated . douglas jerrold born . charles wagner (france) born . to be continually advancing in the paths of knowledge is one of the most pleasing satisfactions of the human mind. these are pleasures perfect consistent with every degree of advanced years. --cicero. fidelity in small things is at the base of every great achievement. we too often forget this and yet no truth needs more to be kept in mind particularly in the troubled eras of history and in the crises of individual life. in shipwreck a splintered beam, an oar, any scrap of wreckage saves us. to despise the remnants is demoralization. --charles wagner. he that is faithful in a very little is faithful also in much and he that is unrighteous in a very little is unrighteous also in much. --luke . almighty god, may i understand that thou art in everything and that i cannot hide from thee, for thou boldest me though i know it not. give me the desire, and help me to learn of thy laws, that i may know that even in the least of things, i have the liberty to obtain happiness by obeying them. amen. january fourth archbishop usher born . jacob l. carl grimm born . elizabeth peabody died . years rush by us like the wind, we see not whence the eddy comes, nor whitherward it is tending, and we seem ourselves to witness their flight without a sense that we are changed: and yet time is beguiling man of his strength, as the winds rob the trees of their foliage. --sir walter scott. the bell strikes one. we take no note of time but from its loss. to give it, then a tongue is wise in man; as if an angel spoke i feel the solemn sound. if heard aright it is the knell of my departed hours: where are they? --edward young. days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom. and the breath of the almighty giveth them understanding. it is not the great that are wise, nor the aged that understand justice. --job . , . lord god, help me to see my mistakes, and bring me to the realization of my life. grant that i may no longer use the time that thou gavest me to learn in, heedlessly, but to give it my best thought and care. amen. january fifth stephen decatur born . robert morrison born . thomas pringle born . let me go where'er i will, i hear a sky-born music still: it sounds from all things old, it sounds from all things young, from all that's fair, from all that's foul, peals out a cheerful song. it is not only in the rose, it is not only in the bird, not only where the rainbow glows, nor in the song of woman heard, but in the darkest, meanest things there alway, alway something sings. 'tis not in the high stars alone, nor in the cup of budding flowers, nor in the redbreast's mellow tone, nor in the bow that smiles in showers, but in the mud and scum of things there alway, alway something sings. --ralph waldo emerson. the heavens declare the glory of god; and the firmament showeth his handiwork. --psalm . . almighty god, grant that my life may no longer be a noise, but be kept in tune with the sublimest melodies, that wherever i am, there may be no discords in the songs of my soul. through thy loving-kindness may my songs resound. amen. january sixth epiphany, or twelfth-day. joan d'arc born . david dale born . 'twas even so! and thou the shepherd's child, joanne, the lowly dreamer of the wild! never before and never since that hour hath woman, mantled with victorious power, stood forth as thou beside the shrine didst stand, holy amidst the knighthood of the land. --mrs. felicia hemans. every one must recognize the splendid work which has been done by women in social and educational fields. and it will, i believe, come more and more to be recognized that in some respects women are specially fitted for government and for official-municipal life. --sir oliver lodge. now deborah, a prophetess, the wife of lappidoth, she judged israel at that time. and she dwelt under the palm tree of deborah between ramah and bethel in the hill-country of ephraim: and the children of israel came up to her for judgment. --judges . , . my father, help me to be thoughtful and just. may i consider the great truths and broader visions that may not be seen from where i stand. may i be willing to accept a better view. grant that i may realize that the battle of life is not a sham battle, but a struggle for the advancement of life. amen. january seventh general putnam born . robert nicholl born . t. dewitt talmage born . opportunities fly in a straight line, touch us but once and never return, but the wrongs we do others fly in a circle; they come back from the place they started. --t. dewitt talmage. our share of night to bear, our share of morning, our blank is bliss to fill, our blank is scorning. here a star, and there a star, some lose their way, here a mist, and there a mist, afterwards--day! --emily dickinson. arise ye, and depart; for this is not your resting-place. --micah . . lord god, give me the desire to be persistent in service, while i have health and strength. may i experience the sweetness that comes in doing the thing that i ought to have done, as well as that in which i took the most pleasure. help me to so live that my days may be useful, and be recalled with bright and happy recollections. amen. january eighth john earl of stair died . sir william draper died . alfred russel wallace born . william wilkie collins born . sir laurence alma-tadema born . a blue bird built his nest here in my breast. "o bird of light! whence comest thou?" said he, "from god above: my name is love." a mate he brought one day, of plumage gray. "o bird of night! why comest thou?" said she: "seek no relief! my name is grief." --laurence alma-tadema. it is not so much resolution as renunciation, not so much courage as resignation, that we need. he that has once yielded thoroughly to god will yield to nothing but god. --john ruskin. behold, god will not cast away a perfect man, neither will he uphold the evildoers. he will yet fill thy mouth with laughter, and thy lips with shouting. --job . , . almighty god, help me to understand that peace does not come in rebellion or grieving, but is obtained through the calm of the soul. grant that if i may be perplexed or worried to-day, i may have the power to control myself and wait in thy strength. amen. january ninth dr. thomas brown born . elizabeth o. benger died . caroline lucretia herschel died , aged ninety-seven. wondrous is the strength of cheerfulness altogether past calculation its powers of endurance. efforts to be permanently useful must be uniformly joyous--a spirit of all sunshine. --thomas carlyle. honest good humor is the oil and wine of a merry meeting. --washington irving. a laugh is worth a hundred groans in any market. --charles lamb. a glad heart maketh a cheerful countenance; but by sorrow of heart the spirit is broken. better is a dinner of herbs, where love is, than a stalled ox and hatred therewith. --proverbs . , . gracious father, if i am sorrowing over disappointment and am forgetful, grant that i may see the things thou hast made, for which i should be thankful. help me to so live that i may have a right to claim a cheerful heart. amen. january tenth dr. george birkbeck born . michel or marshal ney born . karl von linné, linnæus, died . ethan allen born . shall i hold on with both hands to every paltry possession? all i have teaches me to trust the creator for all i have not seen. --ralph waldo emerson. the practical weakness of the vast mass of modern pity for the poor and the oppressed is precisely that it is merely pity; the pity is pitiful but not respectful. men feel that the cruelty to the poor is a kind of cruelty to animals. they never feel that it is injustice to equals; nay, it is treachery to comrades. --g.k. chesterton. be ye all like-minded, compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded: not rendering evil for evil, or reviling for reviling; but contrariwise blessing. -- peter . , . god of justice, may i pause to remember that while i may do a mean act and keep it hidden from others, i cannot keep it hidden from myself, nor from thee. help me to have a nobler sense of the quality of life, and less anxiety for the quantity, that i may avoid harshness and selfishness, and be given to tenderness and justice. amen. january eleventh alexander hamilton born . bayard taylor born . william james born . alice caldwell regan rice born . the paternal relation to man was the basis of that religion which appealed directly to the heart; so the fraternity of each man with his fellow was its practical application. --bayard taylor. it is indeed a remarkable fact that sufferings and hardships do not, as a rule, abate the love of life; they seem on the contrary, usually to give it a keener zest; and the sovereign source of melancholy is repletion. need and struggle are what excite and inspire. our hour of triumph is what brings the void. --william james. blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life, which the lord promised to them that love him. --james . . lord god, i come to thee for help that the small things may not force themselves into my life, and keep me from pursuing the larger things which are continually open to me. may i not be blind to what i may have and be, through inspiration and work. grant that i may not be satisfied to remain in that in which i have triumphed, but climb to greater endeavors. amen. january twelfth edmund burke born . johann heinrich pestalozzi born . françois coppée born . john s. sargent born . show the thing you contend for to be reason; show it to be common sense; show it to be the means of attaining some useful end. the question with me is not whether you have a right to render your people miserable, but whether it is your interest to make them happy. --edmund burke. like the star that shines afar, without haste and without rest, let each man wheel with steady sway round the task that rules the day, and do his best. --goethe. love suffereth long, and is kind; love envieth not; love vaunteth not itself, is not puffed up. -- corinthians . . gracious father, cause me to be critical of my life, that i may not be deceived in myself. help me to look into my soul and see what thou dost find there; and with humility may i acknowledge what i am to thee, and seek thy wisdom and love. amen. january thirteenth george fox, founder society of friends, died . samuel woodworth (old oaken bucket) born . order of king's daughters founded . have thy soul feel the universal breath with which all nature's quick, and learn to be sharer in all that thou dost touch or see; break from thy body's grasp thy spirit's trance; give thy soul air, thy faculties expanse; love, joy, even sorrow,--yield thyself to all! they make thy freedom, groveling, not thy thrall. knock off the shackles which thy spirit bind to dust and sense, and set at large the mind! then move in sympathy with god's great whole, and be like man at first, a _living soul_. --richard henry dana. i was deeply impressed by what a gardener once said to me concerning his work. "i feel, sir," he said, "when i am growing the flowers or rearing the vegetables, that i am having a share in creation." i thought it a very noble way of regarding his work. --j.h. jowett. for we are god's fellow workers: ye are god's husbandry, god's building. -- corinthians . . creator of all, help me to see what there is for me to do; and help me to know that i cannot be productive if i am hovering in the choice of my work. may i learn from thy great works of heaven and earth the ways of selection and steadfastness. give me the desire to work and the confidence that is needed to carry on my work. amen. january fourteenth madame de sévigné died . edmund halley died . pierre loti born . are you in earnest? seize this very minute what you can do, or dream you can; begin it; boldness has genius, power magic in it. only engage, and then the mind grows heated; begin and then the work will be completed. --goethe. were half the power that fills the world with terror, were half the wealth bestowed on camps and courts, given to redeem the human mind from error, there were no need of arsenals or forts. --henry w. longfellow. choose you this day whom ye will serve;... but as for me and my house, we will serve jehovah. --joshua . . almighty god, help me to appreciate the sacredness of work while i have it to do. grant that i may be spared the wretchedness that comes from working with fragments from idleness. may i do my part, even if it be in obscurity and the night overtakes me before it is done. amen. january fifteenth molière born . dr. samuel parr born . edward everett died . the sun withholds his generous beam; athwart my soul the shadows stream; the weird winds boisterously blow, and drift the melancholy snow. when i, in sorrow and despair, expect the storm, with tender care he rends the clouds and through the blue the glorious sun breaks forth anew. --m.b.s. so with the wan waste grasses on my spear, i ride forever seeking after god. my hair grows whiter than my thistle plume and all my limbs are loose; but in my eyes the star of an unconquerable praise; for in my soul one hope forever sings, that at the next white corner of the road my eyes may look on him. --g.k. chesterton. he brought me forth also into a large place; he delivered me, because he delighted in me. --psalm . . loving father, if i may be discouraged to-day, strengthen my faith. may i not weary of waiting for thee, but trust in thy promises. amen. january sixteenth edmund spenser died . johann august neander born . edward gibbon died . sir john moore died . but lovely concord, and most sacred peace, doth nourish vertue, and fast friendship breeds; weake she makes strong, and strong thing does increase, till it the pitch of highest praise exceeds. --edmund spenser. perfect good-breeding is the result of nature and not of education; for it may be found in a cottage, and may be missed in a palace. 'tis the genial regard for the feeling of others that springs from an absence of selfishness. --disraeli. can a fig tree, my brethren, yield olives, or a vine figs? neither can salt water yield sweet. --james . . heavenly father, help me to value my thoughts, words, and deeds. if at the close of the day, there may be one who has been wounded by my injustice, may i be willing to make quick atonement. may i avoid the ways and words that hurt; and not only wish rightly and work rightly, but speak to enrich others with tenderness. amen. january seventeenth john ray died . benjamin franklin born . george bancroft died . employ thy time well if thou meanest to gain leisure; and since thou art not sure of a minute, throw not away an hour! leisure is time for doing something useful; this leisure the diligent man will obtain, but the lazy man never; a life of leisure and a life of laziness are two things. --benjamin franklin. there is nothing to gain and everything to lose by despising the example of nature, and making arbitrary rules for oneself. our liberty wisely understood is but a voluntary obedience to the universal laws of life. --amiel. i will meditate on thy precepts, and have respect unto thy ways. --psalm . . my father, help me to understand the power of nature, that i may be willing to obey her laws. i pray that i may so live that my life will proclaim itself without need of boasting or deception. forbid that i should spend my life in perfecting trifles, and have no leisure to enjoy thy great gifts. amen. january eighteenth charles de montesquieu born . john gillies born . daniel webster born . we would leave for the consideration of those who shall occupy our places some proof that we hold the blessings transmitted from our fathers in just estimation; some proof of our attachment to the cause of good government and of civil and religious liberty; some proof of a sincere and ardent desire to promote every thing which may enlarge the understanding and improve the hearts of men. --daniel webster. brother and friend, the world is wide, but i care not whether there be the soothing song of a summer tide or the thrash of a wintry sea, if but through shimmer and storm you bide, brother and friend, with me. --percy c. ainsworth. honor all men. love the brotherhood. fear god. honor the king. -- peter . . almighty god, i thank thee for all the tender influences of life; for all the gentleness and strength that may be given and received through friendship. help me to be careful of what i do, for my sake, and for the sake of those who may follow me. amen. january nineteenth hans sachs died . william congreve died . james watt born . robert e. lee born . edgar allan poe born . i stand amid the roar of a surf-tormented shore, and i hold within my hand grains of the golden sand-- how few! yet how they creep through my fingers to the deep, while i weep--while i weep! o god, can i not save one from the pitiless wave? is all that we see or seem but a dream within a dream? --edgar allan poe. do not train up your children in hostility to the government of the united states. remember that we are one country now. dismiss from your mind all sectional feeling, and bring them up to be americans. --robert e. lee. wait for jehovah: be strong, and let thy heart take courage; yea, wait thou for jehovah. --psalm . . lord god, i pray that if i have struggled for the wrong, and have worked with weak hands, thou wilt forgive me for my lost strength. give me more light to shine upon my work, upon thy promises, and upon my duties; and with thy wisdom may i search for the truth that is behind every wrong, and for the purpose that is beyond all journeyings. amen. january twentieth eve of saint agnes. david garrick died . john howard died . john ruskin died . nathaniel p. willis born . how like a mounting devil in the heart rules the unreigned ambition! let it once but play the monarch, and its haughty brow glows with a beauty that bewilders thought and unthrones peace forever. putting on the very pomp of lucifer, it turns the heart to ashes. --nathaniel p. willis. temperance, in the nobler sense, does not mean a subdued and imperfect energy; it does not mean a stopping short in any good thing, as love or in faith; but it means the power which governs the most intense energy, and prevents its acting in any way but as it ought. --john ruskin. and thy gentleness hath made me great. --psalm . . gracious father, i pray that i may be willing to profit by the experience of great teachers, and appreciate the value of strong principles. may i too live for the higher ideals of life, and through a sympathetic response add power and virtue to other lives, while gaining strength for my own. amen. january twenty-first miles coverdale died . john fitch born . john c. fremont born . thomas erskine born . thomas jonathan (stonewall) jackson born . so long as we love we serve; so long as we are loved by others i would almost say that we are indispensable; and no man is useless while he has a friend. --robert l. stevenson. 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. --john greenleaf whittier. love worketh no ill to his neighbor: love therefore is the fulfillment of the law. and this, knowing the season, that already it is time for you to awake out of sleep: for now is salvation nearer to us than when we first believed. --romans . , . tender father, may i not attempt to serve life for my own gratification. may i not interpret love through vanity, but from reality. make me worth while, that i may be relied upon for my pledges, and needed for my services. amen. january twenty-second andrea del sarto died . francis bacon born . lord george byron born . queen victoria died . father of light! to thee i call, my soul is dark within: thou who canst mark the sparrow's fall, avert the death of sin, thou who canst guide the wandering star, who calm'st the elemental war, whose mantle is yon boundless sky, my thoughts, my words, my crimes forgive; and since i soon must cease to live, instruct me how to die. --lord byron. knowledge, whether it descend from divine inspiration or spring from human sense, would soon perish and vanish to oblivion if it were not preserved in books, traditions, conferences, and places appointed. --francis bacon. blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein. --revelation . . almighty god, i would have thy counsel as i read the words and follow the deeds of helpful lives, that i may be inspired to nobler activities. give me the desire to know more of thy holy word, that i may have a better knowledge of life. amen. january twenty-third john hancock born . william pitt died . charles kingsley died . paul gustave doré died . never lose an opportunity of seeing anything beautiful. welcome it in every fair face, every fair sky, every fair flower, and thank him for it, who is the fountain of all loveliness. --charles kingsley. nature never did betray the heart that loved her; 'tis her privilege through all the years of this life, to lead, from joy to joy; for she can so impress with quietness and beauty, and so feed with lofty thoughts, that neither evil tongues, * * * * * nor all the dreary intercourse of daily life, shall e'er prevail against us or disturb our cheerful faith, that all which we behold is full of blessings. --william wordsworth. is not god in the height of heaven? and behold the height of the stars, how high they are! and thou sayest, what doth god know? can he judge through the thick darkness? --job . , . lord god, i pray that i may not overlook thy blessings of beauty while endeavoring to perform my duties. guide me that i may not struggle to be where thou wouldst not have me go. amen. january twenty-fourth charles earl of dorset born . frederick the great born . charles james fox born . the great gods pass through the great time-hall, stately and high; the little men climb the low clay wall to gape and spy; "we wait for the gods," the little men cry, "but these are our brothers passing by." the great gods pass through the great time-hall; who can see? the little men nod by the low clay wall, so tired they be; '"tis weary waiting for gods," they yawn, "there's a world o' men, but the gods are gone." --a.h. begbie. but their eyes were holden that they should not know him. --luke . . my father, may i be careful of getting weary and missing the best through the need of rest. intensify my desire for the songs and glorious ways, that i may not settle into dullness and slumber, while others pass on in the light. i pray for a keener sense of the possessions made possible by the deeds and cares of noble men and women. amen. january twenty-fifth robert burns born . lord frederick leighton died . daniel maclise born . when ranting round in pleasure's ring religion may be blinded: or if she gie a random sting, it may be little minded: but when on life we're tempest-driv'n-- a conscience but a canker, a correspondence fixed wi' heav'n, is sure a noble anchor. --robert burns. be good, sweet maid, and let who will be clever; do noble things, not dream them, all day long: and so make life, death, and that vast forever one grand sweet song. --charles kingsley. o lord, by these things men live; and wholly therein is the life of my spirit: wherefore recover thou me, and make me to live. --isaiah . . gracious father, grant that i may not be willing to spend my life for trivial needs, for thou dost measure me for what i am, and boldest me for what i lose in waste. be with me in my judgment of what is best, that i may make the most of my life. amen. january twenty-sixth lord george sackville born . benjamin robert haydon born . mary mapes dodge born . general gordon (chinese gordon) killed . ave maria! blessed be the hour, that time, the clime, the spot, where i so oft have felt that moment in its fullest power sink o'er the earth so beautiful and soft, while swung the deep bell in the distant tower or the faint dying day-hymn stole aloft, and not a breath crept through the rosy air, and yet the forest leaves seemed stirred with prayer. --lord byron. i am quite happy, thank god, and like lawrence, i have tried to do my duty. --general gordon (just before death). for in the day of trouble he will keep me secretly in his pavilion: in the covert of his tabernacle will he hide me; he will lift me up upon a rock. --psalm . . heavenly father, teach me how to breathe in the sweetness of life. reveal to me the life that will bring peace to the soul. may i not be dismayed, but find the "peace that passeth all understanding," the perfect peace that comes from thee. amen. january twenty-seventh johannes wolfgang mozart born . a.w. von schlegel born . david friedrich strauss born . to keep young, every day read a poem, hear a choice piece of music, view a fine painting, and, if possible, do a good action. man's highest merit always is, as much as possible, to rule external circumstances, and as little as possible to let himself be ruled by them. --goethe. let us not always say, "spite of this flesh to-day i strove, made head, gained ground upon the whole!" as the bird wings and sings, let us cry, "all good things are ours, nor soul helps flesh more now than flesh helps soul!" --robert browning. surely goodness and loving-kindness shall follow me all the days of my life. --psalm . . loving father, help me to foresee that it is what i care for to-day that determines how i will find old age. may i not bring my closing years to weariness and lonesomeness, but may i have the restfulness that comes with communing with thee. amen. january twenty-eighth charlemagne died . sir francis drake died . peter the great died . charles george gordon (chinese gordon) born . he only is advancing in life whose heart is getting softer, whose blood warmer, whose brain quicker, and whose spirit is entering into living peace. and the men who have this life in them are the true lords and kings of the earth--they, and they only. --john ruskin. just where you stand in the conflict, there is your place! just where you think you are useless, hide not your face! god placed you there for a purpose, what e'er it be; think you he has chosen you for it: work loyally. --anonymous. o the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and the knowledge of god! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past tracing out! --romans . . my father, i thank thee that thou hast endowed me with a will; help me to use it aright. may i have the knowledge of what thou dost demand of my soul, that i may do my best with what thou hast given me. help me that i may reach out for the highest ideals of life. amen. january twenty-ninth emanuel swedenborg born . thomas paine born . adelaide ristori born . william mckinley, ohio, twenty-fourth president united states, born . god will keep no nation in supreme place that will not do supreme duty. --william mckinley. reputation is what men and women think of us; character is what god and the angels know of us. --thomas paine. the reward of one duty is the power to fulfill another. --george eliot. let thy hand be upon the man of thy right hand, upon the son of man whom thou madest strong for thyself. so shall we not go back from thee: quicken thou us, and we will call upon thy name. --psalm . , . my father, i pray that i may be just and be given to kindness. may i be conscious of my virtues, and use them to overcome my faults. may i hear clearly thy call that i may be sure of the way as i lead others to duty and happiness. amen. january thirtieth archbishop butler born . walter savage landor born . henri rochefort born . why, why repine, my pensive friend, at pleasures slipped away? some the stern fates will never lend, and all refuse to stay. i see the rainbow in the sky, the dew upon the grass; i see them and i ask not why they glimmer or they pass. with folded arms i linger not to call them back; 'twere vain; in this, or in some other spot, i know they'll shine again. --walter savage landor. when disappointment comes meet it, but do not carry it along with you; nor fetter your spirit by changeless haste. "memory will always pursue some precious instance of itself," which will bring either renewed confidence or resignation. --m. b. s. for thou shalt forget thy misery; thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. --job . . gracious father, help me to "lift mine eyes unto the hills" that glorify the discouraging ways. may i appreciate thy great love, and from my limitations find the possibilities that are limitless. amen. january thirty-first cromwell dissolved parliament . charles edward (young pretender) died . franz schubert born . james g. elaine born . nature demands that man be ever at the top of his condition. he who violates her laws must pay the penalty, though he sit on a throne. --james g. elaine. dig channels for the streams of love, where they may broadly run; and love has overflowing streams to fill them every one. for we must share if we must keep the good things from above; ceasing to give, we cease to have-- such is the law of love. --r. c. trench. and thy life shall be clearer than the noonday; though there be darkness, it shall be as the morning. --job . . my father, i would remember that it is mostly from my inspirations that i conceive life. take away hatred and vanity that keep me in faults, and awake in me the thoughts that are responsible for visions that lead to high ideals. amen. february then came old february, sitting in an old wagon, for he could not ride, drawn of two fishes for the season fitting, which through the flood before did softly slide and swim away; yet he had by his side his plow and harness fit to till the ground, and tools to prune the trees, before the pride of hasting prime did make them bourgeon wide. --edmund spenser. february first ben jonson born . john philip kemble born . arthur henry hallam born . george cruikshank died . it is not growing like a tree in bulk, doth make man better be; or standing long an oak, three hundred year, to fall a log at last, dry, bald, and sere: a lily of a day is fairer far in may, although it fall and die that night-- it was the plant and flower of light. in small proportions we just beauties see; and in short measure life may perfect be. --ben jonson. there are four things which are little upon the earth, but they are exceeding wise: the ants are a people not strong, yet they provide their food in the summer; the conies are but a feeble folk, yet make they their houses in the rocks; the locusts have no king, yet go they forth all of them by bands; the lizard taketh hold with her hands, yet is she in king's palaces. --proverbs . - . creator of all, lead me to see the light, and instruct me that i may be able to reason. guard me against spectacular endeavors, that i may be genuine. amen. february second candlemas day. nell gwynn born . hannah more born . william henry burleigh born . 'twas doing nothing was his curse-- is there a vice can plague us worse? the wretch who digs the mine for bread, or plows, that others may be fed, feels less fatigue than that decreed to him who cannot think, or read. not all the peril of temptations, not all the conflict of the passions, can quench the spark of glory's flame, or quite extinguish virtue's name. --hannah more. sound, sound the clarion, fill the fife! to all the sensual world proclaim, one crowded hour of glorious life is worth an age without a name. --sir walter scott. he went out, and found others standing; and he saith unto them, why stand ye here all the day idle? they say unto him, because no man hath hired us. he saith unto them, go ye also into the vineyard. --matthew . , . eternal god, who hath weighed the mountains and measured the seas, i pray that i may not be satisfied to wait in idleness, and let thy wisdom pass away from me as the days. steady me in my weakness, and reveal to me my strength as i draw near and ask of thee. amen. february third felix mendelssohn-bartholdy born . horace greeley born . frederick william robertson born . sidney lanier born . my soul is sailing through the sea, but the past is heavy and hindereth me. the past hath crusted cumbrous shells that hold the flesh of cold sea-mells about my soul. the huge waves wash, the high waves roll, each barnacle clingeth and worketh dole and hindereth me from sailing. --sidney lanier. to stand with a smile upon your face, against a stake from which you cannot get away--that no doubt is heroic. true glory is resignation to the inevitable. but to stand unchained, with perfect liberty to go away held only by the higher chains of duty, and let the fire creep up to the heart--that is heroism. --f.w. robertson. we are pressed on every side, yet not straitened; perplexed, yet not unto despair; pursued, yet not forsaken; smitten down, yet not destroyed. -- corinthians . , . gracious father, thou knowest what i am and the condition of my life. may i seek thy will for me. grant that i may never struggle for consolation through indulgence and indolence, but in my sorrow and failure may i reach out for thy enduring comfort. amen. february fourth mark hopkins born . w. harrison ainsworth born . jean richepin born . thomas carlyle died . life is not a may-game, but a battle and a march, a warfare with principalities and powers. no idle promenade through fragrant orange groves and green flowery spaces, waited on by coral muses, and the rosy hours; it is a stern pilgrimage through the rough, burning, sandy solitudes, through regions of thick-ribbed ice. --thomas carlyle. for all sweet and pleasant passages in the great story of life men may well thank god; for leisure and ease and health and friendship may god make us truly and humbly grateful; but our chief song of thanksgiving must be always for our kinship with him, with all that such divinity of greatness brings of peril, hardship, toil, and sacrifice. --hamilton mabie. thy bars shall be iron and brass; and as thy days, so shall thy strength be. --deuteronomy . . my father, help me to choose the road that leads to my work, and may i not fail to reach it, by wandering away from it. keep me in touch with the human side of life, holding in mind that "truth and honesty are the noblest works of god." amen. february fifth sir robert peel born . ole boreman bull born . john muir born . dwight l. moody born . when a great man dies, then has the time come for putting us in mind that he was alive! --thomas carlyle. if i practice one day, i can see the result. if i practice two days, my friends can see it. if i practice three days, the great public can see it. --ole bull. those who say they will forgive but can't forget an injury simply bury the hatchet while they leave the handle out, ready for immediate use. --dwight l. moody. but i hold not my life of any account as dear unto myself, so that i may accomplish my course. --acts . . almighty god, if i am uncertain, and tremble at the crossroads in doubt of the right way, may i wait and be led by thee, and follow on, even if the way be dark and rough. may i be faithful and have thy presence as thou promised at the end. amen. february sixth queen anne of england born . aaron burr born . sir henry irving born . nothing earthly will make me give up my work in despair. i encourage myself in the lord my god and go forward. --david livingstone. to expect defeat is nine tenths of defeat itself. --marion crawford. i do not see how any man can afford, for the sake of his nerves and his nap, to spare any action in which he can partake. --ralph waldo emerson. art is a jealous mistress, she requires the whole man. --michael angelo. watch ye, stand fast in the faith, quit you like men, be strong. -- corinthians . . almighty god, help me to have true conceptions, that my life may not be secured to needless purposes. may my soul be influenced by high ideals, and my work be the production of truth and not of selfishness. protect me from evil that i may be kept pure and strong for my work. amen. february seventh millard fillmore, new york, thirteenth president united states born . sir thomas more born . charles dickens born . anne radcliffe died . sidney cooper died . let no man turn aside ever so slightly, from the broad path of honor, on the plausible pretense that he is justified by the goodness of his end. all good ends can be worked out by good means. --charles dickens. if evils come not, then our fears are vain; and if they do, fear but augments the pain. --sir thomas more. a human heart knows aught of littleness, suspects no man, compares with no one's ways, hath in one hour most glorious length of days, a recompense, a joy, a loveliness; like eaglet keen, shoots into azure far, and always dwelling nigh is the remotest star. --william ellery channing. teach me thy way, o jehovah; i will walk in thy truth: unite my heart to fear thy name. --psalm . . gracious father, i pray that thou wilt control my impulses, and protect me from false interpretations. may i have wisdom, and search for the high and holy ways. help me to be patient for thy purposes, and may my relations to life be triumphant in thy standards. amen. february eighth samuel butler born . john ruskin born . general sherman born . jules verne born . richard watson gilder born . if you want knowledge, you must toil for it; and if pleasure, you must toil for it. toil is the law. pleasure comes through toil, and not by self-indulgence and indolence. when one gets to love work his life is a happy one. --john ruskin. whatever sceptic could inquire for, for every why he had a wherefore. --samuel butler. through love to light! o wonderful the way, that leads from darkness to the perfect day! from darkness and from sorrow of the night to morning that comes singing o'er the sea. through love to light! through light o god to thee! who art the love, the eternal light of light! --richard watson gilder. we must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. --john . . my father, i pray that i may not weight my life with worthless efforts. may i be guided to the right work, and through the love of it find strength for my soul. amen. february ninth c.f. volney born . william henry harrison, virginia, ninth president united states, born . anthony hope (hawkins) born . george ade born . a man's own observation, what he finds good of, and what he finds hurt of, is the best physic to preserve health. but it is a safer conclusion to say, "this agreeth not well with me, therefore i will not continue it"; than to say, "i find no offense of this, therefore i may use it." for strength of nature in youth passeth over many excesses, which are owing a man till his age. --francis bacon. though man a thinking being is defined, few use the grand prerogative of mind. how few think justly of the thinking few! how many never think, who think they do! --jane taylor. blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life. --james . . almighty god, i would learn that while thou art a forgiving lord, nature has no mercy on them that break her laws. forgive me for all my neglect, and help me to see the way in which thou hast through mercy led me. give me the power to endure and the strength to resist temptation. may i seek to understand thy laws, that i may not fail through ignorance. amen. february tenth rev. henry hart milman born . charles lamb born . sir william napier died . never let the most well-intended falsehood escape your lips; for heaven, which is entirely truth, will make the seed which you have sown of untruth to yield miseries a thousandfold. --charles lamb. we cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and reporting truly is a form of health that has to be distinctly guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "the penalty of untruth is untruth." --george eliot. the bat hangs upside down and laughs at a topsy-turvy world. --unknown. the lip of truth shall be established for ever; but a lying tongue is but for a moment. --proverbs . . lord god, give me the will to hold to the truth and the strength to help keep the world true; and may i help others to look up and catch the truth from the purest light. amen. february eleventh mary, queen of england, born . daniel boone born . lydia m. child born . washington gladden born . thomas a. edison born . few, in the days of early youth, trusted like me in love and truth. i've learned sad lessons from the years; but slowly and with many tears; for god made me to kindly view the world that i was passing through. and all who tempt a trusting heart from faith and hope to drift apart, may they themselves be spared the pain of losing power to trust again! god help us all to kindly view the world that we are passing through! --lydia m. child. for ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing; and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. --isaiah . . lord god, i pray that i may not rest my hope in self alone, but know that the greatest joy is in the hope of the world. help me to have faith in mankind; and with a loyal heart and a brave spirit be as kind to the world as i can. amen. february twelfth dr. cotton mather born . peter cooper born . abraham lincoln, kentucky, sixteenth president united states, born . robert charles darwin born . george meredith born . with malice towards none, with charity for all, with firmness in the right as god gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds, ... to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace among ourselves and with all nations. --abraham lincoln. the great moral combat between human life and each human soul must be single.... when a soul arms for battle she goes forth alone. --owen meredith. according to the grace of god which was given unto me, as a wise master builder i laid a foundation; and another buildeth thereon. -- corinthians . . almighty god, i thank thee for the courage that comes with a great life. help me to be brave, even if it is only that others may be blest. may i lay a careful foundation and plan to build the best that i can afford. amen. february thirteenth david allan born . maurice de talleyrand-périgord born . richard wagner died . a man is not his hope, nor yet his despair, nor yet his past deed. we know not yet what we have done; still less what we are doing. wait till evening, and other parts of our work will shine than we had thought at noon, and we shall discover the real purport of our toil. --henry d. thoreau. when you make a mistake don't look back at it long. take the reason of the thing into your mind, and look forward. mistakes are lessons of wisdom.... the past cannot be changed. the future is yet in your power. --hugh white. he that goeth forth and weepeth, bearing seed for sowing, shall doubtless come again with joy, bringing his sheaves with him. --psalm . . my father, help me to survey my life. make me compassionate and considerate, that i may be qualified to promote that which is helpful. may i appreciate that what is worth keeping i can obtain from thee. amen. february fourteenth saint valentine's day. captain james cook killed . jean ernest reynaud born . oh! little loveliest lady mine, what shall i send for your valentine? summer and flowers are far away; gloomy old winter is king to-day; buds will not blow, and sun will not shine: what shall i do for a valentine? i've searched the gardens all through and through for a bud to tell of my love so true; but buds are asleep and blossoms are dead, and the snow beats down on my poor little head: so, little loveliest lady mine, here is my heart for your valentine. --laura e. richards. oh rank is gold, and gold is fair, and high and low mate ill; but love has never known a law beyond its own sweet will! --john g. whittier. beloved, let us love one another: for love is of god. -- john . . loving father, may i not fall to nodding in the balmy air of luxury and miss the messages of love. arouse me, that i may give and take in the treasures of love as they come my way, and that they may not pass unnoticed. amen. february fifteenth galileo galilei born . louis xv born . s. weir mitchell born . sir frederick treves born . the night i know is nigh at hand, the mists lie low on hill and bay, the autumn sheaves are brown and dry, but i have had the day. yes, i have had, dear lord, the day. when at thy call i have the night brief be the twilight as i pass from light to dark, from dark to light. --s. weir mitchell. if thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small--too small to be worth talking about, for the day of adversity is its first real opportunity. --maltbie babcock. nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. --romans . . my father, may my daily work not be the means of separating me from thee, but may i have thee for my companion through my work. forbid that i should ever submit to despair from weakness of body, but that i may be blest and grow strong as my spirit lives in thee. amen. february sixteenth philip melanchthon born . gasper de coligny born . thomas robert malthus born . ernst heinrich haeckel born . thy love shall chant its own beatitudes after its own life working. 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. --elizabeth b. browning. ask nothing more of me, sweet; all i can give you i give. heart of my heart, were it more, more would be laid at your feet: love that should help you to live, song that should help you to soar. --algernon charles swinburne. all things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them. --matthew . . lord god, i pray that i may not neglect the help and happiness that i may give with compassion and love. make me strong in all the senses that answer to the call of humanity. help me to guide and protect little children, and to care for the comforts of the old. amen. february seventeenth kate greenaway born . michael angelo buonarroti died . giordano bruno burned at rome . molière died . rose terry cooke born . frances e. willard died . it is not much to give a gentle word or kindly touch to one gone down beneath the world's cold frown, and yet who knows how great a thing from such a little grows? o, oftentimes, some brother upward climbs and hope again uplifts its head, that in the dust had lain, gives place to morning's light. --e. h. divall. i will seek that which was lost, and will bring back that which was driven away, and will bind up that which was broken, and will strengthen that which was sick. --ezekiel . . my father, may i not sorrow so that i fail to comfort the sorrowing, and may i not be so happy that i fail to see that others need to be glad. i thank thee for thy providences. may i serve thee in helping others to brighter lives. amen. february eighteenth martin luther died . george peabody born . wilson barrett born . a mighty fortress is our god, a bulwark never failing: our helper he amid the flood of mortal ills prevailing. for still our ancient foe doth seek to work us woe; his craft and power are great: and, armed with cruel hate, on earth is not his equal. --martin luther. let us stand by our duty fearlessly and effectively. i am not bound to win, but i am bound to be true. i am not bound to succeed, but i am bound to live up to the light that i have. --abraham lincoln. jehovah is my rock, and my fortress, and my deliverer; my god, my rock, in whom i will take refuge. --psalm . . lord god, help me to lay my life in the rocks of thy foundation, and not in moving sands which are tossed from shore to shore. may i cling to the rock that was cleft for me and trust for thy care. amen. february nineteenth copernicus born . leonard bacon born . w.w. story born . adelina patti born . so mine are these new fruitings rich, the simple to the common brings; i keep the youth of souls who pitch their joy in this old heart of things; full lasting is the song, though he the singer passes; lasting too, for souls not lent in usury, the rapture of the forward view. --george meredith. all deep things are song. it seems, somehow, the very central essence of us, song; as if all the rest were wrappages and hulls! the primal element of us; of us, and all things. --thomas carlyle. ye shall have a song as in the night when a holy feast is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come unto the mountain of jehovah. --isaiah . . lord god, help me to feel the power of praise. "as words without thoughts never to heaven go," so the highest praises are never sung alone, but rendered with service and love. may i have the heart to sing thy praises far and near, and rejoice in him from whom all blessings flow. amen. february twentieth j.h. voss born . joseph jefferson born . mihaly munkacsy (michael lieb) born . who serves his country well has no need of ancestors. --voltaire. lo, spring comes forth with all her warmth and love, she brings sweet justice from the realms above; she breaks the chrysalis, she resurrects the dead; two butterflies ascend encircling her head. and so this emblem shall forever be a sign of immortality. --joseph jefferson. thou wilt guide me with thy counsel, and afterward receive me to glory. --psalm . . lord god, i pray that i may not neglect my soul in trying to fathom immortal life. if i may be hesitating between comfort and work, remind me of the greatness of the place which i started to reach. may i not grow weary of climbing and falter on the stair. breathe upon me thy inspiration and love, that i may continue in faith all the way. amen. february twenty-first edmund william gosse born . karl czerny born . cardinal john h. newman born . jean l.e. meissonier born . alice freeman palmer born . 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. --john h. newman. think truly, and thy thoughts shall the world's famine feed; speak truly, and each word of thine shall be a fruitful seed; live truly, and thy life shall be a great and noble creed. --horatio bonar. we ought to love everybody and make everybody love us. then everything else is easy. --alice freeman palmer. then shall thy light break forth as the morning, and thy healing shall spring forth speedily; and thy righteousness shall go before thee; the glory of jehovah shall be thy rearward. --isaiah . . almighty god, look upon me with pity; so often i have obeyed the thoughts that have been misleading and profitless. make me more careful of what i think and say, and may i learn from my mistakes the forbidden paths. help me to keep my mind in unity with thy will. amen. february twenty-second george washington, virginia, first president united states, born . james russell lowell born . margaret e. sangster born . labor to keep alive in your breast that little spark of celestial fire called conscience. --george washington. life is a sheet of paper white whereon each one of us may write his word or two, and then comes night. greatly begin! though thou hast time but for a line, be that sublime. not failure, but low aim is crime. --james russell lowell. god keep us through the common days, the level stretches white with dust, when thought is tired, and hands upraise their burdens feebly since they must; in days of slowly fretting care then most we need the strength of prayer. --margaret e. sangster. make level the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. --proverbs . . lord god, help me to realize the influence of the individual life. and as i would care for my own, may i seek to do for others; and may i not criticize, but help all who are trying to make the world better. amen. february twenty-third samuel pepys born . george f. handel born . george frederick watts born . john keats died . margaret deland born . labor is life! 'tis the still water faileth; idleness ever despaireth, bewaileth: keep the watch wound, or the dark rust assaileth; flowers droop and die in the stillness of noon. labor is glory! the flying cloud lightens; only the waving wing changes and brightens, idle hearts only the dark future frightens, play the sweet keys, wouldst thou keep them in tune. --frances s. osgood. keats palled death, with kisses ghostly, wooed and won him while too young, and the world reveres him mostly, for the songs he might have sung. --samuel a. wood. enlarge the place of thy tent, and let them stretch forth the curtains of thy habitations; spare not: lengthen thy cords, and strengthen thy stakes. --isaiah . . almighty god, i pray for the will to do my finest work. disclose to me if i am being detained by serving selfishness in myself or in others. lead me to what is right for me to do; and may i diligently tarry in it. amen. february twenty-fourth samuel lover born . robert fulton died . george william curtis born . 'tis not to enjoy that we exist, for that end only; something must be done; i must not walk in unreproved delight these narrow bounds, and think of nothing more, no duty that looks further and no care. --william wordsworth. we weave our thoughts into heart-spun plans, and weave secure for a fitful day, but lose in the web of earthly things the pattern of sublimity. shall days spring up as wild vines grow, unheeding where they climb or cling? consider, child, before you sow, and wait not until harvesting. --m.b.s. jehovah is my strength and my shield; my heart hath trusted in him, and i am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will i praise him. --psalm . . loving father, command my judgment for the influences which i permit to come into my life. grant that i may not delay my purposes for the lack of comforts which are so often made more than life. with thy strength may i be steadfast in what i would achieve. amen. february twenty-fifth william seely died . sir christopher wren died . jane goodwin austin born . camille flammarion born . in general, pride is at the bottom of all great mistakes. all other passions do occasionally good; but wherever pride puts in its word everything goes wrong. --john ruskin. he that is proud eats up himself: pride is his own glass, his own trumpet, his own chronicle; and whatever praises itself but in the deed, devours the deed in the praise. --william shakespeare. save me alike from foolish pride or impious discontent; at aught thy wisdom hath denied, or aught thy wisdom lent. --alexander pope. a man's pride shall bring him low; but he that is of a lowly spirit shall obtain honor. --proverbs . . heavenly father, i pray that i may not let pride keep me down when it may be mine to be carried to the heights. with tenderness take me out of myself, that i may see how pride deceives, and destroys an humble spirit. help me to master both stubbornness and pride. amen. february twenty-sixth christopher marlowe (baptized ). victor hugo born . lord cromer born . thomas moore died . when i go down to the grave i can say, like so many others, i have finished my work; but i cannot say i have finished my life; my day's work will begin again the next morning. my tomb is not a blind alley; it is a thoroughfare. it closes in the twilight to open in the dawn. --victor hugo. there's nothing bright above, below, from flowers that bloom to stars that glow, but in the light my soul can see some feature of the deity. there's nothing dark below, above, but in its gloom i trace god's love, and meekly wait that moment when his truth shall turn all bright again. --thomas moore. jehovah redeemeth the soul of his servants; and none of them that take refuge in him shall be condemned. --psalm . . lord god, may i not only feel the need of thee when i am burdened with sorrow and care, but may i have need of thee in my pleasures and joys. i thank thee for thy gracious kindness, thy mercy and thy protection. amen. february twenty-seventh henry wadsworth longfellow born . ellen terry born . mary f. robinson born . lives of great men all remind us we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us footprints on the sands of time-- footprints that perhaps another, sailing o'er life's wintry main, a forlorn and shipwrecked brother, seeing, shall take heart again. --henry w. longfellow. 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. --james russell lowell. even so let your light shine before men; that they may see your good works, and glorify your father who is in heaven. --matthew . . merciful father, help me to know that my shadow cannot fall without me, and that my footprints cannot be found where i have never trodden. i pray that thou wilt make me so familiar with the right path that it may be mine to have the privilege of leading others to the right places. amen. february twenty-eighth montaigne born . mary lyon born . sir john tenniel born . soul, rule thyself; on passion, deed, desire, lay thou the laws of thy deliberate will. stand at thy chosen post, faith's sentinel: though hell's lost legions ring thee round with fire, learn to endure. --arthur symonds. the confidence in another man's virtue is no slight evidence of a man's own, and god willingly favors such a confidence. --montaigne. though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, even then will i be confident. --psalm . . my father, may i ever be kept in remembrance of my virtue, and may i be sensitive to its strength. as i go on my way, keep me within control of the impetuous desires of my nature, and in call of the duties and obligations of my daily life. amen. february twenty-ninth anne lee born . g.a. rossini born . john landseer died . happy is he and more than wise who sees with wondrous eyes and clean this world through all the gray disguise of sleep and custom in between. --g.k. chesterton. in the morning, when thou findest thyself unwilling to rise, consider with thyself presently, if it is to go about a man's work that i am stirred up. or was i made for this, to lay me down, and make much of myself in a warm bed. --marcus aurelius. arise and be doing, and jehovah be with thee. -- chronicles . . gracious father, help me to take of the wealth of my day, while it is in season, and accessible. may i not be ignorant of the abundance in which i live, and be found in overwhelming regret. forgive me for all that i have missed in life, and make me more watchful of that which is to come. amen. march spring still makes spring in the mind, when sixty years are told; love makes anew this throbbing heart, and we are never old. over the winter glaciers, i see the summer glow, and through the wild-piled snowdrift the warm rosebuds below. --ralph waldo emerson. march first alexander balfour born . frederick françois chopin born . augustus saint-gaudens born . william dean howells born . thy soul shall enter on its heritage of god's unuttered wisdom. thou shalt sweep with hand assured the ringing lyre of life, till the fierce anguish of its bitter strife, its pain, death, discord, sorrow, and despair, break into rhythmic music. thou shalt share the prophet-joy that kept forever glad god's poet-souls when all a world was sad. enter and live! thou hast not lived before. --s. weir mitchell. return unto thy rest, o my soul; for jehovah hath dealt bountifully with thee. for thou hast delivered my soul from death, mine eyes from tears, and my feet from falling. --psalm . , . almighty god, grant that i may never be so discouraged that i feel my life has been spent. help me to so live, that i may not follow into hopeless days, but look for the bright and beautiful in to-morrow. forgive me for all that i have asked for and accepted through willful judgment, and make me more careful in selecting my needs. amen. march second juvenal born a.d. . john wesley died . horace walpole died . nature never says one thing, wisdom another. --juvenal. by all means, use some times to be alone; salute thyself--see what thy soul doth wear; dare to look in thy chest, for 'tis thine own, and tumble up and down what thou findest there. --william wordsworth. lonesomeness is part of the cost of power. the higher you climb, the less can you hope for companionship. the heavier and the more immediate the responsibility, the less can a man delegate his tasks or escape his own mistakes. --shailer mathews. but thou, when thou prayest, enter into thine inner chamber, and having shut thy door, pray to thy father who is in secret, and thy father who seeth in secret shall recompense thee. --matthew . . my father, i pray that thou wilt take care of my thoughts when i am alone and tired, and keep them strong and clean. grant that while i commune with thee i may yield to my needs and be restored with keener energy for worthier deeds. may i ask of thy wisdom every day. amen. march third edmund waller born . george herbert died . christine nilsson born . pitch thy behaviour low, thy projects high, so shalt thou humble and magnanimous be; sink not in spirit: who aimeth at the sky, shoots higher than he that means a tree. --george herbert. we and god have business with each other; and in opening ourselves to his influence our deepest destiny is fulfilled. --william james. while we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen; for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal. -- corinthians . . almighty god, help me to remember that "the power of character is the highest point of success," and that thou hast put within reach of all the choice ideals of life. may i have the desire to cultivate strong purposes, and strive for high endeavors, that i may not aim for the low. amen. march fourth casimer pulaski born . sir henry raeburn born . e.w. bull, originator concord grape, born . alexander graham bell born . it is perfectly obvious that men do necessarily absorb, out of the influences in which they grow up, something which gives a complexion to their whole after-character. --anthony froude. all common things, each day's events that with the hour begin and end, our pleasures and our discontents are rounds by which we may ascend. --henry w. longfellow. our doubts are traitors, and make us lose the good we oft might win by fearing to attempt. i --shakespeare. and david put his hand in his bag, and took thence a stone, and slang it, and smote the philistine in his forehead; and the stone sank into his forehead, and he fell upon his face to the earth. -- samuel . . my father, i would remember that my life may decline from the neglect of small things; for as thou dost nourish the wheat from flakes of snow, and supply the springs from drops of rain, so thou wilt strengthen my soul from every little blessing. i pray that i may not forget to watch my habits, and keep track of the hours that culture and sustain my life. amen. march fifth correggio died . howard pyle born . arthur foote born . when i have the time so many things i'll do, to make life happier and more fair for those whose lives are crowded now with care, i'll help to lift them from their low despair when i have time. when i have time the friend i love so well shall know no more the weary, toiling days; i'll lead his feet in pleasant paths always, and cheer his heart with words of sweetest praise, when i have time. now is the time! speed, friend; no longer wait to scatter loving smiles and words of cheer to those around whose lives are drear; they may not need you in the far-off year: now is the time. --unknown. behold now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation. -- corinthians . . lord god, teach me this day to know that the veriest trifle often keeps happiness alive, and that the smallest trifle often may kill it. i pray that now thou wilt put within my heart that touch of love, which brings consideration for others, and the care that brings the greatest happiness. amen. march sixth michael angelo buonarroti born . elizabeth barrett browning born . george du maurier born . beloved, let us love so well our work shall still be better for our love, and still our love be sweeter for our work: and both commended for the sake of each by all true workers and true lovers born. --elizabeth b. browning. earth saddens, never shall remove, affections purely given; and e'en that mortal grief shall prove the immortality of love, and heighten it with heaven. --elizabeth b. browning. and if i bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and if i give my body to be burned, but have not love, it profiteth me nothing. -- corinthians . . loving father, i pray that i may not try to change the standard of love by grafting on my own selfishness and infirmities. may i remember that it is mostly for gratification that love is held to the base in life; may i follow it to the summits, where it is divine. amen. march seventh sir thomas wilson died . sir edwin landseer born . luther burbank born . earth gets its price for what it gives us; the beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, the priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, we bargain for the graves we lie in; at the devil's booth are all things sold, each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; for a cap and bells our lives we pay, bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; 'tis heaven alone that is given away, 'tis only god may be had for the asking. --james russell lowell. we are our own fates. our own deeds are our doomsmen. man's life was made not for men's creeds, but men's actions. --owen meredith. the free gift of god is eternal life. --romans . . gracious father, may the world speak to me of thy love, and of thy gifts of peace and power, which it freely offers. may i not pass by its great values, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and dissipation. --amen. march eighth dr. john fothergill born . c.p. cranch born . anna letitia barbauld died . o boundless self-contentment voiced in flying air-born bubbles! o joy that mocks our sad unrest, and frowns our earth-born troubles! the life that floods the happy fields with song and light and color, will shape our lives to richer states and heap our measures fuller. --c.p. cranch. one may secure and preserve that repose in the turbulence of a great city--as shakespeare surely found and preserved it in the london of the sixteenth century. for repose does not depend on external conditions; it depends on sound adjustment to tasks, opportunities, pleasures, and the general order of life. --hamilton mabie. that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in godliness and gravity. -- timothy . . gracious father, help me to understand that peace cannot abide in misery, nor can it stay with every mood. may i be able to overcome the depression that may keep me in sadness and isolation, and have delight in the gladness of friends, and live in the peace of strong resolutions. amen. march ninth americus vespucius born . lewis gonzaga born . comte de mirabeau born . william cobbett born . edwin forrest born . yet nerve thy spirit to the proof, and blanch not at thy chosen lot; the timid good may stand aloof, the sage may frown--yet faint thou not; nor heed the shaft too surely cast, the foul and hissing bolt of scorn; for with thy side shall dwell, at last, the victory of endurance born. --william c. bryant. you cannot dream yourself into a character; you must hammer and forge yourself into one. --james anthony froude. can thy heart endure, or can thy hands be strong, in the days that i shall deal with thee? --ezekiel . . loving father, search me, and if there be any evil ways in me, correct them, and lead me into the ways everlasting. i pray that i may not be deformed from selfishness, but with a lowly and expectant heart run with patience and triumph the race that is set before me. amen. march tenth bishop duppa born . professor playfair born . charles loyson (père hyacinthe) born . so he died by his faith. that is fine-- more than the most of us do. but stay. can you add to that line that he lived for it too? it is easy to die. men have died for a wish or a whim-- from bravado or passion or pride. was it hard for him? but to live: every day to live out all the truth that he dreamt, while his friends met his conduct with doubt, and the world with contempt. was it thus that he plodded ahead, never turning aside? then we'll talk of the life that he led. never mind how he died. --ernest crosby. for i have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the lord jehovah: wherefore turn yourselves, and live. --ezekiel . . almighty god, help me to live an upright life. give me courage to abandon useless customs, and seeming duties that keep me from perfecting my life. amen. march eleventh torquato tasso born . alexander mackenzie died . henry drummond died . there is nothing that is puerile in nature; and he who becomes impassioned of a flower, a blade of grass, a butterfly's wing, a nest, a shell, wraps around a small thing that always contains a great truth. to succeed in modifying the appearance of a flower is insignificant in itself, if you will; but reflect upon it for however short a while and it becomes gigantic. --maurice maeterlinck. o world, as god has made it! all is beauty: and knowing this, is love, and love is duty: what further may be sought for or declared? --robert browning. consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: yet i say unto you, that even solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. --matthew . , . creator of all, i do know that if i may hold myself close enough, i can hear restful music through the breeze, and find secrets in the flowers and leaves. i rejoice that thou hast made the woods and rivers that thou dost love, so i too might possess them, and not be a tenant of them only. may i look and study deeper the things which bring me closer to thee. amen. march twelfth cesare borgia killed . bishop buckley born . simon newcomb born . among the happiest and proudest possessions of a man is his character. it is a wreath, it is a bank in itself. what is the essence and life of character? principle, integrity, independence. --bulwer lytton. no great genius was ever without some mixture of madness, nor can anything grand or superior to the voice of common mortals be spoken except by the agitated soul. --aristotle. handsome is that handsome does. --oliver goldsmith. since thou hast been precious in my sight, and honorable, and i have loved thee; therefore will i give men in thy stead, and peoples instead of thy life. --isaiah . . lord god, forbid that i should try to supplant character with manners and worldly goods. may i remember that thou seest me, and knowest me, and i need no shield from thee. help me that i may be found acceptable while thou dost search me to the depths of the soul. amen. march thirteenth joseph priestley born . esther johnson (stella) born . regina maria roche died . if stores of dry and learned lore we gain we keep them in the memory of the brain; names, things, and facts--whate'er we knowledge call, there is the common ledger for them all; and images on this cold surface traced make slight impressions and are soon effaced. but we've a page more glowing and more bright on which our friendship and our love to write; that these may never from the soul depart, we trust them to the memory of the heart. there is no dimming--no effacement here; each pulsation keeps the record clear; warm golden letters all the tablet fill, nor lose their luster till the heart stands still. --daniel webster. i often wonder why it is that we are not all kinder than we are. how much the world needs it! how easily it is done! how instantaneously it acts! how infallibly it is remembered! --henry drummond. cast thy bread upon the waters; for thou shalt find it after many days. --ecclesiastes . . my father, thou hast taught me through the gifts of life, that there is no labor or price too dear to pay for love. i pray to love thee more that i may have more love to bestow on others. amen. march fourteenth thomas h. benton born . johann strauss born . victor emmanuel born . rivers to the ocean run, nor stay in all their course; fire ascending seeks the sun; both speed them to their source; so a soul that's born of god, pants to view his glorious face, upward tends to his abode, to rest in his embrace. --robert seagrave. as the bird trims her to the gale i trim myself to the storm of time; i man the rudder, reef the sail, obey the voice at eve obeyed at prime; lowly faithful, banish fear, the port well worth the cruise is near and every wave is charmed. --ralph waldo emerson. as the hart panteth after the water brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, o god. --psalm . . my father, i pray that if i meet with difficulty, i may not go backward, nor stand still, and fear to go forward. unfold to me the depth and breadth of the ideal and beautiful, that i may not be content to succeed in the shallowness of life: but may i aspire to the height of the soul, even if i fail to acquire great things. amen. march fifteenth julius cæsar killed b.c. . peasants war began . andrew jackson, north carolina, seventh president united states, born . john davenport died . i will take the responsibility! --andrew jackson. what ought to be possible for everyone is to arrive at a sort of harmony of life, to have definite things that they want to do.... the people whom it is hard to fit into any scheme of benevolent creation are the vague, insignificant, drifting people, whose only rooted tendency is to do whatever is suggested to them. --arthur c. benson. heard are the voices, heard are the sages, the worlds, and the ages; choose well! your choice is brief and endless. --goethe. only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law.... --joshua . . gracious father, i pray that thou wilt free me from evil thoughts before they become a habit. create in me that freedom which makes me not ashamed to acknowledge the wrong, and which will enable me to stand for the right. quicken my thoughts, that they may keep my heart inspired. amen. march sixteenth james madison, virginia, fourth president united states, born . caroline lucretia herschel born . alexander watts born . if we live truly we shall see truly. it is as easy for the strong man to be strong as it is for the weak to be weak. when we have new perception we shall gladly disburthen the memory of the hoarded treasures as old rubbish. when a man lives with god his voice shall be as sweet as the murmur of the brook and the rustle of the corn. --ralph waldo emerson. the tissue of the life to be, we weave with colors all our own, and in the field of destiny we reap as we have sown. --raphael. now when they beheld the boldness of peter and john, and had perceived that they were unlearned and ignorant men, they marveled; and they took knowledge of them, that they had been with jesus. --acts . . lord god, quiet me if i am not calm, that my soul may be able to contemplate and have an opportunity to grow. help me, that i may be able even in discouragements to have the true perception of life. amen. march seventeenth saint patrick's day. ebenezer elliott born . dr. thomas chalmers born . moncure d. conway born . clara morris born . what is really wanted is to light up the spirit that is within a child. in some sense and in some effectual degree there is in every child the material of good work in the world; and in every child, not only in those who are brilliant, not only in those who are quick, but in those who are stolid, and even in those who are dull. --william gladstone. if you make children happy now, you will make them happy twenty years hence by the memory of it. --kate douglas wiggin. and these words, which i command thee this day, shall be upon thy heart; and thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt talk of them when thou sittest in thy house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. --deuteronomy . , . lord god, may i be diligent for the progress of little children. show me how i may minister unto them; and grant that i may be able to see the necessity of giving, more than i do the pleasure of receiving. amen. march eighteenth william byrd died . john c. calhoun born . grover cleveland, new jersey, twenty-second president united states, born . my minde to me a kingdom is: such perfect joy therein i finde as far exceeds all earthly blisse that god or nature hath assignede. --william byrd. teach your proud will to make those nobler choices which bring to soul and heart enduring health. deafen your ears to those contending voices, look in your heart, learn your own being's wealth. its resources vast, its undiscovered treasure waiting for these same idle hands to mine. learn that the grandest of nature's creations may not be bounded by man's limitations. --rose e. cleveland. but he is in one mind, and who can turn him? and what his soul desireth, even that he doeth. --job . . almighty god, grant that i may never succumb to the controlling influences of the body, and lose the power of my mind. may i guard the dictates of my heart and keep my mind in command to obey thy will. amen. march nineteenth david livingstone born . alice french (octave thanet) born . william jennings bryan born . isn't it interesting to get blamed for everything? but i must be thankful in feeling that i would rather perish than blame another for my misdeeds and deficiencies. --david livingstone. criticism is helpful. if a man makes a mistake, criticism enables him to correct it; if he is unjustly criticized, the criticism helps him. i have had my share of criticism since i have been in public life, but it has not prevented me from doing what i thought proper to do. --william jennings bryan. for himself hath said, i will in no wise fail thee, neither will i in any wise forsake thee. so that with good courage we say, the lord is my helper; i will not fear. --hebrews . , . loving father, i thank thee that thou art the same yesterday, to-day, and forever; and i am glad i cannot receive from thee the slights and wounds that i may give or receive from my friends. may i be considerate and more forgiving, and by my sincerity be worthy of the purpose which i pursue. amen. march twentieth publius ovidius (ovid) born b.c. . sir isaac newton died . karl august nicander born . henrik ibsen born . whoever is not with me in the essential things of life, him i no longer know--i owe him no consideration. --henrik ibsen. only he who lives in truth finds it. the deepest truth is not born of conscious striving, but comes in the quiet hour when a noble nature gives itself into the keeping of life, to suffer, to feel, to think, and to act as it is moved by a wisdom not its own. --hamilton mabie. forgetting the things which are behind, and stretching forward to the things which are before, i press on toward the goal unto the prize of the high calling of god. --philippians . , . lord god, i thank thee for the silent ways of revelation which bring hopeful communion with thee. help me to be composed, that my life may not create a noise and my soul miss the messages that come from the depths of truth and love. amen. march twenty-first johann sebastian bach born . archbishop cranmer burnt at oxford . jean paul richter born . henry kirke white born . go through life with soft influences breathing around thee. keep thy heart high above the many-colored mist of earth and above its storm clouds. --jean paul richter. recollection is the only paradise from which we cannot be turned out. --jean paul richter. come, disappointment, come! thou art not stern to me; sad monitress! i own thy sway, a votary sad in every day, i bend my knee to thee, from sun to sun my race will run; i only bow, and say, my god, thy will be done! --henry kirke white. if i say, i will forget my complaint, i will put off my sad countenance, and be of good cheer. --job . . gracious father, help me to respond cheerfully when called upon to give. may i never repent of tenderness which others fail to appreciate, but may i be glad of all that i give and for all i receive. amen. march twenty-second sir anthony vandyke born . caroline sheridan norton born . johann goethe died . dr. farrar, dean of canterbury, died . rosa bonheur born . red love still rules the day, white faith enfolds the night, and hope, green-mantled, leads the way by the walls of the city of light. therefore i walk as one who sees the joy shine through of the other life behind our life, like the stars behind the blue. --dean farrar. there can be no greater delight than is experienced by a man who, by his own unaided resources, frees himself from the consequences of error: heaven looks down with satisfaction upon such a spectacle. --goethe. thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold a land that reacheth afar. --isaiah . . lord god, help me to remember that i may not only be forgiven for my transgression, but with thy help i may be led away from the wrong. may i be content to follow where thou dost lead. amen. march twenty-third pierre savant la place born . schuyler colfax born . richard a. proctor born . silence is the element in which great things fashion themselves together; that at length they may emerge, full-formed and majestic, into the daylight of life.... nay, in thy own mean perplexities, do thou thyself but hold thy tongue for one day; on the morrow how much clearer are thy purposes and duties! --thomas carlyle. deliberate much before you say and do anything; for it will not be in your power to recall what is said or done. --epictetus. set a watch, o jehovah, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. --psalm . . my lord, make me a lover of the truth. make me careful of my thoughts, and the words i would speak, that i may not think selfishly and speak cruelly, but keep myself holy unto thee. amen. march twenty-fourth queen elizabeth died . fanny crosby born . henry w. longfellow died . sir edwin arnold died . every quivering tongue of flame seems to murmur some great name, seems to say to me "aspire!" no endeavor is in vain; its reward is in the doing, and the rapture of pursuing is the prize of vanquished gain. --henry w. longfellow. never be sad or desponding if thou hast faith to believe; grace for the duties before thee ask of thy god and receive. --fanny crosby. i spread forth my hands unto thee: my soul thirsteth after thee, as a weary land. --psalm . . almighty god, make me conscious of my weaknesses, and make me ashamed of my indulgences. give me a victory over self; and may i consider more what i put in my life. may i be eager for that which will inspire me for greater aspirations. amen. march twenty-fifth archbishop john williams born . joachim murat born . anna seward died . how awful is the thought of the wonders underground, of the mystic changes wrought in the silent, dark profound! how each thing upward tends by necessity decreed, and the world's support depends on the shooting of a seed! the summer's in her ark, and this sunny-pinioned day is commissioned to remark whether winter holds her sway: go back, thou dove of peace, with myrtle on thy wing, say that floods and tempests cease, and the world is ripe for spring. --horace smith. i should never have made my success in life if i had not bestowed upon the least thing i have ever undertaken the same attention and care that i have bestowed upon the greatest. --charles dickens. gather up the broken pieces which remain over, that nothing be lost. --john . . loving father, cause me to learn from nature that to have perfection i must be attentive at the beginning of growth. help me to select with care the soil wherein i plant; and to weed and cultivate my life that it may grow to beauty and usefulness. amen. march twenty-sixth konrad von gesner born . w. e. h. lecky born . gustave guillaumet born . walt whitman died . every man takes care that his neighbor shall not cheat him, but a day comes when he begins to care that he do not cheat his neighbor. then all goes well. he has changed his market-cart into a chariot of the sun. --ralph waldo emerson. he that is unacquainted with the nature of the world must be at a loss to know where he is. and he that cannot tell the ends he was made for is ignorant both of himself and the world too. --marcus aurelius. give diligence to present thyself approved unto god, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, handling aright the word of truth. -- timothy . . almighty god, may i not only approve of justice and kindness, but practice it. grant that i may be attentive to the call of work and steadfast in completing it. may i be sincere to those who are dear to me, and never falter in my support to those who are dependent upon me. amen. march twenty-seventh alfred vigny born . general a. w. greely born . sir gilbert scott died . it takes great strength to bring your life up square with your accepted thought and hold it there: resisting the inertia that drags it back from new attempts, to the old habit's track. it is so easy to drift back, to sink. so hard to live abreast of what you think. --charlotte perkins stetson. if a person had delivered up your body to anyone whom he met in his way, you would certainly be angry. and do you feel no shame in delivering up your own mind to be disconcerted and confounded by anyone who happens to give you ill language. --epictetus. wherefore, o king agrippa, i was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision. --acts . . my father, my soul sinks with shame when i think of the great moments that i have given over to mean little things. help me that i may reckon more on the value of time, and live not to tolerate life, but to have a great need for it, that day by day i may have a deeper consciousness of its appropriate use. amen. march twenty-eighth santi d'urbino raphael born . sir thomas smith born . margaret (peg) woffington died . they may not need me, yet they might; i'll let my heart be just in sight-- a smile so small as mine might be precisely their necessity. --unknown. you hear that boy laughing?--you think he's all fun; but the angels laugh too at the good he has done; the children laugh loud as they troop to his call, and the poor man that knows him laughs loudest of all. --oliver wendell holmes. let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and railing, be put away from you, with all malice: and be ye kind one to another, tender-hearted, forgiving each other. --ephesians . . lord god, i pray that i may be fair, and not pass judgment on those whom i like or those whom i dislike, and so bring unhappy regrets. may i remember that, though hasty judgment often may be temporary, the gain or loss of a friend may be permanent. amen. march twenty-ninth dr. john lightfoot born . john tyler, virginia, tenth president united states, born . amelia barr born . the year's at the spring and the day's at the morn; the hillside's dew-pearled; the lark's on the wing: the snail's on the thorn; god's in his heaven: all's well with the world. --robert browning. dear lord and father of mankinds forgive our feverish ways; reclothe us in our rightful mind; in purer lives thy service find, in deeper reverence praise. --john g. whittier. in quietness and in confidence shall be your strength. --isaiah . . lord god, i beseech thee to give me the strength which endures. grant that i may have the ceaseless content which is secured by choosing and continuing in the right way. from the wealth of each day renew my hope, and quiet my soul with the calm of thy peace. amen. march thirtieth sir henry wotton born . archbishop somner born . john fiske born . john constable died . i said, "let us walk in the field." he said, "nay walk in the town." i said, "there are no flowers there." he said, "no flowers but a crown." i said, "but the air is thick, and the fogs are veiling the sun." he answered, "yet souls are sick and souls in the dark undone." i cast one look at the field, then set my face to the town. he said: "my child, do you yield? will ye leave the flowers for the crown?" then into his hand went mine and into my heart came he, and i walked in a light divine the path i had feared to see. --george macdonald. now therefore amend your ways and your doings, and obey the voice of jehovah your god. --jeremiah . . eternal god, teach me the way of a complete and unbroken trust. in my disappointments, and in my devotions, may my faith and hope be as immortal as my soul. may i listen for thy voice and answer thy call. amen. march thirty-first ludwig von beethoven died . joseph francis haydn born . andrew lang born . charlotte brontë died . the great being unseen, but all-present, who in his beneficence desires only our welfare, watches the struggle between good and evil in our hearts, and waits to see whether we obey his voice, heard in the whispers of conscience, or lend an ear to the spirit evil, which seeks to lead us astray. rough and steep is the path indicated by divine suggestion; mossy and declining the green way along which temptation strews flowers. then conscience whispers, "do what you feel is right, obey me, and i will plant for you firm footing." --charlotte brontë. god help us do our duty, and not shrink, and trust in heaven humbly for the rest. --owen meredith. i call heaven and earth to witness against you this day, that i have set before thee life and death, the blessing and the curse: therefore choose life. --deuteronomy . . my father, as i review my life i am impressed how accurately my deeds have copied my thoughts. and though i have failed the so often, yet i pray that thou wilt accept my yearnings, to think and work for the best in every day. amen. april god's april is coming up the hill, and the noisy winds are quieting down, subdued by the fragrance of the wild flowers on the way. lest we miss the richness of life, while pursuing the world, god continues to pour out precious fragrance from his storehouse, and unconsciously, our souls are lulled to peace through the sweetness of april days. --m.b.s. april first all fools' day. william harvey born . prince von bismarck born . edwin a. abbey born . agnes repplier born . it is a peculiar quality of a fool to perceive the faults of others, and to forget his own. --cicero. a man may be as much a fool from the want of sensibility as the want of sense. --mrs. jameson. he that knows not, and knows not that he knows not, is a fool: shun him. --arabian maxim. seest thou a man wise in his own conceit? there is more hope of a fool than of him. --proverbs . . almighty god, grant that i may be spared the allurements of deceptive happiness which leaves weary days. i ask for wisdom that i may not speak foolishly, think foolishly, or act foolishly; and may i not be detained by the foolishness of others, but pursue my work, whether it be far or near. amen. april second charlemagne born . thomas jefferson, virginia, third president united states, born . hans andersen born . frederic a. bartholdi born . emile zola born . when a man assumes a public trust he should consider himself public property. --thomas jefferson. we hold these truths to be self-evident--that all men are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. --declaration of independence. breathes there the man with soul so dead who never to himself hath said, this is my own, my native land! whose heart hath ne'er within him burned as home his footsteps he hath turned from wandering on a foreign strand? --sir walter scott. render therefore unto cæsar the things that are cæsar's. --matthew . . my lord, i thank thee for the wisdom and love that is spoken through the lives of strong men and women. grant that i may be willing to learn of them, and gladly serve where i am needed, remembering that thou art lord of all. amen. april third george herbert born . washington irving born . edward everett hale born . john burroughs born . sum up at night what thou hast done by day and in the morning what thou hast to do: dress and undress thy soul: mark the decay and growth of it; if with thy watch that too be dowl, then wind up both; since we shall be most surely judged, make thy accounts agree. --george herbert. to look up and not down, to look forward and not back, to look out and not in, and to lend a hand. --edward e. hale. there is a healthy hardiness about real dignity that never dreads contact and communion with others, however humble. --washington irving. i put on righteousness, and it clothed me: my justice was as a robe and a diadem. --job . . my lord, i pray that i may always be found clothed in love and kindness. make me worthy to minister to those who may be dependent on me, and whether they be rich or poor, high or low, may i try to help them. amen. april fourth oliver goldsmith died . dorothea dix born . james freeman clarke born . "the greatest object in the universe," said a certain philosopher, "is a good man struggling with adversity"; yet there is still a greater, which is the good man who comes to relieve it. --oliver goldsmith. yet i believe that somewhere, soon or late, a peace will fall upon the angry reaches of my mind; a peace initiate in some heroic hour when i behold a friend's long-quested triumph, or unbind the tressed gold from a child's laughing face. i still believe-- so much believe. --j. drinkwater. but whoso hath the world's goods, and beholdeth his brother in need, and shutteth up his compassion from him, how doth the love of god abide in him? -- john . . almighty god, may i have a liberal heart. grant that i may feel the needs of thy children in all lands; and may i be willing to give of thy blessings, as i am ready to receive them. may my tribute be not only of tender thoughts and kind words, but may i give of myself, and of what i have, as thou hast through love and wisdom done for me. amen. april fifth elihu yale born . sir henry havelock born . frank stockton (francis) born . algernon charles swinburne born . as morning hears before it run the music of the mounting sun, and laughs to watch his trophies won from darkness, and her hosts undone, and all the night becomes a breath, nor dreams that fear should hear and flee the summer menace of the sea, so hear our hope what life may be, and know it not for death. --algernon charles swinburne. i came from god, and i'm going back to god, and i won't have any gaps of death in the middle of my life. --george macdonald. the hope of the righteous shall be gladness; but the expectation of the wicked shall perish. --proverbs . . lord god, teach me the way and show me the light of the eternal day; and may the vision fill my soul as i take courage and follow it. may i not be fearful of what may be provided, but remember that before the creation of life thou didst have a purpose in death. may i be trustful. amen. april sixth albert dürer died . james mill born . jean baptiste rousseau born . even if the sacrifices which are made to duty and virtue are painful to make, they are well repaid by the sweet recollections which they leave at the bottom of the heart. --jean b. rousseau. i am the man of a thousand loves, a thousand loves have i; and all my loves are white-winged doves, that into my soul would fly. i am the man of a thousand friends of tuneful memory; and each of them spends the delicate ends of a brilliant day with me. and all my gifts are magical words that sing sweet songs to me; and the sensitive words are caroling birds in the garden of imagery. --edwin leibfreed. be thou faithful unto death, and i will give thee the crown of life. --revelation . . loving father, i bless thee for thy love and ministry. may i enter into a broader conception of sharing thy gifts. may i not seek thy blessings to keep, but to use for renewed inspiration. amen. april seventh saint francis xavier born . william wordsworth born . william ellery channing born . my heart leaps up when i behold a rainbow in the sky: so was it when my life began; so is it now i am a man; so be it when i shall grow old, or let me die! the child is father of the man; and i could wish my days to be bound each to each by natural piety. --william wordsworth. a self-controlled mind is a free mind, and freedom is power. i call that mind free which jealously guards its intellectual rights and powers. i call that mind free which resists the bondage of habit, which does not live on its old virtues, but forgets what is behind, and rejoices to pour itself forth in fresh and higher exertions. --william ellery channing. that ye be renewed in the spirit of your mind, and put on the new man, that after god hath been created in righteousness and holiness of truth. --ephesians . , . lord god, give me the power to control my mind and heart, that i may not be a slave to habits that may keep me from eternal love and blessedness. may i have sympathy and compassion for others, and cherish thy tenderness and mercy as i hold it in my daily life. amen. april eighth petrarch crowned . william herbert, earl of pembroke, born . david rittenhouse born . if i can stop one heart from breaking, i shall not live in vain; if i can ease one life from aching, or cool one pain, or help one fainting robin unto his nest again, i shall not live in vain. --emily dickinson. the most solid comfort one can fall back upon is the thought that the business of one's life is to help in some small way to reduce the sum of ignorance, degradation, and misery on the face of this beautiful earth. --george eliot. make full my joy, that ye be of the same mind, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind; doing nothing through faction or through vainglory, but in lowliness of mind each counting other better than himself. --philippians . , . my father, take away the spirit, if i may be inclined to keep the best, and to be always seeking my portion. may i have the desire to share with those who have less, and to give to those who may have more, whether it be of bread or love. amen. april ninth fisher ames born . john opie died . dante gabriel rossetti died . gather a shell from the strown beach and listen at its lips; they sigh the same desire and mystery, the echo of the whole sea's speech. and all mankind is this at heart-- not anything but what thou art: and earth, sea, man are all in each. --dante gabriel rossetti. and as, in sparkling majesty, a star gilds the bright summit of some glory cloud; brightening the half-veil'd face of heaven afar; so when dark thoughts my boding spirit shroud, sweet hope! celestial influence round me shed, waving the silver pinions o'er my head. --john keats. now the god of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, that ye may abound in hope, in the power of the holy spirit. --romans . . almighty god, may i ever know the generous glow that comes with an overwhelming desire to cultivate the soul. with hope may i find the way through the darkness that leads to immortality, even if i may have to experience the weariness that may accompany it. amen. april tenth hugo grotius born . william hazlitt born . general lew wallace born . general william booth born . the essence of happy living is never to find life dull, never to feel the ugly weariness which comes of overstrain; to be fresh, cheerful, leisurely, sociable, unhurried, well-balanced. it seems to me impossible to be these things unless we have time to consider life a little, to deliberate, to select, to abstain. --arthur c. benson. four things come not back--the spoken word, the sped arrow, the past life, the neglected opportunity. --william hazlitt. wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and election sure. -- peter . . my father, may i not miss my work through indifference and feel it is thy neglect of me. may i be reminded that the enrichment of life comes through persistency and being consistent, and may not be found on the idle paths of extravagant ways. help me to take up my work with a willing spirit and give my best to it. amen. april eleventh george canning born . edward everett born . donald g. mitchell (ik marvel) born . the safe path to excellence and success in every calling, is that of appropriate preliminary education, diligent application to learn the art of assiduity and practicing it. --edward everett. that nothing walks with aimless feet; that not one life shall be destroyed, or cast as rubbish to the void, when god hath made the pile complete. behold, we know not anything: i can but trust that good shall fall at last--far off--at last, to all, and every winter change to spring. --alfred tennyson. and we desire that each one of you may show the same diligence unto the fullness of hope even to the end: that ye be not sluggish, but imitators of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises. --hebrews . , . lord god, help me in all my circumstances, and be with me in my daily work. help me in my efforts, as i endeavor to attain, and may my will be hid in thine. amen. april twelfth edward young died . edward bird born . henry clay born . i would rather be right than be president. --henry clay. who does the best his circumstances allow does well, acts nobly; angels could no more. --edward young. pedigree haz no more to do in making a man aktually grater than he iz than a pekok's feather in his hat haz in making him aktually taller. when the world stands in need of an arestokrat, natur pitches one into it, and furnishes him papers without enny flaw in them. --josh billings. cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward. for ye have need of patience, that, having done the will of god, ye may receive the promise. --hebrews . , . lord god, help me to select with care the site, the plans, and the foundation of my life. may i use the best material; and may it be worthy of a permanent home. amen. april thirteenth madame jeanne guyon born . dr. thomas beddoes born . james harper born . if there were dreams to sell, merry and sad to tell, and the crier rang the bell, what would you buy? a cottage lone and still with bowers nigh, shadowy, my woes to still, until i die. such pearl from life's fresh crown fain would i shake me down, were dreams to have at will this would best heal my ill, this would i buy. --thomas lovell beddoes. i pray you, bear me hence from forth the noise and rumor of the field where i may think the remnant of my thoughts in peace, and part this body and my soul with contemplation and devout desires. --william shakespeare. come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest awhile. --mark . . lord god, help me to bear in mind that to step aside and safeguard the mind in contemplation is a safe guard to the soul. amen. april fourteenth dr. george gregory born . george frederic handel died . horace bushnell born . flower in the crannied wall, i pluck you out of the crannies-- hold you here, root and all, in my hand, little flower--but if i could understand what you are, root and all, and all in all, i should know what god and man is. --alfred tennyson. so much is history stranger than fiction, and so true it is nature has caprices which art dares not imitate. --thomas macaulay. nature is the face of god. he appears to us through it, and we can read his thoughts in it. --victor hugo. many, o jehovah my god, are the wonderful works which thou hast done, and thy thoughts which are to us-ward. --psalm . . eternal god, i thank thee for the seasons which bring abundance and beauty. i thank thee for thy loving care, which is over all and forever. may i behold thy works and make thee a very present help for all my needs, and perceive the joy of thy love through the greatness of the earth. amen. april fifteenth emile souvestre born . john lothrop motley born . henry james born . abraham lincoln died . two thirds of human existence are wasted in hesitation, and the last third in repentance. --emile souvestre. and, having thus chosen our course, let us renew our trust in god and go forward without fear and with manly hearts. --abraham lincoln. the barriers are not erected which shall say to aspiring talent, "thus far and no further." --beethoven. be strong and of good courage. --joshua . . almighty god, i pray that i may always be alive to my opportunities, but may i never leave others impoverished by taking advantage of them. may my prosperity be conducted with my eyes open, guarding what i give and receive, that my possessions may remain valuable through life. amen. april sixteenth charles montagu, earl of halifax, born . charles w. peale born . sir john franklin born . weary of myself and sick of asking what i am, and what i ought to be, at the vessel's prow i stand, which bears me forward, forward, o'er the starlit sea o air-born voice! long since severely clear, a cry like thine in my own heart i hear. resolve to be thyself: and know that he who finds himself, loses his misery. --matthew arnold. this above all to thine own self be true, and it must follow, as the night the day, thou can'st not then be false to any man. --william shakespeare. let thine eyes look right on, and let thine eyelids look straight before thee. make level the path of thy feet, and let all thy ways be established. --proverbs . , . my father, give me a sense of nearness to thee when i may be faltering from weariness in well doing. may i hold to my determinations. help me to know what is useless, that i may not give unnecessary energy, and to know what is worth while, that i may acquire strength through the power of truth. amen. april seventeenth bishop benjamin hoadley died . benjamin franklin died . william g. simms born . shall i ask the brave soldier who fights at my side, in the cause of mankind, if our creeds agree? shall i give up the friend i have valued and tried, if he kneel not before the same altar as me? --thomas moore. i met a little elf-man once, down where the lilies blow. i asked him why he was so small and why he didn't grow. he slightly frowned, and with his eye he looked me through and through. "i'm quite as big for me," said he "as you are big for you." --john kendrick bangs. woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight! --isaiah . . loving father, grant that i may not barter love with formalities, nor sacrifice love for customs. but, may i have a fellowship that is true and sincere, and that may be counted on, though all and for all. amen. april eighteenth lord jeffreys died . george henry lewes born . sir francis baring born . nor can i count him happiest who has never been forced with his own hand his chains to sever, and for himself find out the way divine; he never knew the aspirer's glorious pains, he never earned the struggler's priceless gains. --james russell lowell. there is not time for hate, o wasteful friend. put hate away until the ages end. have you an ancient wound? forget the wrong-- out in my west a forest loud with song towers high and green over a field of snow, over a glacier buried far below. --edwin markham. fight the good fight of the faith, lay hold on the life eternal, whereunto thou wast called, and didst confess the good confession in the sight of many witnesses. -- timothy . . lord god, help me to realize the power of my life. i feel ashamed and alarmed when i think of the grievous wrongs i may have done for greed. may i have delight in the struggles i have made for the ways of righteousness. make me careful to avoid the things that debase life. may i aspire for the highest and best. amen. april nineteenth roger sherman born . lord byron died . lord beaconsfield (disraeli) died . charles darwin died . the secret of success in life is for a man to be ready for his opportunity when it comes. --disraeli. one sees, and the other does not see; one enjoys an unspeakable pleasure, and the other loses that pleasure which is as free to him as the air.... the whole outward world is the kingdom of the observant eye. he who enters into any part of that kingdom to possess it has a store of pure enjoyment in life which is literally inexhaustible and immeasurable. his eyes alone will give him a life worth living. --charles w. eliot. having eyes, see ye not? --mark . . my father, help me to realize that i cannot feel the joy that breathes through the early morning unless i am with it. may i see distinctly the glory of to-day. help me to be watchful and keep my spirit awake, that i may receive thy revelations. amen. april twentieth marcus aurelius born . elizabeth barton (maid of kent) executed sir francis t. baring born . alice cary born . do not act as if you had ten thousand years to throw away. death stands at your elbow. be good for something while you live and it is in your power. --marcus aurelius. and o, my heart, my heart, be careful to go strewing in and out the way with good deeds, lest it come about that when thou shalt depart, no low lamenting tongue be found to say, the world is poorer since thou went'st away --alice cary. a good man prolongs his life; to be able to enjoy one's past life is to live twice. --martial. the righteous shall be had in everlasting remembrance. --psalm . . heavenly father, thou hast made my life dear; forgive me if i have made dearer the things that i have put around it. many days have been used for costly things that have faded and are laid aside. may i realize the meaning of days that have been lost. make me more concerned for what i put in the days to come. amen. april twenty-first peter f. abelard died . friedrich fröbel born . reginald heber born . james martineau born . charlotte brontë born . henry shaw (josh billings) born . education should lead and guide man to clearness concerning himself and in himself, to peace with nature, and to unity with god. --friedrich fröbel. when spring unlocks the flowers, to paint the laughing soil; when summer's balmy showers refresh the mower's toil; when winter binds in frosty chains the fallow and the flood, in god the earth rejoiceth still, and owns its maker good. --reginald heber. a memory without a blot or contamination must be an inexhaustible source of pure refreshment. --charlotte brontë. for ye are all sons of light, and sons of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness. -- thessalonians . . lord of light, thou art the light of my life. may i make thee the joy and light of my soul. call me to where it is clear and high, that i may see above the mist. may i not weary in climbing to reach thee in the high places. amen. april twenty-second henry fielding born . immanuel kant born . philip james bailey born . we live in deeds, not years: in thoughts, not breaths: in feelings, not in figures on a dial. we should count time by heart-throbs. he most lives who thinks most, feels the noblest, acts the best. --philip james bailey. men cease to interest us when we find their limitations. the only sin is limitation. as soon as you once come up with a man's limitations it is all over with him. --ralph waldo emerson. but he that looketh into the perfect law, the law of liberty, and so continueth, being not a hearer that forgeteth but a doer that worketh, this man shall be blessed in his doing. --james . . lord god, help me to break away from habits that fasten me in the ruts of life. draw me out to thy broad way, where there are no limits to thy wonderful works, that i may expand my life. amen. april twenty-third william shakespeare born , died . cervantes died . j.m.w. turner born . james buchanan, pennsylvania, fifteenth president united states, born . james anthony froude born . thomas nelson page born . edwin markham born . my crown is in my heart, not on my head: not decked with diamonds and indian stones, nor to be seen. my crown is called content. a crown it is that seldom kings enjoy. --william shakespeare. at the heart of the cyclone tearing the sky and flinging the clouds and the towers by is a place of central calm: so here in the roar of mortal things, i have a place where my spirit sings, in the hollow of god's palm. --edwin markham. rest in jehovah, and wait patiently for him: fret not thyself because of him who prospereth in his way. --psalm . . almighty god, my heart beats quicker and the desire for thy care grows stronger when i remember thy promises are given for all eternity. may i be grateful and contented with thy love and care. amen. april twenty-fourth edmund cartwright born . anthony trollope born . arthur christopher benson born . by religion i mean the power, whatever it be, which makes a man choose what is hard rather than what is easy; what is lofty and noble rather than what is mean and selfish; that puts courage into timorous hearts and gladness into clouded spirits. --arthur c. benson. for all noble things the time is long and the way rude.... for every start and struggle of impatience there shall be so much attendant failure.... but the fire which patience carries in her own hand is that truly stolen from heaven--unquenchable incense of life. --john ruskin. but they that wait for jehovah shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk, and not faint. --isaiah . . my father, i pray that i may not be indifferent to the call of my soul. may i not seek to serve the disappearing and neglect to make life worthy. acquaint me with the permanent values of life. make clear the way of strength, that i may not be misled by ease and carried to weakness. may my life be ennobled by the power of my possessions. amen. april twenty-fifth oliver cromwell born . john keble born . alexander duff born . guglielmo marconi born . mrs. burton harrison (constance cary) born . samuel wesley died . truly god follows us with encouragements: let him not lose his blessing upon us! they come in season, and with all the advantages of heartening, as if god should say, "up and be doing, and i will stand by you and help you!" there is nothing to be feared but our own sin and sloth. --oliver cromwell. sun of my soul, thou saviour dear, it is not night if thou be near; o may no earthborn cloud arise to hide thee from thy servants' eyes. --john keble. for jehovah god is a sun and a shield: jehovah will give grace and glory; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk uprightly. --psalm . . my father, may i not err in choosing thy benefits, nor fail from the neglect to use them. make me appreciative of all thy gifts, and, through thy wisdom and power, may i find the best use for them. amen. april twenty-sixth david hume born . daniel defoe died . charles f. browne (artemus ward) born . how strange a chequer-work of providence is the life of man! and by what secret different springs are the affections hurried about, as different circumstances present! to-day we love what to-morrow we hate; to-day we seek what to-morrow we shun; to-day we desire what to-morrow we fear; nay, even tremble at the apprehension of. --daniel defoe. now don't do nothin' which isn't your fort, for ef you do you'll find yourself splashin' round in the kanawl, figgeratively speakin'. --artemus ward. now there are diversities of gifts, but the same spirit. and there are diversities of ministrations, and the same lord. and there are diversities of workings, but the same god, who worketh all things in all. -- corinthians . - . lord forbid that i should fear to change for the better or be so pleased with myself and the things which surround me that i feel no need for a higher life. make me dissatisfied if i am not trying to grow in truth and to live in noble deeds. amen. april twenty-seventh samuel morse born . lajos kossuth born . herbert spencer born . ulysses s. grant, ohio, eighteenth president united states, born . ralph waldo emerson died . people who are dishonest, or rash, or stupid will inevitably suffer the penalties of dishonesty, or rashness, or stupidity. --herbert spencer. abide in the simple and noble regions of thy life; obey thy heart. --ralph waldo emerson. well, then, we must cut our way out. --general grant. wherefore take up the whole armor of god, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and, having done all, to stand. --ephesians . . loving father, help me to live a simple and noble life. grant that i may have the blessedness that comes through peace, and escape the misery that comes from cruelty and untruth. through my life may what i reap show that i have been careful in choosing and cultivating what i have sown. amen. april twenty-eighth charles cotton born . james monroe, virginia, fifth president united states, born . anthony ashley, earl of shaftesbury, born . during a long life i have proved that not one kind word ever spoken, not one kind deed ever done, but sooner or later returns to bless the giver, and becomes a chain, binding men with golden bands to the throne of god. --earl of shaftesbury. there's many a time when the bitterest thing is said without reason, and god knows the courage it takes to suffer the sting, by hiding the wounds that the heart shows. there's many a sob we bravely keep down for the sake of old times revered so, there's many a head with thorns for a crown where kisses would soon make the heart glow. --edwin leibfreed. so shalt thou know wisdom to be unto thy soul; if thou hast found it, then shall there be a reward, and thy hope shall not be cut off. --proverbs . . my father, if i am to-day without happiness, may i go in search of it. help me to remember that the will thou hast given me to overcome evil with good i may use to overcome misery with happiness. make me careful that i may not be trapped by selfishness as i look for joy. may i delight in the sweet sensations that are felt in having consideration for others, and may i make kindness a daily habit. amen. april twenty-ninth michel ruyter died . abbe charles de st. pierre died . matthew vassar born . edward rowland sill born . never yet was a springtime, late though lingered the snow, that the sap stirred not at the whisper of the south wind, sweet and low; never yet was a springtime when the buds forgot to blow. ever the wings of the summer are folded under the mold; life that has known no dying, is love's, to have and to hold, till, sudden, the burgeoning easter! the song! the green and the gold![ ] --margaret e. sangster. in tracing the shade, i shall find out the sun. --owen meredith. all chastening seemeth for the present to be not joyous but grievous; yet afterward it yieldeth peaceable fruit unto them that have been exercised thereby, even the fruit of righteousness. --hebrews . . almighty god, grant that as the fulfillment of the green comes to the withered grass, so thy restoring may come to me with the glory of life that comes in the resurrection of the soul. i trust thee to bring me out of winter's seal, that i may help make the spring. amen. [footnote : from easter bells. copyright, , by harper & brothers.] april thirtieth chevalier de bayard killed . sir john lubbock born . james montgomery died . david livingstone died . we scatter seeds with careless hands, and dream we ne'er shall see them more; but for a thousand years their fruit appears in weeds that mar the land. --john keble and there came up a sweet perfume from the unseen flowers below, like the savor of virtuous deeds, of deeds done long ago. --mrs. southey. mary therefore took a pound of ointment of pure nard, very precious, and anointed the feet of jesus, and wiped his feet with her hair: and the house was filled with the odor of the ointment. --john . . my father, i pray that it may be mine to have the recollection of happy deeds, and not the memory of unkept promises. help me to remember that one act is worth a thousand intentions, and that memory is the storehouse that supplies old age. make me careful of my memory, that it may not be burdened. amen. may i cannot see what flowers are at my feet, nor what soft incense hangs upon the boughs, but, in the embalmed darkness, guess each sweet wherewith the seasonable month endows the grass, the thicket, and the fruit tree wild; white hawthorn, and the pastoral eglantine; fast-fading violets covered up in leaves; and mid-may's wildest child, the coming musk-rose, full of dewy wine, the murmurous haunt of flies on summer eves. --john keats. such a starved bank of moss till that may morn, blue ran the flash across: violets were born. --robert browning. may first arbor day. joseph addison born . arthur, duke of wellington, born . if you wish to succeed in life, make perseverance your bosom friend, experience your wise counselor, caution your elder brother, and hope your guardian genius. --joseph addison. he who plants a tree, he plants love; tents of coolness spreading out above wayfarers, he may not live to see. gifts that grow are best; hands that bless are blest; plant-life does the rest! heaven and earth help him who plants a tree, and his work his own reward shall be. --lucy larcom. and he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doth not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. --psalm . . my creator, give me joyful eyes for joyful nature. may i be alive to the gentle influences of a may day which bring new experiences to all who may receive them: and may i serve thee by unfolding to others the love of truth, the love of good, and the love of beauty. amen. may second leonardo da vinci died . robert hall born . jerome k. jerome born . william henry hudson born . without a false humility; for this is love's nobility,-- not to scatter bread and gold, goods and raiment bought and sold; but to hold fast his simple sense, and speak the speech of innocence, and with hand and body and blood, to make his bosom-counsel good. he that feeds man serveth few; he serves all who dares be true. --ralph waldo emerson. small service is true service while it lasts: of humblest friends scorn not one: the daisy, by the shadow it casts, protects the lingering dewdrop from the sun. --william wordsworth. surely then shalt thou lift up thy face without spot; yea, thou shalt be steadfast, and shalt not fear. --job . . heavenly father, i would be thankful for the blessings i am inclined to forget. give me a heart of gratitude, and forbid that i should hold my friends for material gain or selfish ends. may i through the truthfulness of my lips, and the honor of my acts, be a necessary friend. amen. may third niccolo machiavelli born . thomas hood died . jacob riis born . the longing for ignoble things; the strife for triumph more than truth; the hardening of the heart that brings irreverence for the dreams of youth; all these must first be trampled down beneath our feet, if we would gain in the bright fields of fair renown the right of eminent domain. --john keble. one lesson, and only one, history may be said to repeat with distinctness; that the world is built somehow on moral foundations; that in the long run, it is well with the good; in the long run it is ill with the wicked. --james anthony froude. no soldier on service entangleth himself in the affairs of this life; that he may please him who enrolled him as a soldier. and if also a man contend in the games, he is not crowned, except he have contended lawfully. -- timothy . , . gracious father, may my heart be mindful of thee, that i may discover the truth and possess it. steady me in my affections and save me from wandering impulses; and may i help to put wrong down and uplift humanity. amen. may fourth frederick edwin church born . isaac barrow died . john james audubon born . horace mann born . thomas henry huxley born . the chess board is the world, the pieces are the phenomena of the universe, the rules of the game we call the laws of nature. my metaphor will remind some of you of the famous picture in which retzsch has depicted satan playing chess with man for his soul. substitute for the mocking fiend in that picture a calm, strong angel, who is playing "for love," as we say, and would rather lose than win, and i should accept it as an image of human life. --thomas henry huxley. riches and nobility fade together. o, my god! be thou praised for having made love for all time, and immortal as thyself. --george sand. he hath given food unto them that fear him: he will ever be mindful of his covenant. the works of his hands are truth and justice; all his precepts are sure. --psalm . , . father of life, i know i cannot hold youth. i may have prosperity or poverty. i thank thee that thou hast taught me that love may be kept changeless through all. amen. may fifth napoleon bonaparte died . empress eugenie born . bret harte died . as i stand by the cross, on the lone mountain's crest, looking over the ultimate sea, in the gloom of the mountain a ship lies at rest, and one sails away from the lea; one spreads its white wings on the far-reaching track, with pennant and sheet flowing free; one hides in the shadow with sails laid aback-- the ship that is waiting for me. but lo! in the distance the clouds break away, the gate's glowing portals i see, and i hear from the outgoing ship in the bay the song of the sailors in glee. so i think of the luminous footprints that bore the comfort o'er dark galilee, and wait for the signal to go to the shore to the ship that is waiting for me. --bret harte. 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. --psalm . . eternal god, i praise thee, that "thy love is broader than the measure of man's mind," and that through all my years i may hide myself in thee, trusting thee to the end. amen. may sixth plato born b.c. . robespierre born . general andrea messena born . hard ye may be in the tumult, red to your battle hilts; blow give blow in the foray, cunningly ride in the tilts. but tenderly, unbeguiled-- turn to a woman a woman's heart, and a child's to a child. test of the man if his worth be in accord with the ultimate plan that he be not, to his marring, always and utterly man. that he may bring out of the tumult, fetter and undefiled, to woman the heart of a woman-- to children the heart of a child.[ ] --o. henry. a man's concern is only whether in doing anything he is doing right or wrong--acting the part of a good man or a bad. --plato. a faithful man shall abound with blessings. --proverbs . . almighty god, i pray that i may seek sincerely those whom i approach with sympathy, and by my honor may they feel the same sincerity for me. amen. [footnote : special permission cosmopolitan magazine, new york.] may seventh correggio born . robert browning born . johannes brahms born . lord rosebery (archibald primrose) born . so, take and use thy work: amend what flaws may lurk, what strain o' the stuff, what warpings past the aim! my times be in thy hand! perfect the cup as planned! let age approve of youth, and death complete the same! --robert browning. no matter how often defeated, you are born to victory. the reward of a thing well done is to have done it. --ralph waldo emerson. when i hear a young man spoken of as giving promise of high genius, the first question i ask about him is always--does he work? --john ruskin. ye therefore shall be perfect, as your heavenly father is perfect. --matthew . . o god, i pray that thou wilt search me, and in the silent moments show me myself without obstruction. breathe upon me thy awakening breath, that i may be revived to nobler activities. amen. may eighth rev. william jay born . françois mignet born . louis gottschalk born . john stuart mill died . a profound conviction raises a man above the feeling of ridicule. --john stuart mill. a garden is a lonesome thing, god wot! rose plot, fringed pool, ferned grot-- the veriest school of peace; and yet the fool contends that god is not-- not god! in the gardens! when the eve is cool? nay but i have a sign; 'tis very sure god walks in mine. --thomas e. brown. jehovah bless thee, and keep thee: jehovah make his face to shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: jehovah lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace. --numbers . , , . my father, may this be a day of usefulness. make me sure of myself, that i may not spend my days in questioning, but accept with gratefulness thy love and tender care. make me worthy to be called thy child. amen. may ninth john brown (ossawattomie) born . johann schiller died . j.m. barrie born . have love! not love alone for one, but man as man thy brother call: and scatter like the circling sun thy charities on all. --johann schiller. he spoke, and words more soft than rain brought the age of gold again: his action won such reverence sweet, as hid all measure of the feat. --ralph waldo emerson. that their hearts might be comforted, they being knit together in love. --colossians . . gracious lord, i pray that i may not only be known to those who are my own, but may i consider all mankind. may those who need me find me through my gentleness, and may they be assured by quiet confidence and faith. amen. may tenth rouget de l'isle born . jared sparks born . james bryce born . sir henry stanley died . for four months and four days i lived with david livingstone in the same house, or in the same boat, or in the same tent, and i never found a fault in him. i am a man of quick temper, and often without sufficient cause, i dare say, have broken the ties of friendship; but with livingstone i never had cause for resentment, but each day's life with him added to my admiration for him. --sir henry stanley. in speech right gentle, yet so wise: princely of mien, yet softly mannered; modest, deferent, and tender-hearted, though of a fearless blood. --edwin arnold. ye are the light of the world. a city set on a hill cannot be hid. --matthew . . almighty god, help me to aspire, that my life may tend toward the ideal. may i be persuaded that i cannot be that which i do not possess, nor can i live in that which i do not know. help me to put the best in what i do, that i may not feel i have failed, even though it may not seem to be a success. amen. may eleventh baron münchhausen born . william pitt, earl of chatham, died . jean léon gérôme born . and methought that beauty and terror are only one, not two; and the world has room for love, and death, and thunder and dew; and all the sinews of hell slumber in the summer air; and the face of god is a rock, but the face of the rock is fair. beneficent streams of tears flow at the finger of pain; and out of the cloud that smites, beneficent rivers of rain. --robert louis stevenson. it is more shameful to be distrustful of our friends than to be deceived by them. --la rochefoucauld. thou shalt rejoice in all the good which jehovah thy god hath given unto thee. --deuteronomy . . lord god, may i comprehend the sacredness of friendship. i thank thee for my friends, and for all the beautiful influences which they bring to my life. may i never hold friendship without the sincerity to return it. correct my faults, and cause me to learn the secret of cheerful endurance, that i may be steadfast. amen. may twelfth robert fielding died . james sheridan knowles born . dante gabriel rossetti born . jules massenet born . look in my face; my name is might-have-been; i am also called no-more, too-late, farewell; unto thine ear i hold the dead sea-shell cast up thy life's foam-fretted feet between; unto thine eyes the glass where that is seen which had life's form and love's, but by my spell is now a shaken shadow intolerable, of ultimate things unuttered the frail screen. --dante gabriel rossetti. let me not pass my work at morn and then at eve, find for what purpose i was born-- just as i leave. --m.b.s. we must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. --john . . lord god, i do earnestly pray that thou wilt give me strength to break away, if i may be trying to free myself from habits that mar my character. may i not lose courage and fall back in the old ways, but by faith be led where i should go. amen. may thirteenth carolus linnæus (karl von linné) born . alphonse daudet born . sir arthur sullivan born . i heard a voice in the darkness singing (that was a valiant soul i knew), and the joy of his song was a wild bird winging swift to his mate through a sky of blue. and his song was of love and all its bringing and of certain day when the night was through; i raised my eyes where the hope was springing, and i think in his heaven god smiled too (that was a valiant soul i knew). --j. stalker. the soul aids the body, and at certain moments raises it. it is the only bird which bears upward its own cage. --victor hugo. but desire earnestly the greater gifts. -- corinthians . . gracious lord, i rejoice that thou dost know the depths of my soul, and that i may call upon thee to supply its needs. make me worthy that i may not be kept from the springs of joy where my soul may be refreshed, and where i may gather hope and encouragement for the greater loves of life. amen. may fourteenth john dutton born . gabriel d. fahrenheit born . robert owen born . henry grattan died . they that wander at will where the works of the lord are revealed, little guess what joy can be got from a cowslip out of the field. --alfred tennyson. move onward serenely, cast aside regret, cleanse and purify life, only be undismayed and hopeful, as you turn page after page of the revelation of god. --arthur c. benson. thou wilt show me the path of life: in thy presence is fullness of joy; in thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. --psalm . . my father, i thank thee that nature reveals thy power as she unfolds her beauty and wonder to the searching eye. guide me that i may see in the little flower the smile of welcome, the look of kindness, and the beauty of hope which it renders to all; and may i learn from it thy protection in the smallest things of life. amen. may fifteenth ephraim chambers died . florence nightingale born . michael w. balfe born . edmund keane died . daniel o'connell died . light human nature is too lightly lost and ruffled without cause, complaining on, restless with rest, until being overthrown, it learneth to lie quiet. --elizabeth barrett browning. was the trial sore? temptation sharp? thank god a second time! why comes temptation but for a man to meet and master and make crouch beneath his foot, and so be pedestaled in triumph? pray "lead us into no such temptations, lord!" yea, but, o thou whose servants are the bold, lead such temptations by the head and hair, reluctant dragons, up to who dares fight that so he may do battle and have praise. --robert browning. therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things that were heard, lest haply we drift away from them. --hebrews . . almighty god, if i am overwhelmed by the tides of temptation and discouragement, let me not drift away to sea, but anchor and take harbor in thee. may i not be afraid to trust in thy protection, but calmly wait and watch for thy deliverance. amen. may sixteenth sir william patty born . honore de balzac born . william h. seward born . felicia hemans died . favored of heaven! o genius! are they thine, when round thy brow the wreaths of glory shine; while rapture gazes on thy radiant way, 'midst the bright realms of clear mental day? no! sacred joys! 'tis yours to dwell enshrined, most fondly cherished, in the purest mind. --felicia hemans. genius is intensity. --honore balzac. but what if i fail of my purpose here? it is but to keep the nerves at strain, to dry one's eyes and laugh at a fall, and, baffled, get up and begin again-- so the chase takes up one's life, that's all. --robert browning. be urgent in season, out of season. -- timothy . . my lord, my life makes me conscious of weakness, and my memory brings regret; forgive me for the lost strength i neglected to develop. in thy compassion encourage me to be more watchful of my power, that i may usefully increase it, and not willfully deplete it. may i learn the need of constancy in well-doing. amen. may seventeenth heloise died . matthew parker died . edwin jenner born . the weakest among us has a gift, however seemingly trivial, which is peculiar to him, and which worthily used, will be a gift to his race forever. --john ruskin. not in entire forgetfulness, and not in utter nakedness, but trailing clouds of glory do we come from god who is our home. --william wordsworth. a weak mind sinks under prosperity as well as under adversity. a strong and deep mind has two highest tides--when the moon is at full, and when there is no moon. --julius hare. thou hast granted me life and lovingkindness; and thy visitation hath preserved my spirit. --job . . almighty god, i pray that i may have a true appreciation of the quality of life. reveal to me my responsibilities and help me to make them my opportunities. keep me in search of thoughts and deeds that will increase the delight of my soul. amen. may eighteenth francis mahony (father prout) died . mrs. johnson (stella) born . john wilson (christopher north) born . longing is god's fresh heavenward will, with our poor earthly striving; we quench it, that we may be still content with merely living. but would we learn that heart's full scope which we are hourly wronging, our lives must climb from hope to hope, and realize our longing. --james russell lowell. pretexts are not wanted when one wishes a thing. --goldoni. friendship is for all aid and comfort through all the relations of life and death--for serene days and graceful gifts and country rambles; but also for rough roads, and hard fare, shipwreck, poverty, and persecution. --ralph waldo emerson. strive to enter in by the narrow door. --luke . . eternal god, i pray that thou wilt graciously restore my spirits if i may have settled into despondency over my disappointments. may i have the will to rise above them, and patiently strive for renewed hope. amen. may nineteenth james boswell died . johann gottlieb fichte born . william e. gladstone died . tired! well, what of that? didst fancy life was spent on beds of ease, fluttering the rose-leaves scattered by the breeze? come! rouse thee, work while it is called to-day! coward, arise--go forth upon the way! lonely! and what of that? some one must be lonely; 'tis not given to all to feel a heart responsive rise and fall, to blend another life into its own; work may be done in loneliness; work on. dark! well, what of that? didst fondly dream the sun would never set? dost fear to lose thy way? take courage yet, learn thou to walk by faith and not by sight, thy steps will be guided, and guided right. --unknown. and let us not be weary in well-doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not. --galatians . . my father, if thou wert far off i could not reach thee in time, for i falter so much and need thee so often. i pray that thou wilt keep so near that i can feel thy love and strength breathing within me. amen. may twentieth elizabeth g. fry born . john stuart mill born . alfred domett born . rudolf h. lotze born . marquis de lafayette died . nature has written a letter of credit upon some men's faces which is honored wherever presented. you cannot help trusting such men; their very presence gives confidence. there is a "promise to pay" in their faces which gives confidence, and you prefer it to another man's indorsement. character is credit. --william m. thackeray. henry drummond has told us how in the heart of africa he came across men and women who remembered the only white man they ever saw before--david livingstone; and as you cross his footsteps in the dark continent men's faces light up as they speak of the kind doctor who passed there years ago. they could not understand him; but they felt the love that beat in his heart. who is wise and understanding among you? let him show by his good life his works in meekness of wisdom. --james . . my lord, inspire me with kind words and thoughtful deeds, that i may share the yearnings and sympathy of others. may my life show that i am dependable, and may none be left lonely to-day because of my forgetfulness. amen. may twenty-first albrecht dürer born . fernando de soto died . alexander pope born . self-love but serves the virtuous mind to wake as the small pebble stirs the peaceful lake; the center moved, a circle straight succeeds, another still, and still another spreads; friend, parent, neighbor, first it will embrace, its country next, and next, the human race. --alexander pope. a gentleman is one who understands and shows every mark of deference to the claim of self-love in others, and exacts it in return from them. --william hazlitt. but he knoweth the way that i take; when he hath tried me, i shall come forth as gold. my foot hath held fast to his steps; his way have i kept, and turned not aside. --job . . lord god, teach me how secret actions make or destroy my life. show me the deep lines made by sorrow and discontent that cannot be effaced. may i look toward the corrections of life and not on my imperfections, that my life may be a helpful influence. amen. may twenty-second newman hall born . wilhelm richard wagner born . maria edgeworth died . victor hugo died . who cares for the burden, the night, and the rain, and the long, steep, lonesome road, when at last through the darkness a light shines plain, when a voice calls "hail," and a friend draws rein, with an arm for the stubborn load? for life is the chance of a friend or two this side of the journey's goal. though the world be a desert the long night through, yet the gay flowers bloom and the sky shows blue when a soul salutes a soul. --unknown. in all misfortune the greatest consolation is a sympathizing friend. --cervantes. they help every one his neighbor; and every one saith to his brother, be of good courage. --isaiah . . loving father, may i lay hold upon the highest standards of friendship and so be qualified to be a friend. may those who call and lean on me feel secure in my support. may none ever be ashamed to call me friend. grant that those whom i love may keep faith with me. amen. may twenty-third thomas hood born . margaret fuller ossoli born . henrik ibsen died . dr. john campbell died . chance cannot touch me! time cannot hush me! fear, hope, and longing, at strife; sink as i rise, on, on, upward forever, gathering strength, gaining breath-- naught can sever me from the spirit of life. --margaret fuller. but evil is wrought by want of thought, as well as want of heart. --thomas hood. for i reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed to us-ward. --romans . . heavenly father, cause the newness of life to continue to flow through my heart, that i may not be fatigued, as i struggle with discouragements. release me from hopeless cares that i have made mine, thinking they were thine. may i trust in the boundless limit of thy mercy, and rejoice in the world of living light. amen. may twenty-fourth jean paul marat born . stephen girard born . sir robert adair born . queen victoria born . caroline fox born . i see my way as birds their trackless way. i shall arrive! what time, what circuit first, i ask not: but unless god send his hail or blinding fireballs, sleet, or stifling snow, in some time, his good time, i shall arrive: he guides me and the bird. --robert browning. to live in the presence of great truths and eternal laws--that is what keeps a man patient when the world ignores him, and calm and unspoiled when the world praises him. --honore balzac. but whoso putteth his trust in jehovah shall be safe. --proverbs . . lord jehovah, all goodness, tenderness, and forbearance that are in my life have come from thee. may i not lose them in self, but by them make possible happiness and endurance for others. amen. may twenty-fifth ralph waldo emerson born . edward bulwer-lytton (george) born . dr. william paley died . william henry channing born . hast thou named all the birds without a gun? loved the wild rose, and left it on the stalk? at rich men's tables eaten bread and pulse? unarmed faced danger with a heart of trust? and loved so well a high behavior, in man or maid, that thou from speech refrained, nobility more noble to repay? o, be my friend and teach me to be thine! --ralph waldo emerson. what the superior man seeks is in himself; what the small man seeks is in others. --confucius. make no friendship with a man that is given to anger; and with a wrathful man thou shalt not go. --proverbs . . lord god, may i live for the pure and upright, and have the blessedness of a rejoicing heart. may i yearn for the secrets of nature. grant that my life may not seek destruction, but tenderly find and protect life. amen. may twenty-sixth the venerable bede died . count nicolas ludwig zinzendorf born . capel lofft died . let us disengage ourselves from care about the passing things of time; let us soar above our worldly possessions. the bee does not less need its wings when it has gathered an abundant store, for if it sink in the honey, it dies. --saint augustine. perhaps if we could penetrate nature's secrets, we should find that what we call needs are more essential to the well-being of the world than the most precious grain or fruit. --nathaniel hawthorne. we trust the lord in faith serene, a ladder he hath given; the lower rounds in earth are seen, the higher reach to heaven. --thomas brevior. is not the life more than the food, and the body than the raiment? --matthew . . almighty god, i bless thee for the privilege of a great life. may i not be satisfied to rest with idle hands in youth and make age regretful because i have lived a useless life: but with a clear eye and an exalted mind may i choose the "durable satisfactions" that may be mine. amen. may twenty-seventh alighieri dante born . john calvin died . julia ward howe born . noah webster died . john kendrick bangs born . to your judgments give ye not the reins with too much eagerness, like him who ere the corn be ripe, is fain to count the grains: for i have seen the briar through the winter snows look sharp and stiff--yet on a future day high on its summit bear the tender rose: and ship i've seen, that through the storm hath passed, securely bounding o'er the watery way, at entrance of the harbor wrecked at last. --dante, translated by wright. in the beauty of the lilies christ was born across the sea, with a glory in his bosom that transfigures you and me: as he died to make men holy, let us die to make them free, while god is marching on. --julia ward howe. trust in jehovah with all thy heart, and lean not upon thine own understanding. --proverbs . . lord god, help me to know my ability, that i may not attempt with weakness that which requires strength to undertake; and make me stable that i may not relax vigilance even though victory seems assured. amen. may twenty-eighth william pitt born . thomas moore born . louis agassiz born . the bird let loose in eastern skies, when hastening fondly home, ne'er stoops to earth her wing, nor flies where idle warblers roam; but high she shoots through air and light, above all low delay, where nothing earthly bounds her flight, nor shadow dims her way. --thomas moore. remember, the essence of religion is, a heart void of offense toward god and man; not subtle speculative opinions, but an active principle of faith. --william pitt. and hope putteth not to shame; because the love of god hath been shed abroad in our hearts. --romans . . god of mercy, reveal to me the hallowed life. may i be reminded that, while i may save and keep the dust from things that perish, my life, though unkept and undeveloped, tells in itself the value and need of the most watchful care. amen. may twenty-ninth patrick henry born . joseph fouche born . josephine died . gerald massey born . is life so dear or peace so sweet as to be purchased at the price of chains and slavery? forbid it, almighty god. i know not what course others may take, but as for me, give me liberty or give me death. --patrick henry. though hearts brood o'er the past, our eyes with smiling features glisten; for lo! our day bursts up the skies, lean out your souls and listen! the world is following freedom's way, and ripening with her sorrow; take heart! who bears the cross to-day shall wear the crown to-morrow. --gerald massey. for god gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and discipline. -- timothy . . lord god, may i never feel that i have a right to sell thy joys, nor the privilege of giving away my burdens. grant that i may not forsake my principles, but may i keep the way clear that memory may find an unruffled rest. amen. may thirtieth decoration day. joan d'arc burned at rouen . alexander pope died . voltaire died . alfred austin born . here is the nation god has builded by our hands. what shall we do with it? who stands ready to act again and always in the spirit of this day of reunion and hope and patriotic fervor? the day of our country's life has but broadened into morning. do not put uniforms by. put the harness of the present on. lift your eyes to the great tracts of life yet to be conquered in the interest of righteous peace, of that prosperity which lies in a people's hearts and outlasts all wars and errors of men. --woodrow wilson. cover them over with beautiful flowers: deck them with garlands these brothers of ours; lying so silent, by night and by day, sleeping the years of their manhood away; * * * * * give them the laurels they lost with their life. --will carleton. greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends. --john . . my father, as i pause this day to think of the brave men and women who have given their lives for the sake of others, may i be thankful for them. may i remember that noble deeds and kind words are never lost, but that self may block the way to justice. o father, make war to cease! and lead us to victories that are won through peace. amen. may thirty-first ludwig tieck born . joseph haydn died . walt whitman born . passage, immediate passage! the blood burns in my veins! away, o soul! hoist instantly the anchor! out the hawser--haul out--shake out every sail! have we not stood here like trees in the ground long enough? have we not groveled here long enough eating and drinking like mere brutes? have we not darkened and dazed ourselves with books long enough? sail forth--steer for the deep waters only, reckless, o soul, exploring, i with thee, and thou with me, for we are bound where mariner has not dared to go, and we will risk the ship, ourselves and all. --walt whitman. be strong and of good courage, fear not, nor be affrighted at them: for jehovah thy god, he it is that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, nor forsake thee. --deuteronomy . . my father, give me joyful courage to squarely face my life. help me to know that i cannot vanquish life by evading duties, nor encircling myself with indulgences. if i may be blind to my situation, restore my sight that i may make ready a worthy passage with thee. amen. june there lives a glory in these sweet june days such as i found not in the days gone by, a kindlier meaning in the unclouded sky, a tenderer whisper in the woodland ways; and i have understanding of the lays, the birds are singing, forasmuch as i have learned how love avails to satisfy a man's whole heart, and fills his lips with praise. --percy c. ainsworth june first nicolas poussin born . sir christopher marlowe died . sir david wilkie died . hugo münsterberg born . in every act of ours, in every feeling and every volition and every thought, we are conscious of a self which expresses its aims and meanings. every idea of ours points beyond itself, every volition binds us in decision, and every experience gets meaning by our attitudes. the most immediate task which life demands from us in the understanding of ourselves and of others is, therefore, to interpret our ideas, to draw the consequences of our will, to appreciate the attitudes, to measure them by higher standards. --hugo münsterberg. and god said, let us make man in our image, after our likeness. --genesis . . my creator, i pray that i may not only have the desire to know life, but the assurance to live it. help me to understand that my earthly possessions are not the measure of my life, nor my body the boundary of my living. may i reach for the high standards that are free, without limit, to all. amen. june second ethelbert baptized . john randolph born . thomas hardy born . in battle or business, whatever the game, in law or in love, it is ever the same: in the struggle for power, or scramble for pelf, let this be your motto: "rely on yourself." --john g. saxe. labor is necessary to excellence. this is an eternal truth, although vanity cannot be taught to believe or indolence to heed it. --john randolph. but let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. --galatians . . almighty god, i regret the hours of indiscretion and waste; through thy forgiveness may i have thy help over past wrongs. may i have a deeper conception of a profitable life, that i may hereafter live by it. amen. june third sydney smith born . dr. john gregory born . richard cobden born . jefferson davis born . norman macleod born . certainly, let the board be spread and let the bed be dressed for the traveler; but let not the emphasis of hospitality lie in these things. honor to the house where they are simple to the verge of hardship, so that there the intellect is awake and reads the law of the universe, the soul worships truth and love, honor and courtesy flow into all deeds. --ralph waldo emerson. kind actions, and good wishes, and pure thoughts no mystery is here: here is no boon for high--yet not for low: the smoke ascends to heaven as lightly from the cottage hearth as from the haughtiest palace. --william wordsworth. given to hospitality. --romans . . gracious father, i beseech thee to give me wisdom for kind thoughts and deeds. teach me true hospitality, that i may be gracious in my own home and appreciative in the home of others. may i not temper my hospitality for certain reasons, but have a genuine welcome for all. amen. june fourth george iii born . lord edward fitzgerald died . general garnet wolseley born . this is the gospel of labor--ring it, ye bells of the kirk-- the lord of love came down from above to live with the men who work. this is the rose he planted, here in the thorn-cursed soil; heaven is blest with perfect rest, but the blessing of earth is toil. --henry van dyke no man is born into the world whose work is not born with him. there is always work and tools to work withal, for those who will; and blessed are the horny hands of toil. --james russell lowell. six days thou shalt do thy work, and on the seventh day thou shalt rest. --exodus . . my father, i pray for the love of work, and the desire to cultivate life. stir me, that i may be ambitious. may i not stare at life in an everyday way and forget that others are watching for the surprises. help me to be considerate and kind in all that i do. amen. june fifth socrates born b.c. . dr. adam smith born . karl maria von weber died . o. henry died . you think that upon the score of foreknowledge and divining i am infinitely inferior to the swans. when they perceive approaching death they sing more merrily than before, because of the joy they have in going to the god they serve. --socrates. o yet we trust that somehow good will be the final goal of ill, to pangs of nature, sins of will, defects of doubt, and taints of blood; that nothing walks with aimless feet; that not one life shall be destroyed, or cast as rubbish to the void, when god hath made the pile complete. --alfred tennyson. how precious is thy lovingkindness, o god! and the children of men take refuge under the shadow of thy wings. --psalm . . eternal god, forbid that i should try to set up thy judgment-seat in so small a place as self, and attempt to render decisions for thee. my soul lives anew as i think of thy love, and that there is no place where thy mercy can be withheld from me. amen. june sixth diego r. velasquez born . pierre corneille born . nathan hale born . sir john stainer born . these stones that make the meadow brooklet murmur are the keys on which it plays. o'er every shelving rock its touch grows firmer, resounding notes to raise. if every path o'er which footsteps wander, were smooth as ocean strand, there were no theme for gratitude and wonder at god's delivering hand. --w. e. winks. we also rejoice in our tribulations: knowing that tribulation worketh steadfastness; and steadfastness, approvedness; and approvedness, hope. --romans . , . my father, if rain may come to-day, may i realize its help, with the power of the sun, to increase life; and may its influence be sweet and wholesome to me, as i learn that sadness is temporary and will disappear with the coming of gladness. may i go search for the joy that may be mine to-day. amen. june seventh robert bruce died . george bryan (beau brummel) born . rev. w.d. conybeare born . when the lamp is shattered the light in the dust lies dead-- when the cloud is scattered the rainbow's glory is shed. when the lute is broken sweet tones are remembered not; when the lips have spoken loved accents are soon forgot. --percy bysshe shelley. a slip of the rose may take root, and bring forth a bloom to give peace to the soul. a slip of the tongue may take root, and bring forth a thorn that will torture the soul. --m.b.s. abide in me, and i in you. as the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; so neither can ye, except ye abide in me. --john . . many of us, o father, overlook the fragrance of the rose while we are being pierced by its thorn. increase my faith in life and in thee, that i may not be dismayed over mysteries, but sincerely wait for deliverance. amen. june eighth mohammed died . thomas rickman born . charles reade born . john everett millais born . if one touch of nature makes the whole world kin, methinks that sweet and wonderful thing sympathy is not less powerful. what golden barriers, what ice of centuries, it can melt in a moment! --charles reade. if i had two loaves of bread, i would sell one to buy white hyacinths to feed my soul. --mohammed. what do you live for if it is not to make life less difficult for each other? --george eliot. pure religion and undefiled before our god and father is this, to visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world. --james . . my father, help me to understand that kind hearts and willing hands are made possible by the depth and greatness of thy love. may i possess the spirit of forgiveness and consideration, that i may not hold prejudice and revenge, but help with sympathy and tenderness. amen. june ninth george stephenson born . john howard payne born . richard d. blackmore born . charles dickens died . reflect upon your present blessings of which every man has many; not upon your past misfortunes, of which all have some. --charles dickens. 'mid pleasures and palaces though we may roam, be it ever so humble, there's no place like home! a charm from the skies seems to hallow us there, which, sought through the world, is ne'er met with elsewhere. home! home! sweet, sweet home! there's no place like home! --john howard payne. for thou shalt forget thy misery; thou shalt remember it as waters that are passed away. --job . . lord god, my soul fills with gratitude for the blessings which i have received and enjoyed. help me to conform to thy will concerning my duties. may i not try to resist thy providence. i pray that thou wilt bless my daily life, and make my home a place to dispense kindness and cheerfulness. amen. june tenth sir edwin arnold born . henry m. stanley born . edward everett hale died . robert schumann born . what have you done with your soul, my friend? where is the ray you were wont to send, glancing bright through the outer night, touching with hope what was dark before, glimmering on to the further shore? --arthur c. benson. god suffers the light to know eclipse, dashes the cup from the eager lips; you perchance would have drunk too deep. --arthur c. benson. lift where you stand. --edward everett hale. a friend is the first person who comes in when the whole world has gone out. --unknown. who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of god. -- corinthians . . almighty god, help me to correct my mistakes, and to be more careful of what i take in my life. may i always stretch out a hand of love to inspire others with confidence to care more for themselves and more for thee. amen. june eleventh roger bacon died . george wither born . john constable born . exceeding gifts from god are not blessings, they are duties. they do not always increase a man's happiness; they always increase his responsibilities. --charles kingsley. make a rule and pray for help to keep it. once a day spare room for a thought that will pursue a strong purpose. help in some way the progress of a weary soul who cannot repay you. --m. b. s. there is no true potency, remember, but that of help; nor true ambition, but ambition to save. --john ruskin. and if thou draw out thy soul to the hungry, and satisfy the afflicted soul: then shall thy light rise in darkness, and thine obscurity be as the noon day. --isaiah . . heavenly father, when i think of how little i have given away my heart burns with shame, as i recall what thou hast given to me. may i from this day be more thoughtful of thy tender compassion by being less selfish with what i have. amen. june twelfth harriet martineau born . charles kingsley born . dr. thomas arnold (arnold of rugby) died . sir oliver lodge born . do to-day's duty, fight to-day's temptation, and do not weaken and distract yourself by looking-forward to things which you cannot see, and could not understand if you saw them. --charles kingsley. genuine religion has its roots deep down in the heart of humanity.... the actions of the deity make no appeal to any special sense. we are deaf and blind, therefore, to the imminent grandeur around us unless we have insight enough to appreciate the whole and to recognize the woven fabric of existence flowing steadily from the loom of an infinite progress toward perfection. --sir oliver lodge. every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the father of lights, with whom can be no variation, neither shadow that is cast by turning. --james . . gracious father, forbid that i should make thee regret thy gifts to me; and if i have failed to appreciate them, look upon me with pity, for i have cheated myself more than i have thee. give me a deeper appreciation, that i may be strengthened day by day in the veriest duties of life. amen. june thirteenth dr. thomas young born . general winfield scott born . dr. thomas arnold (arnold of rugby) born . william butler yeats born . beyond all wealth, honor, or even health, is the attachment we form to noble souls, because to become one with the good, generous, and true is to become, in a measure, good, generous, and true ourselves. --thomas arnold. open thy bosom, set thy wishes wide, and let in manhood--let in happiness; admit the boundless theater of thought from nothing up to god ... which makes a man. --thomas young. two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their labor. for if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow; but woe to him that is alone when he falleth, and hath not another to lift him up. --ecclesiastes . , . heavenly father, i thank thee for good friends, and for the delight that dwells in fellowship. give me the power to apprehend love, and guard me against the ways to lose it. may i look to my friends to help me to be pure, and to help me live my truest life. amen. june fourteenth carlo guidi born . harriet beecher stowe born . mary carpenter died . when you get into a tight place, and everything goes against you till it seems as if you couldn't hold on a minute longer, never give up then, for that's just the time and place that the tide will turn. --harriet beecher stowe. i cannot do it alone, the waves run fast and high, and the fogs close chill around, and the light goes out in the sky; but i know that we two shall win in the end-- god and i. --unknown. let us hold fast the confession of our hope that it waver not. --hebrews . . almighty god, i pray that thou wilt sustain me when i may be enduring for a purpose, and to accomplish it seems beyond my strength. renew me with courage, and give me unceasing hope, and faith that is able to hold out to the end. amen. june fifteenth thomas randolph born . edward grieg born . thomas campbell died . what is rightly done stays with us, to support another right beyond, or higher up; whatever is wrongly done vanishes; and by the blank, betrays what we would have built above. --john ruskin. the seed ye sow another reaps, the wealth ye find another keeps, the robe ye weave another wears, the arms ye forge another bears. --percy bysshe shelley. thou drewest near in the day that i called upon thee; thou saidst, fear not. o lord, thou hast pleaded the causes of my soul; thou hast redeemed my life. --lamentations . , . lord god, reveal to me my selfishness if i am receiving much and giving little to satisfy life. may i be grateful and considerate of all those who labor to give me comfort and happiness. amen. june sixteenth hugh capet succeeds to throne of father . sir richard fanshawe died . sir john cheke born . when to the sessions of sweet, solemn thought i summon up remembrance of things past, i sigh the lack of many a thing i sought. but if the while i think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored and sorrows end. --william shakespeare. seldom can the heart be lonely if it seek a lonelier still-- self-forgetting, seeking only emptier cups of love to fill. --f. r. havergal. the lord jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that i may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. --isaiah . . gracious father, keep within me that cheer and courage which never has a place for weary murmurings; and with peace make the hours of solitude profitable as they pass. help me to seek those who are in need of sympathy and encouragement, that i may help them to have a tranquil life. amen. june seventeenth joseph addison died . charles françois gounod born . sir e. c. burne-jones died . he who plants a tree plants a hope. rootlets up through fibers blindly grope, leaves unfold unto horizons free. so man's life must climb from the clods of time unto heavens sublime. canst thou prophesy, thou little tree, what the glory of the boughs shall be? --lucy larcom. very early, i perceived that the object of life is to grow. --margaret fuller. many a genius has been slow of growth. oaks that flourish for a thousand years do not spring up into beauty like a reed. --george henry lewes. and jesus advanced in wisdom and stature, and in favor with god and men. --luke . . almighty god, thy power is so great i cannot express it; help me to comprehend the meaning of it, that i may feel more profoundly thy expectations of my life. may i remember that to forget that life is eternal may make me to lose all it has grown. amen. june eighteenth robert stewart born . battle of waterloo . william cobbett died . not he the threatening texts who deals is highest 'mong the preachers, but he who feels the woes and weals of all god's wandering creatures. he doth good work whose heart can find the spirit 'neath the letter; who makes his kind of happier mind, leaves wiser men and better. dear bard and brother! let who may against thy faults be railing, (though far, i pray, from us be they that never had a failing!) --james russell lowell. avenge not yourselves, beloved, but give place unto the wrath of god: for it is written, vengeance belongeth unto me; i will recompense, saith the lord. --romans . . heavenly father, i pray that i may not be so occupied in expressing my judgment of others, that i will forget to live in thy judgment myself. may i have the compassion for others that i hope to receive from thee. amen. june nineteenth magna charta signed, runnymede, . blaise pascal born . charles h. spurgeon born . find your niche and fill it. if it is ever so little, if it is only a hewer of wood or a drawer of water, do something in the great battle for god and truth. --charles spurgeon. if i do what i may in earnest, i need not mourn if i work no great work on earth. to help the growth of a thought that struggles toward the light; to brush with gentle hand the stain from the white of one snowdrop--such be my ambition. --george macdonald. jehovah thy god will bless thee in all thy work, and in all that thou puttest thy hand unto. --deuteronomy . . lord god, i pray that i may not through conceit be betrayed into slacking my work, or through visions of greatness lose it. teach me how to obtain the secret wealth in the smallest thing; and may i recognize thy treasures, and fill my life with the finest that may be given me. amen. june twentieth john of lancaster born . dr. adam ferguson born . anna letitia aiken (mrs. barbauld) born . if the soft hand of winning pleasure leads by living waters, and through flowery meads, where all is smiling, tranquil, and serene, oh! teach me to elude each latent snare, and whisper to my sliding heart, "beware!" with caution let me hear the syren's voice, and doubtful, with a trembling heart rejoice. if friendless in a vale of tears i stray, where briars wound, and thorns perplex my way, still let my steady soul thy goodness see, and, with a strong confidence, lay hold on thee. --anna letitia barbauld. for thou, o god, hast proved us: thou hast tried us, as silver is tried. --psalm . . o lord, teach me to select my pleasures with care, that i may not plunge into joyful moments that are irretrievable. may i indulge in the pleasures that bring happiness and not weariness. grant that i may have the honor to protect others from harm and loss, as i engage in my pleasures and in my work. amen. june twenty-first captain john smith died . anthony collins born . jacques offenbach born . in our eagerness to solve life we start out to trace its mysteries and trample god's truths as we search. as we return we discover the shattered treasures, and gladly stoop to gather up the fragments, and with them translate the revelations of the soul. --m.b.s. i stretch my hands out in the empty air; i strain my eyes into the heavy night; blackness of darkness!--father, hear my prayer; grant me to see the light! --george arnold. but when he came to himself he said, how many hired servants of my father's have bread enough and to spare, and i perish here with hunger! i will arise and go to my father. --luke . , . heavenly father, i pray that as i search for the truth i will not be so eager to seek thy mysteries as i am to extend thy ministries. grant that by thy love i will be guided in comprehending and exalting thy kingdom. may my service bring me wisdom as i obey thy laws. amen. june twenty-second matthew henry died . karl wilhelm von humboldt born . h. rider haggard born . the safe and general antidote against sorrow is employment. sorrow is a kind of rust in the soul, which every new idea contributes in its passage to scour away. --dr. johnson. we may be sure that one principle will hold throughout the whole pursuit of thoughtful happiness--the principle that the best way to secure future happiness is to be as happy as is rightfully possible to-day. to secure any desirable capacity for the future, near or remote, cultivate it to-day. what would be the use of immortality for a person who cannot use well half an hour? asks emerson. --charles w. eliot. strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees. say to them that are of a fearful heart, be strong, fear not. --isaiah . , . loving father, help me that i may realize the depth of thy love. if i may be discouraged over my failures, speak to me hopefully and lead me out where i may find the right way to succeed. may i not be kept in sorrow, but find each day the happiness that brings a thankful heart. amen. june twenty-third mark akenside died . john fill born . josephine born could we by a wish have what we will and get the future now, would we wish aught done undone in the past? so, let him wait god's instant men call years; meantime hold hard by truth and his great soul, do out the duty! through such souls alone god stooping shows sufficient of his light for us i' the dark to rise by. and i rise. --robert browning. press not thy purpose on thy lord, urge not thy erring will, nor dictate to the eternal mind nor doubt thy maker's skill. --lydia h. sigourney. cause me to hear thy loving-kindness in the morning; for in thee do i trust: cause me to know the way wherein i should walk; for i lift up my soul unto thee. --psalm . . my father, help me to see that in my portion of work thou hast entrusted me to help further thy kingdom. correct me if i am wrong in interpreting thy way. may i concentrate my mind and make my heart and hands do the work which thou hast given for me to do. amen. june twenty-fourth jean baptiste massillon born . alexandre dumas born . henry ward beecher born . general lord kitchener born . all the world cries, "where is the man who will save us?" don't look so far for this man, you have him at hand. this man--it is you, it is i, it is each one of us! how to constitute oneself a man? nothing harder if one knows not how to will it; nothing easier if one wills it. --alexandre dumas. many of our troubles are god dragging us, and they would end if we would stand upon our feet and go whither he would have us. --henry ward beecher. ye shall therefore keep my statutes, and mine ordinances; which if a man do, he shall live in them. --leviticus . . gracious lord, i pray that i may have reverence for that which is pure and holy, and that my soul may delight in the presence of the good. help me to so live that i may have the memory of precious deeds, and that i may not have to depend on the service of others to supply contentment for my closing days. amen. june twenty-fifth william smellie died . antoine jean gros died . lucy webb hayes died . in every feast remember there are two guests to be entertained--the body and the soul; and what you give the body you presently lose, but what you give the soul remains forever. --epictetus. we take pains and weary to faultlessly clothe the body. we persevere, and often struggle, to adorn the mind. as we pass through the rays of truth, sometimes we find, after all we have put on, we have left bare the soul. --m.b.s. for what shall a man be profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and forfeit his life? --matthew . . lord god, help me to understand that thou hast made the principle of truth so that i cannot add to it, nor take from it, lest in altering it i might destroy it. may i never try to make my purpose cover the truth, but without fear, face the light where truth shines the brightest. amen. june twenty-sixth archbishop robert leighton died . dr. philip doddridge born . george morland born . why are we so glad to talk and take our turns to prattle, when so rarely we get back to the stronghold of our silence with an unwounded conscience? --thomas a kempis. i have read that those who listened to lord chatham felt that there was something finer in the man than anything which he said. --ralph waldo emerson. speech is like the cloth of arras opened and put abroad, whereby the imagery doth appear in figure; whereas in thoughts they lie but as in packs. --plutarch. keep thy tongue from evil, and thy lips from speaking guile. --psalm . . tender father, make me more watchful of the time that i give to useless thoughts and words, and save me from cutting words, which make deeper impressions than can be cut with sharp tools. forgive me for the hours that have not been profitable; i would i had them back, for my heart and mind have need of them. amen. june twenty-seventh paul laurence dunbar born . lafcadio hearne born . helen keller born . of course, it was not easy at first to fly. the speech wings were weak and broken; nothing was left save the impulse to fly, but that was something. one can never consent to creep when one has an impulse to soar. there are so many difficulties in the way, so many discouragements; but i kept on trying, knowing that perseverance and patience win in the end. --helen keller. de da'kest hour, dey allus say, is des' befo' de dawn, but it's moughty ha'd a-waitin' were de night goes frownin' on; an' it's moughty ha'd a-hopin' when de clouds is big and black, an' all de t'ings you's waited fu' has failed, er gone to wrack-- but des' keep on a joggin' ind a little bit o song. de moon is allus brightah w'en de night's been long. --paul laurence dunbar. weeping may tarry for the night, but joy cometh in the morning. --psalm . . my father, i thank thee for life and its faculties. may i not be deceived by gratification and miss the permanent satisfactions. make me brave that i may be courageous in affliction, and not be dismayed over humiliations and disappointments. may i be kept in harmony with thy will. amen. june twenty-eighth henry viii born . jean jacques rousseau born . john wesley born . frederick william faber born . workman of god! o lose not heart, but learn what god is like; and in the darkest battlefield thou shalt know where to strike. for right is right, since god is god; and right the day must win; to doubt would be disloyalty, to falter would be sin. --f. w. faber. leisure and i have parted company. i look upon the world as my parish. the best of all is, god is with us. to overdo is to undo. --john wesley. but be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only. --james . . lord god, i pray for a desire to work. may i not be deceived in my convictions, and work for that of which i may afterward be ashamed. lead me into a clear conception of right and wrong. help me to see as thou dost see, that i may walk with confidence in thy steps. amen. june twenty-ninth paul rubens born . baron john de kalb born . elizabeth barrett browning died . do ye hear the children weeping, o my brothers, ere the sorrow comes with years? they are leaning their young heads against their mothers, and they cannot stop their tears. the young lambs are bleating in the meadows; the young birds are chirping in the nests; the young fawns are playing with the shadows; the young flowers are blowing toward the west: but the young, young children, o my brothers! they are weeping bitterly. they are weeping in the playtime of the others, in the country of the free. --elizabeth b. browning. moreover thou hast taken thy sons and thy daughters, whom thou hast borne unto me, and these hast thou sacrificed unto them to be devoured. --ezekiel . . father of all, i pray that i may always love children. may i never forget that i wanted things and needed things when i was a child, and that the help and neglect which i received then told in my life. make me interested in the purposes that will help the progress of the child to-day, and may i realize that the child does not need my casual charity as much as it needs my permanent justice. amen. june thirtieth alexander brome died . archibald campbell beheaded . sir thomas pope blount died . be useful where thou livest, that they may both want and wish thy pleasing presence still; kindness, good parts, great places are the way to compass this. find out men's wants and will, and meet them there. all worldly joys go less to the one joy of doing kindnesses. --george herbert. thrice happy he, who by some shady grove, far from the clamorous world, doth live his own; though solitary, who is not alone, but doth converse with that eternal love --william drummond. seek, and ye shall find. --matthew . . my father, help me to draw from the wisdom of life, that my soul may grow in knowledge and power. may i have the quiet confidence that comes in trusting thee. may i help others to think on the uplifting things of life. amen. july then came hot july, boiling like to fire, that all his garments he had cast away; upon a lion raging yet with ire he boldly rode, and made him to obey. --edmund spenser. a pleasing land of drowsyhead it was, of dreams that wave before the half-shut eye; and of gay castles in the clouds that pass, for ever flushing round a summer sky. --james thomson. july first comte de rochambeau born . gideon welles born . george frederick watts died . there is no unbelief! whoever plants a seed beneath a sod, and waits to see it push away the clod, he trusts in god. there is no unbelief! and day by day, and night, unconsciously, the heart lives by that faith the lips deny-- god knoweth why. --bulwer lytton. more and more i see that nothing is so necessary for the religious condition of the mind as absolute simplicity. we know what we have got to do, and the only thing is to ask ourselves whether we are doing it as well as we can. --george frederick watts. being therefore justified by faith, we have peace with god. --romans . . my creator, i praise thee for the knowledge of life, and the hope of immortality. help me to express my belief, and to give my utmost for the divinest, that i may be worthy of life eternal. amen. july second archbishop cranmer born . christopher w. gluck born . richard henry stoddard born . sir robert peel died . one step more, and the race is ended; one word more, and the lesson's done; one toil more, and a long rest follows at set of sun. who would fail, for one step withholden? who would fail, for one word unsaid? who would fail, for a pause too early? sound sleep the dead. --christina g. rossetti. one who never turned his back, but marched breast forward, never doubted clouds would break, never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph, held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better, sleep to wake. --robert browning. he that endureth to the end, the same shall be saved. --matthew . . my father, thou hast proven the strength of thy promises by thy tender love and mercy through the darkest hours. help me always to cling to the hope that thou hast provided for my soul. may i be trustful, and be thankful to "see so much as one side of a celestial idea, one side of the rainbow, and the sunset sky." amen. july third john s. copley born . henry grattan born . eugene sue died . not from the dangers that beset our path from storm or sudden death, or pain or wrath, we pray deliverance; but from the envious eye, the narrowed mind of those that are the vultures of mankind thy aid advance. not at the strong man's righteous rage or hate, but at the ambushed malice laid in wait thy strength arise; at those who ever seek to spot the fair white garments of a neighbor's character with mud of lies. --theodosia p. garrison.[ ] putting away therefore all wickedness, and all guile, and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings. -- peter . . my lord, may i remember that to protect the character of others is to add virtue to my own. grant that i may see the good and not be looking for the evil. cause me to know that peace will not abide in deceit or revenge, but may be found in a happy and charitable spirit. help me to earn thy peace. amen. [footnote : special permission by mitchell kennerly, new york.] july fourth independence day. colonel william byrd died . nathaniel hawthorne born . thomas jefferson died . by the rude bridge that arched the flood, their flag to april's breeze unfurled, here once the embattled farmers stood, and fired the shot heard round the world. --ralph waldo emerson. then conquer we must, when our cause it is just, and this be our motto, "in god is our trust"; and the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! --francis scott key. seek not to keep your soul perpetually in the unwholesome region of remorse. it was needful to pass through that dark valley, but it is infinitely dangerous to linger there too long. --nathaniel hawthorne. and this city shall be to me for a name of joy, for a praise and for a glory, before all the nations of the earth, which shall hear all the good that i do unto them. --jeremiah . . lord of justice and peace, may i not pause at the marked stones of the brave to learn of liberty, but may i look for the opportunities that i may measure up to because of them, and do my part to keep the peace and spread the blessings of our land. amen. july fifth mrs. sarah siddons born . david g. farragut born . george sand born . cecil rhodes born . nature alone can speak to our intelligence an imperishable language, never changing, because it remains within the bounds of eternal truth and of what is absolutely noble and beautiful. --george sand. say, dost thou understand the whispered token, the promise breathed from every leaf and flower? and dost thou hear the word ere it be spoken, and apprehend love's presence by its power? --unknown. but ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the birds of the heavens, and they shall tell thee: or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee; and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. who knoweth not in all these, that the hand of jehovah hath wrought this? --job . - . lord god, direct me away from self, that i may learn of thy wisdom, and help further thy kingdom. give me patience to search for thy truths, that i may obtain the noblest to use for thy service. amen. july sixth john huss burned at constance, baden, . baron wilhelm leibnitz born . john paul jones born . john flaxman born . no man likes to acknowledge that he has made a mistake in the choice of his profession, and every man worthy of the name will row long against wind and tide before he allows himself to cry out, "i'm baffled!" and submit to be floated passively back to land. --charlotte brontë. there is nothing so small but that we honor god by asking his guidance of it, or insult him by taking it into our hands. --john ruskin. 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. --psalm . , . my father, i pray that i may have wise judgment and use discretion in the choice of my work. may i remember that only that is genuine which is received and used for thee. amen. july seventh alexis, son of peter the great, died in prison . thomas blacklock died . richard brinsley sheridan died . the surest way not to fail is to determine to succeed. --richard b. sheridan. i felt my hot blood a-tingling flow; with thrill of the fight my soul did glow; and when, braced and pure, i emerged secure from the strife that had tried my courage so, i said, "let heaven send me sun or rain, i'll never know flinching fear again." --thomas crawford. for the lord jehovah will help me; therefore have i not been confounded: therefore have i set my face like a flint, and i know that i shall not be put to shame. --isaiah . . lord jehovah, help me to learn how to be strong and brave, that i may not remain in fear and weakness. help me to conquer unworthiness, and to overcome discouragements, that i may be spared the needless battles that are brought on through impatience and selfishness. keep my soul in repose, that i may add to my conquering strength. amen. july eighth jean de la fontaine born . dr. samuel d. gross born . joseph chamberlain born . neither gold nor grandeur can render us happy. --la fontaine. spirit of god! descend upon my heart; wean it from earth; through all its pulses move; stoop to my weakness, mighty as thou art, and make me love thee as i ought to love. i ask no dream, no prophet ecstasies, no sudden rending of the veil of clay: no angel visitant, no opening skies-- but take the dimness of my soul away. --george croly. for a man's life consisteth not in the abundance of the things which he possesseth. --luke . . eternal god, help me to honor my life; and may i realize, whether i select good or bad, much or little, the harvesting is for eternity. grant that i may not make my life accumulate gold and grandeur, and laden it with much spending; but may i strive and love what thou dost love, and make my life worthy of my labor. amen. july ninth henry hallam born . edmund burke died . elias howe born . discretion of speech is more than eloquence; and to speak agreeably to him with whom we deal is more than to speak in good words or in good order. --francis bacon. when anyone provokes you, be assured it is your opinion which provokes you. try therefore, in the first place, not to be hurried away with appearance. for if you once gain time and respite, you will more easily command yourself. --epictetus. let your speech be always with grace, seasoned with salt, that ye may know how ye ought to answer each one. --colossians . . my father, help me to learn through kindness and tenderness the value of self-control. help me in the moods of jealousy and impatience, that i may not cause others unhappiness by words or deeds. teach me how to overcome the ways that keep me discontented, that i may have a brighter speech. amen. july tenth john calvin born . sir william blackstone born . frederick marryat born . the quality of mercy is not strained; it droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven upon the place beneath. it is twice blessed; it blesseth him that gives, and him that takes. 'tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown; * * * * * it is enthroned in the hearts of kings; it is an attribute to god himself. --william shakespeare. his gain is loss; for he that wrongs his friend wrongs himself more, and ever has about a silent court and jury, and himself the prisoner at the bar, ever condemned. --alfred tennyson. brethren, even if a man be overtaken in any trespass, ye who are spiritual, restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness; looking to thyself, lest thou also be tempted. --galatians . . my father, help me to avoid the critical spirit that leans toward injustice. grant that none may be made despondent waiting for my mercy; but through forgiveness may i inspire confidence in those who have made mistakes, and influence them to a better life. amen. july eleventh robert de bruce born . jean marmontel born . john quincy adams, massachusetts, sixth president united states, born . susan warner (e. wetherell) born . a friend to chide me when i'm wrong, my inmost soul to see: and that my friendship prove as strong for him as his for me. --john quincy adams. our chief want in life is somebody who shall make us do what we can: this is the service of a friend. --ralph waldo emerson. it is better to hear the rebuke of the wise, than for a man to hear the song of fools. for as the crackling of thorns under a pot, so is the laughter of the fool. --ecclesiastes . , . my father and friend, who calleth me to check the progress of the wrong, make me submissive and eager for what is right, that i may learn and uphold to others thy purposes and desires. amen. july twelfth caius julius cæsar born b.c. . josiah wedgwood born . alexander hamilton killed . henry david thoreau born . clara louise kellogg born . each reaching and aspiration is an instinct with which all nature consists and cooperates, and therefore it is not in vain. if a man believes and expects great things of himself it makes no odds where you put him, he will be surrounded by grandeur. --henry david thoreau. if you have built castles in the air, your work need not be lost--that is where they should be: now put foundations under them. --henry david thoreau. he is like a man building a house, who digged and went deep, and laid a foundation upon the rock: and when a flood arose, the stream brake against that house, and could not shake it: because it had been well builded. --luke . . lord of strength, i pray that while i may lay a strong foundation for my life, i may remember that i should not delay the building by neglecting to complete the plans. may i look to-day and see if i am making my words stronger than my life. with thy wisdom help me to realize that the test of life is made with the soul. amen. july thirteenth richard cromwell died . elijah fenton died . jean paul marat killed by charlotte corday . let each day take thought for what concerns it, liquidate its own affairs, and respect the day which is to follow, and then it shall be ready. --amiel. what does your anxiety do? it does not empty to-morrow, brother, of its sorrow; but ah! it empties to-day of its strength. it does not make you escape the evil; it makes you unfit to cope with it if it comes. --ian maclaren. be not anxious for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. --matthew . . my father, save me from the habit of borrowing. so often i borrow trouble and cannot use it, when the peace that i possess is all that i need. help me, that i may not miss the glory of to-day, by anticipating the uncertainty of to-morrow; but may i discern my place and have delight in every day. amen. july fourteenth bastille destroyed . jane baillie welch carlyle born . owen wister born . sail fast, sail fast, ark of my hopes, ark of my dreams; sweep lordly o'er the drowned past, fly glittering through the sun's strange beams; sail fast, sail fast. breath of new buds from off some drying lea, with news about the future scent the sea; my brain is beating like the heart of haste. i'll loose me a bird upon this present waste; go, trembling song, and stay not long; o, stay not long; thou art only a gray and sober dove, but thine eye is faith and thy wing is love. --sidney lanier. god speed thee, pretty bird; may thy small nest, with little ones all in good time be blest. i love thee much; for well thou managest that life of thine, well i!--o ask not what i do with mine! would i were such! --jane welch carlyle. behold the birds of the heaven, that they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; and your heavenly father feedeth them. are not ye of much more value than they? --matthew . . my father, may i start this day with more faith in myself and greater love for thy world. may my soul be awakened to the highest and be ready for the joys of to-day. amen. july fifteenth inigo jones born . rembrandt born . henry edward manning born . william winter born . his was the heart that overmuch in human goodness puts its trust, and his the keen, satiric touch that shrivels falsehood into dust. fierce for the right, he bore his part in strife with many a valiant foe; but laughter winged his polished dart, and kindness tempered every blow. --william winter. a wise man will so act that whatever he does may rather seem voluntary and of his own free will than done by compulsion, however much he may be compelled by necessity. --machiavelli. wherefore i saw that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him back to see what shall be after him? --ecclesiastes . . lord god, may i not forget that it is in the light, and not the darkness, that my work is revealed. i beseech thee to pour in thy light as i plan my life, and open my heart and mind for the reception of thy truth. amen. july sixteenth andrea del sarto born . sir joshua reynolds born . margaret fuller ossoli perished at sea . reverence the highest, have patience with the lowest. let this day's performance of the meanest duty be thy religion. are the stars too distant? pick up the pebble that lies at thy feet and from it learn all. --margaret fuller. the situation that has not its duty, its ideal, was never yet occupied by man. yet, here is this miserable, despicable actual, wherein thou standest--here or nowhere is thy ideal! work it out therefrom! --thomas carlyle. and whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only, in the name of a disciple, verily i say unto you he shall in no wise lose his reward. --matthew . . great god, may i begin this day bearing in mind that the things which i think and do are my life. i pray that thou wilt keep me from making great efforts for that which is valueless, and thus waste my life. may i watch my pride and indolence that they may not cause me to lose the best. amen. july seventeenth dr. isaac watts born . charlotte corday guillotined . paul delaroche born . j.a. mcneil whistler died . so frail is the youth and beauty of men, though they bloom and look gay like the rose; but all our fond cares to preserve them is vain, time kills them as fast as he goes. then i'll not be proud of my youth nor my beauty, since both of them wither and fade; but gain a good name by well doing my duty; for this will scent like the rose when i'm dead. --isaac watts. onward, onward may we press through the path of duty; virtue is true happiness, excellence true beauty; minds are of supernal birth, let us make a heaven of earth. --james montgomery. all things therefore whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, even so do ye also unto them. --matthew . . my lord and my strength, i pray that i may possess that expectancy which comes in joyous hope and have the endurance that is controlled by courage and energy. grant in the future that i may be less concerned about my living and more anxious for what i make of my life. amen. july eighteenth william makepeace thackeray born . jane austen died . jean antoine watteau died . learn to admire rightly: the great pleasure of life is that. note what great men admired; they admired great things; narrow spirits admire basely and worship meanly. --w.m. thackeray. our thoughts are often more than we are, just as they are often better than we are. and god sees us as we are altogether, and not in separate feelings or actions, as our fellow men see us. we are always doing each other injustice, and thinking better or worse of each other than we deserve, because we only hear separate feelings or actions. we don't see each other's whole nature. --george eliot. the wilderness and the dry land shall be glad; and the desert shall rejoice, and blossom as the rose. --isaiah . . eternal god, may i become more like thee. give me the desire to associate myself with people and places where the divine spirit is supreme. may my soul breathe in the influence of all that is good and true; and may i use my life for thy honor and praise. amen. july nineteenth john martin born . samuel colt born . charles victor cherbuliez born . in love, if love be love, if love be ours, faith and unfaith can ne'er be equal powers: unfaith in aught is want of faith in all. it is the little rift within the lute that by and by will make the music mute, and ever widening slowly silence all. the little rift within the lover's lute, or little pitted speck in garner'd fruit, that rotting inward slowly molders all. it is not worth the keeping: let it go: but shall it? answer, darling, answer no. and trust me not at all or all in all. --alfred tennyson. take us the foxes, the little foxes, that spoil the vineyards; for our vineyards are in blossom. --song of solomon . . loving father, help me to put away the distractions and cares that make me discontented. grant that i may not set myself in "gilded pride" and keep out the precious things of life. help me to abandon doubt and suspicion, and keep the faith that is happy to believe and willing to forgive. amen. july twentieth petrarch born . thomas lovell beddoes born . john sterling born . jean ingelow died . let thy day be to the night a letter of good tidings! let thy praise go up as birds go up--that when they awake, shake off the dew and soar. --jean ingelow. i, and the bird, and the wind together, sang a supplication in the winter weather. the bird sang for sunshine, and the trees for winter fruit, and for love in the spring time when the thickets shoot. and i sang for patience when the teardrops start; clean hands and clear eyes, and a faithful heart. --arthur c. benson. unto thee, o jehovah, do i lift up my soul. --psalm . . lord god, if i am discouraged this morning, may i pause for thine encouragement. grant that the fear of the night may make no decline in my morn, but that "into the future i may fuse the past," and use what is clearest for to-day. amen. july twenty-first matthew pryor born . william lord russell beheaded . robert burns died . our heaven must be within ourselves, our home and heaven the work of faith and thro' this race of life which shelves downward to death. while over all a dome must spread, and love shall be that dome above; and deep foundations must be laid, and these are love. --christina rossetti. if happiness has not her seat and center in the breast, we may be wise or rich or great, but never can be blest. --robert burns. keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are the issues of life. --proverbs . my father, if i choose to be unhappy and miserable, may i not be to myself and friends as "a harp with one string." help me to free myself from thinking and anticipating things that keep me from the pleasure that i might receive and give. may i have more trust in my friends and in thee. amen. july twenty-second sir john graham killed . pilgrims started for america . earl of shaftesbury (anthony ashley cooper) born . how comes it to pass, then, that we appear such cowards in reasoning, and are so afraid to stand the test of ridicule? --earl of shaftesbury. he that of such a height hath built his mind, and reared the dwelling of his thoughts so strong, as neither fear nor hope can shake the frame of his resolved powers; nor all the wind of vanity or malice pierce to wrong his settled peace, or to disturb the same: what a fair seat hath he, from whence he may the boundless wastes and wilds of man survey? --samuel daniel. thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee; because he trusteth in thee. --isaiah . . o lord, it is not that i am ashamed to ask thee for the truth that i do not more diligently seek it, but it is because i fear the sacrifice that may follow in obtaining it. i would that i could understand that thy strength is given in the sacrifice. make me braver as i seek to live in the truth. amen. july twenty-third richard gibson died . charlotte cushman born . coventry patmore born . i do not ask, o lord, that life may be a pleasant road; i do not ask that thou would'st take from me aught of its load. for one thing only, lord, dear lord, i plead: lead me aright-- though strength should falter, and though heart should bleed-- through peace to light. --adelaide a. procter. o, why and whither?--god knows all, i only know that he is good, and that whatever may befall or here or there, must be the best that could. --john g. whittier. lead me, o jehovah, in thy righteousness because of mine enemies; make thy way straight before my face. --psalm . . loving father, may i never fail to ask for thy guidance, for thou hast promised to lead me to the cool springs while i pass through the desert places. help me to put myself in thy keeping and say, "thy will be done." amen. july twenty-fourth rev. john newton born . john p. curran born . j.g. holland born . as the winged arrow flies speedily the mark to find; as the lightning from the skies darts and leaves no trace behind; swiftly thus our fleeting days bear us down life's rapid stream; upward, lord, our spirits raise; all below is but a dream. --john newton. o gentlemen! the time is short; to spend that shortness basely were too long, if life did ride upon a dial's point, still ending at the arrival of an hour. --william shakespeare. jehovah, make me to know mine end, and the measure of my days, what it is; let me know how frail i am. --psalm . . lord, forbid that i should overcast my life with intentions, and neglect to put in the deeds. may i not be satisfied to spend my days in being merely occupied, but live to learn and work. may i not be dismayed over what i might have been, but with all my might do what i can now. amen. july twenty-fifth thomas à kempis died . simon bolivar born . arthur james balfour born . blessed indeed are those ears which listen not after the voice which is sounding without, but after the truth teaching within. --thomas à kempis. how joyed my heart in the rich melodies that overhead and round me did arise! the moving leaves--the water's gentle flow-- delicious music hung on every bough. then said i in my heart, "if that the lord such lively music on the earth accord; if to weak, sinful man such sounds are given, o! what must be the melody of heaven!" --izaak walton. but thou, o jehovah, knowest me; thou seest me, and triest my heart toward thee. --jeremiah . . loving father, thou hast made it needful for me to know that the songs which are sung by divine love are rarely heard by cruel hearts. grant that my soul may chord with the sweetest music that vibrates in the beauty and harmony of life. amen. july twenty-sixth charles emmanuel died . john wilmot died . george clinton born . quiet minds cannot be perplexed or frightened, but go on in fortune or misfortune at their own private pace, like a clock during a thunderstorm. --robert l. stevenson. i have learned, as days have passed me, fretting never lifts the load; and worry, much or little, never smooths an irksome road; for do you know that somehow, always, doors are opened, ways are made; when we work and live in patience under all the cross that's laid. --unknown. but whoso hearkeneth unto me shall dwell securely, and shall be quiet without fear of evil. --proverbs . . merciful and just god, i pray that i may regulate my life by thy standards and conform my life to thy laws, that thy goodness and mercy may not be wasted on me. help me to bear in mind, that willingness is the power that starts the hands to work. may i have thy presence while i wait in quietness, that i may be helped through the anxious moments. amen. july twenty-seventh thomas campbell born . alexandre dumas-fils born . dr. john dalton died . what's hallowed ground? 'tis what gives birth to sacred thoughts in souls of worth!-- peace! independence! truth! go forth earth's compass round; and your high-priesthood shall make earth all hallowed ground. --thomas campbell. remember the week day to keep it holy. --elbert hubbard. the meaning of life comes to us mostly in great revealing flashes and intense emotions. --dean farrar. to the pure all things are pure. --titus . . gracious father, may i not feel that it is necessary to wait for certain days and ceremonies to prepare to worship thee, while at every moment thy love is pleading for me. may i through the busiest hours and the most perplexing moments serve thee in reverence and obedience, and ever give praise to thy holy name. amen. july twenty-eighth john sebastian bach died . robespierre executed . jean baptiste corot born . o light that followest all my way, i yield my flickering torch to thee; my heart restores its borrowed ray, that in thy sunshine's blaze its day may brighter, fairer be. --george matheson. follow your star that lights a desert pathway, yours or mine, forward, till you learn the highest human nature is divine. follow light and do the right--for man can half control his doom-- till you see the deathless angel seated in the vacant tomb. --alfred tennyson. my soul waiteth for the lord, more than watchmen wait for the morning; yea, more than watchmen for the morning. --psalm . . almighty god, help me to kindle my life by the shining light of thy power and love, that i may be an ambassador for thee. amen. july twenty-ninth andrew marvell died . william wilberforce died . dr. thomas dick died . i wrestle not with rage while fury's flame doth burn; it is vain to stop the stream until the tide doth turn. but when the flame is out and ebbing wrath doth end i turn a late enraged foe into a quiet friend. --robert southwell. if i can lend a strong hand to the fallen, or defend the right against a single envious strain, my life though bare perhaps of much that seemeth dear and fair to us on earth, will not have been in vain. --unknown. a friend loveth at all times; and a brother is born for adversity. --proverbs . . gracious father of us all, if i may have cause to be provoked to-day, help me to rise above my angry passions, and not from weakness plunge into that for which i may be sorry. make me self-forgetful, that i may be willing to make peace with those whom i may have displeased. amen. july thirtieth samuel rogers born . thomas gray died . w.t. adams (oliver optic) born . prince bismarck died . sit down, sad soul, and count the moments flying; come, tell the sweet amount that's lost by sighing! how many smiles?--a score? then laugh, and count no more; for day is dying. lie down sad soul, and sleep, and no more measure the flight of time, nor weep the loss of leisure; but here by this lone stream, lie down with us, and dream of starry treasure. bryan waller procter. the only thing grief has taught me is to know how shallow it is. grief will not carry you one step into real nature; grief can teach me nothing. --ralph waldo emerson. leave off, ye simple ones, and live; and walk in the way of understanding. --proverbs . . god of love, may i come quickly to thee, when i am in need of protection and sympathy. guard me against sorrow that is drawn from the imagination. may i not allow grief to drag me into misery, but with strength and courage may i find happiness in thy daily will. amen. july thirty-first john conybeare died . john ericsson born . paul b. du chaillu born . phoebe cary died . be wise to-day; 'tis madness to defer; next day the fatal precedent will plead; thus on, till wisdom is pushed out of life. procrastination is the thief of time; year after year it steals, till all are fled, and to the mercies of a moment leaves the vast concerns of an eternal scene. --dr. edward young. o, my friend, rise up and follow where the hand of god shall lead; he has brought thee through affliction, but to fit thee for his need. --mary howitt. for he is our god, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand. to-day, o that ye would hear his voice! harden not your heart. --psalm . , . lord god, i come to thee for help, that i may make more of my life. steady me, that i may know its value without wavering, and the loss it sustains from wasted days. i pray that i may live more in thy commandments, and with my work accept the joy of thy love. amen. august flame-like, the long midday, with not so much of sweet air as hath stirred the down upon the spray, where nests the panting bird, dozing away the hot and tedious noon, with fitful twitter, sadly out of tune. pleasantly comest thou, dew of the evening, to the crisped-up grass; and the curled corn-blades bow, as the light breezes pass, that their parched lips may feel thee, and expand, thou sweet reviver of the fevered land. so, to the thirsting soul, cometh the dew of the almighty's love; and the scathed heart, made whole, turneth in joy above, to where the spirit freely may expand, and rove, untrammeled, in that "better land." --william d. gallagher. august first andrew melville born . richard henry dana, jr., born . maria mitchell born . am i wrong to be always so happy? this world is full of grief; yet there is laughter of sunshine, to see the crisp green on the leaf, daylight is ringing with song-birds, and brooklets are crooning at night; and why should i make a shadow when god makes all so bright? earth may be wicked and weary, yet cannot i help being glad! there is sunshine without and within me, and how should i mope or be sad? god would not flood me with blessings, meaning me only to pine amid all the bounties and beauties he pours upon me and mine; therefore i will be grateful, and therefore will i rejoice; my heart is singing within me; sing on, o heart and voice. --walter c. smith. rejoice always. -- thessalonians . . gracious father, my soul floods with joy for the blessings of life. may it be my privilege to be happy in them. help me not to ask thee for anything which will cause loss to another; may i not delight in a lonely view, but as i see thy glory bring others to the vision also. amen. august second thomas gainsborough died . elisha gray born . marion crawford born . william watson born . the holy supper is kept, indeed, in whatso we share with another's need; not what we give, but what we share, for the gift without the giver is bare; who gives himself with his alms feeds three, himself, his hungering neighbor, and me. --james russell lowell. and when o'er storm and jar i climb, beyond life's atmosphere, i shall behold the lord of time and space--of world and year. o vain, far quest! not thus my heart shall ever find its goal! i turn me home--and there thou art, my father, in my soul. --george macdonald. that they should seek god, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us; for in him we live, and move, and have our being. --acts . , . o lord, my gracious father, may i not be so eager for more, that i feel i have nothing to spare. help me to realize that if i may be on the mountain-top, or at the level of the sea, thy spirit may dwell in my soul. may i rejoice that i can always receive and share thy grace and love. amen. august third john henley born . henry cuyler bunner born . eugene sue died . set out in the very morning of your lives with a frank and manly determination to look simply for what is right and true in all things.... this is the only way to know god's will and do it. you may not find it at once, but you have set your face in the true direction to find it. --jeremy taylor. the important thing in life is to have a great aim, and to possess the aptitude and perseverance to attain it. --goethe. blessed are they that keep his testimonies, that seek him with the whole heart. --psalm . . lord god, forbid that i should lose the opportunities of making my life by waiting for sudden developments. cause me to notice that the tree that bears fruit must first grow the blossom before it may be perfected by the sun: whether thou hast made me greater or less, may i be ashamed to live in untruth and wait in idleness. amen. august fourth percy bysshe shelley born . edward irving born . walter h. pater born . we look before and after, and pine for what is not; our sincerest laughter with some pain is fraught; our sweetest songs are those that tell of saddest thought. yet if we could scorn hate and pride and fear, if we were things born not to shed a tear, i know not how thy joy we ever could come near. --percy bysshe shelley. it becomes no man to nurse despair, but in the teeth of clenched antagonisms to follow up the worthiest till he die. --alfred tennyson. he suffered no man to do them wrong; yea, he reproved kings for their sakes. -- chronicles . . my father, i bless thee for thy patience and forbearance. i pray that thou wilt forgive me for all the sorrow that i have made from rebellion and despair, and with thy forgiveness may i receive patience and cheerful courage. amen. august fifth john eliot born . john, lord wrottesley, born . richard lord howe died . to live within a cave--it is most good; but if god made a day, and some one come, and say, "lo! i have gathered faggots in the wood!" e'en let him stay, and light a fire, and fan a temporal mood! so sit till morning! when the light is grown that he the path can read, then bid the man godspeed! his morning is not thine: yet must thou own those ashes on the stone. they have a cheerful warmth. --thomas edward brown. it is given to us sometimes, even in our everyday life, to witness the saving influence of a noble nature, the divine efficacy of rescue that may lie in a self-subduing act of fellowship. --george eliot. and the king shall answer and say unto them, verily i say unto you, inasmuch as ye did it unto one of these my brethren, even these least, ye did it unto me. --matthew . . father of mankind, may i not be a barrier to the discouraged, but help them in the ways of encouragement. may i not allow pride and prejudice to keep me from acts of love and deeds of kindness, but may i be worthy of thy trust. amen. august sixth ben jonson died . françois fénelon born . daniel o'connell born . alfred, lord tennyson, born . o well for him whose will is strong! he suffers, but he will not suffer long; he suffers, but he cannot suffer wrong; for him nor moves the loud world's random mock, not all calamity's hugest waves confound, who seems a promontory rock, that compassed round with turbulent sound, in middle ocean meets the surging shock, tempest-buffeted, citadel-crowned. --alfred tennyson. grandeur of character lies in force of soul--that is, in the force of thought, moral principle, and love; and this may be found in the humblest condition of life. --william ellery channing. so then, brethren, stand fast. -- thessalonians . . eternal god, help me that i may not be deceived by my surroundings as i seek to have life abundantly. instruct me that it is by the way of character that i must attain the laws of growth, and learn reverence for the spirit of divine life. amen. august seventh battle of thermopylae b.c. . frederick william (dean) farrar born . alexander m. bell died . although a friend may remain faithful in misfortune, yet none but the very best and loftiest will remain faithful to us after our errors and our sins. --dean farrar. friendship is like a debt of honor: the moment it is talked of it loses its real name, and assumes the more ungrateful form of obligation. from hence we find that those who regularly undertake to cultivate friendship find ingratitude generally repays their endeavors. --oliver goldsmith. for even in their wickedness shall my prayer continue. --psalm . . lord god, may i ever continue to be thankful for the times thou hast helped me, when i have asked for thy compassion; may i recall the joy in which i received it, when it may be mine to have compassion and extend a helping hand to others. i pray that i may place my life where it will be stronger than adversity and controlled by sincerity and love. amen. august eighth charles a. dana born . laurence hutton born . cecile chaminade born . lo! all the glory gone! god's masterpiece undone! the last created and the first to fall; the noblest, frailest, godliest of all. child of the humble sod, wed with the breath of god, descend! for with the lowest thou must lie-- arise! thou hast inherited the sky. --john b. tabb. far away there in the sunshine are my highest aspirations; i cannot reach them, but i can look up and see their beauty, believe in them, and try to follow where they lead. --louisa m. alcott. i will lift up mine eyes unto the mountains: from whence shall my help come? --psalm . . heavenly father, may i see as i raise my eyes to the mountains that without the deep shadows there would be no vision of the high-light, and still higher may i see that without the sun there would be no color to encircle the rainbow. and beyond, o father, may i believe that without the shadow of the cross we could not have the glory of the resurrection. may i keep the vision clear. amen. august ninth izaak walton born . john dryden born . francis scott key born . joseph jacques tissot died . all habits gather, by unseen degrees, brooks make rivers, rivers run to seas. --john dryden. now it catches the gleam of the morning's first beam, in full glory reflected now shines on the stream; 'tis the star-spangled banner; o yet may it wave o'er the land of the free and the home of the brave! --francis scott key. do not be troubled because you have not great virtues. god made a million spears of grass where he made one tree.... only have enough of little virtues and common fidelities, and you need not mourn because you are neither a hero nor a saint. --henry ward beecher. the reward of humility and the fear of jehovah is riches, and honor, and life. --proverbs . . lord god, who keepest truth to generations, and who through love and wisdom hath gathered us into nations, forgive me for what i have done that is wrong, and for what i have neglected that was right. may i give greater loyalty to my country and to thee. amen. august tenth founding of greenwich observatory . sir charles napier born . george park fisher born . no one can ask honestly or hopefully to be delivered from temptation unless he has himself honestly and firmly determined to do the best he can to keep out of it. --john ruskin. men at some time are masters of their fates: the fault, dear brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, that we are underlings. --william shakespeare. the greatest punishment one can have is to discover, not how hard, but how low he has fallen. --m.b.s. o timothy, guard that which is committed unto thee, turning away from the profane babblings and oppositions of the knowledge which is falsely so-called. -- timothy . . almighty god, through thy mercies may i recognize my faults, and correct any evil that is in me. make me strong, that i may not yield to temptation. may i have regard for thy will and be prepared to take thy messages as they are flashed to the soul. amen. august eleventh jean victor moreau born . octave feuillet born . signer crispi died . heaven overreaches you and me, and all earth's gardens and her graves. look up with me, until we see the day break and the shadows flee. what though to-night wrecks you and me if so to-morrow saves? --christina g. rossetti. the essence of joy lies in the doing rather than in the result of the doing. there is a lifelong and solid satisfaction in any productive labor, manual or mental, which is not pushed beyond the limit of strength. --charles w. eliot. show me thy ways, o jehovah; teach me thy paths. guide me in thy truths, and teach me. --psalm . , . my father, keep me where my eyes may look expectantly toward the dawn, through the darkness. take away everything that comes between me and the brightness of the morning. amen. august twelfth robert southey born . francis horner born . edith thomas born . katherine lee bates born . our restlessness in this world seems to indicate that we are intended for a better. we have all of us a longing after happiness; and surely the creator will gratify all the natural desires he has implanted in us. --robert southey. whenso my quick, light-sandaled feet bring me where joys and pleasures meet, i mingle with their throng at will; they know me not an alien still, since neither words nor ways unsweet of stored bitterness i spill; youth shuns me not nor gladness fears, for i go softly all my years. --edith thomas. he hath swallowed up death forever; and the lord jehovah will wipe away tears from off all faces. --isaiah . . loving father, help me to guard my inclinations. may i be able to appreciate that though i may be restless from ambition, i also may be restless through discontent. correct my life, that my desires may meet the true demands of my soul. strengthen me with the power of calmness, that "i may go softly all my years," even though i walk through the bitterness of sorrow. amen. august thirteenth jeremy taylor died . dr. william wotton born . elizabeth stuart phelps ward born . elizabeth prentiss died . sir john millais died . feeling the way--and all the way up hill; but on the open summit, calm and still, the feet of christ are planted; and they stand in view of all the quiet land. feeling the way--and if the way is cold, what matter? since upon the fields of gold his breath is melting; and the warm winds sing while rocking summer days for him. --elizabeth s. phelps. all the performances of human art, at which we look with praise and wonder, are instances of the resistless force of perseverance. --samuel johnson. but abide thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them. --- timothy . . my lord, i would remember to ask thee this morning for that of which i seem to have most need. may i have the will to keep my patience and realize the untold power of my words and actions. give me thy peace, not only to rest in, but that i may have it to give to others. amen. august fourteenth dr. meric casaubon born . dr. charles button born . walter besant born . ernest thompson seton born . florence nightingale died . i count this thing to be grandly true, that a noble deed is a step toward god; lifting the soul from the common clod to a purer air and a broader view. we rise by the things that are under our feet, by what we have mastered of good or gain, by the pride deposed and the passion slain, and the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. --richard watson gilder. no apostle of liberty much to my heart ever found i; license each for himself, this was at bottom their want. liberator of many! first dare to be servant of many; what a business is that, would'st thou know it, go try! --goethe. prove all things; hold fast that which is good. -- thessalonians . . gracious father, if i may be beginning this day with an unclean purpose in my heart, help me to clear it away; if i may be trying to avoid some urgent duty, make me ashamed to resist it. keep away the desires that harm my life, and that withhold the enjoyment of my common work. amen. august fifteenth jeremy taylor baptized . napoleon bonaparte born . sir walter scott born . thomas de quincey born . and do our loves all perish with our frames? do those that took their root and put forth buds, and their soft leaves unfolded in the warmth of mutual hearts, grow up and live in beauty, then fade and fall, like fair, unconscious flowers? o, listen, man! a voice within us speaks the startling word, "man, thou shalt never die!" --richard henry dana. i am drawing near to the close of my career; i am fast shuffling off the stage. i have been perhaps the most voluminous author of the day; and it is a comfort to me to think i have tried to unsettle no man's faith, to corrupt no man's principle, and that i have written nothing which on my deathbed i should wish blotted. --sir walter scott. but concerning love of the brethren ye have no need that one write unto you: for ye yourselves are taught of god to love one another. -- thessalonians . . almighty god, may i have that faith in eternal life which will make me careful of what i choose for my own and more careful of what i put in the lives of others. amen. august sixteenth ralph thoresby born . dr. thomas fuller died . dr. matthew tindal died . the secret of goodness and greatness is in choosing whom you will approach and live with, in memory or imagination, through the crowding obvious people who seem to live with you. --robert browning. fair nature's book together read, the old wood-paths that knew our tread, the maple shadows overhead-- where'er i look, where'er i stray, thy thought goes with me on my way, and hence the prayer i breathe to-day. --john greenleaf whittier. shall two walk together, except they have agreed? --amos . . lord god, i thank thee for the delight of congenial companions and the memory of friendship. may i not be quick to lose my friends through misunderstanding and selfishness. may i be considerate and constant and be able to climb to the highest steeps of friendship. amen. august seventeenth dr. william carey born . david crockett born . mary abigail dodge (gail hamilton) died . the destiny of nations lies far more in the hands of women--the mothers--than in the hands of those who possess power. we must cultivate women, who are educators of the human race, else a new generation cannot accomplish its task. --froebel. in an old continental town they will show you a prison in a tower, and on all the stones of that prison within reach one word is carved--it is, "resist!" years ago a godly woman was for forty years immured in that dungeon, and she spent her time in cutting with a piece of iron on every stone that one word, for the strengthening of her own heart and for the benefit of all who might come after her, "resist!" "resist!" "resist!" --j.g. mantle. then mordecai bade them return answer unto esther, think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the jews ... and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this? --esther . , . lord god, give me wisdom to help relieve the ignorant and suffering. may i strive in every way to free thy people, that they may be uplifted in the progress of life. amen. august eighteenth virginia dare, first english child born in america, . dr. henry hammond born . robert williams buchanan born . john russell born . pour out thy love like the rush of a river, wasting its waters for ever and ever, through the burnt sands that reward not the giver; silent or songful thou nearest the sea. scatter thy life as the summer showers pouring. what if no bird through the pearl rain is soaring? what if no blossom looks upward adoring? look to the life that was lavished for thee. --unknown. who is the happiest person? he whose nature asks for nothing that the world does not wish and use. --goethe. freely ye received, freely give. --matthew . . my father, i pray that i may have the sympathy that responds with consideration and devotion. may it be a joy for me to give comfort and render service where i may help. grant that i may not linger too long in happiness and miss thy blessings, but remember that to "travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." amen. august nineteenth augustus cæsar died a.d. . james watt died . robert bloomfield died . honore balzac died . it is written not, "blessed is he that feedeth the poor," but "blessed is he that considereth the poor." and you know a little thought and a little kindness are often worth more than a great deal of money. --john ruskin. so pity never leaves the gentle breast where love has been received a welcome guest; as wandering saints poor huts have sacred made, he hallows every heart he once has swayed, and, when his presence we no longer share, still leaves compassion as a relic there. --thomas sheridan. if a brother or sister be naked and in lack of daily food, and one of you say unto them, go in peace, be ye warmed and filled; and yet ye give them not the things needful to the body; what doth it profit? --james . . tender father, help me to consider those who receive the crust of bread at my door; for if it be needed it is asked for by sad and desperate lives. make me conscious of thy mercy and help, that i may be considerate for the one with the outstretched hand. amen. august twentieth saint bernard died . robert herrick born . john and cornelius de witt killed . francis asbury born . henry p. liddon born . benjamin harrison, ohio, twenty-third president united states, born . the busy world shoves angrily aside the man who stands with arms akimbo set until occasion tells him what to do; and he who waits to have his task marked out shall die and leave his errand unfulfilled. --james russell lowell. awake, arise! the hour is late! angels are knocking at thy door! they are in haste and cannot wait, and once departed come no more. --henry w. longfellow. boast not thyself of to-morrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth. --proverbs . . gracious father, grant that i may not tarry so long, that when i arrive i will hear, "too late, too late, ye cannot enter now"; but may i be so persistent with every day that when i arrive i may be ready as well as on time. amen. august twenty-first lady mary montagu died . jules michelet born . john tyndall born . let us never be afraid of innocent joy; god is good and what he does is well done; resign yourself to everything, even happiness; ask for the spirit of sacrifice, of detachment, of renunciation, and above all, for the spirit of joy and gratitude. --amiel. that's the wise thrush; he sings each song twice over, lest you should think he never could recapture the first fine careless rapture! --robert browning. and these things we write, that our joy may be made full. -- john . . lord god, help me to keep the things under my feet that are inclined to destroy happiness. show me clearly the line which divides right and wrong, that i may not fear the censure of the world. help me to act with good judgment and be calm in obeying thy laws. amen. august twenty-second john b. gough born . warren hastings died . g. w. de long born . i never saw a moor, i never saw the sea; yet know i how a heather looks and what a wave must be. i never spoke with god, nor visited in heaven; yet certain am i of the spot as if the chart were given. --emily dickinson. i don't want to possess a faith; i want a faith which will possess me. --charles kingsley. not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit, saith jehovah of hosts. --zechariah . . my father, may there be no room in my soul for doubt. help me to be cautious and careful that my own neglect and carelessness may not cause the loss of my faith. may i be trustful as i look for the great light that guides me over the uncertain way. amen. august twenty-third rowland hill born . louis xvi born . william e. henley born . out of the night that covers me, black as the pit from pole to pole, i thank whatever gods may be for my unconquerable soul. it matters not how strait the gate, how charged with punishments the scroll, i am master of my fate, i am the captain of my soul. --w. e. henley. a man who has borne himself honorably through a whole life makes an action honorable which might appear ambiguous in others. --goethe. wherefore, my beloved brethren, be ye steadfast, unmovable. -- corinthians . . father of mercy, i beseech thee to protect me in my endeavors as i try to live my ideals. may i not choose unnecessary burdens, and when i most need to be strong find that i have lived in that which has weakened my life. i ask for a clear mind and a strong heart that i may be "captain of my soul." amen. august twenty-fourth william wilberforce born . william thomas moncrieff born . theodore parker born . give me, lord, eyes to behold the truth; a seeing sense that knows the eternal right; a heart with pity filled, and gentlest ruth; a manly faith that makes all darkness light: give me the power to labor for mankind; make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; eyes let me be to groping men and blind. --theodore parker. love's hearts are faithful, but not fond, bound for the just, but not beyond; not glad, as the low-loving herd, of self in other still preferred, but they have heartily designed the benefit of broad mankind. and they serve men austerely, after their own genius, clearly, without a false humility. --ralph waldo emerson. herein i also exercise myself to have a conscience void of offense toward god and men always. --acts . . heavenly father, help me to-day to look into my heart and see the truth of my life, and show me thy heart that i may see the truth of life. amen. august twenty-fifth thomas chatterton died . sir william herschel died . francis bret harte died . o teach me in the trying hour, when anguish swells the dewy tear, to still my sorrows, own thy power, thy goodness love, thy justice fear. then why, my soul, dost thou complain? why drooping seek the dark recess? shake off the melancholy chain, for god created all to bless. --thomas chatterton. each substance of a grief hath twenty shadows which show like grief itself, but are not so: for sorrow's eye, glazed with blinding tears, divides one thing entire to many shadows. --william shakespeare. why art thou cast down, o my soul? and why art thou disquieted within me? hope thou in god. --psalm . . loving father, forbid that i should be lonesome, and forget thou art my friend: and may i not pass over thy mercies while waiting for thy compassion. help me to find contentment in the inheritances of the earth, where i may always draw from thee. amen. august twenty-sixth sir robert walpole born . adam clarke died . henry fawcett born . lord, for to-morrow and its needs i do not pray; keep me, my god, from stain of sin just for to-day. help me to labor earnestly, and duly pray; let me be kind in word and deed, father, to-day. let me no wrong or idle word unthinking say; set thou a seal upon my lips through all to-day. let me in season, lord, be grave, in season gay; let me be faithful to thy grace, dear lord, to-day. --ernest wilberforce. and which of you by being anxious can add one cubit unto the measure of his life? --matthew . . my lord, i pray that thou wilt control my life, and bless the going out of my work, be it ever so great or small. help me to realize the necessity of earnestness, that i may "work while it is to-day," and i have the light, and not wait for the night, when it is too dark for work to be done. may i be faithful in my work until it is completed. amen. august twenty-seventh william woollett born . james thomson died . george w. f. hegel born . who are thy playmates, boy? "my favorite is joy, who brings with him his sister peace, to stay the livelong day. i love them both; but he is most to me!" and where are thy playmates now, o man of sober brow? "alas! dear joy, the merriest is dead, but i have wed peace; and our babe, a boy newborn, is joy." --john b. tabb. depart from evil, and do good; seek peace, and pursue it. --psalm . . lord god, may i realize more my dependence on thee for the joys of life. i pray that as i accept thy gifts i will not neglect to take the peace and happiness which thou dost give with them. grant that i may have the bright hope and cheerful courage that is the experience of power and truth. amen. august twenty-eighth johann w. von goethe born . ormsby macknight mitchel born . jones very born . count lyoff (leo) tolstoy born . sir edward burne-jones born . leigh hunt died . all truly wise thoughts have been already thought a thousand times; but to make them truly ours we must think them over again honestly, till they take firm root in our personal experience. --goethe. the light that fills thy house at morn thou canst not for thyself retain; but all who with thee here are born it bids to share an equal gain. the wave, the blue encircling wave, no chain can bind, no fetter hold; its thunders tell of him who gave what none can ever buy for gold. --jones very. and the glory which thou hast given me i have given unto them --john . . father of love, i thank thee for thy daily love and for thy daily bread. may i feel that thy gifts are for all, and not mine to keep and store from those who are in need. help me as i say, "thy will be done to me," to so will it to others. amen. august twenty-ninth john locke born . john fawcett born . frederick d. maurice born . oliver wendell holmes born . maurice maeterlinck born . 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! --oliver wendell holmes. we all live in the sublime. where else can we live? that is the only place of life. though you have but a little room, do you fancy that god is not there, too, and it is impossible to live therein a life that shall be somewhat lofty? do you imagine that you can possibly be alone, that love can be a thing one knows, a thing one sees; that events can be weighed like the gold and silver of ransom? --maurice maeterlinck. my soul waiteth in silence for god only: from him cometh my salvation. --psalm . . loving father, help me to live, that my spirit may always dwell in thy protecting love. amen. august thirtieth cleopatra died b. c. . william paley born . julian a. weir born . thyself and thy belongings are not thine own so proper as to waste thyself upon thy virtues, they on thee. heaven doth with us as we with torches do, not light them for themselves; for if our virtues did not go forth of us, 'twere all alike as if we had them not. spirits are not finely touched but to fine issues, nor nature never lends the smallest scruple of her excellence, but, like a thrifty goddess, she determines herself the glory of a creditor, both thanks and use. --william shakespeare. brethren, be ye imitators together of me, and mark them that so walk even as ye have us for an ensample. --philippians . . my father, i pray that i may not let my life become commonplace through habit. may i not be content to rest in my virtues and let the days pass neglected. awaken my dull satisfactions to a desire to live for the greatest, that i may have the greatest to live for. amen. august thirty-first john bunyan died . charles james lever born . theophile gautier born . queen wilhelmina of holland born . let us be patient, and endure a while; the time may come that god may give us a happy release; but let us not be our own murderers. --john bunyan. he that is down need fear no fall; he that is low no pride; he that is humble ever shall have god to be his guide. --john bunyan. time delivers fools from grief and reason wise men. --epictetus. for our light affliction, which is for the moment, worketh for us more and more exceedingly an eternal weight of glory. -- corinthians . . my lord, if i may be walking through fields that are rough with grief and care, may i have the courage to continue on to the smooth pastures, where i may walk with comfort and peace. may i not let the weariness and sorrow that may come to my heart to-day dwarf my hope and enjoyment of the future. amen. september go forth at eventide, the eventide of summer, when the trees yield their frail honors to the passing breeze, and woodland paths with autumn tints are dyed; when the mild sun his paling luster shrouds in gorgeous draperies of golden clouds, then wander forth, mid beauty and decay, to meditate alone--alone to watch and pray. --emma c. embury. september first edward alleyn born . lydia sigourney born . james gordon bennett, sr., born . william stanley jevons born . o ye, who proudly boast, in your veins, the blood of sires like these, look to their lineaments. dread lest ye lose their likeness in your sons. should mammon cling too close around your heart, or wealth beget that bloated luxury which eats the core from manly virtue, or the tempting world make faint the christian purpose in your soul, turn ye to plymouth rock, and where they knelt kneel, and renew the vow they breathed to god. --lydia sigourney. educate children without religion, and you make a race of clever devils. --duke of wellington. remember his covenant for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. -- chronicles . . o lord of wisdom, kindle me with a love for true knowledge, that i may strive, in the moments i have now, to culture my life. not by might, not by power, but by thy spirit, o lord, may i learn and teach thy children. amen. september second john howard born . henry george born . george r. sims born . eugene field born . newell dwight hillis born . and thus we sat in darkness, each one busy in his prayer; "we are lost!" the captain shouted, as he staggered down the stair. but the little daughter whispered, as she took his icy hand, "isn't god upon the ocean, just the same as on the land?" --eugene field. happiness is through helpfulness. every morning let us build a booth to shelter some one from life's fierce heat. every noon let us dig some life-spring for thirsty lips. --newell dwight hillis. jehovah is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon, him in truth. --psalm . . heavenly father, may i live that my spirit may never feel lost from thee; and when i am in great need of thee, even unto death, may i know that thou art very near. amen. september third oliver cromwell died . george lillo died . bishop james harrington born . sarah orne jewett born . love thyself last: cherish those hearts that hate thee: corruption wins not more than honesty. still in thy right hand carry peace, to silence envious tongues. be just and fear not: let all the ends thou aim'st at be thy country's, thy god's and truth's; then if thou fallest, o cromwell, thou fallest a blessed martyr. --william shakespeare. surely, the only true knowledge of our fellow man is that which enables us to feel with him, which gives us a fine ear for the heart-pulses that are beating under the mere clothes of circumstance and opinion. --george eliot. with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love. --ephesians . . lord, give thy people consistency of judgment, one heart, and mutual love; and go on to deliver them, and with the work of the reformation; and make the name of christ glorious in the world. teach those who look too much on thy instruments to depend more upon thyself. pardon the folly of this short prayer: even for christ's sake. and give us a good night, if it be thy pleasure. amen. --prayer by oliver cromwell, just before death. september fourth pindar, poet, born b. c. . william e. dodge born . phoebe cary born . sir wilfred lawson born . i ask not wealth, but power to take and use the things i have, aright; not years, but wisdom that shall make my life a profit and delight. --phcebe gary. another day may bring another mind, a mind to learn when there is none to teach; to follow when no leader we can find; to enjoy when good is now beyond our reach. a better mind, but not a better time, a mind to will, but not a time to do what had been done, if we in life's bright prime, when god was ready, had been ready too. --thomas t. lynch. give diligence to present thyself approved unto god, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed. -- timothy . . my father, help me to have lofty thoughts, and may i not be content until they are carried into purpose. help me to conquer that which will keep me from an act of happiness, and grant that by thinking of that which is pure, and doing that which is good, i may be made helpful and true. amen. september fifth catherine parr died . cardinal richelieu born . robert fergusson born . giacomo meyerbeer born . richard c. trench born . be patient! o, be patient! put your ear against the earth; listen there how noiselessly the germ o' the seed has birth-- how noiselessly and gently it upheaves its little way, till it parts the scarcely broken ground, and the blade stands up in day. be patient! o, be patient!--though yet our hopes are green, the harvest fields of freedom shall be crowned with sunny sheen. be ripening! be ripening--mature your silent way, till the whole broad land is tongued with fire on freedom's harvest day. --richard c. trench. and let patience have its perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, lacking in nothing. --james . . gracious father, help me to see the truth as thou hast made it, and may i not be indifferent to the beauty and patience of the earth's revelations. may i not mistake indolence for patient ambition, which i would have for anxious hours, and which i need for my heart's desires. amen. september sixth moses mendelssohn born . marquis de lafayette born . jane addams born . god will not seek thy race, nor will he ask thy birth; alone he will demand of thee, what hast thou done on earth? --persian. one dreams of the time when the interest and capacity of each person shall be studied with reference to the industry about to be undertaken. --jane addams. honor is purchased by deeds we do, honor is not won, until some honorable deed is done. --sir christopher marlowe. in diligence not slothful; fervent in spirit; serving the lord. --romans . . gracious father, wilt thou bring to my mind and heart the important things which are needed in preparing life. help me to use the strength that is given to me for to-day, that i may not have to give to-morrow to learning what i should have known. amen. september seventh queen elizabeth born . comte de buffon born . victorien sardou born . hannah more died . john g. whittier died . side by side in the low sunshine by the turban stone they knelt; each made his brother's woe his own, forgetting, in the agony and stress of pitying love, his claim of selfishness; peace, for his friend besought, his own became; his prayers were answered in another's name; and when at last they rose up to embrace, each saw god's pardon in his brother's face. --john g. whittier. my care is like my shadow in the sun, follows me flying, flies when i pursue it; stands and lies by me, does what i have done, this too familiar care does make me rue it. no means i find to rid him from my breast, till by the end of things it be suppressed. --queen elizabeth. bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of christ. --galatians . . lord god, help me to look for those who are in need of help. forgive me for my failures, and may i gather up my broken promises and try to redeem them. i ask for thy forgiveness, as i ask that thou wilt help me to forgive them who may have trespassed against me. amen. september eighth richard coeur de lion born . a.w. schlegel born . antonin dvorak born . all service ranks the same with god,-- with god, whose puppets, best and worst, are we: there is no last nor first. --robert browning. thou needest not man's little life of years, save that he gather wisdom from them all; that in thy fear he lose all other fears, and in thy calling heed no other call. then shall he be thy child to know thy care, and in thy self the eternal sabbath share. --jones very. he that keepeth the commandment keepeth his soul; but he that is careless of his ways shall die. --proverbs . . my lord, forbid that i should want to live to be known only for power and pride. help me to strive for that which is helpful and lovely. may i never be restrained from thee, but delight to follow in thy way. help me to be obedient to thy laws, that i may learn thy truths. amen. september ninth battle of flodden. james the fourth of scotland killed . luigi galvani born . then welcome each rebuff that turns earth's smoothness rough, each sting that bids nor sit, nor stand but go! be our joys three-parts pain! strive and hold cheap the strain; learn, nor account the pang; dare, never grudge the throe. --robert browning. life without industry is guilt; and industry without art is brutality. --john ruskin. blessed is the man that endureth temptation; for when he hath been approved, he shall receive the crown of life. --james . . almighty god, help me as i start this day to remember how easy it is to drive the peace from it. may i do my best to keep it, and defy any indolence or disposition, that may make me spoil it. may i lay me down at night in peace and sleep because of the contentment that has filled the hours. amen. september tenth william the conqueror died . dr. thomas sheridan died . mungo park born . mrs. godwin (mary wollstonecraft) died . let the wind blow east, west, north, or south, the immortal soul will take its flight to the destined point. --thomas sheridan. he is void of true taste who strives to have his house admired by decorating it with showish outside; but to adorn our character by gentleness of a communicative temper is a proof of good taste and good nature --epictetus. let fortune empty her whole quiver on me. i have a soul that, like an empty shield, can take it all, and verge enough for more. --thomas dryden. the lord will deliver me from every evil work, and will save me unto his heavenly kingdom. -- timothy . . almighty god, i bless thee that it is thou who brought me to live on earth; and i rejoice that it is thou who wilt judge my life when thou takest me away. may i be saving thy rich gifts that i may not be found poor; and may i be worthy to receive thine inheritance and hear thee say, "well done." amen. september eleventh battle of marathon b. c. . william lowth born . james thomson born . but what is virtue but repose of mind, a pure ethereal calm, that knows no storm; above the reach of wild ambitious wind, above the passions that this world deform. --james thomson. and if i pray, the only prayer that moves my lips for me is, "leave the heart that now i bear, and give me liberty!" yes, as my swift days near their goal, 'tis all that i implore; in life and death, a chainless soul with courage to endure. --emily brontë. cast not away therefore your boldness, which hath great recompense of reward. --hebrews . . tender father, may i pause this morning to look at that which i keep uppermost in my life; and if it may not be worthy of thy esteem, may i be bold enough to revise my ideals. with thy compassion may i free my heart and mind of all unworthiness, and be given endurance to restore the empty places. amen. september twelfth jean-philippe rameau born . griffith jones died . charles dudley warner born . our duty is to be useful, not according to our desires, but according to our powers. --amiel. how good is man's life, the mere living! how fit to employ all the heart and the soul and the senses for ever in joy! --robert browning. do something! no man is born with a mortgage on his soul; but every man is born a debtor to time. meet this obligation before you find too late that your life is impoverished and you cannot redeem it. --m.b.s. let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. --ephesians . . my father, what i have left out of my life i know i cannot recover now. i pray that i may give the best to what is left. make me deliberate, that i may prove my earnestness. make me industrious, that i may use my best resources to develop my life and further thy kingdom. amen. september thirteenth william cecil born . michael de montaigne died . general wolfe died . charles james fox died . and thou, o river of to-morrow, flowing between thy narrow adamantine walls, but beautiful, and white with waterfalls and wreaths of mist, like hands the pathway showing; i hear the trumpets of the morning blowing. it is the mystery of the unknown that fascinates us; we are children still, wayward and wistful; with one hand we cling to the familiar things we call our own, and with the other, resolute of will, grope in the dark for what the day will bring. --henry w. longfellow. behold, happy is the man whom god correcteth. --job . . almighty god, i pray that thou wilt help me to correct my life to-day that i may know a better way to-morrow; and may i be mindful and try to do right. grant that i may be patient and kind if i may be sick or in need, and always keep uppermost the faith of deliverance and eternal care. amen. september fourteenth alighieri dante died . alexander baron von humboldt born . julia magruder born . charles dana gibson born . since it is providence that determines the fates of men, their inner nature is thus brought into unison. there is such harmony, as in all things of nature, that one might explain the whole without referring to a higher providence. but this only proves the more clearly and certainly this higher providence, which has given existence to this harmony. --wilhelm von humboldt. the good mariner, when he draws near the port, furls his sails and enters it softly; so ought we to lower the sails of our worldly operations, and turn to god with all heart and understanding. --dante. thy righteousness is like the mountains of god; thy judgments are a great deep: o jehovah, thou preservest man and beast. --psalm . . my father in heaven, may i hear thy voice to-day! may i be quiet as i listen to thee. above the clamor of the crowd may i hear thee calling me. may i hear thee in my joys and in my sorrows; in my work and in my leisure. may i listen to thee oftener, that i may be familiar with thy ways. amen. september fifteenth james fenimore cooper born . louis joseph martel born . porfirio diaz born . william howard taft, ohio, twenty-sixth president united states, born . friendship is one of the cheapest and most accessible of pleasures; it requires no outlay and no very serious expenditure of time or trouble. it is quite easy to make friends, if one wants to... there is surely no greater pleasure in the world than to feel one is needed, welcomed, missed, and loved. --arthur c. benson. "friendship is love without his wings." --william h. taft (from byron). without sympathy, in the highest sense of intellectual penetration, kindness may be a folly, and intended aid, oppression. --john ruskin. he that maketh many friends doeth it to his own destruction; but there is a friend that sticketh closer than a brother. --proverbs . . my father, may i know the delight of true friendship which is responsive and sincere. may i never feel so secure in myself that i will cease to want friends, or be so dependent on others that i will be continually seeking them. may i understand the value of having a stanch friend and of being one. amen. september sixteenth gabriel d. fahrenheit died . w. augustus muhlenberg born . francis parkman born . yes, to this thought i hold with firm persistence-- the last result of wisdom stamps it true: he only earns his freedom and existence who daily conquers them anew. --goethe. for thee hath been dawning another blue day; look how thou let it slip empty away. --goethe. happy the man, and happy he alone, who can call to-day his own: he who, secure within, can say, "to-morrow, do thy worst, for i have lived to-day." --john dryden. arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of jehovah is risen upon thee. --isaiah . . gracious father, help me to be alert this morning and select the noblest that is in to-day. may i be diligent and not find in the evening that i have been unworthy of the day. amen. september seventeenth samuel prout born . dr. john kidd died . walter savage landor died . in the hour of distress and misery the eye of every mortal turns to friendship; in the hour of gladness and conviviality, what is your want? it is friendship. when the heart overflows with gratitude or with other sweet and sacred sentiment, what is the word to which it would give utterance? a friend. --walter savage landor. the hurried quest of some people to get hold of new friends is so perpetual that they never have time to get acquainted with anyone. --m.b.s. thine own friend, and thy father's friend, forsake not; and go not to thy brother's house in the day of thy calamity: better is a neighbor that is near than a brother far off. --proverbs . . my lord and my friend, i pray that my sympathy may be sincere and comforting, and with a glad heart i may bring rejoicing to my friends. may i learn from thee how i may be a permanent friend. amen. september eighteenth trajan, roman emperor, born . james shirley born . samuel johnson born . joseph story born . there is no greater happiness than to be able to look on a life usefully and virtuously employed: to trace our own purposes in existence by such tokens that excite neither shame nor sorrow. --dr. johnson. the perfect poise that comes-from self-control, the poetry of action, rhythmic, sweet-- the unvexed music of the body and soul that the greeks dreamed of, made at last complete. our stumbling lives attain not such a bliss; too often, while the air we vainly beat, love's perfect law of liberty we miss. --annie matheson. brethren, i have lived before god in all good conscience until this day. --acts . . heavenly father, may i not confuse my life with rebellion, but through thy guidance find peace. help me through the perplexities that may keep me from the quietness of to-day. keep me in sight of the great plan of life, that i may grow steadfastly toward thee. amen. september nineteenth battle of poitiers . hartley coleridge born . president garfield died . be not afraid to pray--to pray is right. pray if thou canst, with hope; but ever pray though hope be weak, or sick with long delay; pray in the darkness, if there be no light. far is the time, remote from human sight, when war and discord on earth shall cease: yet every prayer for universal peace avails the time to expedite. --hartley coleridge. more things are wrought by prayer than the world dreams of. wherefore let thy voice rise like a fountain for me night and day. for what are men better than sheep or goats that nourish a blind life within the brain, if, knowing god, they lift not hands of prayer both for themselves and those who call them friend? for so the whole world is every way bound by gold chains about the feet of god. --alfred tennyson. continue stedfastly in prayer, watching therein with thanksgiving. --colossians . . o lord, give me the desire to pray, and teach me to pray as thou wouldst have my needs. sustain me, that i may overcome my weaknesses, and strengthen me, that i may have thine approval. may i be reverent and unselfish as i come to thee in prayer. amen. september twentieth battle of salamis b. c. . alexander the great born b. c. . robert emmet died . david ross locke (petroleum v. nasby) born . 'tis weary watching wave by wave, and yet the tide heaves onward; we climb, like corals, grave by grave, that pave a pathway sunward. we're driven back, for our next fray a newer strength to borrow; and where the vanguard camps to-day, the rear shall rest to-morrow. --gerald massey. be like the bird, that, pausing in her flight a while on boughs too slight, feels them give way beneath her, and yet sings, knowing that she hath wings. --victor hugo. trust in jehovah, and do good; dwell in the land, and feed on his faithfulness. --psalm . . eternal god, help me to realize that life is not only endless but, whether i live in love and obedience, or wait in neglect and indifference, that i can never separate myself from thee. may i be diligent in worthy endeavors to do my best for thee. amen. september twenty-first girolamo savonarola born . emperor charles v died . sir walter scott died . it is the secret sympathy, the silver link, the silken tie, which heart to heart and mind to mind in body and in soul can bind. --sir walter scott. no action, whether foul or fair, is ever done, but it carves somewhere a record, written by fingers ghostly, as a blessing or a curse, and mostly in the greater weakness or greater strength of the acts which follow it. --henry w. longfellow. and he said unto them, look on me, and do likewise: and, behold, when i come to the outermost part of the camp, it shall be that, as i do, so shall ye do. --judges . . loving father, may i remember that from the beginning, all things were created beautiful and were given for love. i pray that i may be willing to be guided to the beautiful things of life and receive from them the delight of thy love. amen. september twenty-second peter simon pallas born . michael faraday born . theodore edward hook born . man learns to swim by being tossed into life's maelstrom and left to make his way ashore. no youth can learn to sail his life-craft in a lake sequestered and sheltered from all the storms, where other vessels never come. skill comes through sailing one's craft amidst rocks and bars and opposing fleets, amidst storms and whirls and counter currents. --newell dwight hillis. o, a trouble's a ton or a trouble's an ounce, or a trouble is what you make it! and it isn't the fact that you're hurt that counts, but only--how did you take it? --edmund c. vance. and thus, having patiently endured, he obtained the promise. --hebrews . . tender father, may i not encourage the disposition to enlarge and make much of the troubles and disappointments of life, and make light of the joys and privileges. i pray that i may keep a large place for happiness. amen. september twenty-third karl theodore körner born . hjalmar hjorth boyesen born . wilkie collins died . m.f.h. de haas died . when over the fair fame of friend or foe the shadow of disgrace shall fall; instead of words to blame, or reproof of thus and so, let something good be said. forget not that no fellow-being yet may fall so low but love may lift his head; even the cheek of shame with tears is wet if something good be said. --author unknown. the right christian mind will ... find its own image wherever it exists; it will seek for what it loves, and draw out of all dens and caves, and it will believe in its being, often when it cannot see it; and so it will lie lovingly over the faults and rough places of the human heart, as the snow from heaven does over the hard, and black, and broken mountain rocks. --john ruskin. to him that is ready to faint kindness should be showed from his friend. --job . . lord god, grant that after years of climbing i may not find the mist in my soul has dulled the vision of thy glory. keep me from the habit of looking for faults, and missing the virtues in others. forbid that i should be so occupied in taking measure of other lives that i neglect to measure my own. amen. september twenty-fourth john marshall born . zachary taylor, virginia, twelfth president united states, born . s.r. crockett born . get the truth once uttered, and 'tis like a star newborn that drops into its place, and which, once circling in its placid round, not all the tumult of the earth can shake. --james russell lowell. if you would be well spoken of, learn to speak well of others. and when you have learned to speak well of them, endeavor likewise to do well to them; and reap the fruit of being well spoken of by them. --epictetus. he that slandereth not with his tongue, nor doeth evil to his friend, nor taketh up a reproach against his neighbor; he that doeth these things shall never be moved. --psalm . , . lord god, i bless thee for the lives of men and women who are willing to be led by the truth, and who are worthy to follow thee. i pray that thou wilt make me truthful, and keep me steadfast, that none may go astray by the uncertainty of my way. amen. september twenty-fifth william romaine born . felicia d. hemans born . w.m. rossetti born . not as the conqueror comes, they, the true-hearted, came; not with the roll of the stirring drums, and the trumpet songs of fame: amidst the storm they sang, and the stars heard and the sea; and the sounding aisles of the dim woods rang to the anthem of the free. ay, call it holy ground, the soil where first they trod; they have left unstained what there they found-- freedom to worship god. --felicia d. hemans. but they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig-tree; and none shall make them afraid. --micah . . eternal god, may i look to the pilgrims and learn that to pray by faith with the heart is not to pray by faith of the imagination. help me to pray, and have faith to struggle for that which i would rightfully have. amen. september twenty-sixth admiral cuthbert collingwood born . dr. mary walker born . irving bacheller born . frederic william faber died . god is never so far off as even to be near-- he is within: our spirit is the home he holds most dear. to think of him as by our side is almost as untrue as to remove his throne beyond the starry blue. --f.w. faber. nearer, my god, to thee, nearer to thee! e'en though it be a cross that raiseth me; still all my song shall be-- nearer, my god, to thee, nearer to thee! --sarah f. adams. my righteousness i hold fast, and will not let it go: my heart shall not reproach me so long as i live. --job . . my father, may i consider the place in which i stand: and may i not be deceived in thinking i am near thee while i am living far away. teach me the way to draw nearer to thee each day, until my spirit may continually dwell with thee. amen. september twenty-seventh george cruikshank born . samuel francis dupont born . aimé millet born . henri frédéric arniel born . the man who has no refuge in himself, who lives, so to speak, in his front rooms, in the outer whirlwind of things and opinions, is not properly a personality at all; ... he is one of a crowd. --amiel. happy the heart that keeps its twilight hour, and in the depths of heavenly peace reclined, loves to commune with thoughts of tender power-- thoughts that ascend, like angels beautiful. --paul hamilton hayne. the art of meditation may be exercised at all hours and in all places; and men of genius in their walks, at table, and amidst assemblies, turning the eye of the mind inward, can form an artificial solitude; retired amidst a crowd, calm amidst distractions, and wise amidst folly. --disraeli. commune with your own heart upon your bed, and be still. --psalm . . heavenly father, save me from being so poor in spirit, that i will have to be sustained by the bright spirits of others. may i be continually refreshed by the spirit of life that may be found at all times. amen. september twenty-eighth francis turner palgrave born . frances e. willard born . general john d. french born . mary anderson born . unless there is a predominating and overmastering purpose to which all the accessories and incidents of life contribute, the character will be weak, irresolute, uncertain. --frances e. willard. life is not an idle ore, but iron dug from central gloom, and heated hot with burning fears, and dipt in baths of hissing tears, and battered with the shocks of doom to shape and use. --alfred tennyson. he that doubteth is like the surge of the sea driven by the wind and tossed.... a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways. --james . , . o god, help me to be positive. may i not want to be in so many places, and in so many things, that i can never be found in anything. help me to know that a purpose secured is worth many attempts, and that to have a character i must build it. amen. september twenty-ninth pompey killed b.c. . robert lord clive born . horatio nelson born . o strange and wild is the world of men which the eyes of the lord must see-- with continents, inlands, tribes, and tongues, with multitudes bond and free! all kings of the earth bow down to him, and yet--he can think of me. for none can measure the mind of god or the bounds of eternity, he knows each life that has come from him, to the tiniest bird and bee, for the love of his heart is so deep and wide that it takes in even me. --mary e. allbright. are not two sparrows sold for a penny? and not one of them shall fall on the ground without your father: but the very hairs of your head are all numbered. --matthew . , . almighty god, cause me to look out this morning, and open wide my eyes, that i may see what great preparation thou hast made that i might live. may i be ashamed to start wrong and be unworthy of the glory of this day. amen. september thirtieth george whitefield died . william hutton born . john dollond died . up, up, my soul, the long-spent time redeeming; sow thou the seeds of better deeds and thought; light other lamps while yet thy lamp is beaming-- the time is short. think of the good thou might'st have done when brightly the suns to thee life's choicest season brought; hours lost to god in pleasure passing lightly-- the time is short. if thou hast friends, give them thy best endeavor, thy warmest impulse, and thy purest thought, keeping in mind and words and action ever-- the time is short. --elizabeth prentiss. what is your life? for ye are a vapor that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. --james . . loving father, help me to realize that i am not living in the right way nor the right place if i am discontented, or happy in trifles and untruth. help me to find my place, and with thy help may i stand firm and confident. amen. october the morns are meeker than they were, the nuts are getting brown; the berry's cheek is plumper, the rose is out of town. the maple wears a gayer scarf, the field a scarlet gown; lest i should be old-fashioned, i'll put a trinket on. --emily dickinson. october first saint john viscount bolingbroke born . pierre corneille died . rufus choate born . he speaks not well who doth his time deplore, naming it new and a little obscure, ignoble and unfit for lofty deeds. all times were modern in the time of them, and this no more than others. do thy part here in the living day, as did the great who made old days immortal. --richard watson gilder. he who is false to present duty breaks a thread in the loom, and will find the flaw when he may have forgotten the cause. --henry ward beecher. for use almost can change the stamp of nature, and master the devil, or throw him out with wondrous potency. --william shakespeare. and when daniel knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house (now his windows were open in his chamber toward jerusalem;) and he kneeled upon his knees three times a day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his god, as he did aforetime. --daniel . . heavenly father, help me to get away from doubt that leads to despair. give me a vision of hope that is stayed on faith. may i be conscious and appreciative of my privileges while they come to me and make them immortal. amen. october second aristotle died b.c. . major john andre hanged . william ellery channing died . i am not earth-born, though i here delay; hope's child, i summon infiniter powers, and laugh to see the mild sunny day smile on the shrunk and thin autumnal hours; i laugh, for hope hath a happy place for me-- if my bark sinks, 'tis to another sea. --william e. channing. the stars shall fade away, the sun himself grow dim with age, and nature sink in years; but thou shall flourish in immortal youth, unhurt amidst the war of elements, the wreck of matter and the crush of worlds. --thomas addison. for with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light. --psalm . . my father, i would pray that my sense of gloom may not be more than thy grace. may the glorious light of thy love break through my disheartened soul, and reveal the sincerity of thy promises, that i may be happy in thy care. amen. october third robert barclay died . george bancroft born . william morris died . come hither, lads, and harken, for a tale there is to tell of the wonderful days a-coming, when all shall be better than well. come, then, let us cast off fooling, and put by ease and rest, for the cause alone is worthy till the good days bring the best. --william morris. man's life is but a working day whose tasks are set aright; a time to work, a time to pray, and then a quiet night. and then, please god, a quiet night where palms are green and robes are white; a long-drawn breath, a balm for sorrow, and all things lovely on the morrow. --christina g. rossetti. and the ransomed of jehovah shall return, and come with singing unto zion; and everlasting joy shall be upon their heads. --isaiah . . heavenly father, help me to see that before the night thou hadst planned the morning, and that thou hast never sent the night without the hope of the morning. before i rest in the night may i be ready for the morning. amen. october fourth francis of assisi died . edmund malone born . françois guizot born . jean françois millet born . rutherford b. hayes, ohio, nineteenth president united states, born . m.e. braddon born . we ought to rise day by day with a certain zest, a clear intention, a design to make the most of every hour; not to let the busy hours shoulder each other or tread on each other's heels, but to force every action to give up its strength and sweetness. there is work to be done, and there are empty hours to be filled as well.... but, most of all, there must be something to quicken, enliven, practice the soul. --arthur c. benson. men's souls ought to be left to see clearly; not jaundiced, blinded, twisted all awry, by revenge, moral abhorrence, and the like. --thomas carlyle. but there is a spirit in man, and the breath of the almighty giveth them understanding. --job . . spirit of life, i pray that thou wilt continually live within me. may my days be spent neither in waste nor idleness, but planned to use, with the best that is given me. amen. october fifth jonathan edwards born . denis diderot born . horace walpole born . nancy hanks died . chester a. arthur, vermont, twenty-first president united states, born . h.r. guy de maupassant born . earth gets its price for what earth gives us; the beggar is taxed for a corner to die in, the priest has his fee who comes and shrives us, we bargain for the graves we lie in; at the devil's booth are all things sold, each ounce of dross costs its ounce of gold; for a cap and bells our lives we pay, bubbles we buy with a whole soul's tasking; 'tis heaven alone that is given away, 'tis only god may be had for the asking. --james russell lowell. the free gift of god is eternal life. --romans . . gracious father, may the world speak to me of thy gifts, and of the peace and power which it freely offers. may i not pass by thy great appeals, and prefer to purchase at a great cost my indolence and dissipation. amen. october sixth jenny lind goldschmidt born . harriet g. hosmer born . charles stewart parnell died . alfred tennyson died . the heart which boldly faces death upon the battlefield, and dares cannon and bayonet, faints beneath the needle-points of frets and cares. the stoutest spirits they dismay-- the tiny stings of every day. ah! more than martyr's aureole and more than hero's heart of fire, we need the humble strength of soul which daily toils and ills require. sweet patience, grant us, if you may an added grace for every day. --adelaide a. procter. sunset and evening star, and one clear call for me! and may there be no moaning of the bar, when i put out to sea. --alfred tennyson. fret not thyself. --proverbs . . my father, i pray that i may not be dismayed over life, and its trifles. help me to master difficulties great and small, and give me patience through all until i reach the untroubled way. amen. october seventh sir philip sidney died . edgar allan poe died . oliver wendell holmes died . mary j. holmes died . yet in opinions look not always back; your wake is nothing, mind the coming track; leave what you've done for what you have to do; don't be "consistent," but be simply true. --oliver wendell holmes. a foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds, adored by little statesmen and philosophers and divines. with consistency a great soul has nothing to do. --ralph waldo emerson. speak unto the children of israel, that they go forward. --exodus . . heavenly father, i pray that i may not be so consistent in the small things of life that i will lose the great inspirations that come to the soul. broaden my life, that i may have the freedom of heart and mind to pass over the failures and interruptions, and with vigorous energy continue in the progress of life. amen. october eighth caroline howard gilman born . edmund clarence stedman born . john hay born . he weren't no saint; them engineers is pretty much alike-- one wife in natchez-under-the-hill, another one here in pike; a keerless man in his talk was jim, and an awkward hand in a row, but he never flunked, and he never lied-- i reckon he never knowed how. --john hay. he is brave whose tongue is silent of the trophies of his word. he is great whose quiet bearing marks his greatness well assured. --edwin arnold. the pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, god, i thank thee, that i am not as the rest of men. --luke . . lord god, thou knowest what i am and where i belong. have mercy upon me and strengthen me, that i may not through weakness stay in the darkness. lead me out into the light; and may i find my way and be contented with it. amen. october ninth michael cervantes born . jacques auguste de thuanus (de thou) born . charles camilla saint-saëns born . i will not doubt, though all my ships at sea come drifting home with broken masts and sails; i shall believe the hand which never fails from seeming evil worketh good for me; and though i weep because those sails are battered, still will i cry, while my best hopes lie shattered, "i trust in thee." --ella wheeler wilcox.[ ] cease every joy to glimmer on my mind. but leave, o leave the light of hope behind. --thomas campbell. hope deferred maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life. --proverbs . . loving father, help me to pass by my discouragements of yesterday and look into the hope of to-day. make me more careful of my strength, and less forgetful of thy promises and of my trust. amen. [footnote : special permission w.b. conkey, hammond, indiana. copyright .] october tenth henry cavendish born . benjamin west born . hugh miller born . giuseppe verdi born . fridtjof nansen born . we cannot make bargains for blisses, nor catch them like fishes in nets; and sometimes the thing our life misses helps more than the thing which it gets. for good lieth not in pursuing, nor gaining of great nor small, but just in the doing and doing as we would be done by is all. --alice gary. true, it is most painful not to meet the kindness and affection you feel you have deserved, and have a right to expect from others; but it is a mistake to complain, for it is no use; you cannot extort friendship with a cocked pistol. --sydney smith. thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself. --matthew . . lord god, help me to understand that true affection is not that which as it gives feels it merits return. may i avoid being selfish and stubborn; and with my affections give peace and joy. amen. october eleventh sir thomas wyatt died . dr. samuel clarke born . james barry born . ask god to give thee skill in comfort's art, that thou may'st consecrated be and set apart, unto a life of sympathy; for heavy is the weight of ill in every heart; and comforters are needed much of christlike touch. --alexander hamilton. the man who melts with social sympathy though not allied, is than a thousand kinsmen of more worth. --euripides. who comforteth us in all our affliction, that we may be able to comfort them that are in any affliction, through the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of god. -- corinthians . . heavenly father, thou hast made sympathy divine. may i never make it commonplace. grant that as thou dost bless and comfort me i may be willing to comfort others, and do whatsoever thou wouldst have me do. amen. october twelfth columbus discovered america . lyman beecher born . george w. cable born . helena modjeska born . one poor day! remember whose and how short it is! it is god's day, it is columbus's. one day with life and heart is more than time enough to found a world. --james russell lowell. an illusion haunts us, that a long duration, as a year, a decade, a century, is valuable. but an old french sentence says, "god works in moments." we ask for long life, but 'tis deep life or grand moments that signify. let the measure of time be spiritual, not mechanical. life is unnecessarily long. moments of insight, of fine personal relation, a smile, a glance--what ample borrowers of eternity they are! --ralph waldo emerson. one day is with the lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. -- peter . . my father, i pray that when the "sun sets to-day my hope may not set with it." be with me earlier than the dawn, that i may plan with thee a new day. i pray that thou wilt release me from anything that keeps me from reaching the highest. amen. october thirteenth theodore beza died . murat, king of naples, shot . elizabeth fry died . what stronger breast-plate than a heart untainted! thrice is he armed that hath his quarrel just, and he but naked, though locked up in steel, whose conscience with injustice is corrupted. --william shakespeare. a man's accusations of himself are always believed, his praises never. --montaigne. justice needs that two be heard. --from goethe's autobiography. that which is altogether just shalt thou follow, that thou mayest live. --deuteronomy . . lord of justice, if i may be influenced this morning by doubt and am inclined to be resentful, wilt thou cause me to have a generous spirit and keep my faith. may i never descend to anything base or deceitful, but may i remember that if i lay down my life, i may have the power to take it up again. amen. october fourteenth william penn born . james fenimore cooper died . duke of wellington died . do good with what thou hast, or it will do thee no good. if thou wouldst be happy, bring thy mind to thy condition, and have an indifferency for more than what is sufficient. --william penn. the finest fruit earth holds up to its maker is a finished man. --humboldt. i considered napoleon's presence in the field equal to forty men in the balance. --duke of wellington. what is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? for thou hast made him but little lower than god, and crownest him with glory and honor. --psalm . , . eternal god, may i know the value of the gift of life. may i think seriously of it, and not through abuse or neglect cripple it, remembering that it is mine to sow, to grow, and to reap. i pray that i may care more for the food and raiment of my soul than i care for the food and raiment of my body. amen. october fifteenth virgil born b.c. . evangelista torricelli born . edward fitzgerald born . being not unacquainted with woe, i learned to help the unfortunate. --virgil. there are some hearts like wells green-mossed and deep as ever summer saw, and cool their water is, yea, cool and sweet; but you must come to draw. they hoard not, yet they rest in calm content, and not unsought will give; they can be quiet with their wealth unspent, so self-contained they live. --author unknown. for out of much affliction and anguish of heart i wrote unto you with many tears; not that ye should be made sorry, but that ye might know the love which i have more abundantly unto you. -- corinthians . . gracious father, help me to understand that while i may be content to rest with what i have gathered, i cannot preserve the strength of my soul unless i share my possessions. give me a passion for humanity that will advance gifts through love, and offer service without the need of an appeal. amen. october sixteenth bishop hugh latimer burned at oxford . albrecht von haller born . noah webster born . robert stephenson born . as ships meet at sea--a moment together, when words of greeting must be spoken, and then away upon the deep--so men meet in this world; and i think we should cross no man's path without hailing him, and if he needs, giving him supplies. --henry ward beecher. nothing is more unaccountable than the spell that often lurks in a spoken word. a thought may be present to the mind, and two minds conscious of the same thought, but as long as it remains unspoken their familiar talk flows quietly over the hidden idea. --nathaniel hawthorne. and if ye salute your brethren only, what do ye more than others? --matthew . . heavenly father, i pray that thou wilt give me a generous heart. may i not lose sight of the truth, that thou hast made others to have the same needs and wants that i may have. may i not through pride or egoism fail to help, and neglecting to speak, miss an opportunity to assist. may i be self-forgetful in friendly service. amen. october seventeenth andreas osiander died . frederic chopin died . good name, in man or woman, dear my lord, is the immediate jewel of their souls; who steals my purse, steals trash; 'tis something, nothing; 'twas mine, 'tis his, and has been slave to thousands; but he that filches from me my good name robs me of that which not enriches him, and makes me poor indeed. --william shakespeare. keep back your tears when a soul is untrue; "sorrow is shallow"; and one can wade through the mud and the marshes, and still endure if he finds he has kept his spirit pure. the rose near died when it fell to its lot to break its heart for forget-me-not; but after its heart was healed by the dew, right by its side a sweet violet grew! --m.b.s. a good name is rather to be chosen than great riches, and loving favor rather than silver and gold. --proverbs . . my father, teach me the value of the possessions that can neither be handled nor seen; and may i not take them away from others. help me to keep thy commandment "thou shalt not steal," and interpret it in all its relations to life. amen. october eighteenth matthew henry born . margaret (peg) woffington born . helen hunt jackson born . frederick harrison born . yet i argue not against heaven's hand or will, nor bate a jot of heart of hope;, but still bear up and steer right onward. --john milton. write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. no man has learned anything rightly until he knows that every day is doomsday. --ralph waldo emerson. he mourns that day so soon has glided by: e'en like the passage of an angel's tear that falls through the clear ether silently. --john keats. i will instruct thee and teach thee in the way which thou shalt go: i will counsel thee with mine eye upon thee. --psalm . . my father, if i may be living in bad habits, help me to get out of them. if i may be neglectful of good deeds, help me to get at them. may i reach for the highest purposes as i search for the realities, and may i not delay, but start to-day. amen. october nineteenth dean (jonathan) swift died . leigh hunt born . henry kirke white died . don't look too hard except for something agreeable; we can find all the disagreeable things we want, between our own hats and boots. --leigh hunt. instead of a gem or a flower, cast the gift of a lovely thought into the heart of a friend. --george macdonald. for the want of common discretion the very end of good breeding is wholly perverted; and civility, intended to make us easy, is employed in laying chains and fetters upon us, in debarring our wishes, and in crossing our most reasonable desires and inclinations. --jonathan swift. if it be possible, as much as in you lieth, be at peace with all men. --romans . . my lord, help me to adjust my life to what i ought to be, rather than be content in what i am. may i not spend my time in dreaming of obstacles, or searching for things that hurt, but may i be gentle and kind, and as i see the truth speak for it and follow it. amen. october twentieth sir christopher wren born . thomas hughes born . charles dudley warner died . there has always seemed to me something impious in the neglect of health. i could not do half the good i do if it were not for the strength and activity some consider coarse and degrading. --charles kingsley. to keep well drink often, but water; eat not that which makes life shorter; but first, with all your might and skill, just chain your habits to your will. --m.b.s. i will be lord over myself. no one who cannot master himself is worthy to rule, and only he can rule. --goethe. know ye not that your body is a temple of the holy spirit which is in you, which ye have from god? -- corinthians . . lord god, may i not wait until i am afflicted and cannot use them to thank thee for my blessings. guard me against infirmities that are brought on through indulgences, and help me to control my life. may i never forget that regret will not retrieve the life that is spent, even if it brings forgiveness and hope for the days to come. amen. october twenty-first samuel taylor coleridge born . alphonse lamartine born . samuel f. smith born . will carleton born . he prayeth best who loveth best all things both great and small; for the dear god who loveth us, he made and loveth all. --samuel taylor coleridge. we thank thee, o father, for all that is bright-- the gleam of the day and the stars of the night, the flowers of our youth and the fruits of our prime, and the blessings that march down the pathway of time. --will carleton. thanklessness is a parching wind, drying up the fountain of pity, the dew of mercy, the streams of grace. for doth not that rightly seem to be lost which is given to one ungrateful? --saint bernard. o give thanks unto jehovah; for he is good; for his lovingkindness endureth for ever. --psalm . . my father, help me to understand that i cannot have self-development unless the spirit of truth drills my character. cleanse my heart from all impurity, and strengthen me for all usefulness: help me to daily live this prayer. amen. october twenty-second charles martel died . franz liszt born . george eliot born . sarah bernhardt born . o may i join the choir invisible of those immortal dead who live again in minds made better by their presence: live in pulses stirred to generosity, in deeds of daring rectitude, in scorn for miserable aims that end with self, in thoughts sublime that pierce the night like stars, and with their mild persistence urge man's search to vaster issues. this is life to come, which martyred men have made more glorious for us to strive to follow. may i reach that purest heaven, be to other souls the cup of strength in some great agony, enkindle generous ardor, feed pure love, beget the smiles that have no cruelty, 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. and i give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish. --john . . my father, i pray that i may be more generous with my smiles and gladness, and more saving with my tears and sadness. amen. october twenty-third anne oldfield died . robert bridges born . mollie elliot seawell born . o youth whose hope is high, who doth to truth aspire, whether thou live or die, o look not back nor tire. thou that art bold to fly through tempest, flood and fire, nor dost not shrink to try thy heart in torments dire-- if thou canst death defy, if thy faith is entire, press onward, for thine eye shall see thy heart's desire. --robert bridges. doubt indulged becomes doubt realized. to determine to do anything is half the battle. courage is victory, timidity is defeat. --nelson. and thou, son of man, be not afraid of them, neither be afraid of their words, though briers and thorns are with thee, and thou dost dwell among scorpions. --ezekiel . . gracious father, try me again by the courage i have to-day, if thou art judging me by the fear i held yesterday. help me to see that wavering is misleading and temperament is deceptive. may i learn self-control. amen. october twenty-fourth hugh capet died . sir moses montefiore born . daniel webster died . exceeding peace made ben adhem bold, and to the presence in the room he said, "what writest thou?" the vision raised its head, and, with a look made of all sweet accord, answered, "the names of those who love the lord." "and is mine one?" said abou. "nay, not so," replied the angel. abou spoke more low, but cheerily still; and said, "i pray thee, then, write me as one that loves his fellow men." the angel wrote, and vanished. the next night it came again, with a great awakening light, and showed the names whom love of god had blessed-- and, lo! ben adhem's name led all the rest! --leigh hunt. call unto me, and i will answer thee, and will show thee great things. --jeremiah . . lord god, may i keep within my heart that secret sympathy that adds to the power of life. help me to seek the things that are real, and not be deceived by the things which only appear to be. may all with whom i have to do feel the better for my companionship. amen. october twenty-fifth geoffrey chaucer died . william hogarth died . george w. faber born . thomas b. macaulay born . wav'ring as winds the breath of fortune blows, no power can turn it, and no prayers compose. deep in some hermit's solitary cell, repose, and ease, and contemplation dwell. let conscience guide thee in the days of need, judge well thy own, and then thy neighbor's deed. --geoffrey chaucer. to every man upon this earth death cometh soon or late; and how can man die better than facing fearful odds, for the ashes of his fathers and the temples of his gods. --thomas b. macaulay. even as the son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many. --matthew . . heavenly father, help me to remember that i am to cover life's journey, even though i may go the way carelessly and aimlessly. may i make an estimate of what i am losing, by waiting so long at the resting places, "for the road winds up hill all the way to the end, and the journey takes the whole day long, from morn to night." amen. october twenty-sixth dr. philip doddridge died . count von moltke born . elizabeth cady stanton died . one of the notable eddies of the present-day world currents is what has been loosely called the "woman movement." the sensitive and vicarious spirit of womanhood has been enlisted for service in behalf of those who have been denied a fair chance, or who are the victims of oppression, greed, and ignorance. --william t. ellis. and whether consciously or not, you must be in many a heart enthroned: queens you must always be: queens to your lovers; queens to your husbands and sons; queens of higher mystery to the world beyond, which bows itself, and will forever bow, before the myrtle crown, and the stainless scepter of womanhood. --john ruskin. o woman, great is thy faith: be it done unto thee even as thou wilt. --matthew . . lord and master of all, i pray that thou wilt make me see through my prejudices and beyond my desires to the very "top of my condition." may i not wait for places or circumstances that are dimly in the distance or that are near at hand, but accomplish the work i should do to-day. amen. october twenty-seventh james cook born . nicolo paganini born . theodore roosevelt, new york, twenty-fifth president united states, born . the vice of envy is not only a dangerous, but a mean vice; for it is always a confession of inferiority. it may promote conduct which will be fruitful of wrong to others, and it must cause misery to the man who feels it. --theodore roosevelt. of all the passions, jealousy is that which exacts the hardest service, and pays the bitterest wages. its service is to watch the success of one's enemy; its wages to be sure of it. --c.c. colton. dear to me is the friend, yet i can also make use of an enemy. the friend shows me what i can do, the foe teaches me what i should. --schiller. let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another. --galatians . . almighty god, i would ask thee that my days be filled with aspiration, and that my heart may know no envy. help me to love humanity. may i be so glad of the success of others that i may never know what it is to be envious. amen. october twenty-eighth desiderius erasmus born . john locke died . georges jacques danton born . not so in haste, my heart! have faith in god and wait; although he linger long, he never comes too late. until he cometh, rest, nor grudge the hours that roll; the feet that wait for god are soonest at the goal; are soonest at the goal that is not gained by speed; then hold thee still, my heart, for i shall wait his lead. --bayard taylor. it is good that a man should hope and quietly wait for the salvation of jehovah. --lamentations . . lord of life, may i pause to remember that rest may not be obtained with wretched thoughts, nor can it be enjoyed in discontent. in my moments of rest wilt thou show me how to relax, and with tranquillity may i gather hope for renewed ambition. amen. october twenty-ninth sir walter raleigh beheaded . james boswell born . john keats born . thomas bayard born . thomas edward brown died . rise, o my soul, with thy desires to heaven, and with divinest contemplation use thy time where time's eternity is given, and let vain thoughts no more thy thoughts abuse; but down in darkness let them lie: so live thy better, let thy worse thoughts die! --sir walter raleigh. the great elements we know of are no mean comforters; the open sky sits upon our senses like a sapphire crown--the air is our robe of state, the earth is our throne, and the sea a mighty minstrel playing before it. --john keats. ah lord jehovah! behold, thou hast made the heavens and the earth by thy great power and by thine outstretched arm; there is nothing too hard for thee. --jeremiah . . almighty god, i thank thee for the power that gives me the breath of life. may i be willing to be controlled by its guiding care. amen. october thirtieth rev. john whitaker died . john adams, massachusetts, second president united states, born . adelaide anne procter born . and yet thou canst know, and yet thou canst not see; wisdom and sight are slow in poor humanity. if thou couldst trust, poor soul, in him who rules the whole, thou wouldst find peace and rest; wisdom and right are well, but trust is best. --adelaide anne procter. the heart to speak in vain essayed, nor could his purpose reach-- his will nor voice nor tongue obeyed, his silence was his speech. --john quincy adams. but still believe that story wrong which ought not to be true. --richard brinsley sheridan. blessed is the man that maketh jehovah his trust. --psalm . . my father, may i not be given to unkindly speech. deliver me from a critical spirit; and may i not encourage mistrust, but cultivate the kindly considerations in which life abounds. amen. october thirty-first all hallow's eve. john evelyn born . christopher anstey born . ere, in the northern gale the summer tresses of the trees are gone, the woods of autumn, all around our vale, have put their glory on. the mountains that unfold, in their wide sweep, the colored landscape round, seem groups of giant kings, in purple and gold, that guard the enchanted ground. ah! 'twere a lot too blessed forever in thy colored shades to stray; amid the kisses of the soft southwest to rove and dream for aye; and leave the vain low strife that makes men mad; the tug for wealth and power, the passions and the cares that wither life, and waste its little hour. --william cullen bryant. let the field exult, and all that is therein; then shall all the trees of the wood sing for joy. --psalm . . my father, may i have an appreciation of the wonderful creations of the earth. give me a discriminating eye, that i may know the precious things that thou art growing; and throughout my life may i love the beautiful, and choose that which will make my life worthy of growth. amen. november who said november's face was grim? who said her voice was harsh and sad? i heard her sing in wood paths dim, i met her on the shore so glad, so smiling, i could kiss her feet! there never was a month so sweet. --lucy larcom. november first sir matthew hale born . william m. chase born . sir robert grant died . o worship the king, all glorious above, o gratefully sing his power and his love; our shield and defender, the ancient of days, pavilioned in splendor, and girded with praise. thy bountiful care what tongue can recite? it breathes in the air, it shines in the light; it streams from the hills, it descends to the plain, and sweetly distills in the dew and the rain. --robert grant. ye shall walk in all the way which jehovah your god hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess. --deuteronomy . . almighty god, help me to make my life refulgent while i have the abundance of summer, that i may not find the november of life bleak and barren. help me to live in the realities of life, that i may gain energy and repose, to use for the lonesome and anxious hours. may i be watchful for the conditions that thwart life, and with patience wait for the awakening of truth. amen. november second marie antoinette born . field-marshal radetzky born . james knox polk, north carolina, eleventh president united states, born . overmastering pain--the most deadly and tragical element in life--alas! pain has its own way with all of us; it breaks in, a rude visitant, upon the fairy garden where the child wanders in a dream, no less surely than it rules upon the field of battle, or sends the immortal war-god whimpering to his father; and innocence, no more than philosophy, can protect us from this sting. --robert louis stevenson. my hopes retire; my wishes as before struggle to find their resting place in vain; the ebbing sea thus beats against the shore; the shore repels it; it returns again. --w.s. landor. yet jehovah will command his loving-kindness in the day-time, and in the night his song shall be with me. --psalm . . loving father, i bless thee for thy goodness and tender mercy which is over all. may i trust thy provision and love through all circumstances, and as i trust myself to thee may i have faith to believe that thou wilt give me strength for what i may have to endure, and believe that thou wilt care for me, as thou dost care for all. amen. november third lucan born a.d. . william cullen bryant born . francis d. millet born . john watson (ian maclaren) born . pearl mary teresa craigie (john oliver hobbes) born . whither, midst falling dew, while glow the heavens with the last steps of day, far, through their rosy depths, dost thou pursue thy solitary way! vainly the fowler's eye might mark thy distant flight to do thee wrong, as, darkly painted on the crimson sky, thy figure floats along. he who, from zone to zone, guides through the boundless sky thy certain flight, in the long way that i must tread alone, will lead my steps aright. --william cullen bryant. for jehovah your god dried up the waters of the jordan from before you, until ye were passed over. --joshua . . almighty god, help me to guard against gratification that leads to disappointment, that i may not miss the true way. i pray that thou wilt lift me in my weakness, and carry me over the rough and discouraging places, that i may be made strong in thy loving care, and be able to continue alone. amen. november fourth guido reni born . james montgomery born . edmund keane born . ernest howard crosby born . eugene field died . keep me, i pray, in wisdom's way, that i may truths eternal seek; i need protecting care to-day-- my purse is light, my flesh is weak. --eugene field. no one could tell me where my soul might be, i searched for god, but god eluded me. i sought my brother out, and found all three. --ernest h. crosby. in all thy ways acknowledge him, and he will direct thy paths. --proverbs . . my father, may i not face the going down of the sun to-day, looking at life, in a mirror that reflects my own privileges and prejudices, but may i see it as it is, known to those who are living to make it better. may the days to come prove my sincerity in wanting the truth that i might live by it, and help to do good with it. amen. november fifth hans sachs born . dr. john brown born . benjamin butler born . the thing that goes the farthest toward making life worth while, that costs the least, and does the most, is just a pleasant smile. that smile that bubbles from a heart that loves its fellow men will drive away the cloud of gloom and coax the sun again. --anonymous. one whom i knew intimately, and whose memory i revere, once in my hearing remarked that, "unless we love people we cannot understand them." this was a new light to me. --christina g. rossetti. oil and perfume rejoice the heart; so doth the sweetness of a man's friend that cometh of hearty counsel. --proverbs . . lord god, i pray that i may be worthy of my friends. may i not fear to go where i am called, and may i go cheerfully, even though the way be dark and lonesome. amen. november sixth james gregory born . john bright born . sir george williams died . look full into thy spirit's self, the world of mystery scan; what if thy way to faith in god should lie through faith in man? --john bright. blessed are they who have the gift of making friends, for it is one of god's best gifts. it involves many things, but above all, the power of going out of oneself and seeing and appreciating whatever is noble and loving in another. --thomas hughes. be perfected; be comforted; be of the same mind; live in peace: and the god of love and peace shall be with you. -- corinthians . . lord god, i earnestly entreat thee to show me if i may be cramping the happiness in another's life by forcing in my selfishness and demands. may i understand that perfect gifts are those that come through loving sacrifice. make me ashamed to ask for what i refuse or prefer not to give. amen. november seventh sir martin frobisher died . william stukeley born . friedrich leopold, count von stolberg, born . once to every man and nation comes the moment to decide, in the strife of truth with falsehood, for the good or evil side; some great cause, god's new messiah offering each the bloom or blight, parts the goats upon the left hand, and the sheep upon the right; and the choice goes by forever 'twixt that darkness and that light. --james russell lowell. we cannot command veracity at will; the power of seeing and reporting truly is a form of health that has to be delicately guarded, and as an ancient rabbi has solemnly said, "the penalty of untruth is untruth." --george eliot. behold, this only have i found: that god made man upright; but they have sought out many inventions. --ecclesiastes . . my father, help me to speak the truth and guard the truth, that righteousness may be an abiding influence in my life. amen. november eighth edmund halley born . john milton died . owen meredith (bulwer edward lytton) born . the morning drum-call on my eager ear thrills unforgotten yet! the morning dew lies yet undried along my field of noon. but now i pause a while in what i do, and count the bell, and tremble lest i hear (my work untrimmed) the sunset gun too soon. --robert louis stevenson. i fear life's many changes, not death's changelessness. so perfect is this moment's passing cheer, i needs must tremble lest it pass to less. thus in fickle love of life i live, lest fickle life me of my love deprive. --owen meredith. and jehovah said unto joshua, get thee up; wherefore art thou thus fallen upon thy face? up, sanctify the people, and say, sanctify yourselves against to-morrow. --joshua . , . almighty god, help me in these fleeting days that i may not use my time to consider and hesitate, but be positive in my desires and pursue them. grant that i may have the strength to hold each day precious, and live it more than consistently. amen. november ninth mark akenside born . william sotheby born . charles f. thwing born . the victor's road is the easy way. straight it stretches and climbs to where fame is waiting with garlands gay to wreathe the fighter who clambers there. there's applause in plenty and gold's red gleam for the man who plays on the winning team. the loser travels a longer lane; level it leads to a lonely land. there's little glory for him to gain the voices mock him on either hand; but the man who wins in the greater game is the man who, beaten, fights on the same. --g. rice. the hero is not fed on sweets, daily his own heart he eats; chambers of the great are jails, and head-winds right for royal sails. --ralph waldo emerson. he thanked god, and took courage. --acts . . o lord, i pray that whether i may be successful in the sight of the world, or whether i may be successful in my own sacrifices, i may have the freedom of courage, and be master of my life. amen. november tenth martin luther born . william hogarth born . oliver goldsmith born . johann von schiller born . joaquin miller born . henry van dyke born . as faith, so is god. --martin luther. learn the luxury of doing good. --oliver goldsmith. love is the ladder by which we climb up to the likeness of god. --johann von schiller. and who will walk a mile with me along life's weary way? a friend whose heart has eyes to see the stars shine out o'er the darkening lea, and the quiet rest at the end of the day-- a friend who knows and dares to say, the brave sweet words that cheer the way where he walks a mile with me. --henry van dyke. and whosoever shall compel thee to go one mile, go with him two. --matthew . . my father, may i not dwell in the appearances of life, where i may grow selfish; but live in the realities of simplicity. may i not only seek those who may return me pleasure, but may i find delight in brightening the walk of a weary friend. amen. november eleventh alfred de musset born . thomas bailey aldrich born . rev. joshua brookes died . i'll not confer with sorrow till to-morrow, but joy shall have her way this very day. --thomas bailey aldrich. shall we have ears on the stretch for the footfalls of sorrow that never come, but be deaf to the whirr of the wings of happiness that fill all space? --maurice maeterlinck. this day is a day of good tidings, and we hold our peace: if we tarry till the morning light, punishment will overtake, us; now therefore come, let us go and tell the king's household. -- kings . . loving father, i pray that thou wilt help me to overcome unhappiness. may i not let depression overpower me, but claim the promises of joy that are open to every life. may i be blest by my own cheerfulness and encourage others to possess it. amen. november twelfth saint augustine died a. d. . richard baxter born . amelia opie born . elizabeth cady stanton born . thomas lord fairfax died . in life it is difficult to say who do you the most mischief--enemies with the worst intentions or friends with the best. --edward bulwer. the friends thou hast, and their adoption tried, grapple them to thy soul with hooks of steel. --william shakespeare. where persons who ought to esteem and love each other are kept asunder, as often happens, by some cause which three words of frank explanation would remove, they are fortunate if they possess an indiscreet friend who blurts out the whole truth. --thomas b. macaulay. yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom i trusted, who did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me. --psalm . . lord god, help me to consider more carefully what i offer to my friends; and may i not be critical of what i receive from my friends. may i not be a hindrance instead of a help to those who would have my companionship. amen. november thirteenth sir john moore born . robert louis stevenson born . sir john forbes died . little do we know our own blessedness; for to travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive, and the true success is to labor. --robert louis stevenson. whether thy work be fine or coarse, planting corn or writing epics, so only it be honest work, done to thine own approbation, it shall earn a reward to sense as well as to the thought. --ralph waldo emerson. nature gives to labor; and to labor alone. in a very garden of eden a man would starve but for human exertion. --henry george. but let each man prove his own work, and then shall he have his glorying in regard of himself alone, and not of his neighbor. --galatians . . my father, make pure living clear to me, that i may not be deceived in my work; and may i not use my working hours searching for more suitable work, but may i be sure in what i am that i may feel secure in what i undertake to do. amen. november fourteenth bishop hoadley born . fanny mendelssohn-hensel born . robert smythe hichens born . give us, o give us, the man who sings at his work! be his occupation what it may, he is better than any of those who follow the same pursuit in silent sullenness. --thomas carlyle. what doctor possesses such curative resources as those latent in a single ray of hope? the mainspring of life is in the heart. joy is the vital air of the soul, and grief is a kind of asthma complicated by atony. --amiel. i will sing unto jehovah as long as i live: i will sing praise to my god while i have any being. --psalm . . loving father, restore the spirit of gentleness and meekness if it may be withered within me, that i may be contented. may i make it a habit to be happy over my work and cheerful about my duties. may i never lose the view of the glory of thy kingdom. amen. november fifteenth william pitt, earl of chatham, born . william cowper born . sir william herschel born . johann lavater born . richard henry dana born . ida tarbell born . the parting sun sends out a glow across the placid bay, touching with glory all the show-- a breeze! up helm! away! careening to the wind, they reach, with laugh and call, the shore. they've left their footprints on the beach, but them i hear no more. --richard henry dana. art little? do thy little well: and for thy comfort know the great can do their greatest work no better than just so. --goethe. but be thou an ensample to them that believe, in word, in manner of life, in love, in faith, in purity. -- timothy . . lord god, grant that if i may be complaining of what providence has not sent me, i may not be neglecting what providence has given me. may i not pause too long over what i have done, or over what i might have done, but may i be appreciative of what thou dost expect of me and endeavor to accomplish it. amen. november sixteenth tiberius born b.c. . gustavus adolphus killed . francis danby born . 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 would'st only faint and yield. and judge none lost; but wait and see, with hopeful pity, not disdain; the depth of the abyss may be the measure of the height of pain and love and glory that may raise the soul to god in after days! --adelaide a. procter. i am more afraid of deserving criticism, than of receiving it. --william gladstone. judge not, that ye be not judged. --matthew . . lord jehovah, judge of all mankind, forbid that i should set myself as a judge of another's life, and neglect to live for the higher judgment of my own. may i not be absorbed in that which thrives in darkness, but live in the light of honesty and gentleness. amen. november seventeenth queen mary of england died . joost van den vondel born . george grote born . there are evergreen men and women in the world, praise be to god!--not many of them, but a few. they are not the showy folk. (nature is an old-fashioned shopkeeper; she never puts her best goods in the window.) they are only the quiet, strong folk; they are stronger than fate. the storms of life sweep over them, and the biting frosts creep round them; but the winds and the frosts pass away, and they are still standing, green and straight. --jerome k. jerome. and he shall be like a tree planted by the streams of water, that bringeth forth its fruit in its season, whose leaf also doth not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper. --psalm . . gracious lord, may i not spend most in equipment and forget the tides, which may desert me on the sands, or the rocks in the channels, which may crush the finest vessel. may i be prepared for the hard knocks if they come, but may i know how to keep clear of them. amen. november eighteenth sir david wilkie born . louis j. m. daguerre born . cyrus field born . william s. gilbert born . if e'er when man had fallen asleep, i heard a voice, "believe no more," a warmth within the breast would melt the freezing reason's colder part, and like a man in wrath, the heart stood up and answered, "i have felt." --alfred tennyson. faith is the deep want of the soul. we have faculties for the spiritual, as truly as for the outward world. god, the foundation of all existence, may become to the mind the most real of all beings. the believer feels himself resting on an everlasting foundation. --william henry channing. and they said one to another, was not our heart burning within us, while he spake to us in the way, while he opened to us the scriptures? --luke . . lord god, save me from a hard and doubting heart. may i be trustful and come to thee in faith. all the days of my life may my lips sing thy praise as i unfold thy love and purposes. amen. november nineteenth nicolas poussin died . albert thorwaldsen born . james a. garfield, ohio, twentieth president united states, born . mary hallock foote born . count lyoff (leo) tolstoy died . and son i live, you see, go through the world, try, prove, reject, prefer, still struggling to effect my warfare; happy that i can be crossed and thwarted as a man, not left in god's contempt apart, with ghastly smooth life, dead at heart, tame in earth's paddock, as her prize. --robert browning. be good at the depths of you, and you will discover that those who surround you will be good even to the same depths. therein lies a force that has no name; a spiritual rivalry that has no resistance. --maurice maeterlinck. first of all, i must make myself a man; if i do not succeed in that, i can succeed in nothing. --james a. garfield. that we may be no longer children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, in craftiness, after the wiles of error. --ephesians . . eternal god, i thank thee for all the sterling elements that greaten the individual life. i pray that i may not desire to be kept a small creature, but seek to grow in wisdom and love, and qualify for mighty purposes and achievements. amen. november twentieth paul potter born . thomas chatterton born . william ellery channing born . sir wilfred laurier born . then why, my soul, dost thou complain? why drooping seek the dark recess? shake off the melancholy chain, for god created all to bless. the gloomy mantle of the night, which on my sinking spirits steals, will vanish at the morning light, which god, my east, my sun, reveals. --thomas chatterton. lady, there is a hope that all men have-- some mercy for their faults, a grassy place to rest in, and a flower-strewn, gentle grave: another hope which purifies our race, that when that fearful bourne forever past, they may find rest--and rest so long to last. i seek it not, i ask no rest forever, my path is onward to the farthest shores. --william ellery channing. he brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay; and he set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings. and he put a new song in my mouth. --psalm . , . my father, i pray that i may have patience to live through the difficulties of life. may i correct my faults, that they may not destroy my peace and take from me my strength; help me to center my life in brightness and hope. amen. november twenty-first claude lorraine died . bryan waller procter (barry cornwall) born . mary johnston born . there is not a creature from england's king to the peasant that delves the soil, who knows half the pleasures the seasons bring if he had not his share of toil. --barry cornwall. it may be proved, with much certainty, that god intends no man to live in this world without working; but it seems to me no less evident that he intends every man to be happy in his work. now, in order that people may be happy in their work, these three things are needed: they must be fit for it; and they must not do too much of it; and they must have a sense of success in it. --john ruskin. let him labor, working with his hands the thing that is good, that he may have whereof to give to him that hath need. --ephesians . . my father, if my work seems hard to-day, may i not cease working if i grow weary, but may my strength be renewed to continue my work. may the aim of my work be to please thee, and to help in the progress of humanity. amen. november twenty-second saint cecilia martyred a.d. . sir henry havelock died . justin m'carthy born . sometimes the sun, unkindly hot, my garden makes a desert spot, sometimes a blight upon the tree takes all my fruit away from me; and then with throes of bitter pain rebellious passions rise and swell; and so i sing and all is well. --paul laurence dunbar. such songs have power to quiet the restless pulse of care, and come like benediction that follows after prayer. --henry w. longfellow. songs consecrate to truth and liberty. --percy bysshe shelley. david took the harp, and played with his hand: so saul was refreshed, and was well, and the evil spirit departed from him. -- samuel . . almighty god, i thank thee that thou wilt come to me as my heart cries for need. i bless thee that thou dost come to me as my lips sing thy praise. i pray that i may be saved from a cruel and cheerless heart, and be a sharer of the songs that are sung to the soul. amen. november twenty-third thomas tallis died . franklin pierce, new hampshire, fourteenth president united states, born . marie bashkirtseff born . asleep, awake, by night or day, the friends i seek are seeking me; no word can drive my bark astray, nor change the tide of destiny. the stars come nightly to the sky, the tidal wave unto the sea; nor time, nor space, nor deep, nor high, can keep my own away from me. --john burroughs. if a man could make a single rose we would give him an empire; yet flowers no less beautiful are scattered in profusion over the world, and no one regards them. --martin luther. let patience have its perfect work. --james . . my creator, may i remember that after thou didst create the earth thou didst say it was good. may i love the fragrance and beauty of the flowers which were made to nourish the soul, and the fruits and herbs which were made to nourish the body. may my song of thanksgiving be new every morning, as i awake in the abundance of what thou hast prepared. amen. november twenty-fourth john knox died . baron spinoza born . grace darling born . frances hodgson burnett born . i waited long until the sky should give me of its blue to weave and wear, and share, and weave the very stars into. the days they went, the years they went, and left my hands instead another thing for wonderment, the mending and the bread. ah me, and one must set a hand to burnish up the task, and hush and hush the old demand a wakeful heart will ask. but with a star's clear eye on me, o, i can hear it said, "what souls there be that only see the mending and the bread!" --josephine p. peabody. the riches of a commonwealth are free, strong minds and hearts of health. and more to her than gold or grain, the cunning hand and cultured brain. --john g. whittier. for the life is more than the food, and the body than the raiment. --luke . . my father, i pray that thou wilt help me, that i may not consume my life in preparing clothes and food for my body. amen. november twenty-fifth charles kemble born . john bigelow born . paul haupt born . john kitto died . i will not kill or hurt any living creature needlessly, nor destroy any beautiful thing, but will strive to save and comfort all gentle life and guard and perfect all natural beauty on earth. i will strive to raise my own body and soul daily into all the higher powers of duty and-happiness, not in rivalship or contention with others, but for help, delight, and honor of others and for the joy and peace of my own life. --john ruskin. they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain; for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of jehovah, as the waters cover the sea. --isaiah . . lord god, i rejoice in the blessedness of peace. may i not try to force peace where cruelty has entered, but keep a watch for what may come into my life. i pray that if i may be in turbulence to-day, thou wilt quiet me with thy peace which knows no fear or wrong. amen. november twenty-sixth sir william ware born . john elwes died . john loudoun macadam died . i'd like a way to change the clouds that bring us sorrow, and build to-day a bright to-morrow; to banish cares that tarry long, and have the days like the blue-bird's song-- i'd like a way. i'll find a way-- i'll set sail when the breeze is high, and calmly drift when pleasure's nigh; i'll steer a course afar from tears, and take in joy the coming years-- i'll find a way. i've lost the way! out through the gloom a beam of light looks like a purpose looming bright! up with the sail! i'll out to sea and bring that purpose back with me, or go its way. --m.b.s. unto the upright there ariseth light in the darkness: he is gracious, and merciful, and righteous. --psalm . . my father, i pray that i may not through indifference wander without a purpose, or through discouragement stumble through the darkness. may i be drawn to the light by the vision of hopeful and useful days. amen. november twenty-seventh horace died b.c. . marquise d'aubigné maintenon born . general artemus ward born . fanny kemble born . alexandra dumas died . be this thy brazen bulwark of defense, to preserve a conscience void of offense, and never turn pale with guilt. --horace. is life a noxious weed which whirlwinds sow? a useless flint o'er which the waters flow? not so! a life well spent has not its weight in gold; it is the clearest crystal earth doth hold, a gem beside which suns seem dull and cold. --robert louis stevenson. that they may lay hold on the life which is life indeed. -- timothy . . lord god, i pray that my life may not be impoverished by neglect, nor burdened with indulgences, but that it may be kept in condition for high endeavors. grant that i may never be content to rest in satisfaction and ease when i could struggle and accomplish a good work. amen. november twenty-eighth william blake born . anton g. rubinstein born washington irving died . the sorrow for the dead is the only sorrow from which we refuse to be divorced. every other wound we seek to heal, every other affliction to forget. take warning by the bitterness of this thy contrite affliction over the dead, and henceforth be more faithful and affectionate in the discharge of thy duties to the living. --washington irving. joy and woe are woven fine, a clothing for the soul divine; every grief and pine runs a joy with a silken twine. --william blake. ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. --john . . heavenly father, grant that i may not lose the kindness that i may give and receive to-day. i thank thee for the memories of yesterday, the hope of to-morrow, and the wisdom of to-day. may i have a vision of immortality that will keep me through the closest sorrow. amen. november twenty-ninth sir philip sidney born . a. bronson alcott born . wendell phillips born . louisa m. alcott born . truth is sensitive and jealous of the least encroachment of its sacredness. --a. bronson alcott. faith that withstood the shocks of toil and time, hope that defied despair, patience that conquered care, and loyalty whose courage was sublime; teaching us how to seek the highest goal, to earn the true success; to live to love, to bless, and make death proud to take a royal soul. --louisa m. alcott. nor is it wiser to weep a true occasion lost, but trim our sails, and let old bygones be. --alfred tennyson. in hope of eternal life, which god, who cannot lie, promised before times eternal. --titus . . heavenly father, i pray that i may live in truth; and without fear of life or death live content in the faith of eternal life. amen. november thirtieth peregrine white born new england . jonathan swift born . samuel l. clemens (mark twain) born . winston churchill born . he gave it for his opinion that whoever could make two ears of corn, or two blades of grass, to grow upon a spot of ground where only one grew before, would deserve better of mankind, and do more essential service to his country, than the whole race of politicians put together. --jonathan swift. that man may last, but never lives, who much receives, but nothing gives; whom none can love, whom none can thank,-- creation's blot, creation's blank. --thomas gibbons. give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, shall they give into your bosom. for with what measure ye mete it shall be measured to you again. --luke . . my father, preserve my soul from all selfishness. may i delight in thy teaching as i trust in thy word. i pray that i may not only speak truthfully, but that i may leave the door of my spirit open, that truth may always enter and abide continually. amen. december he comes--he comes--the frost spirit comes: you may trace his footsteps now on the naked woods and the blasted fields, and the brown hill's withered brow. he has smitten the leaves of the gray old trees, where their green came forth, and the winds, which follow wherever he goes, have shaken them down to earth. he comes--he comes--the frost spirit comes! let us meet him as we may, and turn with the light of the parlor fire his evil power away; and gather closer the circle round, where the firelight dances high, and laugh at the shriek of the baffled fiend, as his sounding wing goes by. --john g. whittier. december first dr. george birkbeck died . queen alexandra born . r.w. dale born . ebenezer elliott died . we would fill the hours with the sweetest things, if we had but a day: we should drink alone at the purest springs, in our upward way: we should guide our wayward or wearied will, by the clearest light: we should keep our eyes on the heavenly hills, if they lay in sight: we should be from our clamorous selves set free, to work and pray: and be what the father would have us to be, if we had but a day. --margaret e. sangster. whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honorable, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things. --philippians . . gracious father, help me to understand that my life grows out of what i put into my days. forgive me for the unspoken words and the kind deeds which i kept for rare days, and had so few occasions to use. may i be as useful in kindness as i am in work, remembering that to thee every day is a golden day. amen. december second david masson born . john brown hanged, charlestown, west virginia . hugh miller died . the solitude of life is known to us all; for the most part we are alone, and the voices of friends come only faint and broken across the impassable gulfs which surround every human soul. --hamilton mabie. to have an ideal or to have none, to have this ideal or that--this is what digs gulfs between men, even between those who live in the same family circle, under the same roof, or in the same room. you must love with the same love, think with the same thoughts as some one else if you are to escape solitude. --amiel. the plans of the heart belong to man; but the answer of the tongue is from jehovah. --proverbs . . lord god, help me to take in the glory of life, that my spirit may never be lonely, even though i may have to be much alone. i pray that thou wilt spare me the loneliness and the solitude that may be brought on by selfishness. make me considerate of others. may i soar above the disappointments and losses that may come to me, and stay where i may have thy companionship. amen. december third samuel crompton born . sir frederick leighton born . robert louis stevenson died . to know what you prefer, instead of humbly saying "amen" to what the world tells you you ought to prefer, is to have kept your soul alive. --robert louis stevenson. there is precious instruction to be got by finding we were wrong. let a man try faithfully, manfully to be right. he will grow daily more and more right. --thomas carlyle. the hero is the man who is immovably centered. --ralph waldo emerson. let us draw near with a true heart in fulness of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience: and having our body washed with pure water. --hebrews . . gracious father, grant that i may not be content to follow through ignorance and indolence and be led to the lowly paths of life. make my hie positive; and from my surroundings may i look out and struggle to mount to the highest ideals, that i may be qualified to select the best in life. amen. december fourth cardinal richelieu died . william drummond died . madame recamier born . thomas carlyle born . john kitto born . it is with a man's soul as it is with nature: the beginning of creation is--light. till the eye have visions the whole members are in bonds. divine moment, when over the tempest-tost soul, as once over the wild-weltering chaos, it is spoken: let there be light! --thomas carlyle. what in me is dark illumine, what is low raise and support; that to the light of this great argument i may assert eternal providence and justify the ways of god to men. --john milton. for thou art my lamp, o jehovah; and jehovah will lighten my darkness. -- samuel . . my lord, forgive me if i have allowed bitterness and misery to darken my life, for my soul yearns continually for the light. in thy compassion lead me to the "sunny side of the road where the beautiful flowers grow," that my path may be made bright and cheerful all the rest of the way. amen. december fifth martin van buren, new york, eighth president united states, born . christina g. rossetti born . alice brown born . a cold wind stirs the blackthorn to burgeon and to blow, besprinkling half-green hedges with flakes and sprays of snow. through coldness and through keenness, dear hearts take comfort so: somewhere or other doubtless these make the blackthorn blow. --christina g. rossetti. there are some men and women in whose company we are always at our best. all the best stops in our nature are drawn out by their intercourse, and we find a music in our souls never there before. --henry drummond. and let us consider one another to provoke unto love and good works. --hebrews . . my father, i thank thee for life. make me sensitive to the unseen influences that bring thy messages. may i be led where great riches may be found through small kindnesses, and where i may learn from the meek the beauty of earth. amen. december sixth general george monk born . warren hastings born . dr. richard barham born . that low man seeks a little thing to do, sees it and does it: this high man, with a great thing to pursue, dies ere he knows it. that low man goes on adding one to one, his hundred's soon hit: this high man, aiming at a million, misses an unit. that, has the world here--should he need the next, let the world mind him! this, throws himself on god, and unperplexed seeking shall find him. --robert browning. hitch your wagon to a star. --ralph waldo emerson. when thou saidst, seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, thy face, jehovah, will i seek. --psalm . . almighty god, show me what thou hast given for me to do, that i may not leave undone that which is mine. forgive me for useless planning and blind asking for the things which cannot be mine. i pray that my work may be honest work, well done, and acceptable for thy service. amen. december seventh cicero assassinated b.c. . john dalton born . mary stuart, queen of scotland, born . it is virtue--yes, let me repeat it again--it is virtue alone that can give birth, strength, and permanency to friendship. for virtue is a uniform and steady principle ever acting consistently with itself. --cicero. a common friendship--who talks of a common friendship? there is no such thing in the world. on earth no word is more sublime. --henry drummond. but thou shalt surely open thy hand unto him, and shalt surely lend him sufficient for his need. --deuteronomy . . lord god, wilt thou reveal to me my weakness if i may be insincere; and give me the strength that i lack to keep me true. may i not take advantage of the ignorant, or thoughtlessly lead the innocent into temptation. grant that i may be a trustful and kind friend. amen. december eighth john pym died . richard baxter died . thomas de quincey died . elihu burritt born . robert collyer born . into the dusk of the east, gray with the coming of night, this may we know at least-- after the night comes light! over the mariners' graves, grim in the depths below, buoyantly breasting the waves, into the east we go. on to a distant strand, wonderful, far, unseen, on to a stranger land, skimming the seas between; on through the days and nights, hope in each sailor's breast, on till the harbor lights flash on the shores of rest! j.h. jowett. so he bringeth them unto their desired haven. --psalm . . lord god, i pray that thou wilt provide me with thy indwelling peace. may it keep me reconciled to the decline of years, and enable me to bear the earthly separation from those whom i love. may i always have hope and trust in thee. amen. december ninth john milton born . sir anthony van dyck died . joel chandler harris born . doth god exact day labor, light denied? i fondly ask: but patience, to prevent that murmur, soon replies, "god doth not need either man's work, 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." --john milton. "'tain't on'y chilluns w'at got de consate er doin' eve'ything dey see yuther folks do. hit's grown folks w'at oughter know better," said uncle remus. --joel chandler harris. wherefore, receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us have grace, whereby we may offer service well-pleasing to god with reverence and awe. --hebrews . . my father, teach me to select my work from that which is noble and true. may i not mold my life in affectation or feel that i must imitate the lives of others, but grant that i may perfect my life through experiences which are worthy of increasing endeavors. amen. december tenth thomas holcroft born . dr. thomas hopkins gallaudet born . eugene sue born . be of good cheer. do not think of to-day's failures, but of success that may come to-morrow. you have set yourselves a difficult task, but you will succeed if you persevere; and you will have a joy in overcoming obstacles--a delight in climbing rugged paths which you would perhaps never know if you did not sometimes slip backward, if the road were always smooth and pleasant. remember, no effort that we make to attain something beautiful is ever lost. --helen keller. we rise by things that are beneath our feet, by what we have mastered by good and gain, by the pride deposed and passion slain, and the vanquished ills that we hourly meet. --j.g. holland. he that overcometh, i will give to him to sit down with, me in my throne, as i also overcame, and sat down with my father in his throne. --revelation . . my father, i pray that i may not be given to contradicting and doubting, nor take for granted that which needs to be considered. grant that i may have the faith and strength of heart to fulfill the longings of my soul. amen. december eleventh sir roger l'estrange died . dr. william cullen born . colley cibber died . lord, subdue our selfish will; each to each our tempers suit, by thy modulating skill, heart to heart, as lute to lute. --charles wesley. one of the last, slowly murmured sayings of whittier, was this: "give--my--love--to--the--world." and this is the world's supreme need to-day; more than our eloquence, or our knowledge, or our wealth, or all else besides, it needs our love. true, even love may sometimes err; but the cure for love's mistakes is just more love; we often blunder because we do not love enough. god help us all that, like whittier, we may live and die, giving our love to the world. --george jackson. love never faileth. -- corinthians . . lord god, help me to see the beauty of the world, and through my duty may i find the love in the world. may i not spend my life in discontent, but may i remember that thou hast said, "the meek shall inherit the earth." fill my heart with compassion, that i may love my fellow man as i love myself. amen. december twelfth chief justice john jay born . gustav flaubert born . robert browning died . a people is but the attempt of many to rise to the completer life of one. and those who live for models for the mass are singly of more value than they all. --robert browning. give me the power to labor for mankind; make me the mouth of such as cannot speak; eyes let me be to groping men and blind; a conscience to the base; and to the weak let me be hands and feet, and to the foolish, mind; and lead still further on such as thy kingdom seek. --theodore parker. i was eyes to the blind, and feet was i to the lame. --job . . almighty god, wilt thou guide me in the direction where i may choose a useful life; open wide my heart as well as my eyes, that i may early see my work and be diligent in its prosecution. reveal to me, when i may have failed, that i may do better to-morrow. amen. december thirteenth william drummond born . dr. samuel johnson died . joseph noel paton born . phillips brooks born . hamilton mabie born . when the clouds of sorrow gather over us, we see nothing beyond them, nor can imagine how they can be dispelled; yet a new day succeeded to the night, and sorrow is never long without a dawn of ease. --dr. samuel johnson. the fountains of joy and sorrow are for the most part locked up in ourselves.... there come to great, solitary, and sorely smitten souls moments of clear insight, of assurance of victory, of unspeakable fellowship with truth and life and god, which outweigh years of sorrow and bitterness. --hamilton mabie. and ye therefore now have sorrow: but i will see you again, and your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no one taketh away from you. --john . . my father, may i remember that the days of my life that i give over to grief can never be reclaimed. help me that i may not want to keep sorrow in my life, but with faith may i believe that "weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." amen. december fourteenth daniel neal born . rev. charles wolfe born . george washington died . frances ridley havergal born . seldom can the heart be lonely, if it seek a lonelier still; self-forgetting, seeking only emptier cups of love to fill. --frances r. havergal. when to the sessions of sweet silent thought i summon up remembrance of things past, i sigh the lack of many a thing i sought. and with old woes new wail my dear time's waste * * * * * but if the while i think on thee, dear friend, all losses are restored, and sorrows end. --william shakespeare. the lord jehovah hath given me the tongue of them that are taught, that i may know how to sustain with words him that is weary. --isaiah . . gracious father, keep me cheerful and courageous, that i may not be given to weary murmurings. may my hours of solitude be spent profitably as they pass. grant that i may be a help to those who are in need of sympathy and encouragement, and through the peace that is given to me help them to a tranquil life. amen. december fifteenth catherine of aragon born . george romney born . franklin b. sanborn born . yet frequent visitors shall kiss the shrine, and ever keep its vestal lamp alight; all noble thoughts, all dreams divinely bright, that waken or delight this soul of mine. --f.b. sanborn. one small cloud can hide the sunlight; loose one string, the pearls are scattered; think one thought, a soul may perish; say one word, a heart may break. --a.a. procter. self-scrutiny is often the most unpleasant, and always the most difficult, of moral actions. but it is also the most important and salutary; for, as the wisest of the greeks said, "an unexamined life is not worth living." --j. strachan. try your own selves, whether ye are in the faith; prove your own selves. -- corinthians . . gracious father, help me that i may not be thoughtless and unkind. may i be gentle and sympathetic. forgive me for any unhappiness which i may have made, and may it be mine to know the rejoicing that comes hi lifting a discouraged life in time. amen. december sixteenth john selden born . françois la rochefoucauld born . george whitefield born . jane austen born . so live that when thy summons comes to join the innumerable caravan that moves to that mysterious realm where each shall take his chamber in the silent halls of death, thou go not, like the quarry slave at night, scourged to his dungeon, but, sustained and soothed by an unfaltering trust, approach thy grave like one who wraps the drapery of his couch about him and lies down to pleasant dreams. --william cullen bryant. as the wind extinguishes a taper but kindles the fire, so absence is the death of an ordinary passion, but lends strength to the greater. --la rochefoucauld. if a man die, shall he live again? --job . . heavenly father, with thy help may i enter into the hope that overcomes the fear of death. may my days be full of aspiration, and through faith may my life move toward the eternal and the sublime. amen. december seventeenth sir roger l'estrange born . ludwig van beethoven born . sir humphry davy born . john greenleaf whittier born . the night is mother of the day, the winter of the spring; and ever upon old decay the greenest mosses cling. behind the cloud the starlight lurks, through showers the sunbeams fall; for god, who loveth all his works, has left his hope with all. --john greenleaf whittier. the sun set; but not his hope: stars rose; his faith was earlier up. --ralph waldo emerson. what i am i have made myself. --sir humphry davy. therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall dwell in safety. --psalm . . my father, may i never be content to pass by thy beautiful offerings and keep on in wretched despair. save me if i may 'be inclining toward misery. give me the spirit of repose, and help me to confide in thee as i daily seek the strength of thy love. amen. december eighteenth charles wesley born . lyman abbott born . samuel rogers died . sir joseph john thomson born . and let this feeble body fail, and let it faint or die; my soul shall quit this mournful vale, and soar to worlds on high. --charles wesley. it were better to live an immortal life and be robbed of immortality hereafter by some supernal power, than to live the mortal, fleshly animal life, and live it endlessly. who would not rather have a right to immortality than to be immortal without a right to be? --lyman abbott. so when a great man dies, for years beyond our ken, the light he leaves behind him lies upon the paths of men. --henry w. longfellow. but he that soweth unto the spirit shall of the spirit reap eternal life. --galatians . . my father, i pray that i may be spared the deprivations that may come from years spent in selfishness. help me to realize before it is too late how little self can hold and how much remorse may accumulate. help me to aspire to ideals that compel me to live an immortal life. amen. december nineteenth gustavus adolphus born . horatio bonar born . f. delsarte born . mary a. livermore born . j.m.w. turner died . if a man is to be a pillar in the temple of his god by and by, he must be some kind of a prop in god's house to-day. we are here to support, not to be supported. no one can be a living stone on the foundations of the spiritual house which is god's habitation without being a foundation to the stones above him. --maltbie babcock. 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, o let th' ungentle spirit learn from hence, a small unkindness is a great offense. --hannah more. he that overcometh i will make a pillar in the temple of my god, and he shall go out thence no more. --revelation . . my father, grant that i may not deceive myself and expect big results from little efforts; nor be willing to receive assistance and refuse my support. may i not only be anxious to give others all that i can, and share their burdens, but may i be glad to help make fewer burdens for others to bear. amen. december twentieth louis the dauphin died . john wilson croker born . cyrus townsend brady born . love is not love which alters when it alteration finds, or bends with the remover to remove. o no! it is an ever-fixed mark that looks on tempests and is never shaken. it is the star to every wandering bark, whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken. --william shakespeare. i will not doubt the love untold which not my worth nor want hath bought, which wooed me young and wooes me old, and to this evening hath me brought. --henry david thoreau. yea, i have loved thee with an everlasting love: therefore with lovingkindness have i drawn thee. --jeremiah . . loving father, teach me the secret of constancy, that none may ever be disappointed in me. may i not reckon what i give on recompense, but have the spirit of giving which has no measure for what it may receive in return. may i not be forgetful of thy love which will hold me to deeper reverence and devotion. amen. december twenty-first jean baptiste racine born . robert moffat born . laura bridgman born . to think and to feel constitute the two grand divisions of men and genius--the men of reasoning and the men of imagination. --disraeli. grow old along with me! the best is yet to be, the last of life, for which the first was made: our times are in his hand who saith, a whole i planned, youth shows but half; trust god: see all, nor be afraid! --robert browning. but the path of the righteous is as the dawning light, that shineth more and more unto the perfect day. --proverbs . . almighty god, i pray that i may have the grace to penetrate the deep things of life and test their truth and greatness. may i have faith in thy power and train for the best which thou hast made possible for me to live. help me to think and feel aright, that i may be thine to-day, and in the days of to-morrow may i still be thine, ever keeping bright memories of past days. amen. december twenty-second franz abt born . thomas w. higginson born . george eliot died . love and pain make their own measure of all things that be. no clock's slow ticking marks their deathless strain; the life they own is not the life we see; love's single moment is eternity. --thomas w. higginson. life is made stronger giving, receiving; love is made longer hoping, believing. life is made sweeter, truly worth living; love is completer, trusting, forgiving. --m.b.s. in love of the brethren be tenderly affectioned one to another; in honor preferring one another. --romans . . loving father, i thank thee that every morn breaks in a new day without the sadness of yesterday or the gladness of to-morrow. i pray that i may not lose the love and joy that it brings to-day. amen. december twenty-third michael drayton died . robert barclay born . james sargent storer died . when heaven endows you with all gifts, you are an incomplete being if you stay still in your corner instead of taking advantage of your real value. --marie bashkirtseff. life, which ought to be a thing complete in itself, and ought to be spent partly in gathering materials, and partly in drawing inferences, is apt to be a hurried accumulation lasting to the edge of the tomb. we are put into the world, i cannot help feeling, to be rather than do. --arthur c. benson. jehovah is the strength of my life. --psalm . . heavenly father, i pray that thou wilt reverse my standards of life if i may be striving only for selfish gain. may i care for all that i could be, and may i care for where i should be found, but, most of all, may i care for what i really am. help me to keep my mind on thee that i may find delight in doing thy will. amen. december twenty-fourth george crabbe born . kit carson born . matthew arnold born . john morley born . william makepeace thackeray died . ah, friend, let us be true to one another! for the world, which seems to lie before us like a land of dreams, so various, so beautiful, so new, hath really neither joy, nor love, nor light, nor certitude, nor peace, nor help for pain, and we are here as on a darkling plain swept with confused alarms of struggle and flight, where ignorant armies clash by night. --matthew arnold. we take care of our health, we lay up money, we make our roof tight and our clothing sufficient, but who provides wisely that we shall not be wanting in the best property of all--friends? --ralph waldo emerson. faithful are the wounds of a friend. --proverbs . . gracious lord, fill my life with the spirit of love and sacrifice. i bless thee for the deep fellowships and tender intimacies; and on the eve of this christmas ask thy blessing for all, as my heart rings with joy for those whom i love. amen. december twenty-fifth christmas day. sir isaac newton born . william collins born . father taylor born . this is the month, and this is the happy morn, wherein the son of heaven's eternal king, of wedded maid, and virgin mother born, our great redemption from above did bring. --john milton. christmas is here; winds whistle shrill, icy and chill, little care we; little we fear weather without, shelter'd about the mahogany tree. --william m. thackeray. and the angel said unto them, be not afraid; for behold, i bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of david a saviour, who is christ the lord. --luke . , . almighty god, i give honor and praise to express my joy for thy great love in the gift of thy son, jesus christ. with a glad heart i wish all mankind "a merry christmas," and may i ever remember, where the angels sang, "peace on earth, good will toward men." amen. december twenty-sixth thomas gray born . mrs. southworth born . stephen girard died . let not ambition mock their useful toil, their homely joys, and destiny obscure; nor grandeur hear with a disdainful smile the short and simple annals of the poor. nor you, ye proud, impute to those the fault, if memory o'er their tomb no trophies raise, where, through the long-drawn aisle and fretted vault, the pealing anthem swells the note of praise. full many a gem of purest ray serene the dark, unfathomed caves of ocean bear; full many a flower is born to blush unseen, and waste its sweetness on the desert air. --thomas gray. jehovah, my heart is not haughty, nor mine eyes lofty; neither do i exercise myself in great matters, or in things too wonderful for me. --psalm . . gracious father, give me the courage to live my life, and the endurance to overcome the disappointments that may come to me. may i not be neglectful of the great opportunities of which i am privileged to take advantage. may i not be pretentious of what i have not done, or boastful of what i am, but with my best ability live in truth. amen. december twenty-seventh jacques bernoulli born . johann kepler born . charles lamb died . there is a time in every man's education when he arrives at the conviction that envy is ignorance; that imitation is suicide; that he must take himself for better or worse, as his portion; that, though the wide universe is full of good, no kernel of nourishing corn can come to him but through his toil bestowed on that plot of ground which is given him to till. --ralph waldo emerson. knowing ourselves, our world, our task so great, our time so brief, 'tis clear if we refuse the means so limited, the tools so rude to execute our purpose, life will fleet, and we shall fade, and leave our task undone. --robert browning. study to be quiet, and to do your own business, and to work with your hands. -- thessalonians . . lord god of life, give me the desire to learn, and the wisdom to live in my best. may i not fail to culture my mind and heart and make life productive and worthy. help me to see the mistakes that i have made in the past, and in the year that is approaching not only try to avoid them, but try to make amends for them. amen. december twenty-eighth catherine m. sedgwick born . woodrow wilson, virginia, twenty-seventh president united states, born . thomas b. macaulay died . the government might be serviceable for many things. it might assist in a hundred ways to safeguard the lives and the health and promote the comfort and happiness of the people; but it can do these things only if they respond to public opinion, only if those who lead government see the country as a whole, feel a deep thrill of intimate sympathy with every class and every interest in it. --woodrow wilson. the hearts of men are their books; events are their tutors; great actions are their eloquence. --thomas b. macaulay. be of good courage, and let us play the man for our people, and for the cities of our god: and jehovah do that which seemeth him good. -- samuel . . lord god, i pray that my estimate of life may not be as i take it, but as thou hast given it for peace and prosperity. teach me my duty to my country, and make me useful in uplifting and serving humanity. amen. december twenty-ninth thomas a becket died . andrew johnson, tennessee, seventeenth president united states, born . william e. gladstone born . margaret bottome born . pauline o. louise, queen of roumania (carmen sylva), born . christina g. rossetti died . one example is worth a thousand arguments. --william e. gladstone. one day at a time! that's all it can be no faster than that is the hardest of fate, and days have their limit, however we begin them too early or stretch them late. --j.r. miller. he lives happy and master of himself who can say, as each day passes on, i have lived! no matter whether to-morrow the great father shall give us a clouded sky or a clear day. --horace. give us this day our daily bread. --matthew . . eternal god, guard me against the love of praise, that i may not lose the sense of duty. start me for the right places and give me strength with my days, that i may press toward their possession. deliver me from drifting when it is mine to pull against the tide, that i may not be carried out of my course. shield me from the storms that may gather about me, and bring us all to the desired haven safe in thy keeping. amen. december thirtieth titus born a.d. . william r. alger born . rudyard kipling born . god of our fathers, known of old, lord of our far-flung battle line, beneath whose awful hand we hold dominion over palm and pine: lord god of hosts, be with us yet, lest we forget--lest we forget! for heathen heart that puts her trust in reeking tube and iron shard; all valiant dust that builds on dust, and guarding calls not thee to guard: for frantic boast and foolish word, thy mercy on thy people, lord! amen. --rudyard kipling. but thou shalt remember jehovah thy god, for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth. --deuteronomy . . almighty god, as i come to thee wilt thou forgive me for the errors i have made, and for the promises that i have broken. help me to be as true as the holly that keeps itself red through the snow. remind me of my opportunities as i breathe in thy blessings, "lest i forget!" amen. december thirty-first new year's eve. john wycliffe died . battle of wakefield . charles marquis cornwallis born . ring out, wild bells, to the wild sky, the flying cloud, the frosty light: the year is dying in the night; ring out, wild bells, and let him die. ring out old shapes of foul disease, ring out the narrow lust of gold: ring out the thousand wars of old, ring in the thousand years of peace. --alfred tennyson. let every dawn of morning be to you as the beginning of life, and every setting sun be to you as its close. --john ruskin. the night is far spent, and the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armor of light. --romans . . my father, as i look to the past days, i feel much of my happiness and much of my misery has come from my own choice. may i be more watchful of my standards and less wasteful of my time, and keep a poise in life that will leave a memory of well-spent days. for the year that has passed and for its blessings i thank thee. amen. transcriber's note: in the "april " meditation, the author mentions reading from tennyson's "palace of sin", which doesn't appear to exist. possibly "vision of sin" was meant? daily meditation "_the greatest living master of the homiletic art._" --_british weekly._ by j. h. jowett, d.d. things that matter most devotional papers. a book of spiritual uplift and comfort. mo, cloth, net $ . the transfigured church a portrayal of the possibilities within the church. mo, cloth, net $ . the high calling meditations on st. paul's letter to the philippians, mo, cloth, net $ . the silver lining a message of hope and cheer, for the troubled and tried. mo, cloth, net $ . our blessed dead mo, boards, net c the passion for souls devotional messages for christian workers. mo, cloth, net c the folly of unbelief and other meditations for quiet moments. mo, cloth, net c * * * * * _sentence prayers for every day_ ================================ "brief, pertinent, helpful. each prayer can be read in a minute, but will give inspiration for the entire day." the daily altar a prayer for each day. cloth, net c leather, net c yet another day a prayer for each day. mo, cloth, net c leather, net c a new large type edition. cloth, net c leather, net $ . * * * * * my daily meditation for the circling year by john henry jowett new york chicago fleming h. revell company copyright, , by fleming h. revell company new york: fifth avenue chicago: n. wabash ave. toronto: richmond st., w. london: paternoster square edinburgh: princes street foreword the title of this book sufficiently interprets its purpose. i hope it may lead to such practical meditation upon the word of god as will supply vision to common tasks, and daily nourishment to the conscience and will. and i trust that it may so engage the thoughts upon the wonders of meditation, as will fortify the soul for its high calling in jesus christ our lord. j. h. jowett. fifth avenue presbyterian church, new york. january the first _the unknown journey_ "_he went out not knowing whither he went._" --hebrews xi. - . abram began his journey without any knowledge of his ultimate destination. he obeyed a noble impulse without any discernment of its consequences. he took "one step," and he did not "ask to see the distant scene." and that is faith, to do god's will here and now, quietly leaving the results to him. faith is not concerned with the entire chain; its devoted attention is fixed upon the immediate link. faith is not knowledge of a moral process; it is fidelity in a moral act. faith leaves something to the lord; it obeys his immediate commandment and leaves to him direction and destiny. and so faith is accompanied by serenity. "he that believeth shall not make haste"--or, more literally, "shall not get into a fuss." he shall not get into a panic, neither fetching fears from his yesterdays nor from his to-morrows. concerning his yesterdays faith says, "thou hast beset me behind." concerning his to-morrows faith says, "thou hast beset me before." concerning his to-day faith says, "thou hast laid thine hand upon me." that is enough, just to feel the pressure of the guiding hand. january the second _the larger outlook_ genesis xv. - . "and he brought him forth abroad, and said, look now toward heaven!" the tent was changed for the sky! abraham sat moodily in his tent: god brought him forth beneath the stars. and that is always the line of the divine leading. he brings us forth out of our small imprisonments and he sets our feet in a large place. he desires for us height and breadth of view. for "as the heavens are high above the earth" so are his thoughts higher than our thoughts, and his ways than our ways. he wishes us, i say, to exchange the tent for the sky, and to live and move in great, spacious thoughts of his purposes and will. how is it with our love? is it a thing of the tent or of the sky? does it range over mighty spaces seeking benedictions for a multitude? or does it dwell in selfish seclusion, imprisoned in merely selfish quest? how is it with our prayers? how big are they? will a tent contain them, or do they move with the scope and greatness of the heavens? do they just contain our own families, or is china in them, and india, and "the uttermost parts of the earth"? "look now towards the heavens!" such must be our outlook if we are the companions of god. january the third _the never-failing springs_ genesis xvii. - . "i will establish my covenant." the good promises of god are never revoked. they are like springs which know no shrinking in times of drought. nay, in time of drought they reveal a richer fulness. the promises are confirmed in the hour of my need, and the greater my need the greater is my bounty. and so it was that the apostle paul came to "rejoice in his infirmities," for through his infirmities he discovered the riches of divine grace. he brought a bigger pitcher to the fountain, and he always carried it away full. "as thy days so shall thy strength be." so i need never fear that the promise of yesterday will exhaust itself before to-morrow. god's covenant goes with us like the ever-fresh waters of the wilderness. "they drank of that rock which followed them, and that rock was christ." every fulfilment of god's promise is the pledge of one to come. god has no road without its springs. if his path stretches across the waste wilderness the "fountains shall break out in the desert," and "the wilderness shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." january the fourth _the god of their succeeding race_ exodus vi. - . "i appeared unto abraham.... i will be to you a god." the covenant made with the father was renewed to the children. the father's death did not disannul the promise of the lord. death has no power in the realms of grace. his moth and his rust can never destroy the ministries of divine love. abraham died and was laid to rest, but the river of life flowed on, and the bounties of the lord never failed. the village well quenches the thirst of many generations: and so is it through the generations with the wells of grace and salvation. the villagers have not to dig a new well when the patriarch dies: "the river of god is full of water." and thus i am privileged to share the spiritual resources of abraham, and the still richer resources of the apostle paul. nothing was given to him that is withheld from me. he is like a great mountaineer, and he has climbed to lofty heights; but i need not be dismayed. all the strength that was given to him, in which he reached those lofty places, is mine also. i may share his elevation and his triumph. "for the promise is unto you and your children, and to all that are afar off." january the fifth _the flowers that never fade_ peter i. - . "an inheritance incorruptible." i am writing these words in the island of arran. to-morrow i shall leave the land behind, but i shall take the landscape with me! it will be with me in the coming winter, and i shall gaze upon goat fell in the streets of new york. the land is a temporary possession, the landscape abides! the praise of men often dies with the shout that proclaims it. another idol appears and the feverish worship is transferred to him. the world's garland begins to fade as soon as it is laid upon the brow. the morning after the coronation i possess a handful of withering leaves. but the garland of god's praise acquires new grace and beauty with the years. it is never so fresh and flourishing as just when everything else is fading away. it is glorious in the hour of death! the soul goes, wearing her garland, into the presence of the gracious lord who gave it. we can begin even now to wear the flowers of paradise. we can begin even now to furnish our minds with lovely thoughts and memories. we can have "the mind of christ." january the sixth "_count your blessings_" psalm cv. - . "count your blessings!" yes, but over what area shall i look for them? there is my personal life. let me search in every corner. i have found forget-me-nots on many a rutty road. i have found wild-roses behind a barricade of nettles. professor miall has a lecture on "the botany of a railway station." he found something graceful and exquisite in the midst of its soot and grime. so i must look even in the dark patches of life, among my disappointments and defeats, and even there i shall find tokens of the lord's presence, some flowers of his planting. and there is my share in the life of the nation. "ye seed of abraham his servant, ye children of jacob his chosen." there are hands that stretch out to me from past days, laden with bequests of privilege and freedom. our feet "stand in a large place," and the place was cleared by the fidelity and the courage of the men of old. i have countless blessings that were bought with blood. the red marks of sacrifice are over all my daily ways. let me not take the inheritance and overlook the blood marks, and stride about as though it were nought but common ground. mercies abound on every hand! "count your blessings!" january the seventh _a journal of mercies_ nehemiah ix. - . "thou hast performed thy words: for thou art righteous." frances ridley havergal kept a journal of mercies. she had a record book, and she crowded it with her remembrances of god's goodness. she was always on the look-out for tokens of the lord's grace and bounty, and she found them everywhere. everywhere she had communion with a covenant-keeping god. the bible became to her more and more the history of her own life and experience. promise after promise told the story of her own triumphs. she appropriated the goodness of god, and she set her own seal to the testimony that god is true. many a complaining life would be changed into music and song by a journal of mercies. many a fear can be dispersed by a ready remembrance. memory can be made the handmaid of hope. yesterday's blessing can kindle the courage of to-day. that is the purposed ministry of "the days that have been." we are to harness the strength of their experiences to the tasks and burdens of to-day; and in the remembrance of god's providences we shall march through our difficulties with singing. january the eighth _he is faithful!_ kings viii. - . "there hath not failed one word of all his good promise." supposing one word had failed, how then? if one golden promise had turned out to be counterfeit, how then? if the ground had yielded anywhere we should have been fearful and suspicious at every part of the road. if the bell of god's fidelity had been broken anywhere the music would have been destroyed. but not one word has failed. the road has never given way in time of flood. every bell of heaven is perfectly sound, and the music is full and glorious. "god is faithful, who also will do it." "god is love," and "love never faileth." the lamp will not die out at the midnight. the fountain will not fail us in the wilderness. the consolations will not be wanting in the hour of our distresses. love will have "all things ready." "he has promised, and shall he not do it?" all the powers of heaven are pledged to the fulfilment of the smallest word of grace. we can never be deserted! "god cannot deny himself." every word of his will unburden its treasure at the appointed hour, and i shall be rich with the strength of my god. january the ninth _the perils of possessions_ genesis xiii. - . there is nothing more divisive than wealth. as families grow rich their members frequently become alienated. it is rarely, indeed, that love increases with the increase of riches. luxurious possessions appear to be a forcing-bed in which the seeds of sleeping vices waken into strength. for one thing, selfishness is often quickened with success. plenty, as well as penury, can "freeze the genial currents of the soul." and with selfishness comes a whole brood of mean and petty dispositions. envy comes with it, and jealousy, and a morbid sensitiveness which readily leaps into strife. so do our possessions multiply our temptations. so does the bright day "bring forth the adder." so do we need extra defences when "fortune smiles upon us." but our god can make us proof against "the fiery darts" of success. abram remained unscathed in "the garish day." the lord delivered him from "the destruction that wasteth at noonday." his wealth increased, but it was not allowed to force itself between his soul and god. in the midst of all his prosperity, he dwelt in "the secret place of the most high," and he abode in "the shadow of the almighty." january the tenth _the lust of the eye_ genesis xiii. - . look at lot. he was a man of the world, sharp as a needle, having an eye to the main chance. he boasted to himself that he always "took in the whole situation." he said that what he did not know was not worth knowing. but such "knowing" men have always very imperfect sight. lot saw "all the well-watered plain of jordan," but he overlooked the city of sodom and its exceedingly wicked and sinful people. and the thing he overlooked was the biggest thing in the outlook! it was to prove his undoing, and to bring his presumptuous selfishness to the ground. look at abram. his spirit was cool and thoughtful, unheated by the feverish yearning after increased possessions. he had a "quiet eye," the fruit of his faithful communion with god. he was more intent on peace than plenty. he preferred fraternal fellowship to selfish increase. and so he chose the unselfish way, and along that way he discovered the blessing of god. "the lord is mindful of his own. he remembereth his children." in the unselfish way we always enjoy the divine companionship, and in that companionship we are endowed with inconceivable wealth. january the eleventh _self-made or god-made_ matthew vi. - . think of lot and then think of a lily of the field! think of the feverishness of the one and of the serenity of the other, or think of the ugly selfishness of the one, and of the graceful beauty of the other! look upon avarice at its worst, upon a shylock, and then gaze upon a lily of the field! how alarming is the contrast! the one is self-made, guided by vicious impulses; the other is the handiwork of god. the one is rooted in self-will; the other is rooted in the power of the divine grace. god has nothing to do with the one; he has everything to do with the other. so one becomes "big" and ugly; the other grows in strength and beauty. now the wonder is this, that we, too, may be rooted in the power from which the lily draws its grace. we may draw into our souls the wealth of the eternal, even the unsearchable riches of christ. we may put on "the beauty of holiness." we may become clothed in the graces of the spirit. when we are in the field of the lilies we may appear unto the lord as kindred flowers of his own garden. "he that abideth in me and i in him the same bringeth forth much fruit." "rooted in him," we shall "grow up in all things unto him." january the twelfth _two opposites_ "if any man love the world, the love of the father is not in him." -- john ii. - . no man can love two opposites any more than he can walk in contrary directions at the same time. no man can at once be mean and magnanimous, chivalrous and selfish. we cannot at the same moment dress appropriately for the arctic regions and the tropics. and we cannot wear the habits of the world and the garments of salvation. when we try to do it the result is a wretched and miserable compromise. i have seen a shopkeeper on the sabbath day put up one shutter, out of presumed respect for the holy lord, and behind the shutter continue all the business of the world! that one shutter is typical of all the religion that is left when a man "loves the world" and delights in its prizes and crowns. his religion is a bit of idle ritual which is an offence unto god! so i must make my choice. shall i travel north or south? which of the two opposites shall i love--god or the world? whichever love i choose will drive out and quench the other. and thus if i choose the love of god it will destroy every worldly passion, and the river of my affections and desires will be like "the river of water of life, clear as crystal." january the thirteenth _the miracle in a dry place_ psalm cvii. - . "he turneth ... the dry ground into water-springs." this is one of the miracles of grace. the good lord makes a dry experience the fountain of blessing. i pass into an apparently waste place and i find riches of consolation. even in "the valley of the shadow" i come upon "green pastures" and "still waters." i find flowers in the ruts of the hardest roads if i am in "the way of god's commandments." god's providence is the pioneer of every faithful pilgrim. "his blessed feet have gone before." what i shall need is already foreseen, and foresight with the lord means forethought and provision. every hour gives the loyal disciples surprises of grace. let me therefore not fear when the path of duty turns into the wilderness. the wilderness is as habitable with god as the crowded city, and in his fellowship my bread and water are sure. the lord has strange manna for the children of disappointment, and he makes water to "gush forth from the rock." duty can lead me nowhere without him, and his provision is abundant both in "the thirsty desert and the dewy mead." there will be a spring at the foot of every hill, and i shall find "lilies of peace" in the lonely valley of humiliation. january the fourteenth _forgetting god_ deuteronomy viii. - . "beware ... lest when thou hast eaten and art full ... thine heart be lifted up, and thou forget the lord thy god." i was in a little cottage near warwick. i said to the good man who lived in it, "can you see the castle?" and he replied, "we can see it best in the winter when the leaves are off the trees. in the summer time it is apt to be hid!" the summer bounty hid the castle; the winter barrenness revealed it! and so it is in life. in the season of fulness we are prone to be blind to "the house of many mansions," and we forget the master of the house, the lord our god. our material wealth hides our eternal treasure. what, then, shall we do in the days of our prosperity, when all our trees are in full leaf? we must pray that material things may never become opaque, that they may be always transparent, so that through the seen we may behold the unseen. this is a gift of the spirit, and it may be ours. he will anoint our eyes with the eye-salve of grace, and everything will become to us a symbol of something better, so that even in the midst of material plenty our hearts will be with our treasure in heaven. everything will be to us "as it were transparent glass." january the fifteenth _the ministry of praise_ psalm cxv. "the lord hath been mindful of us: he will bless us." in that joyful assurance there is both retrospect and prospect. there is the trodden pathway of providence, and there is the star of hope! the eyes are steadied and refreshed in sacred memories, and then they gaze into the future with serene and happy confidence. and so the ebenezer of the soul becomes both a thanksgiving and a reconsecration. now perhaps our hopes are thin because our praises are scanty. perhaps our expectations are clouded because our memories are dim. there is nothing so quickens hope as a journey among the mercies of our yesterdays. the heart lays aside its fears amid the accumulated blessings of our god. worries pass away like cloudlets in the warmth of a summer's morning. and the recollections of god's goodness always make summer even in the wintriest day. now i see why the new testament is so urgent in the matter of praise. without praise many other virtues and graces cannot be born. without praise they have no breath of life. praise quickens a radiant company of heavenly presences, and among them is the shining spirit of hope. january the sixteenth _the distinction of being recognized_ john x. - . the good shepherd knows his sheep, and knows them by name. and that is what i am tempted to forget. i think of myself as one of an innumerable multitude, no one of whom receives personal attention. "my way is overlooked by my god." but here is the evangel--the saviour would miss me, even me! at a great orchestral rehearsal, which sir michael costa was conducting, the man who played the piccolo stayed his fingers for a moment, thinking that his trifling contribution would never be missed. at once sir michael raised his hand, and said: "stop! where's the piccolo?" he missed the individual note. and my lord needs the note of my life to make the music of his kingdom, and if the note be absent he will miss it, and the glorious music will be broken and incomplete. there is a common vice of self-conceit, but there is also a common vice of excessive self-depreciation. "my lord can do nothing with me!" yes, my lord knows thee and needs thee! and by the power of his grace thou canst accomplish wonders! january the seventeenth _spiritual discernment_ "_my sheep hear my voice!_" --john x. - . this is spiritual discernment. we may test our growth in grace by our expertness in detecting the voice of our lord. it is the skill of the saint to catch "the still small voice" amid all the selfish clamours of the day, and amid the far more subtle callings of the heart. it needs a good ear to catch the voice of the lord in our sorrows. i think it requires a better ear to discern the voice amid our joys! the twilight helps me to be serious; the noonday glare tends to make me heedless. "_and they follow me!_" discernment is succeeded by obedience. that is the one condition of becoming a saint--to follow the immediate call of the lord. and it is the one condition of becoming an expert listener. every time i hear the voice, and follow, i sharpen my sense of hearing, and the next time the voice will sound more clear. "_and i give unto them eternal life._" yes, life is found in the ways of a listening obedience. every faculty and function will be vitalized when i follow the lord of life and glory. "in christ shall all be made alive." my saviour, graciously give me the listening ear! give me the obedient heart. january the eighteenth _false shepherds_ ezekiel xxxiv. - . this word of the lord puts before me the unlovely lineaments of the false shepherds. they are self-seeking. they "_feed themselves_," but they "_feed not the flock_." they take up religion for what they can make out of it! it is a carnal ambition, not a holy service. it is used for getting, not for giving, for self-glorification and not for self-sacrifice. it is selfishness masquerading as holiness, the thief in the garb of the shepherd. and, therefore, the false shepherds are devoid of sympathy. "_the diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick._" selfishness always tends to benumbment. humaneness is fostered by sacrifice. our sympathetic chords are kept refined by chivalrous deeds. drop the deeds and all our refinements begin to coarsen, and we make no response to our brother's cries of need and pain. and because there is no sympathy there is no quest. "_my sheep wandered ... and none did seek after them._" how can we seek them if we have never missed them, if we have no sense that they are lost? our lord came in travail of soul to "seek that which was lost." and i must share his travail if i would share in the search. january the nineteenth _the lost sheep_ ezekiel xxxiv. - . and now, again, i am bidden to contemplate the gracious ministries of the good shepherd. the good shepherd searches the "far country" for his lost sheep. "_i will bring them ... out of all places where they have been scattered._" he goes into the hard wilderness of cold indifference, and wasteful pride, and desolating sin, searching "high and low" for his foolish sheep. and no place is unvisited by the great seeker! every perilous ravine, where a sheep can be lost, knows the footprints of the shepherd. and he knows my far-country, and he is seeking me! and the good shepherd brings his wandering sheep back home. "_i will bring them ... to their own land._" we return from the land of pride to the home of lowliness, from hard indifference to gracious sympathy, from the barrenness of sin to the beauty of holiness. we come back to god's beautiful "lily-land" of eternal light and peace. and what nutriment the good shepherd provides for the home-coming sheep! "_i will feed them in a good pasture._" our wasted powers shall be renewed and strengthened by the fattening diet of grace. love shall be both host and meat! "he will satisfy thy mouth with good things." january the twentieth _the passing of the beast_ ezekiel xxxiv. - . when the good shepherd has charge of his flock "_the wild beasts will cease out of the land_." all beastly passions shall be destroyed. the fair gardens of our souls shall no longer be ravaged by sleek pride, or fierce appetite, or ravenous lust. "thou shalt tread upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon shalt thou trample under feet." and the forces of nature shall be in friendly co-operation. "_i will cause the shower to come down in his season._" we are to have mystic allies in sky and field. nature sides with the man who sides with god. our very garden becomes our helpmeet when we are cultivating the fruits of the spirit. the heavens assume a friendly aspect when we are "marching to beautiful zion." but when we are against the lord all these forces appear to be hostile. "the stars in their courses fought against sisera." and we are to have a joyful assurance of the companionship of our god. "_this shall they know, that i, the lord their god, am with them._" and in that precious assurance every other treasure is found! only be sure of that, and we shall walk about as kings and queens! january the twenty-first _the value of one soul_ matthew xviii. - . what an infinite value the lord attaches to one soul! "and _one of them_ be gone astray!" i thought he might never have missed the one! and yet the eastern shepherd says that out of his great flock he can miss the individual face. a face is missing, as though a child were absent from the family circle. when a soul is wandering in the far country there is an awful gap in the father's house! is thy place empty? is mine? and mark the pangs of the shepherd's quest. he "_goeth into the mountain and seeketh!_" the eastern shepherd goes out in tempest, and in rocky ravine, or in thorny scrub that tears the hands and feet, he seeks and finds his sheep. and my lord sought me, in stony and thorny places, in the darkness of gethsemane, and in the awful desolations of the hill. and the shepherd found his sheep, and he returns across the hills singing the song of the triumph of grace-- "and up from the mountains, thunder-riven, and up from the rocky steep, a cry arose to the gates of heaven, 'rejoice! i have found my sheep!' and the angels echo around the throne, 'rejoice! for the lord brings back his own!'" january the twenty-second _my own shepherd_ psalm xxiii. how shall we touch this lovely psalm and not bruise it? it is exquisite as "a violet by a mossy stone!" exposition is almost an impertinence, its grace is so simple and winsome. there is the ministry of rest. "_he maketh me to lie down in green pastures._" the good shepherd knows when my spirit needs relaxation. he will not have me always "on the stretch." the bow of the best violin sometimes requires to have its strings "let down." and so my lord gives me rest. and there is the discipline of change. "_he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness._" those strange roads in life, unknown roads, by which i pass into changed circumstances and surroundings! but the discipline of the change is only to bring me into new pastures, that i may gain fresh nutriment for my soul. "because they have no changes they fear not god." and there is "_the valley of the shadow_," cold and bare! what matter? he is there! "i will fear no evil." what if i see "no pastures green"? "thy rod and thy staff they comfort me!" the lord, who is leading, will see after my food. "thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies." i have a quiet feast while my foes are looking on! january the twenty-third _the giver's hand_ genesis iv. - . cain and abel both brought an offering unto the lord, but one was accepted and the other rejected. it is the giver who determines the worth or the worthlessness of the gift. god looks not at the gift, but at the hand that brings it. "your hands are full of blood!" "your hands are unclean!" the lord demands "clean hands." he will not have our compliments if there is defilement behind them. our courtesies are rejected if iniquity attends them. the shining gloss on the linen is an offence if the dirt looks through! who cares for food if presented by unclean hands? "be ye clean, ye that bear the vessels of the lord!" every gift is welcome to the lord if offered with clean hands. a mite, or a cup of cold water, or our daily labour, or the first-fruits of garden or field--all receive the blessing of our god if the hands that bring them are free from defilement. so is it with everything we offer to the lord. a song of praise makes sweet music in the hearing of our god if it come from pure lips! purity, as thomas a' kempis says, gives the wings which carry everything into the father's presence. january the twenty-fourth _the voice of the dead_ hebrews xi. - . with what voice shall we speak when we are dead? what will men hear when they turn their thoughts toward us? what part of us will remain alive, singing or jarring in men's remembrance? it is the biggest part of us that retains its voice. in some it is wealth, in others it is goodness; some go on speaking in their cruelty, others in their gentleness. cain still speaks in his jealous passion. abel speaks in his faith. dorcas speaks in her "good works and alms-deeds which she did"; judas iscariot speaks in his betrayal. yes, something goes on speaking. what shall it be? but these biggest things not only continue to speak in the ears of memory, they persist as actual forces in the common life of men. our faith is not buried with our bones, nor is our avarice or pride. our characters do not die when our hearts cease to beat. "the evil that men do lives after them," and so does the good. but deeper than our deeds, our dominant dispositions persist and mingle as friends or enemies in the lives of others. by them we, being dead, still speak, and we speak in subtle forces which aid or hinder other pilgrims who are fighting their way to god and heaven. january the twenty-fifth _first, my brother!_ matthew v. - . "first be reconciled to thy brother." we are to put first things first. when we bring a gift unto the lord he looks at the hand that brings it. if the hand is defiled the gift is rejected. "wash you, make you clean." "first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift." all this tells us why some resplendent gifts are rejected, and why some commonplace gifts are received amid heavenly song. this is why the widow's mite goes shining through the years. the hand that offered it was hallowed and purified with sacrifice. shall we say that in that palm there was something akin to the pierced hands of the lord? the mite had intimate associations with the cross. and it also tells me why so much of our public worship is offensive to our lord. we come to the church from a broken friendship. some holy thing has been broken on the way. someone's estate has been invaded, and his treasure spoiled. someone has been wronged, and god will not touch our gift. "leave there thy gift; first be reconciled to thy brother." january the twenty-sixth _the fire of envy_ "_where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work!_" --james iii. - . in milton's "comus" we read of a certain potion which has the power to pervert all the senses of everyone who drinks it. nothing is apprehended truly. sight and hearing and taste are all disordered, and the victim is all unconscious of the confusion. the deadly draught is the minister of deceptive chaos. and envy is like that potion when it is drunk by the spirit. it perverts every moral and spiritual sense. the envious is more fatally stricken than the blind. he gazes upon untruth and thinks it true. he looks upon confusion and thinks it order. envy is colour-blind. it is like jealousy, of which it is a blood-relation. it never sees anything in its natural hues. it misinterprets everything. no one can quench the unholy fire of envy but the mighty god himself. it is like a prairie fire: once kindled it is beyond our power to stamp it out. but god's coolness is more than a match for all our feverish heat. his quenchings are transformations. he converts the perverted and changes envy into goodwill. the bitter pool is made sweet. for confusion he gives order, for ashes he gives beauty, and in the face of an old enemy we see the countenance of a friend. january the twenty-seventh _the confession of sin_ "_i acknowledge my transgressions; and my sin is ever before me._" --psalm li. - . sin that is unconfessed shuts out the energies of grace. confession makes the soul receptive of the bountiful waters of life. we open the door to god as soon as we name our sin. guilt that is penitently confessed is already in the "consuming fire" of god's love. when i "acknowledge my sin" i begin to enter into the knowledge of "pardon, joy, and peace." but if i hide my sin i also hide myself from "the unsearchable riches of christ." "if we confess our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." i must then make confession of sin in my daily exercises in the presence of the lord. i am taking the way to recovered victory when i tell the lord the story of my defeat. satan strengthens his awful chains when he can induce me to keep silence concerning my sin. all his plans are thrown into confusion as soon as i "pour out my soul before the lord." when i fall let me not add to my guilt the further sin of secrecy. unconfessed sin breeds in its lurking-place and multiplies its hateful offspring. the soul that makes confession is washed through and through, and the seeds of iniquity are driven out of my soul. january the twenty-eighth _clean and unclean anger_ ephesians iv. - . "let all anger be put away from you." and yet only a moment ago the apostle had written the words, "be ye angry and sin not." my power of anger is not to be destroyed, it is to be transformed and purified. anger can be like an unclean bonfire; it can also be like "a sea of glass mingled with fire." there can be more smoke than light in it, more selfish passion than holy purpose. the fuel that feeds it may be envy, and jealousy, and spite, and not a big desire for the good of men and the glory of god. worldly anger "is set on fire of hell"; holy anger borrows flame from the altar-fires of god. our anger reveals our character. what is the quality of our anger? what kindles it? is it incited by our own wrongs or by the wrongs of another? is it set on fire by self-indulgence or by a noble sympathy? here is a sentence which describes the anger of the apostle paul: "who is made to stumble and i burn not?" paul's holy anger was made to burn by oppression, by the cruelty inflicted upon his fellow-men. his fire had nothing unclean in it; it was pure as the flame of oxygen. this is the anger we must cherish. we cannot "work ourselves up" into it. we must seek to be "baptized with the holy ghost _and with fire_." january the twenty-ninth _noble revenge_ "_i have delivered him that without cause is mine enemy._" --psalm vii. . that is the noblest revenge, and in those moments david had intimate knowledge of the spirit of his lord. "if thine enemy hunger, feed him!" _evil for good is devil-like._ to receive a favour and to return a blow! to obtain the gift of language, and then to use one's speech to curse the giver! to use a sacred sword is unholy warfare! all this is devil-like. _evil for evil is beast-like._ yes, the dog bites back when it is bitten. the dog returns snarl for snarl, venom for venom. and if, when i have been injured, i "pay a man back in his own coin," if i "give him as good as he gave," i am living on the plane of the beast. _good for good is man-like._ when i requite a man's kindness by kindness! when i send presents to one who loads me with benefits! this is a true and manly thing to do, and lifts us far above the beast. _good for evil is god-like._ yes, that lifts me into "the heavenly places in christ jesus." then i have "the mind of christ." then do i unto others as my saviour has done unto me. january the thirtieth _irresistible artillery_ "_when i cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back._" --psalm lvi. but it must be a real "cry"! it must not be an idle recitation which sheds no blood. it must be a cry like the cry of the drowning, a cry which cleaves the air like a bullet. said a man to me some while ago, "assault the heavens with cries for me!" that is the cry which takes the kingdom by storm. when such a cry rends the heavens, "my enemies turn back." a secret and irresistible artillery begins to play upon them, and their strength fails. yes, believing prayer calls these invisible allies into the field. "the mountains are full of horses and chariots of fire round about!" and the enemy flies! "_this i know._" the psalmist is building upon experience. the miracle has happened a hundred times. many a morning has he seen the enemy vaingloriously tramping the field, and he has cried unto the lord, and before nightfall there has been a perfect rout. blessed is the man who has had such heartening dealings with the lord that he can now face a hostile host in unclouded faith and assurance! january the thirty-first _under his wings_ "_in the shadow of thy wings will i make my refuge._" --psalm lvii. could anything be more tenderly gracious than this figure of hiding under the shadow of god's wings? it speaks of bosom-warmth, and bosom-shelter, and bosom-rest. "let me to thy bosom fly!" and what strong wings they are! under those wings i am secure even from the lions. my animal passions shall not hurt me when i am "hiding in god." the fiercest onslaughts of the devil are powerless to break those mighty wings. the tenderest little chick, "one of these little ones," nestling behind this soft and gentle shelter, shall be perfectly secure; "none of its bones shall be broken." i do not wonder that this sheltering psalmist begins to sing! "_i will sing and give praise!_" i have often listened to the sheltering chicks, hiding behind the mother's wings, and i have heard that quaint, comfortable, contented sound for which our language has no name. it is a sound of incipient song, the musical murmur of satisfaction. "i will sing unto thee ... for thy mercy is great." february the first _the soul in prison_ "_bring my soul out of prison!_" --psalm cxlii. i too, have my prison-house, and only the lord can deliver me. there is _the prison-house of sin_. it is a dark and suffocating hole, without friendly light or morning air. and it is haunted by such affrighting shapes, as though my iniquities had incarnated themselves in ugly and repulsive forms. none but the lord can bring me out. and there is _the prison-house of sorrow_. my griefs sometimes wrap me about like cold confining walls, which have neither windows nor doors. it seems as though a fluid sorrow can congeal into a cold, hard temperament, and hold me in its icy embrace. and none but the lord can bring me out. and there is _the prison-house of death_. i must perforce pass through the gate of death. shall i find it a castle of gloom, or is there another gate through which i shall emerge into the fair, sweet paradise of god? my master is lord of the road! and he tells me that death shall not be a castle of captivity, but only a thoroughfare through which i shall pass into the realm of eternal day. february the second _how to approach a crisis_ "_it shall be given you in that same hour._" --matthew x. - . and so i am not to worry about the coming crisis! "god never is before his time, and never is behind!" when the hour is come, i shall find that the great host hath made "all things ready." when the crisis comes _he will tell me how to rest_. it is a great matter to know just how to rest--how to be quiet when "all without tumultuous seems." we irritate and excite our souls about the coming emergency, and we approach it with worn and feverish spirits, and so mar our master's purpose and work. when the crisis comes _he will tell me what to do_. the orders are not given until the appointed day. why should i fume and fret and worry as to what the sealed envelope contains? "it is enough that he knows all," and when the hour strikes the secrets shall be revealed. and when the crisis comes _he will tell me what to say_. i need not begin to prepare my retorts and my responses. what shall i say when death comes, to me or to my loved one? never mind, he will tell thee. and what when sorrow or persecution comes? never mind, he will tell thee. february the third _transforming the hard heart_ _the lord "turned the flint into a fountain of waters."_ --psalm cxiv. what a violent conjunction, the flint becoming the birthplace of a spring! and yet this is happening every day. men who are as "hard as flint," whose hearts are "like the nether millstone," become springs of gentleness and fountains of exquisite compassion. beautiful graces, like lovely ferns, grow in the home of severities, and transform the grim, stern soul into a garden of fragrant friendships. this is what zacchæus was like when his flint became a fountain. it is what matthew the publican was like when the lord changed his hard heart into a land of springs. no one is "too far gone." no hardness is beyond the love and pity of god. the well of eternal life can gush forth even in a desert waste, and "where sin abounds grace doth much more abound." let us bring our hardness to the lord. let us see what he can make of our flint. when we are dry and "feelingless," and desire is dead, let us bring this sahara to the great restorer, and "the desert shall rejoice and blossom like the rose." february the fourth _spiritual buoyancy_ "_when thou passeth through the waters they shall not overflow thee._" --isaiah xliii. - . when mrs. booth, the mother of the salvation army, was dying, she quietly said, "the waters are rising but i am not sinking." but then she had been saying that all through her life. other floods besides the waters of death had gathered about her soul. often had the floods been out and the roads were deep in affliction. but she had never sunk! the good lord made her buoyant, and she rode upon the storm! this, then, is the promise of the lord, not that the waters of trouble shall never gather about the believer, but that he shall never be overwhelmed. he shall "keep his head above them." yes, to him shall be given the grace of "aboveness." he shall never be under, always above! it is the precious gift of spiritual buoyancy, sanctified good spirits, the power of the christian hope. when we are in christ jesus circumstances shall never be our master. one is our master, and "we are more than conquerors in him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood." february the fifth _everywhere the gate of heaven_ "_surely the lord is in this place, and i knew it not._" --genesis xxviii. - . that is the first time for many a day that jacob had named the name of god. in all the dark story of his wicked intrigue the name of god is never mentioned. jacob wanted to forget god! god would be a disturbing presence! but here he encounters him in a dream, and in the most unlikely place. "and he was afraid, and said, how dreadful is this place!" jacob had yet to learn that there is everywhere "a ladder set up on the earth and the top of it reaches to heaven." there was a ladder from the very tent in which he wore his deceptive skin. there was a ladder from the secret place where he and his mother wove their mischievous plot. there is no corner of earth which is cut away from the divine vigilance. god gets at us everywhere. but there is a merciful side to all this. if the ladder be everywhere, and god can get at us, then also everywhere we can get at god. there are "ascending angels" who will carry our confessions, our prayers, our sighs and mournings, to the very heart of the eternally gracious god. february the sixth _the home-bird_ psalm xci. - . i read a sentence the other day in which a very powerful modern writer describes a certain woman as "having god on her visiting list." we may recoil from the phrase, but it very vitally describes a very awful commonplace. countless thousands have god on their visiting lists. they pay him courtesy-calls, and between the calls he is forgotten. perhaps the call is paid once a week in the social function of worship. perhaps it is paid more rarely, like calls between comparative strangers. how great the contrast between a caller and one who dwells in the secret place! it is the difference between a flirt and a "home-bird," between one who flits about on a score of fancies, and one who settles down in the solid satisfaction of a supreme affection. "_shall abide under the shadow of the almighty._" such is the reward of the "home-bird," the settled friend of the lord. the shadow of the lord shall rest upon him continually. i sometimes read of our monarchs being "shadowed" by protective police. in an infinitely more real and intimate sense the soul that dwells in "the secret place" is shadowed by the sleepless grace and love of god. february the seventh _leaving its mark_ "_fear not, thou worm jacob, i will make thee a threshing instrument with teeth._" --isaiah xli. - . could any two things be in greater contrast than a worm and an instrument with teeth? the worm is delicate, bruised by a stone, crushed beneath a passing wheel; an instrument with teeth can break and not be broken, it can grave its mark upon the rock. and the mighty god can convert the one into the other. he can take a man or a nation, who has all the impotence of the worm, and by the invigoration of his own spirit he can endow them with strength by which they will leave a noble mark upon the history of their time. and so the "worm" may take heart. the mighty god can make us stronger than our circumstances. we can bend them all to our good. in god's strength we can make them all pay tribute to our souls. we can even take hold of a black disappointment, break it open, and extract some jewel of grace. when god gives us wills like iron we can drive through difficulties as the iron share cuts through the toughest soil. "i will make thee," saith the lord, "and shall he not do it?" february the eighth _revisiting old altars_ "_i will make there an altar unto god, who answered me in the day of my distress._" --genesis xxxv. - . it is a blessed thing to revisit our early altars. it is good to return to the haunts of early vision. places and things have their sanctifying influences, and can recall us to lost experiences. i know a man to whom the scent of a white, wild rose is always a call to prayer. i know another to whom grasmere is always the window of holy vision. sometimes a particular pew in a particular church can throw the heavens open, and we see the son of god. the old sunday-school has sometimes taken an old man back to his childhood and back to his god. so i do not wonder that god led jacob back to bethel, and that in the old place of blessing he reconsecrated himself to the lord. it is a revelation of the loving-kindness of god that we have all these helps to the recovery of past experiences. let us use them with reverence. and in our early days let us make them. let us build altars of communion which in later life we shall love to revisit. let us make our early home "the house of god and the gate of heaven." let us multiply deeds of service which will make countless places fragrant for all our after years. february the ninth _the rock and the bowing wall_ psalm lxii. here are two symbols by which the psalmist describes the confidence of the righteous. "_he only is my rock._" only yesterday i had the shelter of a great rock on a storm-swept mountain side. the wind tore along the heights, driving the rain like hail, but in the opening of the rock our shelter was complete. and the second symbol is this: "_he is my high place._" the high place is the home of the chamois, out of reach of the arrow. "flee as a bird to your mountain!" get beyond the hunter's range! our security is found in loftiness. it is our unutterable privilege to live in the heavenly places in christ jesus. such is the confidence of the righteous. in this psalm there is also another pair of symbols describing the futility of the wicked. the wicked is "_as a bowing wall._" the wall is out of perpendicular, out of conformity with the truth of the plumb-line, and it will assuredly topple into ruin. so is it with the wicked: he is building awry, and he will fall into moral disaster. he is also "_as a tottering fence._" the wind and the rain dislodge the fence, it rots at its foundations, and one day it lies prone upon the ground. february the tenth _registering a verdict_ "_the lord our god will we serve, and his voice will we obey._" --joshua xxiv. - . here was a definite decision. our peril is that we spend our life in wavering and we never decide. we are like a jury which is always hearing evidence and never gives a verdict. we do much thinking, but we never make up our minds. we let our eyes wander over many things, but we make no choice. life has no crisis, no culmination. now people who never decide spend their days in hoping to do so. but this kind of life becomes a vagrancy and not a noble and illumined crusade. we drift through our days, we do not steer, and we never arrive at any rich and stately haven. it is therefore vitally wise to "make a vow unto the lord." it is good to pull our loose thinkings together and to "gird up the loins of the mind." let a man, at some definite place, and at some definite moment, make the supreme choice of his life. february the eleventh _the hill country of the soul_ psalm cxxi. there should be a hill country in every life, some great up-towering peaks which dominate the common plain. there should be an upland district, where springs are born, and where rivers of inspiration have their birth. "i will lift up mine eyes unto the hills." the soul that knows no hills is sure to be oppressed with the monotony of the road. the inspiration to do little things comes from the presence of big things. it is amazing what dull trifles we can get through when a radiant love is near. a noble companionship glorifies the dingiest road. and what if that companion be god? then, surely, "the common round and daily task" have a light thrown upon them from "the beauty of his countenance." the "heavenlies" are our salvation and our defence. "his righteousness is like the great mountains." "the mountains bring forth peace unto his people." february the twelfth _the bulb and the soil_ "_he that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me._" --john xiv. - . yes, but how can i keep them? some one sent me a bulb which requires a certain kind of soil, but he also sent me the soil in which to grow it. he sent instructions, but he also sent power. and when i am bidden to keep a commandment i feel as though i have received the bulb but not the soil! but is this god's way of dealing with his people? i will read on if perchance i may find the gift of the soil. "he that abideth in me ... the same bringeth forth much fruit." that is the gift i seek. for the keeping of his commandments the lord provides himself. i am not called upon to raise fruits out of the soil of my own will, out of my own infirmity of aspiration or desire. i can rest everything in god! i can "abide in him," and i may have the holy energies of the godhead to produce in me the fruits of a holy and obedient life. the good lord provides both the bulb and the soil. it is the tragedy of life that we forget this, and seek to make a soil-bed of our own. and thus do we suffer the calamity of fruitless labour, the heavy drudgery of tasks beyond our strength. "come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and i will give you rest." february the thirteenth _grudges_ "_thou shalt not bear any grudge._" --leviticus xix. - . how searching is that demand upon the soul! my forgiveness of my brother is to be complete. no sullenness is to remain, no sulky temper which so easily gives birth to thunder and lightning. there is to be no painful aloofness, no assumption of a superiority which rains contempt upon the offender. when i forgive, i am not to carry any powder forward on the journey. i am to empty out all my explosives, all my ammunition of anger and revenge. i am not to "bear any grudge." i cannot meet this demand. it is altogether beyond me. i might utter words of forgiveness, but i cannot reveal a clear, bright, blue sky without a touch of storm brewing anywhere. but the lord of grace can do it for me. he can change my weather. he can create a new climate. he can "renew a right spirit within me," and in that holy atmosphere nothing shall live which seeks to poison and destroy. grudges shall die "like cloud-spots in the dawn." revenge, that awful creation of the unclean, feverish soul, shall give place to goodwill, the strong genial presence which makes its home in the new heart. february the fourteenth _imperfect consecration_ matthew xix. - . the rich young ruler consecrated a part, but was unwilling to consecrate the whole. he hallowed the inch but not the mile. he would go part of the way, but not to the end. and the peril is upon us all. we give ourselves to the lord, but we reserve some liberties. we offer him our house, but we mark some rooms "private." and that word "private," denying the lord admission, crucifies him afresh. he has no joy in the house so long as any rooms are withheld. dr. f. b. meyer has told us how his early christian life was marred and his ministry paralyzed just because he had kept back one key from the bunch of keys he had given to the lord. every key save one! the key of one room kept for personal use, and the lord shut out. and the effects of the incomplete consecration were found in lack of power, lack of assurance, lack of joy and peace. the "joy of the lord" begins when we hand over the last key. we sit with christ on his throne as soon as we have surrendered all our crowns, and made him sole and only ruler of our life and its possessions. february the fifteenth _the witness of yesterday_ psalm lxxviii. - . our yesterdays are to be the teachers of our children. we are to take them over our road, and show them the pitfalls where we stumbled and the snares that lured us away. and we are to show them how we found the springs of grace, and how the lord made himself known to us in daily providence and care. we are to relate his exploits, "his wonderful dealings with the children of men." we must make our life witness of god to our children, and when their minds roam over our road they must see it radiant with the grace and mercy of the lord. the best inheritance i can give my child is a steadfast witness of my knowledge of god. the testimony of a light that never failed may give him the needful wisdom when his own way becomes troubled with clouds and darkness. and what a story it is, this story of the deeds of our gracious god. it is full of quickening for weary and desponding souls. it is a perfect reservoir of inspiration for those whose desire has failed, and in whose lives the wells of impulse have become dry. let us bring forward yesterday's wealth to enrich the life of to-day. "do ye not remember the miracle of the loaves?" february the sixteenth _crowding out god_ "_lest thou forget._" --deuteronomy iv. - . that is surely the worst affront we can put upon anybody. we may oppose a man and hinder him in his work, or we may directly injure him, or we may ignore him, and treat him as nothing. or we may forget him! opposition, injury, contempt, neglect, forgetfulness! surely this is a descending scale, and the last is the worst. and yet we can forget the lord god. we can forget all his benefits. we can easily put him out of mind. we can live as though he were dead. "my children have forgotten me." what shall we do to escape this great disaster? "_take heed to thyself!_" to take heed is to be at the helm and not asleep in the cabin. it is to steer and not to drift. it is to keep our eyes on the compass and our hands on the wheel. it is to know where we are going. we never deliberately forget our lord; we carelessly drift into it. "take heed." "_and keep thy soul diligently._" gardens run to seed, and ill weeds grow apace. the fair things are crowded out, and the weed reigns everywhere. it is ever so with my soul. if i neglect it, the flowers of holy desire and devotion will be choked by weeds of worldliness. god will be crowded out, and the garden of the soul will become a wilderness of neglect and sin. february the seventeenth _blessings and cursings_ "_he read all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings._" --joshua viii. - . we are inclined to read only what pleases us, to hug the blessings and to ignore the warnings. we bask in the light, we close our eyes to the lightning. we recount the promises, we shut our ears to the rebukes. we love the passages which speak of our master's gentleness, we turn away from those which reveal his severity. and all this is unwise, and therefore unhealthy. we become spiritually soft and anæmic. we lack moral stamina. we are incapable of noble hatred and of holy scorn. we are invertebrate, and on the evil day we are not able to stand. we must read "all the words of the law, the blessings and the cursings." we must let the lord brace us with his severities. we must gaze steadily upon the appalling fearfulness of sin, and upon its terrific issues. at all costs we must get rid of the spurious gentleness that holds compromise with uncleanness, that effeminate affection which is destitute of holy fire. we must seek the love which burns everlastingly against all sin; we must seek the gentleness which can fiercely grip a poisonous growth and tear it out to its last hidden root. we must seek that holy love which is as a "consuming fire." february the eighteenth _the subtlety of temptation_ james i. - . evil enticements always come to us in borrowed attire. in the boer war ammunition was carried out in piano cases, and military advices were transmitted in the skins of melons. and that is the way of the enemy of our souls. he makes us think we are receiving music when he is sending explosives; he promises life, but his gift is laden with the seeds of death. he offers us liberty, and he hides his chains in dazzling flowers. "things are not what they seem." and so our enemy uses mirages, and will-o'-the-wisps and tinselled crowns. he lights friendly fires on perilous coasts to snare us to our ruin. and therefore we need clear, sure eyes. we need a refined moral sense which can discriminate between the true and the false, and which can discern the enemy even when he comes as "an angel of light." and we may have this wisdom from "the god of all wisdom." by his grace we may be kept morally sensitive, and we shall know our foe even when he is a long way off. february the ninteenth _the thought afar off_ psalm cxxxix. - . "thou knowest my thought afar off." that fills me with awe. i cannot find a hiding-place where i can sin in secrecy. i cannot build an apparent sanctuary and conceal evil within its walls. i cannot with a sheep's skin hide the wolf. i cannot wrap my jealousy up in flattery and keep it unknown. "thou god seest me." he knows the bottom thought that creeps in the basement of my being. nothing surprises god! he sees all my sin. so am i filled with awe. "thou knowest my thought afar off." this fills me also with hope and joy. he sees the faintest, weakest desire, aspiring after goodness. he sees the smallest fire of affection burning uncertainly in my soul. he sees every movement of penitence which looks toward home. he sees every little triumph, and every altar i build along life's way. nothing is overlooked. my god is not like a policeman, only looking for crimes; he is the god of grace, looking for graces, searching for jewels to adorn his crown. so am i filled with hope and joy. february the twentieth _tampering with the label_ john iii. - . sin is transgression. it is the deliberate climbing of the fence. we see the trespass-board, and in spite of the warning we stride into the forbidden field. sin is not ignorance, it is intention. we sin when we are wide-awake! there are teachers abroad who would soften words like these. they offer us terms which appear to lessen the harshness of our actions; they give our sin an aspect of innocence. but to alter the label on the bottle does not change the character of the contents. poison is poison give it what name we please. "sin is the transgression of the law." let us be on our guard against the men whose pockets are filled with deceptive labels. let us vigilantly resist all teachings which would chloroform the conscience. let us prefer true terms to merely nice ones. let us call sin by its right name, and let us tolerate no moral conjuring either with ourselves or with others. the first essential in all moral reformation is to call sin "sin." "if we confess our sin he is faithful and just to forgive us our sin." february the twenty-first _grace reigns!_ romans v. - . when old mr. honest came to the river, and he entered the cold waters of death, the last words he was heard to utter by those who stood on the shore were these:--"grace reigns!" all through his pilgrimage old mr. honest had been in emmanuel's land where grace reigned night and day. it was through grace that he had found the way of life. it was through grace that he had been delivered from the beasts and pitfalls of the road. it was grace that had given him lilies of peace, and springs of refreshment, and the fine air that inspired him in difficult tasks. and in death he still found "grace abounding," and the lord of the changing road was also lord of the dark waters through which he passed into the radiant glories of the cloudless day. in every yard of a faithful pilgrimage we shall find the decrees of sovereign love. we are never in alien country. "grace reigns" in every hill and valley, through every green pasture and over every rugged road, in every moment of "the day of life," and in the last sharp passage through the transient night of death. february the twenty-second _the three gardens_ revelation xxii. - . the bible opens with a garden. it closes with a garden. the first is the paradise that was lost. the last is paradise regained. and between the two there is a third garden, the garden of gethsemane. and it is through the unspeakable bitterness and desolation of gethsemane that we find again the glorious garden through which flows "the river of water of life." without gethsemane no new jerusalem! without its mysterious and unfathomable night no blessed sunrise of eternal hope! "we were reconciled to god by the death of his son." we are always in dire peril of regarding our redemption lightly. we hold it cheaply. privileges easily come to be esteemed as rights. and even grace itself can lose the strength of heavenly favour and can be received and used as our due. "gethsemane can i forget?" yes, i can; and in the forgetfulness i lose the sacred awe of my redemption, and i miss the real glory of "paradise regained." "ye are not your own; ye are bought with a price." that is the remembrance that keeps the spirit lowly, and that fills the heart with love for him "whose i am," and whom i ought to serve. february the twenty-third _the process and the end_ "_ye have seen the end of the lord: that the lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy._" --james v. - . and so we are bidden to be patient. "we must wait to the end of the lord." the lord's ends are attained through very mysterious means. sometimes the means are in contrast to the ends. he works toward the harvest through winter's frost and snow. the maker of chaste and delicate porcelain reaches his lovely ends through an awful mortar, where the raw material of bone and clay is pounded into a cream. in that mortar-chamber we have no hint of the finished ware. but be patient, even in this chamber of affliction the ware is on the way to glory! and so it is with the ministries of our lord. he leads us through discords into harmonies, through opposition into union, through adversities into peace. his means of grace are processes, sometimes gentle, sometimes severe; and our folly is to assume that we have reached his ends when we are only on the way to them. "the end of the lord is very pitiful, and of tender mercy." "be patient, therefore," until it shall be spoken of thee and me, "and god saw that it was good." february the twenty-fourth _moving towards daybreak_ "_he hath brought me into darkness, but not into light._" --lamentations iii. - . but a man may be in darkness, and yet in motion toward the light. i was in the darkness of the subway, and it was close and oppressive, but i was moving toward the light and fragrance of the open country. i entered into a tunnel in the black country in england, but the motion was continued, and we emerged amid fields of loveliness. and therefore the great thing to remember is that god's darknesses are not his goals; his tunnels are means to get somewhere else. yes, his darknesses are appointed ways to his light. in god's keeping we are always moving, and we are moving towards emmanuel's land, where the sun shines, and the birds sing night and day. there is no stagnancy for the god-directed soul. he is ever guiding us, sometimes with the delicacy of a glance, sometimes with the firmer ministry of a grip, and he moves with us always, even through "the valley of the shadow of death." therefore, be patient, my soul! the darkness is not thy bourn, the tunnel is not thy abiding home! he will bring thee out into a large place where thou shalt know "the liberty of the glory of the children of god." february the twenty-fifth _the fresh eye_ "_his compassions fail not: they are new every morning._" --lamentations iii. - . we have not to live on yesterday's manna; we can gather it fresh to-day. compassion becomes stale when it becomes thoughtless. it is new thought that keeps our pity strong. if our perception of need can remain vivid, as vivid as though we had never seen it before, our sympathies will never fail. the fresh eye insures the sensitive heart. and our god's compassions are so new because he never becomes accustomed to our need. he always sees it with an eye that is never dulled by the commonplace; he never becomes blind with much seeing! we can look at a thing so often that we cease to see it. god always sees a thing as though he were seeing it for the first time. "thou, god, seest me," and "his compassions fail not." and if my compassions are to be like a river that never knows drought, i must cultivate a freshness of sight. the horrible can lose its horrors. the daily tragedy can become the daily commonplace. my neighbour's needs can become as familiar as my furniture, and i may never see either the one or the other. and therefore must i ask the lord for the daily gift of discerning eyes. "lord, that i may receive my sight." and with an always newly-awakened interest may i reveal "the compassions of the lord!" february the twenty-sixth _the cellars of affliction_ psalm xxxiv. - . samuel rutherford used to say that whenever he found himself in the cellars of afflictions he used to look about for the king's wine. he would look for the wine-bottles of the promises and drink rich draughts of vitalizing grace. and surely that is the best deliverance in all affliction, to be made so spiritually exhilarant that we can rise above it. i might be taken out of affliction, and emerge a poor slave and weakling. i might remain in affliction, and yet be king in the seeming servitude, "more than conqueror" in christ jesus. it is a great thing to be led through green pastures and by still waters; i think it is a greater thing to have a "table prepared before me _in the presence of mine enemies_." it is good to be able to sing in the sunny noon; it is better still to be able to sing "songs in the night." and this deliverance may always be ours in christ jesus. the lord may not smooth out our circumstances, but we may have the regal right of peace. he may not save us from the sorrows of a newly-cut grave, but we may have the glorious strength of the immortal hope. god will enable us to be masters of all our circumstances, and none shall have a deadly hold upon us. february the twenty-seventh _the might of frailty_ psalm cv. - . that is the wonder of wonders, that the almighty god will use frail humanity as the vehicles of his power, and will make moses and aaron shine with reflected glory. man can send an electric current into a fragile carbon film and make it incandescent. he can send his voice across a continent, and make it speak on a distant shore. and the lord god can do wonders compared with which these are only as the dimmest dreams. he can send his holy power into human speech, and the words can wake the dead. he can send his virtue into the human will, and its strength can shake the thrones of iniquity. he can send his love into the human heart, and the power of its affection can capture the bitterest foe. and so the word "impossible" becomes itself impossible when the soul of man is in fellowship with the lord of hosts. the pliant will becomes an iron pillar. the weak heart becomes "as a defended city" when it is the home of god. dumb lips become the thrones of mysterious eloquence when touched with divine inspiration. february the twenty-eighth _the test of fulness_ deuteronomy viii. - . "and thou shalt eat and be full, and thou shalt bless the lord thy god." fulness is surely a more searching test than want. fulness induces sleep and forgetfulness. many a man fights a good fight with apollyon in the narrow way, who lapses into sleepy indifference on the enchanted ground. men often sit down to a full table without "grace." pain cries out to god, while boisterous health strides along in heedlessness. yes, it is our fulness that constitutes our direst peril. "this was the iniquity of sodom, _fulness_ of bread and abundance of idleness." and so our tests may come on the sunny day. a nation's supreme tests may come in its prosperity. the sunshine may do more damage than the lightning. the soul may falter even in beulah land, where "the sun shines night and day." prayer must not, therefore, tarry until sickness and adversity come. we must "pray without ceasing" in the cloudless noon, lest we are stricken with "the arrow that flieth by day." we must seek the eternal strength when no apparent enemy crouches at our gate, and when our easy road is lined with luxuriant flowers and fruit. february the twenty-ninth _invincible reliance_ hebrews xi. - . "accounting that god was able." that is the faith that makes moral heroes. that is the faith that prompts mighty ventures and crusades. it is faith in god's willingness and ability to redeem his promises. it is faith that if i do my part he will most assuredly do his. it is faith that he cannot possibly fail. it is faith that when he makes a promise the money is already in the bank. it is faith that when he sends me into the wilderness the secret harvest is already ripe from which he will give me "daily bread." it is faith that "all things are now ready," and in that faith i will face the apparently impossible task. and thus the "impossible" leads me to the "prepared." the desert leads me to "fields white already." the hard call to sacrifice leads me to the "lamb in the thicket." "god is able," and he is never behind the time. the critical need unveils his grace. faith goes out on this invincible reliance. it is "the assurance of things hoped for." and by faith it inherits these things and is rich and strong in their possession. march the first _overcharging the heart_ luke xxi. - . here is a great peril. our hearts may be "_overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares_." our mode of living may send our spirits to sleep. yes, we may so ill-use our bodies that the watchman sleeps at his post! we can over-eat, and dim our moral sight. a man's daily meals have vital relationship with his vision of the lord. if i would have a clear spirit i must not overburden the flesh. and therefore am i bidden to "_take heed_" to myself. i must exercise common sense, the most important of all the senses. i must put a bridle upon my appetite, and hold it in subjection to my lord. and i must "_watch_!" the devil is surpassingly cunning, and, if he can, he will mix an opiate even with the sacramental wine. he will lure me among the winsome poppies, and put me into a perilous sleep. and i must "_pray_!" i have a great and glorious defender! let me humbly yet confidently use him, and i shall be delivered from the snares of appetite, and from the benumbing influence of all excess. march the second _the power of the cross_ john x. - . "i lay down my life." in that supreme sacrifice all other sacrifices turn pale. in the power of that sacrifice the blackest guilt finds forgiveness. its energies seek out the ruined and desolate life with glorious offer of renewal. when the lord laid down his life the entire race found a new beginning. our hope is born at the cross. it is there that "the burden of our sin rolls away." in his night we find daybreak. when he said, "it is finished," our soul could sing, "life is begun." and so pilgrims gather at the cross. songs are heard there, the "sweetest ever sung by mortal tongues." and the power of the cross never wanes. its glorious grace reaches the soul to-day as in the earliest days. it inspires the despairing heart. it transforms the mind. it remakes the tissues of the will. there is no shattered power that the power of the cross cannot restore. "we are complete in him." "in the cross of christ i glory, towering o'er the wrecks of time; all the light of sacred story gathers round its head sublime." march the third _preparing for the bride_ john xiv. - . our lord has prepared a place. it is the bridegroom "getting the house ready" for the bride. and, therefore, the preparations are not made grudgingly and with slow reluctance. everything is of the best, and done with the swift delight of love. "come, for all things are now ready." and our lord will fetch his bride to the prepared place. "i am the way." we become so wrapt up in him that nothing else counts. i once travelled through the black country with a fascinating friend, and i never saw it! and we can become so absorbed in our glorious bridegroom that we shall be almost oblivious of adverse circumstances which may beset us. yes, even this is possible: "he that believeth in me shall never see death!" "i will receive you unto myself." the last obscuring veil is to be rent, and we are to see him "face to face." and that will be home, for that will be satisfaction and peace. the deepest hunger of the soul will be gratified in a glorious contentment, and we shall find that "the half hath not been told." march the fourth _the great companion_ john xiv. - . and so even the road is to have the home-feeling in it. "_i will not leave you orphans._" yes; there is to be something of home even in the way to it. i find something of devonshire even in dorsetshire; shropshire gives me a taste of wales. my lord will not leave me comfortless. heaven runs over, and i find its bounty before i arrive at its gate. the "valley of baca" becomes "a well." and there are to be wonderful visions to speed the pilgrim's feet. "_i will manifest myself unto him._" at unexpected corners the glory will break! we shall be assuming that we have picked up a common traveller, and suddenly we shall discover it is the lord, for he will be made known to us "in the breaking of bread." and at many "risings" of the road, where the climbing is stiff and burdensome, we shall be inspired with many a glorious view, and we shall see "the land that is very far off." the one condition is, that i keep his word. if i am obedient, he will appear unto me, and the humdrum road will shine with miracles of grace. march the fifth _the tent and the building_ corinthians v. - . at present we live in a tent--"_the earthly house of this tabernacle._" and often the tent is very rickety. there are rents through which the rain enters, and it trembles ominously in the great storm. some tents are frail from the very beginning, half-rotten when they are put up, and they have no defence even against the breeze. but even the strongest tent becomes weather-worn and threadbare, and in the long run it "falls in a heap!" and what then? we shall exchange the frail tent for the solid house! "_if the earthly house of this tabernacle be dissolved, we have a building of god, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens._" when we are unclothed we shall find ourselves clothed with our house which is from heaven. the glory of this transition can only be confessed by "the saints in light." to awake, and discover that the creaking, breaking cords are left behind, that all the leakages are over, that we are no longer exposed to the cutting wind, that pain is passed, and sickness, and death--this must be a wonder of inconceivable ecstasy! and "absent from the body" we shall be "present with the lord." march the sixth _home-life in god_ john xvii. - . the home-life in god is to be a life of perfect union--"_i in them, and thou in me._" home is only another name for union. it is the perfect fusion of life with life, the harmonizing of differences as many different notes combine to form the mystery of choral song. and so will it be in the home-land! our manifold individualities will be retained, but we shall "fit into one another," and in the perfect harmony we shall hear the "new song" of heaven. and we are to prepare that union by the contemplation of the glory of the lord. "_that they may behold my glory._" yes, and we can begin to do that now. we can lift our eyes away from the ugly compromises of men and fix them upon the radiant holiness of the lord. we can look away from the dirty alpine village and gaze upon the virgin snow of the uplifted heights. "looking unto jesus!" and in that contemplation we shall most assuredly become transformed. "_i have given unto them the glory which thou gavest me._" that is our wonderful possibility. for thee and me is this prize offered, we can "awake in his likeness." march the seventh _things missing in heaven_ revelation xxi. - . what a number of "conspicuous absences" there are to be in "the home-land!" no more sea! john was in patmos, and the sea rolled between him and his kinsmen. the sea was a minister of estrangement. but in the home-country every cause of separation is to be done away, and the family life is to be one of inconceivable intimacy. no more sea! and no more pain! its work is done, and therefore the worker is put away. when the building is completed the scaffolding may be removed. when the patient is in good health the medicine bottles can be dispensed with. and so shall it be with pain and all its attendants. "the inhabitant never says: 'i am sick!'" and no more death! "the last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." yes, he, too, shall drop his scythe, and his lax hand shall destroy no more for ever. death himself shall die! and all things that have shared his work shall die with him. "the former things have passed away." the wedding-peal which welcomes the lamb's bride will ring the funeral knell of death and all his sable company. march the eighth _the citizens of the home-land_ revelation vii. - . the citizen of "the home-land" wears white robes. his habits are perfectly clean. and the purity which he wears is a divine gift and not a human accomplishment. it cannot be attained by self-sacrifice; it is ours through the sacrifice of our lord. "they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the lamb." and every citizen of the home-land bears a palm in his hand. it is the emblem of conquest and sovereignty. by the grace of christ they have been lifted above self and sin, and the devil, and death, and "made to sit with him" on his throne. the palm is the heavenly symbol that all their spiritual enemies are under their feet. and every citizen of the home-land takes part in the new song. the home-folk are therefore one in purity, one in self-conquest, and one in praise. "salvation unto our god which sitteth upon the throne!" in that melody of thankfulness their union is deepened and enriched. and we, too, can begin now to wear the white robe! and even now can we carry the palm! and even now we can join in the song of ceaseless praise. march the ninth _nearing home!_ timothy iv. - . here is a most valiant pilgrim nearing home! by the mercy of christ he can look back upon a brave day, and there's a fine hopeful light in the evening sky. he has fought well! "_i have fought a good fight._" and his has been a hard field. the enemy has ever regarded him as a leader in the army of the lord and against him has the fiercest fight been waged. but he has never lost or stained his flag. and he has run well! "_i have finished my course._" there was no melancholy turning back when the feverish start had cooled. there was no shrinking when the biting wind of malice and persecution swept across his track. on and on he ran, with increasing speed and ardour, until he reached the goal. and well had he guarded his treasure! "_i have kept the faith._" he was the custodian of "unsearchable riches," and he watched, day and night, lest any infernal burglar should despoil him of his wealth. he guarded his gospel, his liberty, his hope, as the sentinels guard the crown jewels in the tower. and now the hard day is nearly over. "henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness which the lord will give me at that day." march the tenth _exaltation by separation_ corinthians vi. - . when we turn away from the world, and leave it, we ourselves are not left to desolation and orphanhood. when we "come out from among them" the lord receives us! he is waiting for us. the new companionship is ours the moment the old companionship is ended. "i will not leave you comfortless." what we have lost is compensated by infinite and eternal gain. we have lost "the whole world" and gained "the unsearchable riches of christ." and therefore separation is exaltation. we leave the muddy pleasures of sodom and we "drink of the river of his pleasures." we leave "the garish day," and all the feverish life of vanity fair, and he maketh us "to lie down in green pastures," "he leadeth us beside the still waters." we leave a transient sensation, we receive the bread of eternity. we forfeit fireworks, we gain the stars! what fools we are, and blind! we prefer the scorched desert of sodom to the garden of eden. we prefer a loud reputation to noble character. we prefer delirium to joy. we prefer human applause to the praise of god. we prefer a fading garland to the crown of life. lord, that we may receive our sight! march the eleventh _good and bad roads_ psalm i. there is nothing breaks up more speedily than a badly-made road. every season is its enemy and works for its destruction. fierce heat and intensest cold both strive for its undoing. and "the way of the ungodly" is an appallingly bad road. there is rottenness in its foundations, and there is built into it "wood, and hay, and stubble," how can it stand? "the spirit of the lord breatheth upon it," and it is surely brought to nought. all the forces of holiness are pledged to its destruction, and they shall pick it to pieces, and shall scatter its elements to the winds. "i am the way!" that road remains sound "in all generations." changing circumstances cannot affect its stability. it is proof against every tempest, and against the most violent heat. it is a road in which little children can walk in happiness and in which old people can walk in peace. it is firm in the day of life, and it is absolutely sure in the hour of death. it never yields! "thou hast set my feet upon a rock and hast established my goings." "this is the way, walk ye in it." march the twelfth _the coming of the lord_ luke xvii. - . in a certain very real way the lord is coming every moment. and the great art of christian living is to be able to discern him when he arrives. he may appear as the village carpenter; or we may "suppose him to be one of the gardeners," and we may mistake his appearing! he may meet us in some lowly duty, or in some seemingly unpleasant task. he may shine in the cheeriness of some triumph, or whisper to us in a message of good news. "i come again." and if our eyes are open we shall see him coming continually. it is by this perception that the value of our life is measured and weighed. but he will also come again "suddenly," when the soul will be translated into unknown climes. he will come again in the sable robes of death. shall we know him? will our eyes be so keen and true that we shall be able to pierce the dark veil and say "it is the lord!" this has been the joyful experience of countless multitudes. when the summons came their souls went forth, not as victims to encounter death, but as the bride "to meet the bridegroom!" they had intimacy with him in life; they had glorious fellowship with him in death! march the thirteenth _sickness among christ's friends_ john xi. - . and so sickness can enter the circle of the friends of the lord. "_he whom thou lovest is sick._" my sicknesses do not mean that i have lost his favour. the shadow is his, as well as the sunshine. when he removes me from the glare of boisterous health it may be because of some spiritual fern which needs the ministry of the shade. "_this sickness is ... for the glory of god._" something beautiful will spring out of the shadowed seclusion, something which shall spread abroad the name and fame of god. and, therefore, i do not wonder at the lord's delay. he did not hasten away to the sick friend: "_he abode two days still in the same place where he was._" shall i put it like this: the awaking bulbs were not yet ready for the brighter light--just a little more shade! we are impatient to get healthy; the lord desires that we become holy. our physical sickness is continued in order that we may put on spiritual strength. and there are others besides sick lazarus concerned in the sickness: "i am glad _for your sakes_ i was not there." the disciples were included in the divine scheme. their spiritual welfare was to be affected by it. let me ever remember that the circle affected by sickness is always wider than the patient's bed. and may god be glorified in all! march the fourteenth "_even now!_" john xi. - . let me consider this marvellous confession of martha's faith. "i know that _even now_, whatsoever thou wilt ask of god, god will give it thee!" mark the "even now"! lazarus was dead, and it was midnight in the desolate home. but "even now"! beautiful it is when a soul's most awful crises are the seasons of its most radiant faith! beautiful it is when our lamp shines steadily in the tempest, and when our spiritual confidence remains unshaken like a gloriously rooted tree. beautiful it is when in our midnight men can hear the strains of the "even now"! and let me consider the wonder of the divine response. "_i am the resurrection and the life._" a faith like martha's will always win the saviour's best. and here is an overwhelming best before which we can only bow in silent homage and awe. he is the fountain in whom the stagnant brook shall find currency again. he is the life in whom the fallen dead shall rise to their feet again. and what is this? "whosoever liveth and believeth in me _shall never die_!" we shall go to sleep, but we shall never taste the bitterness of death. in the very act of closing our material eyes we shall open our spiritual eyes, and find ourselves at home! march the fifteenth _jesus at a grave_ john xi. - . here is jesus weeping. "jesus wept." why did he weep? perhaps he wept out of sheer sympathy with the tears of others. and perhaps, too, he wept because some of our tears were needless. if we were better men we should know more of the love and purpose of our lord, and perhaps many of our tears would be dried. still, here is the sweet and heartening evangel. he sympathizes with my grief! never a bitter tear is shed without my lord sharing the tang and the pang. here is jesus praying! "father, i thank thee that thou hast heard me." then it is not so much a prayer as a thanksgiving. he gives thanks for what he is "about to receive." is this my way? perhaps i do it before i take a meal. do i do it before i begin to live the day? in the morning do i thank my god for what i am about to receive? can i confidently give thanks before i receive the gifts of god, before the dish-covers are removed? can i trust him? and here is jesus commanding, clothed in sovereign power: "lazarus, come forth!" that is the same voice which "in the beginning created the heavens and the earth." march the sixteenth _the nemesis of bigotry_ john xi. - . a fearful nemesis waits upon the spirit of bigotry. oliver wendell holmes has said that bigotry is like the pupil of the eye, the more light you pour into it the more it contracts. the scribes and pharisees became smaller men the more the lord revealed his glory. in the raising of lazarus they saw nothing of the glory of the resurrection life, nothing of the joy of the reunited family, nothing of the gracious ministry of the lord! "darkness had blinded their eyes." and it is also the nemesis of bigotry to be bitter, cruel, and violent. they sought to kill the giver of life! it is the ministry of light to ripen and sweeten the dispositions. "the fruit of the light is in all goodness." it is the ministry of the darkness to make men sour and unsympathetic, and revengeful, and to so pervert the heart as to make it a minister of poison and death. and yet, how powerless is bigotry in the long run! it can no more stay the progress of the kingdom than king canute could check the flowing tide! bigotry slew the lord, and he rose again! and so it ever is. "truth crushed to earth shall rise again; the eternal years of god are hers." march the seventeenth _the commonplace of death_ luke vii. - . death is never a commonplace. we never become so accustomed to funerals as not to see them. everybody sees the mournful procession go along the street. a momentary awe steals over the flippant thought, and for one brief season the superficial opens into the infinite abyss. and yet, while a thousand are arrested, only a few are compassionate. there can be awe without pity; there can be interest without service. when this humble funeral train trudged out of the city of nain our lord halted, and his heart melted! there was an "aching void," and he longed to fill it. there was a bleeding, broken heart, and he yearned to stand and heal it. he found his own joy in removing another's tears, his own satisfaction in another's peace. "_the lord hath visited his people!_" that is what the people said, and i do not wonder at the saying! and let me, too, be a humble visitor in the troubled ways of men! let my heart be a well of sweet compassion to all the sons and daughters of grief! like barnabas, let me be "a son of consolation." march the eighteenth _serenity in the tempest_ job xix. - . perhaps i am akin to job in having experienced the pressure of calamity. i have felt the shock of adverse circumstances, and the house of my life has trembled in the convulsion. or death has been to my door and has returned again and again, and every time he has left me weeping! all god's billows have gone over me! verily, i can take my place by the patriarch job. but can i share his witness, "_i know that my redeemer liveth_"? have i a calm assurance that my ruler is not caprice, and that my comings and goings are not determined by unfeeling chance? when death knocked at my door, did i know that the king had sent him? when some cherished scheme toppled into ruin, had i any thought that the lord's hand was concerned in the shaking? even when my circumstances are dubious, and i cannot trace a gracious purpose, do i know that my vindicator liveth, and that some day he will justify all the happenings of the troubled road? i will pay for this gracious confidence. i would have a firm step even among disappointments; yea, i would "sing songs in the night!" march the nineteenth _death as my servant_ revelation xx. - . even now i would rise from the dead. even now i would know "the power of his resurrection." even now i would taste the rapture of the deathless life. and this is my glorious prerogative in grace. yes, even now i can be "risen with christ," and "death shall no more have dominion over me!" and yet i must die! yes, but the old enemy shall now be my friend. he will not be my master, but my servant. he shall just be the porter, to open the door into my father's house, into the home of unspeakable blessedness and glory. death shall not hurt me! i have seen a little child fall asleep while out in the streets of the city, and the kind nurse has taken charge of the sleeper, and when the little one awaked she was at home, and she opened her eyes upon her mother's face. so shall it be with all who are alive in christ, and who have risen from a spiritual grave. they shall just fall into a brief sweet sleep, and gentle death shall usher them into the glory of the endless day. march the twentieth _the lord is at hand!_ "_ye know not what hour your lord doth come._" --matthew xxiv. - . then let me always live as though my lord were at the gate! let me arrange my affairs on the assumption that the next to lift the latch will be the king. when i am out with my friend, walking and talking, let me assume that just round the corner i may meet the lord. and so let me practise meeting him! said a mother to me one day concerning her long-absent boy: "i lay a place for him at every meal! his seat is always ready!" may i not do this for my lord? may i not make a place for him in all my affairs--my choices, my pleasures, my times of business, my season of rest? he may come just now; let his place be ready! if he delay, i must not become careless. if he give me further liberty, i must not take liberties with it. here is the golden principle, ever to live, ever to think, ever to work as though the lord had already arrived. for indeed, he has, and when the veil is rent i shall find him at my side. march the twenty-first _in the golden city_ isaiah lii. - . and so these are the glories of the golden city. there is _wakefulness_. "awake! awake!" in the golden city none will be asleep. everybody will be bright-eyed, clear-minded, looking upon all beautiful things with fresh and ready receptiveness. "the eyes of them that see shall not be dim." there is _strength_. "put on thy strength!" there will be no broken wills in the golden city, and no broken hearts. no one will walk with a limp! everybody will go with a brave stride as to the strains of a band. and no one will tire of living, and the inhabitant never says, "i am sick." and there is _beauty_. "put on thy beautiful garments." bare strength might not be attractive. but strength clothed in beauty is a very gracious thing. the tender mosses on the granite make it winsome. strength is companionable when it is united with grace. in the golden city there will be tender sentiment as well as rigid conviction. and these glories will be our defence. a positive virtue is our best rampart against vice. a robust health is the best protection against the epidemic. "the prince of this world cometh, and he hath nothing in me." march the twenty-second _counsel and might_ psalm cxix. - . the psalmist prays for an _illumined understanding_. "teach me, o lord, the way of thy statutes." we are so prone to be children of the twilight, and to see things out of their true proportions. therefore do we need to be daily taught. i must go into the school of the lord, and in docility of spirit i must sit at his feet. "o, teach me, lord, teach even me!" and the psalmist prays for _rectified inclinations_. "incline my heart unto thy testimonies." we so often have the wrong bias, the fatal taste, and our desires are all against the will of the lord. if only my leanings were toward the lord how swift my progress would be! i strive to walk after holiness, while my inclinations are in the realm of sin. and so i need a clean mouth, with an appetite for the beautiful and the true. "blessed are they that hunger after righteousness." and the psalmist prays for _a strenuous will_. "make me to go in the path of thy commandments." he is praying for "go," for moral persistence, for power to crash through all obstacles which may impede his heavenly progress. and such is my need. good lord, endow me with a will like "an iron pillar," and help me to "stand in the evil day." march the twenty-third _the dark betrayal_ john xviii. - . our master was betrayed by a disciple, "one of the twelve." the blow came from one of "his own household." the world employed a "friend" to execute its dark design. and so our intimacy with christ may be our peril; our very association may be made our temptation. the devil would rather gain _one_ belonging to the inner circle than a thousand who stand confessed as the friends of the world. what am i doing in the kingdom? can i be trusted? or am i in the pay of the evil one? and our master was betrayed in the garden of prayer. in the most hallowed place the betrayer gave the most unholy kiss. he brought his defilement into the most awe-inspiring sanctuary the world has ever known. and so may it be with me. i can kindle the unclean fire in the church. i can stab my lord when i am on my knees. while i am in apparent devotion i can be in league with the powers of darkness. and this "dark betrayal" was for money! the lord of glory was bartered for thirty pieces of silver! and the difference between judas and many men is that they often sell their lord for less! from the power of mammon, and from the blindness which falls upon his victims, good lord, deliver me! march the twenty-fourth _in gethsemane_ luke xxii. - . surely this is the very holy of holies! it were well for us to fall on our knees and "be silent unto the lord." i would quietly listen to the awful words, "remove this cup from me!" and i would listen again and again until never again do i hold a cheap religion. it is in this garden that we learn the real values of things, and come to know the price at which our redemption was bought. no one can remain in gethsemane and retain a frivolous and flippant spirit. "_and there appeared unto him an angel from heaven, strengthening him._" i know that angel! he has been to me. he has brought me angel's food, even heavenly manna. always and everywhere, when my soul has surrendered itself to the divine will, the angel comes, and my soul is refreshed. the laying down of self is the taking up of god. when i lose my will i gain the infinite. the moment of surrender is also the moment of conquest. when i consecrate my weakness i put on strength and majesty like a robe. "_and when he rose up from his prayer_"--what then? just this, he was quietly ready for anything, ready for the betraying kiss, ready for crucifixion. "arise, let us be going." march the twenty-fifth _the fear of man_ john xviii. - . and this is the disciple who had been surnamed "the rock"! our lord looked into the morrow, and he saw simon's character, compacted by grace and discipline into a texture tough and firm as granite. but there is not much granite here! peter is yet loose and yielding; more like a bending reed than an unshakable rock. a servant girl whispers, and his timid heart flings a lie to his lips and he denies his lord. peter denied the master, not because he coveted money, but because he feared men. he was not seeking crowns, but escaping frowns. he was not clutching at a garland, but avoiding a sword. it was not avarice but cowardice which determined his ways. he shrank from crucifixion! he saw a possible cross, and with a great lie he passed by on the other side. but the lord has not done with peter. he is still "in the making." some day he will justify his new name. some day we shall find it written: "when they saw the boldness of peter, they marvelled"! once a maid could make him tremble. now he can stand in high places, "steadfast and unmovable"! from the spirit of cowardice and from all temporising, and from the unholy fear of man, deliver me, good lord! march the twenty-sixth _the king of kings_ john xviii. - . what a strange king our lord appears, claiming mystic sovereignty, and yet betrayed by a false friend! and yet, even in his apparent subjection his majestic kingliness stands revealed. when i watch the demeanours of pilate and jesus, i can see very clearly who it is who is on the throne; pilate wears the outer trappings of royalty, but my lord's is "the power and the glory." pilate fusses about in a little "brief authority," but my lord stands possessed of a serene dominion. even at pilate's judgment bar jesus is the king. but his kingdom is "_not of this world_." and therefore this king is unlike every other king. he seeks his possessions not by fighting, but by "lighting"; not by coercion, but by constraint. his servants do not go forth with swords, but with lamps; not to drive the peoples, but to lead them. his visible throne is a cross, and his conquests are made in the power of sacrifice. and so his armaments are the truth, and the truth alone. "_for this cause came i into the world, that i should bear witness unto the truth._" when the truth wins and wooes, the triumph is lasting. garlands won by the sword perish before the evening. to be one of the king's subjects is to share his nature. "everyone that is of the truth heareth my voice." march the twenty-seventh _the silence of jesus_ "_he answered him nothing!_" --luke xxiii. - . and yet, "ask, and it shall be given you!" yes, but everything depends upon the asking. even in the realm of music there is a rudeness of approach which leaves true music silent. whether the genius of music is to answer us or not depends upon our "touch." herod's "touch" was wrong, and there was no response. herod was flippant, and the eternal was dumb. and i, too, may question a silent lord. in the spiritual realm an idle curiosity is never permitted to see the crown jewels. frivolousness never goes away from the royal presence rich with surprises of grace. "thy touch has still its ancient power!" so it has, but the healing touch is the gracious response to the touch of faith. "she touched him, and...!" "_and herod ... mocked him._" that was the real spirit behind the eager curiosity. and i, too, may mock my lord! i may bow before him, and array him in apparent royalty, while all the time my spirit is full of flippancy and jeers. i may lustily sing: "crown him lord of all," while i will not recognize his rights on a single square foot of the soil of my inheritance. and this it is to be the kinsman of herod. and this, too, will be the issue; the heavens will be as brass, and the lord will answer us nothing. march the twenty-eighth _the choice of barabbas_ luke xxiii. - . barabbas rather than christ! the destroyer of life rather than the giver of life! this was the choice of the people; and it is a choice which has often stained and defiled my own life. when i choose revenge rather than forgiveness, i am preferring barabbas to christ. for revenge is a murderer, while forgiveness is a healer and saviour of men. but how often i have sent the sweet healer to the cross, and welcomed the murderer within my gate! when i choose carnal passion before holiness, i am preferring barabbas to christ. for is there any murderer so destructive as carnality? and holiness stands waiting, ready to make me beautiful with the wondrous garments of grace. but i spurn the angel, and open my door to the beast. the devil is always soliciting my service, and the devil "is a murderer from the beginning." have i never preferred him, and sent my lord to be "crucified afresh," and "put him to an open shame"? again let me pray--for all my unholy and unwholesome choices, for all my preference of the murderer, forgive me, good lord! march the twenty-ninth _mystic alarm-bells_ matthew xxvii. - . pilate was warned. pilate's wife had a dream, and in the dream she had glimpses of reality, and when she awoke her soul was troubled. "have thou nothing to do with that just man!" and i, too, have mysterious warnings when i am treading perilous ways. sometimes the warning comes from a friend. sometimes "the angel of the lord stands in the way for an adversary." my conscience rings loudly like an alarm-bell in the dead of night. yes, the warnings are clear and pertinent, but...! pilate ignored the warning, and handed the lord to the revengeful will of the priests. pilate defiled his heart, and then he washed his hands! what a petty attempt to escape the certain issues! and yet we have shared in the small evasion. we have crucified the lord, and then we wear a crucifix. we violate the spirit, and then we do reverence to the letter. we hand the lord over to be crucified, and then we practise the postures and gait of the saints. yes, we have all sought an escape in outer ceremony from the nemesis of our shameful deeds. my soul, attend thou to the mystic warnings, and "play the man"! march the thirtieth _the victory of meekness_ peter ii. - . then i may be not only the betrayer, but the betrayed. in my inner circle there may be a friend who will play me false, and hand me over to the wolves. what then? just this--i must imitate the grace of my lord, and "consider him." there must be no violent retaliation. "_when he was reviled, he reviled not again._" the fire of revenge may singe or even scorch my enemy, but it will do far more damage to the furniture of my own soul. after every indulgence in vengeful passion some precious personal possession has been destroyed. the fact of the matter is, this fire cannot be kept burning without making fuel of the priceless furnishings of the soul. "heat not a furnace for your foe so hot that it do singe yourself." there must be a serene committal of the soul to the strong keeping of the eternal god. "_he committed himself to him that judgeth righteously._" this is the way of peace, as this is the way of victory. if ever the enemy is to be conquered this must be the mode of the conquest. when men persecute us, let us rest more implicitly in our god. march the thirty-first _at the cross!_ matthew xxvii. - . let me listen to the ribald jeers which were flung upon my lord. and let me listen, not as a judge, but as one who has been in the company of the callous crowd. for i, too, have mocked him! i have said: "hail, king!" and i have bowed before him, but it has been mock and empty homage! i have sung: "crown him lord of all!" but there has been no real recognition of his sovereignty; mine has been a mock coronation. from the seat of the mocker, deliver me, good lord! and let me stand near the cross while that awful voice of desolation rends the heavens. "_my god, my god, why hast thou forsaken me?_" in that agonizing cry i am led to the real heart of the atonement. my saviour was standing where his believers will never stand. that was the real death, the death of an inconceivable abandonment. and "he died for me!" he so died in order that i may never taste death. "he that liveth and believeth in me shall never die." every believer will go to sleep, and through a short sleep he will wake in the glory of the eternal presence. but he will never die: no, never die! april the first _the shadow of the cross_ luke xxiii. - . look at our lord in relation to his foes. "_father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!_" their bitterness has not embittered him. the "milk of human kindness" was still sweet. nothing could sour our lord, and convert his goodwill into malice, his serene beneficence into wild revenge. and how is it with me? are my foes able to maim my spirit as well as my body? do they win their end by making me a smaller man? or am i magnanimous even on the cross? and look at our lord in relation to the penitent thief. "_to-day shalt thou be with me in paradise._" there was no self-centredness in our saviour's grief. he was the good physician, even when his body was mangled on the cross. he healed a broken heart even in the very pangs of death. when "there was darkness over all the earth," he let the light of the morning into the heart of a desolate thief. and, good lord, graciously help me to do likewise! and all this amazing graciousness is explained in our lord's relation to his father. "_father, into thy hands i commend my spirit!_" yes, everything is there! when i and my father are one, my spirit will remain sweet as the violet and pure as the dew. april the second "_on him!_" "_the lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all._" --isaiah liii. let me tell a dream which was given by night to one of my dearest friends. he beheld a stupendous range of glorious sun-lit mountains, with their lower slopes enfolded in white mist. "lord," he cried, "i pray that i may dwell upon those heights!" "thou must first descend into the vale," a voice replied. into the vale he went. and down there he found himself surrounded with all manner of fierce, ugly, loathsome things. as he looked upon them he saw that they were the incarnations of his own sins! there they were, sins long ago committed, showing their threatening teeth before him! then he heard some one approaching, and instinctively he knew it was the lord! and he felt so ashamed that he drew a cloak over his face, and stood in silence. and the presence came nearer and nearer, until he, too, stood silent. after a while my friend mastered sufficient courage to lift the corner of his cloak and look out upon the presence: and lo! all the loathsome things were _on him_! "the lord had laid on him the iniquity of us all." april the third _the stone rolled away_ mark xvi. - . i am always wondering who will roll away the stone! there is a great obstacle in the way, and my frailty is incompetent to its removal. and lo! when i arrive at the place i find that the angel has been before me, and the obstacle is gone! and i would that i might learn wisdom to-day from the miracle of yesterday. let me not be confounded about a new stone when i know that my fears about the old one had no foundation. and then the young man at the sepulchre! he is a type of eternal youth, and he is sitting serenely in a routed grave. he represents the unwithering in the very home of corruption. and this, too, is my hope! it is mine in christ to put on incorruption, and through a brief sleep to become clothed with immortal youth. "there everlasting spring abides, and never withering flowers!" and i may have the assurance of the coming glory even now. even now may i taste the heavenly feast, and wear some of the unfading flowers of the glorified. yes, even now my leaf need not wither, and my hopes may remain unshaken through all my troubled years. april the fourth _the resurrection morning_ matthew xxviii. - . let me reverently mark the happenings of this most wonderful morn. "_it began to dawn._" yes, that was the first significance of the resurrection. it was a new day for the world. everything was to be seen in a new light. everything was to wear a new face--god, and heaven, and life, and duty, and death! "all things are become new." "_and there was a great earthquake._" yes, and this was significant of the tremendous upheaval implied in the resurrection. the kingdom of the devil was upheaved from its foundations. all the boasted pomp of his showy empire was turned upside down. "i beheld satan falling!" "_and the angel rolled away the stone._" and that, too, is significant of the resurrection. the awful barrier was rolled away, and the grave became a thoroughfare! "this is the lord's doing; it is marvellous in our eyes." and there was "_fear and great joy_." and mingled awe and gladness, a reverential delight. april the fifth _the empty tomb_ luke xxiv. - . that empty tomb means the conquest of death. the captive proved mightier than the captor. he emerged from the prison as the lord of the prison, and death reeled at his going. in the risen saviour death is dethroned; he takes his place at the footstool to do the bidding of his sovereign lord and king. and that empty tomb means the conquest of sin. sin had done its worst, and had failed. all the forces of hell had been rallied against the lord, and above them all he rose triumphant and glorified. a little while ago i discovered a spring. i tried to choke it. i heaped sand and gravel upon it; i piled stones above it! and through them all it emerged, noiselessly and irresistibly, a radiant resurrection! and so the empty tomb becomes the symbol of a thoroughfare between life in time and life in the unshadowed presence of our god. death is now like a short tunnel which is near my home; i can look through it and see the other side! in the risen lord death becomes transparent. "o death, where is thy sting? o grave, where is thy victory?" april the sixth _first-hand knowledge of christ_ "_last of all he was seen of me also._" -- corinthians xv. - . and by that vision saul of tarsus was transformed. and so, by the ministry of a risen lord we have received the gift of a transfigured paul. the resurrection glory fell upon him, and he was glorified. in that superlative light he discovered his sin, his error, his need, but he also found the dynamic of the immortal hope. "seen of me also!" can i, too, calmly and confidently claim the experience? or am i altogether depending upon another man's sight, and are my own eyes unillumined? in these realms the witness of "hear-says" counts for nothing; he only speaks with arresting power who has "seen for himself." "sayest thou this thing of thyself, or did others tell it thee of me?" that is the question which is asked, not only by the master, but by all who hear us tell the story of the risen lord. "has he been seen of thee also?" my saviour, i humbly pray thee to give me first-hand knowledge of thee. let me be a witness who can say, "i know that my redeemer liveth!" before all the doubts and hesitancies of man enable me to answer, "have i not seen jesus christ our lord?" april the seventh _if christ were dead!_ corinthians xv. - . "_if christ be not risen!_" that is the most appalling "if" which can be flung into the human mind. if it obtains lodging and entertainment, all the fairest hopes of the soul wither away like tender buds which have been nipped by sharp frost! see how they fade! "_your faith is vain._" it has no more strength and permanency than jonah's gourd. nay, it has really never been a living thing! it has been a pathetic delusion, beautiful, but empty as a bubble, and collapsing at joseph's tomb. "_ye are yet in your sins._" the hope of forgiveness and reconciliation is stricken, and there is nothing left but "a certain fearful looking-for of judgment." nemesis has only been hiding behind a screen of decorated falsehoods, and she will pursue us to the bitter end. "_we are of all men the most miserable._" joy would fall and die like a fatally wounded lark. the song would cease from our souls. the holy place would become a tomb. "but now _is_ christ risen from the dead!" yes, let me finish on that word. that gives me morning, and melody, and holy merriment that knows no end. april the eighth _my inheritance in the risen lord_ peter i. - . in my risen lord i am born into "a living hope," a hope not only vital, but vitalizing, sending its mystic, vivifying influences through every highway and by-way of my soul. in my risen lord mine is "_an inheritance incorruptible_." it is not exposed to the gnawing tooth of time. moth and rust can not impair the treasure. it will not grow less as i grow old. its glories are as invulnerable as my lord. in my risen lord mine is "an inheritance ... _undefiled_." there is no alloy in the fine gold. the king will give me of his best. "bring forth the best robe, and put it on him." the holiest ideal proclaims my possibility, and foretells my ultimate attainment. heaven's wine is not to be mixed with water. i am to awake "in his likeness." and mine is "an inheritance ... that _fadeth not away_." it shall not be as the garlands offered by men--green to-day and to-morrow sere and yellow. "its leaf also shall not wither." it shall always retain its freshness, and shall offer me a continually fresh delight. and these are all mine in him! "thou, o christ, art all i want." april the ninth _the ever-living lord_ revelation i. - . let me take the simple words, and quietly gaze into the wonderful depths of their fathomless simplicity. an old villager used to tell me it would strengthen my eyes if i looked long into deep wells. and it will assuredly strengthen the eyes of my soul to gaze into wells like these. "_i am he that liveth._" what a marvellous transformation it worked upon dr. dale, when one day, in his study, it flashed upon him, as never before, that jesus christ is alive! "christ is alive!" he repeated again and again, until the clarion music filled all the rooms in his soul. "christ is alive!" "_and was dead._" yes, the lord has gone right through that dark place. there are footprints, and they are the footprints of the conqueror, all along the road. "christ leads me through no darker room than he went through before." "_and, behold, i am alive for ever more._" "jesus has conquered death and all its powers." never more will it sit on a transient throne. its power is broken, its "sting" has lost its poison, there isn't a boast left in its apparently omnivorous mouth! "where's thy victory, o grave?" and here is the gospel for me--"because i live ye shall live also." april the tenth _resurrection-light_ "_if we believe that jesus died and rose again...._" -- thessalonians iv. - . that is the eastern light which fills the valley of time with wonderful beams of glory. it is the great dawn in which we find the promise of our own day. everything wears a new face in the light of our lord's resurrection. i once watched the dawn on the east coast of england. before there was a grey streak in the sky everything was held in grimmest gloom. the toil of the two fishing-boats seemed very sombre. the sleeping houses on the shore looked the abodes of death. then came grey light, and then the sun, and everything was transfigured! every window in every cottage caught the reflected glory, and the fishing-boats glittered in morning radiance. and everything is transfigured in the risen christ. everything is lit up when "the sun of righteousness arises with healing in his wings." life is lit up, and so is death, and so are sorrow and daily labour and human friendships! everything catches the gleam and is changed. "we are no longer of the night, but of the day." "walk as children of light." "awake, thou that sleepest, arise from the dead, and christ shall shine upon thee." april the eleventh _through death to life_ romans v. - . the lord went through death to make a path to life. he descended into shame and suffering, and appalling desolation in order that he might "open the kingdom of heaven to all believers." and the way is now open! therefore, "_let us have peace with god_." let us reverently and willingly tread the heavenly road, and seek the king's presence, and gratefully accept "the everlasting covenant." let us go, as once rebel soldiers, and let us surrender our arms, and at his bidding take them again, to fight in his service. and let us "_glory in tribulation_." if we are in the king's road, at peace with the king, every stormy circumstance will be made to do us service. yes, all our troubles will be compelled to minister to us, to robe us, and to adorn us, and to make us more like the sons and daughters of a royal house. "out of the eater will come forth meat, and out of the strong will come forth sweetness." and, therefore, let us "_joy in god_." don't let us be "the king's own," and yet march in the sulks! let us march to the music of grateful song and praise. "children of the heavenly king, as ye journey, sweetly sing." april the twelfth _the lamb on the throne_ "_in the midst of the throne stood a lamb as it had been slain!_" --revelation v. - . how strange and unexpected is the figure! a lamb--the supreme type of gentleness! a throne, the supreme symbol of power! and the one is in the very midst of the other. the sacrificial has become the sovereign: the cross is the principal part of the throne. "i, if i be lifted up, will draw all men unto me." yes, this sovereign sacrificial lord is to receive universal homage and worship. "_every creature which is in heaven and on the earth_" is to pay tribute at his feet. and this, not by a terrible coercion, but by a gracious constraint. we are not to be driven, we are to be drawn; we are to move by love--compulsion: the lamb in god is to win the wills of men. and i, too, may take my harp and make melodious praise before my king. and i, too, may fill the "golden vials" with my grateful intercession, and heaven shall be the sweeter for the odour of my prayers. and i, too, may sound my loud "amen," the note of gladsome resignation to the sovereign will of god. yes, even now i may be one of "the multitude whom no man can number," who, in a new song, ascribe all worthiness to "the lamb that was slain." april the thirteenth _pure gold_ "_thou shalt overlay it with pure gold.... and there i will meet with thee._" --exodus xxv. - . i must put my best into my preparations, and then the lord will honour my work. my part is to be of "pure gold" if my god is to dwell within it. i must not satisfy myself with cheap flimsy and then assume that the lord will be satisfied with it. he demands my very best as a condition of his enriching presence. my prayers must be of "pure gold" if he is to meet me there. there must be nothing vulgar about them, nothing shoddy, nothing hastily constructed, nothing thrown up anyhow. they must be chaste and sincere, and overlaid with pure gold. my home must be of "pure gold" if he is to meet me there. no unclean passion must dwell there, no carnal appetite, no defiling conversation, no immoderateness in eating and drinking. how can the lord sit down at such a table, or make one at such a fireside? let me present to him pure gold. let me offer him nothing cheap. let me ever make the ark of my best, and the lord will meet me there. april the fourteenth _religion as mere magic_ "_and when the ark of the covenant of the lord came into the camp, all israel shouted with a great shout._" -- samuel iv. - . they were making more of the ark than of the lord. their religion was degenerating into superstition. i become superstitious whenever the means of worship are permitted to eclipse the object of worship. i then possess a magic instrument, and i forget the holy lord. it can be so with prayer. i may use prayer as a magic minister to protect me from invasive ills. i do not pray because i desire fellowship with the father, but because i should not feel safe without it. the ark is more than the lord. it can be so with a crucifix. a crucifix may become a mere talisman, and so supplant the lord. i may wear the thing and have no fellowship with the person. and so may it be with the lord's supper. i may come to regard it as a magic feast, which makes me immune from punishment, but not immune from sin. it may be a minister of safety, but not of holiness. so let mine eyes be ever unto the lord! let me not be satisfied with the ark, but let me seek him whose name is holy and whose nature is love. april the fifteenth _degrading holy things_ samuel vi. - . i must remember that a holy thing can be the minister of a plague. things that were purposed to be benedictions can be changed into blights. the very ark of god must be in its appointed place or it becomes the means of sickness and destruction. so it is with all the holy things of god: if i dethrone them they will uncrown me. it is even so with music. unless i give it its holy sovereignty it will become a minister of the passions, and the angel within me is mastered by a beast. let me read again tennyson's "palace of sin," and let me heedfully note how music becomes the instrument of ignoble sensationalism, and aids in man's degradation. "but exalt her, and she shall exalt thee." it is even so with art. it is purposed to be the holy dwelling-place of god, but i can so abuse it as to make it the agent of degradation. instead of hallowing the life it will debase and impoverish it. i will therefore remember that, if i infringe the divine order, i can turn the sacramental cup into a vehicle of moral poison and spiritual blight. "they must be holy who bear the vessels of the lord." april the sixteenth _priests of the lord_ "_none ought to carry the ark of god but the levites._" -- chronicles xv. - , - . there are prepared people for prepared offices. the lord will fit the man to the function, the anointed and consecrated priest for the consecrated and consecrating ministry. but now, in the larger purpose of the lord, and in "the exceeding riches of his grace," everybody may be a priest of the lord. "he hath made us to be priests and kings unto god." and he will prepare us to carry our ark, and to "minister in holy things." i can be his priest in the home. he will anoint me as one who is to engage in holy ministries, and i shall be serving at the altar even while engaged in the lowly duties of the house. the humble meal will be sacramental, and common work will be heavenly sacrifice. i can be his priest in my class. the lord will clothe me in "linen clean and white," and in my consecrated spirit my scholars shall discern the incense of sacrifice. and woe is me if i attempt to fill the godly office without my god. and i can be his priest in my workshop. yes, in the carpenter's shop i may wear the radiant robe of the sanctified. and i, too, as one of the priests of the lord, can "bear the sin of many, and make intercession for the transgressor." april the seventeenth _great praise_ chronicles xvi. - . "great is the lord!" so many people have such a little god! there is nothing about him august and sublime. and so he is not greatly praised. the worship is thin, the thanksgivings are scanty, the supplications are indifferent. all great saints have a great god. he fills their universe. therefore do they move about in a fruitful awe, and everywhere there is only a thin veil between them and his appearing. everywhere they discern his holy presence, as the face of a bride is dimly seen beneath her bridal veil. and so even the common scrub of the wilderness is aflame with sacred fire: the humble "primrose on the rock" becomes "the court of deity": and the "strength of the hills is his also"! yes, a great god inspires great praise, and in great praise small cares and small meannesses are utterly consumed away. when praise is mean, anxieties multiply. therefore let me contemplate the greatness of god in nature and in providence, in his power, and his holiness, and his love. let me "stand in awe" before his glory: and in the fruitful reverence the soul will be moved in acceptable praise. april the eighteenth _mechanical piety_ philemon - . the apostle paul declares that benefits may be given in one of two ways--"_of necessity_" and "_willingly_." one is mechanical, the other is spontaneous. i once saw a little table-fountain playing in a drawing-room, but i heard the click of its machinery, and the charm was gone! it had to be wound up before it would play, and at frequent periods it "ran down." a little later i saw another fountain playing on a green lawn, and it was fed from the deep secret resources of the hills! there is a generosity which is like the drawing-room fountain. if you listen you can hear the mechanical click, and a sound of friction, arising from murmuring and complaint. and there is a generosity which is like the fountain that is the child of the hills. it is clear, and sweet, and musical, and flows on through every season! one is "of necessity"; the other is "willingly." and "god loveth a cheerful giver." and prayer can be of the same two contrary orders. one prayer is mechanical, it is hard, formal, metallic. the other is spontaneous, forceful, and irresistible. listen to the pharisee--"lord, i thank thee that i am not as other men are." it is the click of the machine! listen to the publican--"god be merciful to me, a sinner!" it is the voice of the deeps. april the ninteenth _union in harmony_ "_be ye all of one mind._" -- peter iii. - . but this is not unison: it is harmony. when an orchestra produces some great musical masterpiece, the instruments are all of one mind, but each makes its own individual contribution. there is variety with concordance: each one serves every other, and the result is glorious harmony. "by love serve one another." it is love that converts membership into fraternity: it is love that binds sons and daughters into a family. look at a field of wild-flowers. what a harmony of colour! and yet what a variety of colours! nothing out of place, but no sameness! all drawing resource from the same soil, and breathing the vitalizing substance from the same air! "and ye, being rooted and grounded in love," will grow up, a holy family in the lord. if love be the common ground the varieties in god's family may be infinite! and so the unity which the apostle seeks is a unity of mood and disposition. it is not a unity which repeats the exact syllables of a common creed, but a unity which is built of common trust, and love, and hope. it is not sameness upon the outer lips, but fellowship in the secret place. april the twentieth _the joy of the lover_ romans xii. - . love finds her joy in seeing others crowned. envy darkens when she sees the garland given to another. jealousy has no festival except when she is "queen of the may." but love thrills to another's exaltation. she feels the glow of another's triumph. when another basks in favour her own "time of singing of birds is come!" and all this is because love has wonderful chords which vibrate to the secret things in the souls of others. indeed, the gift of love is just the gift of delicate correspondence, the power of exquisite fellow-feeling, the ability to "rejoice with them that do rejoice, and to weep with them that weep." when, therefore, the soul of another is exultant, and the wedding-bells are ringing, love's kindred bells ring a merry peal. when the soul of another is depressed, and a funeral dirge is wailing, love's kindred chords wail in sad communion. so love can enter another's state as though it were her own. our master spake condemningly of those who have lost this exquisite gift. they have lost their power of response. "we have piped with you, and ye have not danced; we have mourned with you, and ye have not lamented." they lived in selfish and loveless isolation. they have lost all power of tender communion. april the twenty-first _love as the great magician_ john ii. - . a new commandment! and yet it is an old one with a new meaning. it is the old water-pot, but its water has been changed into wine. it is the old letter with a new spirit. it is the old body with a new soul. love makes all things new! it changes duty into delight, and statutes into songs. what a magic difference love makes to a face. it at once becomes a face illumined. love makes the plainest face winsome and attractive. it adds the light of heaven, and the earthly is transfigured. no cosmetics are needed when love is in possession. she will do her own beautifying work, and everybody will know her sign. what a magic difference love makes in service! the hireling goes about his work with heavy and reluctant feet: the lover sings and dances at his toil. the hireling scamps his work: the lover is always adding another touch, and is never satisfied. just one more touch! and just another! and so on until the good god shall say that loving "patience has had her perfect work." love lights up everything, for she is the light of life. let her dwell in the soul, and every room in the life shall be filled with the glory of the lord. april the twenty-second _speech as a symptom of health_ "_the tongue of the wise is health._" --proverbs xii. - . our doctors often test our physical condition by the state of our tongue. with another and deeper significance the tongue is also the register of our condition. our words are a perfect index of our moral and spiritual health. if our words are unclean and untrue, our souls are assuredly sickly and diseased. a perverse tongue is never allied with a sanctified heart. and, therefore, everyone may apply a clinical test to his own life: "what is the character of my speech? what do my words indicate? what do they suggest as to the depths and background of the soul?" "by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." god delighteth in truthful lips. right words are fruit from the tree of life. the lord turns away from falsehood as we turn away from material corruption, only with an infinitely intenser loathing and disgust. it is only the lips that have been purified with flame from the holy altar of god that can offer words that are pleasing unto him. "take my lips and let them be filled with messages from thee." april the twenty-third _masculine forgiveness_ colossians iii. - . true forgiveness is a very strong and clean and masculine virtue. there is a counterfeit forgiveness which is unworthy of the name. it is full of "buts," and "ifs," and "maybes," and "peradventures." it moves with reluctance, it offers with averted face, it takes back with one hand what it gives with the other. it forgives, but it "cannot forget." it forgives, but it "can never trust again." it forgives, but "things can never be the same as they were." what kind of forgiveness is this? it is the mercy of the police-court. it is the remission of penalty, not the glorious "abandon" of grace! it is a cold "don't do it again," not the weeping and compassionate goodwill of the lord. "_even as christ forgave you, so also do ye._" that is to be our motive, and that is to be our measure. we are to forgive _because_ christ forgave us. the glorious memory of his grace is to make us gracious. his tender, healing words to us are to redeem our speech from all harshness. in the contemplation of his cross we are to become "partakers of his sufferings," and by the shedding of our own blood help to close and heal the alienation of the world. and we are to forgive _as_ christ forgave us. resentment is to be changed into frank goodwill, and filled with the grace of the lord. april the twenty-fourth limited forgiveness luke xvii. - . we are always inclined to set a limit to our moral obligations. we wish, as we say, "to draw a line somewhere." we want to appoint a definite place where obligation ceases, and where the moral strain may be released. the apostle peter wished his master to draw such a line in the matter of forgiveness. "lord, how oft shall i forgive? till seven times?" he wanted a tiny moral rule which he could apply to his brother's conduct. not so the lord. our master tells his disciple that in those spiritual realms relations are not governed by arithmetic. we cannot, by counting, measure off our obligations. our repeated acts of forgiveness never bring us nearer to the freedom of revenge. no amount of sweetness will ever permit us to be bitter. we cannot, by being good, obtain a license to be evil. the fact of the matter is, if our goodness is of genuine quality, every act will more strongly dispose us to further goodness. it is the counterfeit element in our goodness that inclines us to the opposite camp. it is when our forgiveness is tainted that we anticipate the "sweetness" of revenge. april the twenty-fifth _the hidden foes_ matthew v. - . our lord always leads us to the secret, innermost roots of things. he does not concern himself with symptoms, but with causes. he does not begin with the molten lava flowing down the fair mountain slope and destroying the vineyards. he begins with the central fires in which the lava is born. he does not begin with uncleanness. he begins with the thoughts which produce it. he does not begin with murder, but with the anger which causes it. he pierces to the secret fires! now, all anger is not of sin. the apostle paul enjoins his readers to "be angry, and sin not." to be altogether incapable of anger would be to offer no antagonism to the wrongs and oppressions of the world. "who is made to stumble, and i burn not?" cries the apostle paul. if wrong stalked abroad with heedless feet he burned with holy passion. there is anger which is like clean flame, clear and pure, as "the sea of glass mingled with fire." and there is anger which is like a smoky bonfire, and it pollutes while it destroys. it is the unclean anger which is of sin. it seeks revenge, not righteousness. it seeks "to get its own back," not to get the wrong-doer back to god. it follows wrong with further wrong. it spreads the devil's fire. april the twenty-sixth _goliath versus god!_ samuel xvii. - . goliath seemed to have everything on his side _except_ god. and the things in which he boasted were just the things in which men are prone to boast to-day. he had physical strength. "his height was six cubits and a span." athletics had done all they could for him, and he was a fine type of animal perfection. he had splendid military equipment. "a helmet of brass," and "a coat of mail," and "a spear like a weaver's beam!" surely, if fine material equipment determines combats, the shepherd-lad from the hills of bethlehem will be annihilated. and he enjoyed the enthusiastic confidence of the philistines. he was his nation's pride and glory! he strode out amid their shouts, and the cheers were like iron in his blood. but all this counted for nothing, because god was against him. men and nations may attain to a fine animalism, their warlike equipment may satisfy the most exacting standard, and yet, with god against them, they shall be as structures woven out of mists, and they shall collapse at the touch of apparent weakness. the issue was not goliath versus david, but goliath versus god! april the twenty-seventh _obscure birthplaces_ samuel xvii. - . god's champion is at present feeding sheep! who would have expected that goliath's antagonist would emerge from the quiet pastures? "genius hatches her offspring in strange places." very humble homes are the birthplaces of mighty emancipations. there was a little farm at st. ives, and the farmer lived a quiet and unsensational life. but the affairs of the nation became more and more confused and threatening. monarchical power despoiled the people's liberties, and tyranny became rampant. and out from the little farm strode oliver cromwell, the ordained of god, to emancipate his country. there was an obscure rectory at epworth. the doings in the little rectory were just the quiet practices of similar homes in countless parts of england. and england was becoming brutalized, because its religious life was demoralized. the church was asleep, and the devil was wide awake! and forth from the humble rectory strode john wesley, the appointed champion of the lord to enthuse, to purify, and to sweeten the life of the people. on what quiet farm is the coming deliverer now labouring? who knows? april the twenty-eighth _preparing for great encounters_ samuel xvii. - . this young champion of the lord had won many victories before he faced goliath. everything depends on how i approach my supreme conflicts. if i have been careless in smaller combats i shall fail in the larger. if i come, wearing the garlands of triumph won in the shade, the shout of victory is already in the air! let me look at david's trophies before he removed goliath's head. he had conquered his temper. read eliab's irritating taunt in the twenty-eighth verse, and mark the fine self-possession of the young champion's reply! that conquest of temper helped him when he took aim at goliath! there is nothing like passion for disturbing the accuracy of the eye and the steadiness of the hand. he had conquered fear. "_let no man's heart fail because of him._" there was no panic, there was no feverish and wasteful excitement. there was no shouting "to keep the spirits up!" he was perfectly calm. and he had conquered unbelief. he had a rich history of the providential dealings of god with him, and his confidence was now unclouded and serene. he had known the lord's power when he faced the bear and the lion. now for goliath! april the twenty-ninth _the mood of triumph_ "_i come to thee in the name of the lord of hosts._" -- samuel xvii. - . the man who comes up to his foes with this assurance will fight and win. reasonable confidence is one of the most important weapons in the warrior's armoury. fear is always wasteful. the man who calmly expects to win has already begun to conquer. our mood has so much to do with our might. and therefore does the word of god counsel us to attend to our dispositions, lest, having carefully collected our material implements, we have no strength to use them. and the man who comes up to his foes with holy assurance will fight with consummate skill. he will be quite "collected." all his powers will wait upon one another, and they will move together as one. he is as self-possessed upon the battlefield as upon parade, as undisturbed before goliath as before a flock of sheep! and therefore do i say that, fighting with perfect composure, he fights with superlative skill. the right moment is seized, the right stone is chosen, the right aim is taken, and great goliath is brought low. april the thirtieth _the test of victory_ "_david behaveth himself wisely._" -- samuel xvii. --xviii. . the hour of victory is a more severe moral test than the hour of defeat. many a man can brave the perils of adversity who succumbs to the seductions of prosperity. he can stand the cold better than the heat! he is enriched by failure, but "spoilt by success." to test the real quality of a man, let us regard him just when he has slain goliath! "david behaved himself wisely"! he was not "eaten up with pride." he developed no "side." he went among his friends as though no goliath had ever crossed his way. he was not for ever recounting the triumph, and fishing for the compliments of his audience. he "behaved wisely." so many of us tarnish our victories by the manner in which we display them. we put them into the shop-window, and they become "soiled goods." and in this hour of triumph david made a noble friend. in his noonday he found jonathan, and their hearts were knit to each other in deep and intimate love. it is beautiful when our victories are so nobly borne that they introduce us into higher fellowships, and the friends of heaven become our friends. may the first _the conditions of serenity_ psalm cxxiv. if i would be like the psalmist, i must _clearly recognize my perils_. he sees the "waters," the "proud waters." he beholds the "enemy," and his "wrath," and his "teeth." he sees "the fowler" with his snare! i must not shut my eyes, and "make my judgment blind." one of the gifts of grace is the spirit of discernment, the eyes which not only detect hidden treasure, but hidden foes. the devil is an expert in mimicry; he can make himself look like an angel of light. and so must i be able to discover his snares, even when they appear as the most seductive food. and if i would be like the psalmist, i must _clearly recognize my great ally_. "if it has not been the lord, who was on our side!" to see the ally on the perilous field, and to see him on my side, gives birth to holy confidence and song. "the lord is on my side, whom shall i fear?" i must make sure of the ally, and "victory is secure." and if i would be like the psalmist, i must not omit the doxology of praise. when the prayer is answered, i am apt to forget the praise. my thanksgivings are not so ready as my requests. and so the apparently conquered enemy steals in again at the door of an ungrateful heart. may the second _the happy warrior_ ephesians vi. - . here is a portrait of the happy warrior! let me first look at the warrior, and then at the implements with which he fights. "you cannot fight the french merely with red uniforms; there must be men inside them!" so said thomas carlyle. well, look at this man. "_strengthened in the lord, and in the power of his might._" there is a secret communion with the almighty, and he draws his resources from the infinite. the water in my home comes from the welsh hills; every drop was gathered on those grand and expansive uplands. and this man's soldierly strength is drawn from the hills of god; every ounce of his fighting blood comes from the veins of the lord. and mark the nature of his armoury. his weapons are dispositions. he fights with "truth," and "righteousness," and "peace," and "faith," and "prayer"! there are no implements like these. a sword will fail where a courtesy will prevail. we can kill our enemies by kindness. and as for the devil himself there is nothing like a grace-filled disposition for putting him to flight! a prayerful disposition can drive him off any field, at any hour of the day or night. "put on the whole armour of god." may the third _other gods!_ "_thou shalt have no other gods before me._" --exodus xx. - . if we kept that commandment all the other commandments would be obeyed. if we secure this queen-bee we are given the swarm. to put nothing "before" god! what is left in the circle of obedience? god first, always and everywhere. nothing allowed to usurp his throne for an hour! i was once allowed to sit on an earthly throne for a few seconds, but even that is not to be allowed with the throne of god. nothing is to share his sovereignty, even for a moment. his dominion is to be unconditional and unbroken. "thou shalt have no other gods beside me." but we have many gods we set upon his throne. we put money there, and fame, and pleasure, and ease. yes, we sometimes usurp god's throne, and we ourselves dare to sit there for days, and weeks, and years, at a time. self is the idol, and we enthrone it, and we fall down and worship it. but no peace comes from such sovereignty, and no deep and vital joy. for the real king is not dead, and he is out and about, and our poor little monarchy is as the reign of the midge on a summer's night. our real kingship is in the acknowledgment of the king of kings. when we worship him, and him only, he will ask us to sit on his throne. may the fourth _a healthy palate_ "_how sweet are thy words unto my taste._" --psalm cxix. - . some people like one thing, and some another. some people appreciate the bitter olive; others feel it to be nauseous. some delight in the sweetest grapes; others feel the sweetness to be sickly. it is all a matter of palate. some people love the word of the lord; to others the reading of it is a dreary task. to some the bible is like a vineyard; to others it is like a dry and tasteless meal. one takes the word of the master, and it is "as honey to the mouth"; to another the same word is as unwelcome as a bitter drug. it is all a matter of palate. but what is a man to do who has got a perverted palate, and who calls sweet things bitter and bitter things sweet? he must get a new mouth! and where is he to get it? not by any ministry of his own creation; his own endeavours will be impotent. a healthy moral palate depends upon the purity of the heart. our spiritual discernments are all determined by the state of the soul. if the heart be pure, the mouth will be clean, and we shall love god's law. if the soul-appetite be healthy, god's words will be sweet unto our taste. and so does the good lord give us new palates by giving us new hearts. "create within us clean hearts, o god, and renew right spirits within us." may the fifth _healthy listening_ "_be ye doers of the word and not hearers only._" --james i. - . when we hear the word, but do not do it, there has been a defect in our hearing. we may listen to the word for mere entertainment. or we may attach a virtue to the mere act of listening to the word. we may assume that some magical efficacy belongs to the mere reading of the word. and all this is perverse and delusive. no listening is healthy which is not mentally referred to obedience. we are to listen _with a view to obedience_, with our eyes upon the very road where the obedient feet will travel. that is to say, we are to listen with purpose, as though we were ambassadors receiving instructions from the king concerning some momentous mission. yes, we must listen with an eye on the road. "doing" makes a new thing of "hearing." the statute obeyed becomes a song. the commandment is found to be a beatitude. the decree discloses riches of grace. the hidden things of god are not discovered until we are treading the path of obedience. "and it came to pass that as he went he received his sight." in the way of obedience the blind man found a new world. god has wonderful treasures for the dutiful. the faithful discover the "hidden manna." may the sixth _the perfecting of love_ "_herein is our love made perfect._" -- john iv. - . how? by dwelling in god and god in us. love is not a manufacture; it is a fruit. it is not born of certain works; it springs out of certain relations. it does not come from doing something; it comes from living with somebody. "abide in me." that is how love is born, for "love is of god, and god is love." how many people are striving who are not abiding. they live in a manufactory, they do not live in a home. they are trying to make something instead of to know somebody. "this is life, to know thee." when i am related to the lord jesus, when i dwell with him, love is as surely born as beauty and fragrance are born when my garden and the spring-time dwell together. if we would only wisely cultivate the fellowship of jesus, everything else would follow in its train--all that gracious succession of beautiful things which are called "the fruits of the spirit." and "herein is our love made perfect." it is always growing richer, because it is always drawing riches from the inexhaustible love of god. how could it be otherwise? endless resource must mean endless growth. "our life is hid with christ in god," and hence our love will "grow in all wisdom and discernment." may the seventh _in the ways of obedience_ psalm xix. - . let me listen to the exquisite chimes of this wonderful psalm as they ring out the blessedness of the man whose delight is in the law of the lord. what shall he find in the ways of obedience? he shall find restoration. "restoring the soul." he shall find new stores of food along the way. in every emergency he shall find fresh provision; every new need shall discover new supplies. when one store is spent, another shall take its place. "thou re-storest my soul." in the ways of righteousness the good lord has appointed ample stores for the provision of all his faithful pilgrims. he shall find joy. "rejoicing the heart." in the way of obedience there shall be springs of delight as well as stores of provision. "with joy shall ye draw waters out of the wells of salvation." fountains of delicious satisfaction rise in the realm of duty, the satisfaction of being right with god, and in union with the eternal will. there is no day without its spring, and "the joy of the lord is our strength." he shall find vision. "enlightening the eyes." the eyes of the obedient are anointed with the eye-salve of grace, and wondrous panoramas break upon the sight. visions of grace! visions of love! visions of glory! may the eighth _how not to forget_ deuteronomy xi. - . if we wish to retain "the word of the lord" everything depends upon where we keep it. if we just keep it in the mind, a leaky memory may waste the treasure. a chinese convert declared that he found the best way to remember the word was to do it! the engraved word became character, written upon the fleshy tables of the heart. he incarnated the word, and it became a vital part of his own personality. he lived it and it lived in him. the word became flesh. this is the only really vital "way of remembrance," to convert the word into the primary stuff of the life. there is a secondary way by which we may help our apprehension of god's word. "ye shall teach them." our hold upon a truth is increased while we impart it to others. the gospel becomes more vivid as we proclaim it to our fellow-men. we see it while we explain it. it grips us the more firmly as we use it to grip our children. this is a great law in life. in these matters it is literally true that memory best retains what she gives away. a truth that is never shared is never really possessed. the word that we teach becomes rooted in our own mind. may the ninth _loving the lord_ luke x. - . the secret of life is to love the lord our god, and our neighbours as ourselves. but how are we to love the lord? we cannot manufacture love. we cannot love to order. we cannot by an act of will command its appearing. no, not in these ways is love created. love is not a work, it is a fruit. it grows in suitable soils, and it is our part to prepare the soils. when the conditions are congenial, love appears, just as the crocus and the snowdrop appear in the congenial air of the spring. what, then, can we do? we can seek the lord's society. we can think about him. we can read about him. we can fill our imaginations with the grace of his life and service. we can be much with him, talking to him in prayer, singing to him in praise, telling him our yearnings and confessing to him our defeats. and love will be quietly born. for this is how love is born between heart and heart. two people are "much together," and love is born! and when we are much with the lord, we are with one who already loves us with an everlasting love. we are with one who yearns for our love and who seeks in every way to win it. "we love him because he first loved us." and when we truly love god, every other kind of holy love will follow. given the fountain, the rivers are sure. may the tenth _god's use of men_ "_i have surely seen the affliction of my people ... come now, therefore, i will send thee._" --exodus iii. - . does that seem a weak ending to a powerful beginning? the lord god looks upon terrible affliction and he sends a weak man to deal with it. could he not have sent fire from heaven? could he not have rent the heavens and sent his ministers of calamity and disasters? why choose a man when the arch-angel gabriel stands ready at obedience? this is the way of the lord. he uses human means to divine ends. he works through man to the emancipation of men. he pours his strength into a worm, and it becomes "an instrument with teeth." he stiffens a frail reed and it becomes as an iron pillar. and this mighty god will use thee and me. on every side there are egypts where affliction abounds, there are homes where ignorance breeds, there are workshops where tyranny reigns, there are lands where oppression is rampant. "come now, therefore, i will send thee." thus saith the lord, and he who gives the command will also give the equipment. may the eleventh _but----!_ "_and moses answered and said, but_----" --exodus iv. - . we know that "but." god has heard it from our lips a thousand times. it is the response of unbelief to the divine call. it is the reply of fear to the divine command. it is the suggestion that the resources are inadequate. it is a hint that god may not have looked all round. he has overlooked something which our own eyes have seen. the human "buts" in the scriptural stories make an appalling record. "lord, i will follow thee, but----" there is something else to be attended to before discipleship can begin. obedience is not primary: it must wait for something else. and so our obedience is not a straight line: it is crooked and circuitous; it takes the way of by-path meadow instead of the highway of the lord. we do not wait upon the lord's pleasure; we make him wait upon ours. there need be no "buts" in our relationship to the king's will. everything has been foreseen. nothing will take the lord by surprise. the entire field has been surveyed, and the preparations are complete. when the lord says to thee or me, "i will send thee," every provision has been made for the appointed task. "i will not fail thee." may the twelfth _mouth and matter_ "_now therefore go, and i will be with thy mouth._" --exodus iv. - . and what a promise that is for anyone who is commissioned to proclaim the king's decrees. here can teachers and preachers find their strength. god will be with their mouths. he will control their speech, and order their words like troops. he does not promise to make us eloquent, but to endow our words with the "demonstration of power." "_and i will teach thee what thou shall say._" the lord will not only be with our mouths, but with our minds. he will guide our thoughts as well as our words. he will be as sentinel at the lips. he will be our guide in our processes of meditation and judgment, and he will bring us to enlightened ends. all of which is just this: he will give us mouth and matter. this does not put a premium upon idleness. the lord guides when men are honestly groping. he gives us fire when we have built the altar. he works his miracle when we have provided the five loaves. he sends his light through diligent thinking. the divine power is given through the consecrated strength. may the thirteenth _commonplace fidelities_ exodus ii. - . god prepares us for the greater crusades by more commonplace fidelities. through the practice of common kindnesses god leads us to chivalrous tasks. little courtesies feed nobler reverences. no man can despise smaller duties and do the larger duties well. our strength is sapped by small disobediences. our discourtesies to one another impair our worship of god. the neglect of the "pointing" of a house may lead to dampness and fatal disease. and thus the only way to live is by filling every moment with fidelity. we are ready for anything when we have been faithful in everything. "because thou hast been faithful in that which is least!" that is the order in moral and spiritual progress, and that is the road by which we climb to the seats of the mighty. when every stone in life is "well and truly laid" we are sure of a solid, holy temple in which the lord will delight to dwell. the quality of our greatness depends upon what we do with "that which is least." may the fourteenth _calamity as revealer_ "_in the year that king uzziah died i saw the lord._" --isaiah vi. - . he lost a hero, and he found the lord. he feared because a great pillar had fallen: and he found the pillar of the universe. he thought everything would topple into disaster, and lo! he felt the strength of the everlasting arms. when uzziah lived isaiah had forgotten his lord. he so depended on the earthly that he had overlooked the heavenly. uzziah concealed his lord as a thick veil can hide a face. and when uzziah died, when the earthly king passed away, the eternal king was revealed; as when by the passing of an earth-born cloud the moon reigns radiant in the open sky. and thus it is that apparent calamity is often the minister of revelation. the great storm clears the air, and luminous vistas come into view. the howling wind of adversity drives away the earth-born clouds and we see the face of god. our sorrows prove the occasion of our visions. we see new panoramas through our tears. bereavement gives us spiritual surprises, and death becomes the servant of life. and so it happens that days which began in gloom end in revelation, and we keep their recurring anniversary with deepening praise. may the fifteenth _god is wide-awake_ "_jeremiah, what seest thou? and i said, i see a rod of an almond tree._" --jeremiah i. - . and through the almond tree the lord gave the trembling young prophet the strength of assurance. the almond tree is the first to awake from its wintry sleep. when all other trees are held in frozen slumber the almond blossoms are looking out on the barren world. and god is like that, awake and vigilant. nobody anticipates him. wherever jeremiah was sent on his prophetic mission the lord would be there before him. before the prophet's enemies could get to work the lord was on the field. in the wintriest circumstances of a prophet's life god is wide awake: "he that keepeth israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." and still the almond tree has its heartening significance for thee and me. our god is wide-awake. he looks out upon our wintry circumstances, and nothing is hid from his sight. there is no unrecognized and uncounted factor which may steal in furtively and take him by surprise. everything is open. he is wide-awake on the far-off field where the isolated missionary is ploughing his lonely furrow. he is wide-awake on the field of common labour where some young disciple finds it hard to keep clean hands while he earns his daily bread. may the sixteenth _the details of providence_ "_the very hairs of your head are all numbered._" --matthew x. - . providence goes into details. sometimes, in our human intercourse, we cannot see the trees for the wood. we cannot see the individual sheep for the flock. we cannot see the personal soul for the masses. we are blinded by the bigness of things; we cannot see the individual blades of grass because of the field. now god's vision is not general, it is particular. there are no "masses" to the infinite. "he calleth his own sheep _by name_." the single one is seen as though he alone possessed the earth. when god looks at the wood he sees every tree. when he looks at the race he sees every man. and, therefore, i need not fear that "my way is overlooked by my god." he knows every turning. he knows just where the strain begins at the hill. he knows the perils of every descent. he knows every happening along the road. he knows every letter that came to me by this morning's post. he knows every visitor who knocks at the door of my life, whether the visitor come at the high noon or at the midnight. "there is nothing hid." "the very hairs of your head are all numbered." may the seventeenth _my bodily infirmities_ john ix. - . an infirmity becomes doubly burdensome when we give it a false interpretation. the weight of a thing is determined by our conception of it. if i look upon my ailment as the stroke of an offended god, i wear it like the chains of a slave. if i look upon it as the fire of the gracious refiner, i can calmly await the beneficent issue. it is my lord, engaged in chastening his jewels! and so our master first of all relieves the blind man of the false interpretation of his infirmity. "_neither did this man sin, nor his parents._" that lifts the sorrow out of the winter into the spring. it sets it in the warm, sweet light of grace. it becomes transfigured. it wears a new face, placed there in "the light of his countenance." and then our lord relieves the blind man of the infirmity itself. the ministry of blindness was accomplished, and sight was given. no man is kept in the darkness a moment longer than infinite love deems good. our lord does not overlook the prison-house, and leave us there forgotten. "he that keepeth israel shall neither slumber nor sleep." so cheer thee, my soul! the lord is on thy side! the miracle-worker knows his time and "the dreariest path, the darkest way, shall issue out in heavenly day." may the eighteenth _blinded judgments_ john ix. - . here is a ceremonialism which is blind to the humane. its scrupulous ritualisms have dried up its philanthropy. it thinks more of etiquette than equity. it esteems genuflexions more than generosity. it values the husk more than the kernel. it is sabbatarian but not humanitarian. my god, deliver me from all pious conventionalities which make me indifferent to the ailments and cries of my fellow-men! and here is a dense prejudice which is blind to the evident. "_they did not believe that he had been blind._" a prejudice can deflect the judgment, as subtle magnetic currents can deflect the needle. the film of an ecclesiastical prejudice can be so opaque as to make us "blind to facts." we do not "see things as they are." our perverted eyes give us a crooked world. and here is a bitter violence which is blind to the glory of the lord. "we know that this man is a sinner!" and so it comes to that. our judgments can become so warped that when we look upon him, "who is the chief among ten thousand and the altogether lovely," "there is no beauty that we should desire him"! and therefore let this be my daily prayer, "lord, that i might receive my sight!" may the nineteenth _the rock of experience_ john ix. - . the lord gains a witness, and a stalwart witness too! first, he stood upon his own inalienable experience. "_one thing i know, that whereas i was blind, now i see._" second, he drew his own firm inferences from the beneficence of the work. and, in the third place, he reached his grand conclusion. "_if this man were not of god, he could do nothing._" a grand testimony, and given by one who "dared to stand alone!" and the witness gained a friend. "jesus heard that they had cast him out, and when he had found him...." our lord is always seeking the outcasts. he never abandons the abandoned. when the faithful witness is driven into the wilderness he finds "a table spread" before him "in the presence of his enemies." the man who had recovered his sight was cast out, but on the threshold he met his lord! and further sight was given. by the first sight he could see his parents, by the second sight he saw the son of god. the film was first removed from his eyes, and then from his soul, and he saw "the glory of the lord." "and he said, lord, i believe. and he worshipped him." may the twentieth _the lone cry in the big crowd_ mark x. - . our lord hears the cry of need even when it rises from the midst of the tumultuous crowd. a mother can hear the faint cry of her child in the chamber above, even when the room resounds with the talk and laughter of her guests. and our lord heard the wail of poor bartimæus! that lone, sorrowful cry pierced the clamour, "and jesus stood still." my soul, cry to him! "jesus of nazareth passeth by." and bartimæus knew what he wanted. he merged all his petitions in one. "lord, that i might receive my sight!" and let me, too, come to my saviour with some great, dominant, all-commanding request. i trifle with my master. i ask him for toys, for petty things, while all the time he is waiting to give me "unsearchable wealth," "sight, riches, healing of the mind." "the lord is great"; and shall i add, "and greatly to be _prayed_!" and how delicately gracious it is that our lord should attribute the miracle to bartimæus himself. "_thy faith hath made thee whole!_" as though the lord had had no share in the ministry! he makes so much of our faith, and our endeavour, and our obedience. "if ye had faith as a grain of mustard-seed!" that's all he wants, and miracles are accomplished. may the twenty-first _human frailties_ isaiah xlii. - . what a winsome revelation of the delicate gentleness of the lord! "the bruised reed"--is it the impaired musical reed, that cannot now emit a musical sound, and can only be thrown away? he will not snap it and cast it to the void. the discordant life can be made tuneful again: he will put "a new song in my mouth." "and the smoking flax"--the life that has lost its fire, and therefore its light, its enthusiasm, and therefore its ideals; the life that is smouldering into the cold ashes of moral and spiritual death! he will not stamp it out with his foot. the smouldering fire can be rekindled, a spent enthusiasm can be revived. "he shall baptize you ... with fire!" and so he comes to minister to the infirm. he comes to restore injured faculty; "_to open blind eyes_." he comes to give vision to restored sight: "_to be a light of the gentiles_." and he comes to endow the restored life with a rich and gracious freedom: "_to bring out the prisoners from the prison_." sight, and light, and freedom! and my lord is at the gate, and these gifts are in his hand. may the twenty-second _the light as darkness_ matthew xiii. - . the condition of the heart determines the quality of my discernment. if "the heart is waxed gross," the ears will be "dull of hearing," and the eyes will be "closed." my spiritual senses gain their acuteness or obtuseness from my affections. if my love is muddy my sight will be dim. if my love be "clear as crystal" the spiritual realm will be like a gloriously transparent air. and the awful nemesis of sin-created blindness is this, that it interprets itself as sight. "the light that is in thee is darkness." we think we see, and all the time we are the children of the night. we think it is "the dawn of god's sweet morning," and behold! it is the perverse flare of the evil one. he has given us a will-o'-the-wisp, and we boastfully proclaim it to be "the morning star." but there is hope for any man, however blind he be, who will humbly lay himself at jesus' feet. let this be my prayer, o lord, "cleanse thou me from secret faults." deliver me from self-deception, save me from confusing the fixed light of heaven with the wandering beacon-lights of hell. and again and again will i pray, "lord, that i might receive my sight!" may the twenty-third _wind and fire_ acts ii. - . the holy spirit will minister to me as a _wind_. he will create an atmosphere in my life which will quicken all sweet and beautiful growth. and this shall be my native air. gracious seeds, which have never awaked, shall now unfold themselves, and "the desert shall rejoice and blossom as the rose." it was a saying of huxley, that if our little island were to be invaded by tropical airs, tropical seeds which are now lying dormant in english gardens and fields would troop out of their graves in bewildering wealth and beauty! "breathe on me, breath of god!" and the holy spirit will minister to me as a _fire_. and fire is our supreme minister of cleansing. fire can purify when water is impotent. the great fire burnt out the great plague. there are evil germs which cannot be dealt with except by the searching ministry of the flame. "he shall baptize you ... _with fire_." he will create a holy enthusiasm in my soul, an intense and sacred love, which will burn up all evil intruders, but in which all beautiful things shall walk unhurt. "kindle a flame of sacred love on these cold hearts of ours." may the twenty-fourth _calvary and pentecost_ acts ii. - . the apostle peter traces the stream of pentecostal blessing to a tomb. this "river of water of life" has its "rise" in a death of transcendent sacrifice. and i must never forget these dark beginnings of my eternal hope. it is well that i should frequently visit the sources of my blessedness, and kneel on "the green hill far away." it will save me from having a cheap religion. i shall never handle the gifts of grace as though they had cost nothing. there will always be the marks of blood upon them, the crimson stain of incomparable sacrifice. and it will save me from all flippancy in my religious life. when i visit the cross and the tomb, life is transformed from a picnic into a crusade. for that is ever my peril, to picnic on the banks of the river and to spend my days in emotional loitering. after all, my pentecost is purposed to prepare me for my own gethsemane and calvary! life is given me in order that i may spend it again in ready and fruitful sacrifice. may the twenty-fifth _visions and dreams_ joel ii. - . and this old-world promise is good for me to-day. it is like some weather-stained well, whose waters have continued flowing throughout the generations, right down to my own time. let me drink! holy inspiration will give me insight into the mind of my god. "_your sons and your daughters shall prophesy._" the breath of god creates an atmosphere in which spiritual realities are clearly seen. it is like the sabbath air in some busy city, when the fumes and smoke of commerce have been blown away. "thou shalt behold the land that is very far off." and so in my younger days holy inspiration will give me visions. "your young men shall see visions." i shall be an idealist, and i shall see things as they exist in god's idea, even though at present they be maimed and imperfect. i shall see them "according to the pattern on the mount." and in my later days holy inspiration will give me dreams. "_your old men shall dream dreams._" and what shall they dream about? not like the chinese, of a golden age in a distant past, but of a golden age to be. their dreams shall have a "forward-looking eye." they shall see "the new jerusalem coming down out of heaven from god." may the twenty-sixth _the uniting of sundered peoples_ "_on the gentiles also was poured out the gift of the holy ghost._" --acts x. - . and this is ever the issue of a true outpouring of the spirit: sundered peoples become one. at "low tide" there are multitudes of separated pools along the shore: at "high tide" they flow together, and the little distinctions are lost in a splendid union. it is so racially. "jew and gentile!" peter and cornelius lose their prejudices in the emancipating ministry of the spirit. and so shall it be with english and irish, with french and german, with asiatic and european: they shall be "all one" in christ. it is so socially. "bond and free!" the master and the servant shall discover a glorious intimacy and union. and so shall rich and poor, the learned and the illiterate, the many-talented and the obscure. the pools shall flow together. it is so ecclesiastically. our sectarianisms are always most frowning and obtrusive when spiritually we are at "low tide." when the tide rises, it is amazing how the ramparts are submerged. it is not round-table conferences that we need, but seasons of communion when together we shall await the outpouring of the holy ghost. may the twenty-seventh _receiving the holy ghost_ acts ii. - . the sacred process by which the holy spirit is received is the same throughout all the years. first there is _repentance_. and repentance is not a flow of emotion, but a certain direction of mind. i may repent with dry eyes. it is not a matter of feeling, but of willing. it is to lay hold of the aimless, drifting thought, and _steer it toward god_! it is a change of mind. second, there is a definite and avowed choice of my new goal, my new lord and king. the christian life cannot be a subterfuge. it cannot be lived incognito. i cannot be the christ's and wear the livery of an alien power. there must be _confession_, a bold and clarion-like avowal that henceforth i am a soldier of the lord. and the spiritual experiences will be sure, as sure as the law-governed processes of the material world. there will be "_remission of sins_." the old guilt will fall away from my soul as the chains fell from peter's limbs when the angel touched them. and there will be "_the gift of the holy ghost_." a new dynamic is mine! i enter into fellowship with the power of the ascended lord. may the twenty-eighth _the sons of god_ "_for as many as are led by the spirit of god they are the sons of god._" --romans viii. - . and how unspeakably wealthy are the implications of the great word! if a son, then what holy freedom is mine! mine is not "_the spirit of bondage_." the son has "the run of the house." that is the great contrast between lodgings and home. and i am to be at home with the lord. and if a son, then heir! "all things are yours." samuel rutherford used to counsel his friends to "take a turn" round their estate. and truly it is an inspiring exercise! the spirit shall lead me over my estate, and i will survey, with the sense of ownership, "the things which god hath prepared for them that love him." i wonder if i have the manner of a king's son? i wonder if there is anything in my very "walk" which indicates distinguished lineage and royal blood? or am i like a vagrant who has no possessions and no heartening expectations? "lord, i would serve, and be a son!" may the twenty-ninth _many gifts--one spirit_ corinthians xii. - . there is no monotony in the workmanship of my god. the multitude of his thoughts is like the sound of the sea, and every thought commands a new creation. when he thinks upon me, the result is a creative touch never again to be repeated on land or sea. and so, when the holy spirit is given to the people, the ministry does not work in the suppression of individualities, but rather in their refinement and enrichment. our gifts will be manifold, and we must not allow the difference to breed a spirit of suspicion. because my brother's gift is not mine i must not suspect his calling. to one man is given a trumpet, to another a lamp, and to another a spade. and they are all the holy gifts of grace. and thus the gifts are manifold in order that every man may find his completeness in his brother. one man is like an eye--he is a seer of visions! another man is like a hand--he has the genius of practicality! he is "a handy man"! one is the architect, the other is the builder. and each requires the other, if either is to be perfected. and so, by god's gracious spirit, the individual man is only a bit, a portion, and he is intended to fit into the other bits, and so make the complete man of the race. may the thirtieth _finding the deep things_ "_the spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of god._" -- corinthians ii. - . the deep things of god cannot be discovered by unaided reason. "_eye hath not seen:_" they are not to be apprehended by the artistic vision. "_ear hath not heard:_" they are not unveiled amid the discussion of the philosophic schools. "_neither hath entered into the heart of man:_" even poetic insight cannot discern them. all the common lights fail in this realm. we need another illumination, even that provided by the holy spirit. and the spirit is offered unto us "that we might know the things that are freely given to us of god." and here we have the reason why so many uncultured people are spiritually wiser than many who are learned. they lack talent, but they have grace. they lack accomplishments, but they have the holy ghost. they lack the telescope, but they have the sunlight. they are not scholars, but they are saints. they may not be theologians, but they have true religion. and so they have "the open vision." they "walk with god," and "the deep things of god" are made known to their souls. we must put first things first. we may be busy polishing our lenses when our primary and fundamental need is light. it is not a gift that we require, but a friend. may the thirty-first _connection and concord_ "_by one spirit are we all baptized into one body._" -- corinthians xii. - . it is only in the spirit that real union is born. every other kind of union is artificial, and mechanical, and dead. we can dovetail many pieces of wood together and make the unity of an article of furniture, but we cannot dovetail items together and make a tree. and it is the union of a tree that we require, a union born of indwelling life. we may join many people together in a fellowship by the bonds of a formal creed, but the result is only a piece of social furniture, it is not a vital communion. there is a vast difference between a connection and a concord. many members of a family may bear the same name, may share the same blood, may sit and eat at the same table, and yet may have no more vital union than a handful of marbles in a boy's pocket. but let the spirit of a common love dwell in all their hearts and there is a family bound together in glorious union. and so it is in the spirit, and there alone, that vital union is to be found. and here is the secret of such spiritual union. "by one spirit are we all baptized into one body." the spirit of god, dwelling in all our spirits, attunes them into glorious harmony. our lives blend with one another in the very music of the spheres. june the first _the beauty of variety_ corinthians xii. - . god's glory is expressed through the harmony of variety. we do not need sameness in order to gain union. i am now looking upon a scene of surpassing loveliness. there are mountains, and sea, and grassland, and trees, and a wide-stretching sky, and white pebbles at my feet. and a white bird has just flown across a little bank of dark cloud. what variety! and when i look closer the variety is infinitely multiplied. everything blends into everything else. nothing is out of place. everything contributes to finished power and loveliness. and so it is in the grander sphere of human life. the glory of humanity is born of the glory of individuals, each one making his own distinctive contribution. and thus we have need of one another. every note in the organ is needed for the full expression of noble harmony. every instrument in the orchestra is required unless the music is to be lame and broken. god has endowed no two souls alike, and every soul is needed to make the music of "the realm of the blest." june the second _our spiritual guide_ "_when he, the spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth._" --john xvi. - . how great is the difference between a guide-post and a guide! and what a difference between a guide-book and a companion! mere instructions may be very uninspiring, and bare commandments may be very cold. our guide is an inseparable friend. and how will he guide us? he will give us insight. "he will guide you into all truth." he will refine our spirits so that we may be able to distinguish "things that differ," and that so we may know the difference between "the holy and the profane." our moral judgment is often dull and imperceptive. and our spiritual judgment is often lacking in vigour and penetration. and so our great spirit-guide puts our spirits to school, and more deeply sanctifies them, that in holiness we may have discernment. and he will also give us foresight. he will enable us to interpret circumstances, to apprehend their drift and destiny. we shall see harvests while we are looking at seeds, whether the seeds be seeds of good or evil. all of which means that the holy spirit will deliver our lives from the governance of mere whim and caprice, and that he will make us wise with the wisdom of god. june the third _the safety of the occupied heart_ galatians v. - . two friends were cycling through worcestershire and warwickshire to birmingham. when they arrived in birmingham i asked them, among other things, if they had seen warwick gaol along the road. "no," they said, "we hadn't a glimpse of it." "but it is only a field's length from the road!" "well, we never saw it." ah, but these two friends were lovers. they were so absorbed in each other that they had no spare attention for warwick gaol. their glorious fellowship made them unresponsive to its calls. they were otherwise engaged. "walk in the spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lusts of the flesh." that great companionship will make us negligent of carnal allurements. "the world, and the flesh, and the devil" may stand by the wayside, and hold their glittering wares before us, but we shall scarcely be aware of their presence. we are otherwise engaged. we are absorbed in the "lover of our souls." this is the only real and effective way to meet temptation. we must meet it with an occupied heart. we must have no loose and trailing affections. we must have no vagrant, wayward thoughts. temptation must find us engaged with our lover. we must "offer no occasion to the flesh." walking with the holy one, our elevation is our safety. june the fourth _life's real values_ proverbs viii. - . here is a man who knows the relative values of things. "_instruction is better than silver_"; "_knowledge rather than choice gold_"; "_wisdom is better than rubies._" he weighs the inherent worth of things, and puts his choice upon the best. let me remember that "all is not gold that glitters." the leaden casket is often the shrine of the priceless scroll. the glaring and the theatrical have often a ragged and seamy interior, and won't bear "looking into." a man may have much display and be very lonely; he may have piles of wealth and be destitute of joy. his libraries may cover an acre, and yet he may have no light. and a man may have only "a candle, and a table, and a bed," and he may be the companion of the eternal god. i would seek these priceless things. and i would "_seek them early_." i have so often been late in the search. i have given the early moments to seeking the world's silver and gold, and the later weary moments have been idly devoted to god. "they that seek me early shall find me." let me put "first things first." "seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness." june the fifth _the speech of events_ acts xiii. - . do i sufficiently remember the witness of history? do i reverently listen to the "great voice behind me"? god has spoken in the speech of events. "day unto day" has uttered speech. there has been a witness in national life, sometimes quiet as a fragrance, and sometimes "loud as a vale when storms are gone." is it all to me as though it had never been, or is it part of the store of counsel by which i shape and guide my life? and do i sufficiently remember my own providences, "_all the way my god has led me_"? when a day is over, do i carry its helpful lamp into the morrow? do i "learn wisdom" from experience? that is surely god's purpose in the days; one is to lead on to another in the creation of an ever brightening radiance, that so at eventide it may be light. and do i sufficiently remember that i, too, am making history for my fellows who shall succeed me? what kind of a witness will it be? grim and full of warning, like the pillar of salt, or winsome and full of heartiness, like some "sweet ebenezer" built by life's way? let me pray and labour that my days may so shine with grace that all who remember me shall adore the goodness of my lord. june the sixth _love's expenditures_ john iii. - . hereby perceive we the love of god, because "_he laid down his life for us_." and the real test of any love is what it is prepared to "lay down." how much is it ready to spend? how much will it bleed? there is much spurious love about. it lays nothing down; it only takes things up! it is self-seeking, using the speech and accents of love. it is a "work of the flesh," which has stolen the label of a "fruit of the spirit." love may always be known by its expenditures, its self-crucifixions, its calvarys. love is always laying down its life for others. its pathway is always a red road. you may track its goings by the red "marks of the lord jesus." and this is the life, the love-life, which the lord jesus came to create among the children of men. it is his gracious purpose to form a spiritual fellowship in which every member will be lovingly concerned about his fellows' good. a real family of god would be one in which all the members bleed for each, and each for all. how can we gain this disposition of love? "god is love." "we love because he first loved us." at the fountain of eternal love we too may become lovers, becoming "partakers of the divine nature," and filled with all "the fulness of god." june the seventh _moral surgery_ galatians vi. - . this is a surgical operation in the realm of the soul. a man has been "_overtaken in a fault_," some evil passion has pounced upon him, and he is broken. some holy relationship has been snapped, and he is crippled in his moral and spiritual goings. perhaps his affections have been broken, or his conscience, or his will. or perhaps he has lost his glorious hope or the confidence of his faith. here he is, a broken man, the victim of his own broken vows, lame and halt in the pilgrim-way! and some surgeon is needed to re-set the dislocation, and to make him whole again. and who is to be the surgeon? "_ye which are spiritual restore such a one._" the men who live under the control of god's spirit are to be the surgeons for broken hearts and souls. when a man has fallen by reason of sin, the christian is to be a good samaritan, seeking to restore the cripple to health and strength again. we are to kneel and minister to him, binding up his wounds, giving him the balm and cordial of oil and wine. and what is to be the spirit of the surgeon? "the spirit of meekness." we are not to be supercilious, for the "touch" of pride is never the minister of healing. we are to heal as though some day we may need to be healed. june the eighth _the new birth_ john iii. - . here is the life in contact with the icy legalism of the day. nicodemus was a pharisee, and his piety was cold and mechanical. religion had become a bloodless obedience to lifeless rules. men cared more about being proper than about being holy. modes were emphasized more than moods. an external pose was esteemed more highly than an internal disposition. the popular saint lived on "the outsides of things." then came the life. and what will he say to the externalist? "ye must be born again." nothing else could he have said. if the mechanical is to become the vital there is nothing for it but a new birth. to get from the outside into the inside of things, from the letter into the spirit, we need the miracle of renewal, the recreating ministry of grace. and so it is to-day. the ritualistic is vitalized by the evangelistic. if the mechanical is to become the spontaneous, there is need of the "well of living water, springing up unto eternal life." when we are born again, ritual becomes helpful trellis for the spiritual flowers; the outward form becomes the helpmeet of redeeming grace. june the ninth _the story of a sorrowful soul_ psalm iii. this tearful little psalm tells me where a sorrowful soul found a place of help and consolation. he resorted to god. "_thou art a shield about me._" he got the lord between him and his circumstances. there is nothing else subtle enough to interpose. our hurtful circumstances are so invasive and so immediate that only god can come between us and them. but when god gets in between we are immune. "though an host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear." "_thou art my glory._" and that is an honour that need never be stained. my worldly glory can be besmirched. an evil man throws mud, and my poor reputation is gone. "there's always somebody ready to believe it!" but my glory with god, and in god--man's mud cannot touch that fair fame! even absalom cannot defile that resplendent robe. "_thou art the lifter-up of my head._" the flower is "looking up" again! in the lord's presence we recover our lost spirits. "he restoreth my soul." "and now shall mine head be lifted up above mine enemies round about me." june the tenth _pillars of cloud and fire_ "_the lord went before them by day in a pillar of cloud._" --exodus xiii. --xiv. . i need his leadership in the daytime. sometimes the daylight is my foe. it tempts me into carelessness. i become the victim of distraction. the "garish day" can entice me into ways of trespass, and i am robbed of my spiritual health. many a man has been faithful in the twilight and night who has lost himself in the sunshine. he went astray in his prosperity: success was his ruin. and so in the daytime i need the shadow of god's presence, the cooling, subduing, calming influence of a friendly cloud. "_and by night in a pillar of fire._" and i need god's leadership in the night. sometimes the night fills me with fears, and i am confused. the darkness chills me, sorrow and adversity make me cold, and i shiver along in uncertain going. but my god will lead me as a presence of fire. he will keep my heart warm even in the midnight, and he will guide me by the kindlings of his love. there shall be "nothing hid from the heat thereof." and my bewildering fears shall flee away, and i will sing "songs in the night." june the eleventh _the path across the sea_ "_thy way is in the sea._" --psalm lxxvii. - . and the sea appears to be the most trackless of worlds! the sea is the very symbol of mystery, the grim dwelling-house of innumerable things that have been lost. but god's way moves here and there across this trackless wild. god is never lost among our mysteries. he knows his way about. when we are bewildered he sees the road, and he sees the end even from the beginning. even the sea, in every part of it, is the lord's highway. when his way is in the sea we cannot trace it. mystery is part of our appointed discipline. uncertainty is to prepare us for a deeper assurance. the spirit of questioning is one of the ordained means of growth. and so the bewildering sea is our friend, as some day we shall understand. we love to "lie down in green pastures," and to be led "beside the still waters," and god gives us our share of this nourishing rest. but we need the mysterious sea, the overwhelming experience, the floods of sorrows which we cannot explain. if we had no sea we should never become robust. we should remain weaklings to the end of our days. god takes us out into the deeps. but his way is in the sea. he knows the haven, he knows the track, and we shall arrive! june the twelfth _waiting for the spectacular_ "_the waves covered their enemies.... then believed they his words._" --psalm cvi. - . their faith was born in a great emergency. a spectacular deliverance was needed to implant their trust in the lord. they found no witness in the quiet daily providence; the unobtrusive miracle of daily mercy did not awake their song. they dwelt upon the "special" blessing, when all the time the really special blessing was to be found in the sleepless care which watched over them in their ordinary and commonplace ways. it is the old story. we are wanting god to appear in imperial glory; and he comes among us as a humble carpenter. we want great miracles, and we have the daily providence. we see his dread goings in the earthquake; we do not feel his presence in the lilies of the field. we watch him in the smoke and flames of vesuvius; we do not recognize his footprints in the little turf-clad hill that is only a few yards from our own door. it is a great day when we discover our god in the common bush. that day is marked with glory when our daily bread becomes a sacrament. when we enjoy a closer walk with god, common things will wear the hues of heaven. june the thirteenth _clouded but not lost!_ "_clouds and darkness are round about him._" --psalm xcvii. when lincoln had been assassinated, and word of the tragedy came to new york, "the people were in a state of mind which urges to violence." a man appeared on the balcony of one of the newspaper offices, waving a small flag, and a clear voice rang through the air: "fellow-citizens! clouds and darkness are round about him! his pavilion is dark waters, and thick clouds of the skies! justice and judgment are the habitation of his throne! fellow-citizens, god reigns!" it was the voice of general garfield. that voice proclaimed the divine sovereignty, even when the heavens were black with the menace of destruction. lincoln had been assassinated, but god lived! human confusion does not annihilate his throne. god liveth! "the firm foundation standeth sure." this is the only rock to stand upon when the clouds have gathered, and the waters are out, and the great deeps are broken up. god's sceptre does not fall from his grasp, nor is snatched by alien hands. the throne abideth. joy will rise from the apparent chaos as springs are unsealed by the earthquake. he will bring fortune out of misfortune; the darkness shall be the hiding-place of his grace. june the fourteenth _the law in the heart_ "_i will put my laws into their hearts._" --hebrews x. - . everything depends on where we carry the law of the lord. if it only rests in the memory, any vagrant care may snatch it away. the business of the day may wipe it out as a sponge erases a record from a slate. a thought is never secure until it has passed from the mind into the heart, and has become a desire, an aspiration, a passion. when the law of god is taken into the heart, it is no longer something merely remembered: it is something loved. now things that are loved have a strong defence. they are in the "keep" of the castle, in the innermost custody of the stronghold. the strength of the heart is wrapped about them, and no passing vagrant can carry them away. and this is where the good lord is willing to put his laws. he is wishful to put them among our loves. and the wonderful thing is this: when laws are put among loves they change their form, and his statutes become our songs. laws that are loved are no longer dreadful policemen, but compassionate friends. "o! how i love thy law!" that man did not live in a prison, he lived in a garden, and god's will was unto him as gracious flowers and fruits. and so shall it be unto all of us when we love the law of the lord. june the fifteenth _the king's guests_ "_who shall ascend into the hill of the lord?_" --psalm xxiv. who shall be permitted to pass into the sanctuary of the cloud, and have communion with the lord in the holy place? "he that hath clean hands." these hands of mine, the symbols of conduct, the expression of the outer life, what are they like? "your hands are full of blood." those hands had been busy murdering others, pillaging others, brutally ill-using their fellow-men. we may do it in business. we may do it in conversation. we may do it in a criminal silence. our hands may be foul with a brother's blood. and men and women with hands like these cannot "ascend into the hill of the lord." there must be no stain of an unfair and scandalous life. "and a pure heart." we need not trouble about the hands if the heart be clean. if all the presences that move in the heart--desires, and motives, and sentiments, and ideals--are like white-robed angels "without spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing," everything that emerges into outer life will share the same radiant purity. the heart expresses itself in the hands. character blossoms in conduct. the quality of our current coin is determined by the quality of the metal in the mint. "as a man thinketh in his heart, so is he." june the sixteenth _sinai and calvary_ hebrews xii. - . we need not live at the foot of mount sinai. it is like living at the foot of mount pelee, the home of awful eruption, and therefore the realm of gloom and uncertainty and fear. we are not saved by law, neither indeed can we be. neither can law heal us after our transgressions and defeats. the law has nothing for prodigal men but "blackness, and darkness, and tempest." it has no sound but dreaded decree, no message but menace, no look but a frown. who will build his house at the foot of mount sinai? "but ye are come unto mount zion." our true home is not at sinai, but at calvary. there is no place for the sinner at the first mount; at the second mount there is a place for no one else. at calvary we may find our way back to the holiness we lost at sinai. through grace we may drop the burden of our sin and begin to wear the garments of salvation. the way back to heaven is by "the green hill, without a city wall." it is a mount that can be reached by the most exhausted pilgrim; and the one who has "spent all" will assuredly find a full restoration of life at the gate of his saviour's death. "ye are come to jesus, the mediator of the new covenant." june the seventeenth _the invisible presence_ "_show me thy glory._" --exodus xxxiii. - . moses wist not what he asked. his speech was beyond his knowledge. the answer to his request would have consumed him. he asked for the blazing noon when as yet he could only bear the quiet shining of the dawn. the good lord lets in the light as our eyes are able to bear it. the revelation is tempered to our growth. the pilgrim could bear a brightness in beulah land that he could not have borne at the wicket-gate; and the brilliance of the entry into the celebrated city throws the splendours of beulah into the shade. yes, the gracious lord will unveil his glory as our "senses are exercised to receive it." "my presence shall go with thee." that is all the glory we need upon the immediate road. his companionship means everything. the real glory is to possess god; let him show us his inheritance as it shall please him. life's glory is to "feel him near." when the loving wife feels that the husband is in the house, and when the loving husband feels that the wife is in the house, that is everything! the joy of each other's presence is the crown of married bliss. and so it is with the soul that is married to the lord: his presence is the soul's delight. "thou, o christ, art all i want." "o master, let me walk with thee." june the eighteenth _the benefitted as benefactors_ "_who comforteth us ... that we may be able to comfort._" -- corinthians i. - . and how does the lord comfort us? he has a thousand different ways, and no one can ever tell by what way the comfort will come to his soul. sometimes it comes by the door of memory, and sometimes by the door of hope. sometimes it is borne to us through the ministry of nature, and at other times through the ministry of human speech and kindness. but always, i think, it brings us the sense of a presence, as though we had a great friend in the room, and the troubled heart gains quietness and peace. the mist clears a little, and we have a restful assurance of our god. now comforted souls are to be comforters. they who have received benefits of grace are to be benefactors. they who have heard the sweet music of god's abiding love are to sing it again to others. they who have seen the glory are to become evangelists. we must not seek to hoard spiritual treasure. as soon as we lock it up we begin to lose it. a mysterious moth and rust take it away. if we do not comfort others, our own comfort will turn again to bitterness; the clouds will lower and we shall be imprisoned in the old woe. but the comfort which makes a comforter grows deeper and richer every day. june the nineteenth _reckoning up things_ psalm xc. - . numbering things is one of the healthful exercises of the spiritual life. unless we count, memory is apt to be very tricky and to snare us into strange forgetfulness. unless we count what we have given away, we are very apt to exaggerate our bounty. we often think we have given when we have only listened to appeals; the mere audience has been mistaken for active beneficence. the remedy for all this is occasionally to count our benevolences and see how we stand in a balance-sheet which we could present to the lord himself. and we must count our blessings. it is when our arithmetic fails in the task, and when counting god's blessings is like telling the number of the stars, that our souls bow low before the eternal goodness, and all murmuring dies away "like cloud-spots in the dawn." and we must also "number our days." we are wasteful with them, and we throw them away as though they are ours in endless procession. and yet there are only seven days in a week! a day is of immeasurable preciousness, for what high accomplishment may it not witness? a day in health or in sickness, spent unto god, and applied unto wisdom, will gather treasures more precious than rubies and gold. june the twentieth _the revealing presence of the lord_ ephesians vi. - . a starling never reveals the richness of its hues until we see it in the sunlight. a duty never discloses its beauties until we set it in the light of the lord. it is amazing how a dull road is transfigured when the sunshine falls upon it! god's grace reveals the graces in all healthy things. hidden lovelinesses troop out when we set them in the presence of the lord. and so the apostle counsels an obedience which is "in the lord." he wants us to know how beautiful common things can be when they are linked to christ. and what he says about obedience he says about everything. one of the great secrets in the teaching of paul is expressed in just this phrase, "in the lord," "in christ." it meant connection with a power-house whose energy would light up all the common lamps of life--the lamps of hope, of faith, of love, of daily labour, and of human service. and this is the secret of the christian life. we need no other; at least, all other secrets are involved in this. if we attend to this little preposition "in," we have entry into the infinite. if we are "in christ," we are in the kingdom of everything that endures, and we are outside nothing but sin. june the twenty-first _room for the saplings_ "_children crying in the temple, saying hosanna!_" --matthew xxi. - . children's voices mingling in the sounds of holy praise! a little child can share in the consecrated life. young hearts can offer love pure as a limpid spring. their sympathy is as responsive as the most sensitive harp, and yields to the touch of the tenderest joy and grief. no wonder the lord "called little children unto him"! they were unto him as gracious streams, and as flowers of the field. let the loving saviour have our children. let there be no waiting for maturer years. maturity may bring the impaired faculty and the embittered emotion. let him have things in their beginnings, the seeds and the saplings. let him have life before it is formed, before it is "set" in foolish moulds. let us consecrate the cradle, and the good lord will grow and nourish his saints. june the twenty-second _childlikeness_ mark ix. - . it is the child-spirit that finds life's golden gates, and that finds them all ajar. the proudly aggressive spirit, contending for place and power, may force many a door, but they are not doors which open into enduring wealth and peace. real inheritances become ours only through humility. the proud are, therefore, self-deceived. they think they have succeeded when they have signally failed. they have the shadow, but they have missed the substance. they may have the applause of the world, but the angels sigh over their defeat. they pride themselves on having "got on"; the angels weep because they have "gone down." when we grow away from childlikeness we are "in a decline." "god resisteth the proud; he giveth grace to the humble." the lowly make great discoveries; to them the earth is full of god's glory. june the twenty-third _the greatest benefactors_ matthew x. - . it is a very wonderful thing that the finest services are within the power of the poorest people. the deepest ministries find their symbols in "cups of cold water," which it is in the power of everybody to give. the great benefactors are the great lovers, and their coin is not that of material money, but the wealth of the heart. a bit of affection is worth infinitely more than the gift of a necklace of pearls. to kindle hope in a fainting soul is far more precious than to adorn the weary pilgrim with dazzling gems. "he brought me heaps of presents, but i was hungering for love!" such was the pathetic cry of one who was "clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day." "cups of cold water," simple ministries of refreshment, the love-thought, the love-prayer, the love-word--these are the privileged services of all of us. and everybody needs these gentle and gracious services of refreshment, and often there is greatest need where there seems to be least. june the twenty-fourth _at ease in zion_ "_woe to them that are at ease in zion!_" --amos vi. - . i would be delivered from the folly of confusing ease and rest. there is an infinite difference between comforts and comfort. it is one thing to lie down on a luxurious couch: it is a very different thing to "lie down in green pastures" under the gracious shepherdliness of the lord. the ease which men covet is so often a fruit of stupefaction, the dull product of sinful drugs, the wretched sluggishness of carnal gratification and excess. the rest which god giveth is alive and wakeful, abounding in tireless and fruitful service. "oh, rest in the lord." but is it not a strange thing that men can be "at ease in zion"? that they can play the beast in the holy place? zion was full of holy memory, and abounded with suggestions of the divine presence. and yet here they could carouse, and lose themselves in swinish indulgence! a little while ago i saw a beautiful old church which had been turned into a common eating-house! my soul, be on thy guard. be watchful and diligent, and busy thyself in the practice of "self-knowledge, self-reverence, self-control." june the twenty-fifth _desolations wrought by sin_ "_the lord hath spoken this word._" --isaiah xxiv. - . "the lord hath spoken this word," and it is a word of judgment. it unveils some of the terrible issues of sin. see the effects of sin upon the spirit of man. "_the merry-hearted do sigh._" life loses its wings and its song. the buoyancy and the optimism die out of the soul. the days move with heavy feet, and duty becomes very stale and unwelcome. if only our ears were keen enough we should hear many a place of hollow laughter moaning with troubled and restless sighs. the soul cannot sing when god is defied. but see another effect of sin. "_the earth moaneth._" that is a frequent note in bible teaching. the forces of nature are mysteriously conditioned by the character of man. when man is degraded, nature is despoiled. the beauty of the garden is checked when man has lost his crown. "the whole creation groaneth in pain," waiting for the manifestation of the children of god. sin spreads desolation everywhere. when i sin, i become the centre of demoralizing forces which influence the universe. and so let me ever pray, "deliver me from evil." june the twenty-sixth _crucifying the flesh_ "_arm yourselves likewise with the same mind._" -- peter iv. - . let not the body be dominant, but the soul. let me study the example and counsel of the apostle paul. "_i keep my body under._" literally, i pummel it! if it is obtrusive and aggressive, its appetites clamouring for supremacy, i pummel it! paul was not afraid of severe measures where carnality was concerned. he would fast a whole day in order to put the flesh in its place. and so should it be with all the lord's children. we are too self-indulgent. it is well at times to put the body on the cross, and crucify its cravings. "_give no occasion to the flesh._" do not give it a chance of mastery! and, therefore, do not feed it with illicit thought. turn the mind away from the subjects in which the body will find exciting stimulant. it is thought which awakes passion, and thought can do much to destroy it. "set your mind on things which are above." keep the mind pure, and the swine will never enter the holy place. june the twenty-seventh _god is light!_ "_in him is no darkness at all._" -- john i. that wonderful mansion of god's being is gloriously radiant in every room! in the house of my life there are dark chambers, and rooms which are only partially illumined, the other parts being in the possession of night. some of my faculties and powers are dark ministers, and some of my moods are far from being "homes of light." but "god is light," and everything is glorious as the meridian sun! his holiness, his grace, his love, his mercy: there are no dark corners where uncleanness hides; everything shines with undimmed and speckless radiancy! and if i "walk in the light," i, too, shall become illumined. "they looked unto him and were lightened." we are fashioned by our highest companionships. we acquire the nature of those with whom we most constantly commune. and the light he gives is also fire. it will burn away our sin. we may measure the reality and strength of our communion by the destruction of our sin. a great burning will be proceeding in our life, and one evil habit after another will be in the love-furnace of purification. the lord still "purifies jerusalem by the spirit of burning." june the twenty-eighth _the waiting light_ corinthians iv. - . i can shut out the sweet light of the morning. i can refuse to open the shutters and draw up the blinds. and i can shut out the light of life. i can draw the thick blinds of prejudice, and close the impenetrable shutters of sin. and the light of the world cannot get into my soul. and i can let in the waiting light of the morning, and flood my room with its glory. and the light is "a gracious, willing guest." no fuss is needed, no shouting is required. open thy casement, and the gracious guest is in! and my lord has no reluctance in his coming; we have not to drag him to our table. open thy heart, and the lord is in! and when the light is within there will be radiance at the windows. and when the lord is shining in our hearts there will be a witness in the life. men will see that we are "with jesus," because we are "light in the lord." good lord, deliver me from "the god of this world" lest i be blinded and become unable to see thee! i open my heart to thee! shine in, thou light of life, and make my soul the radiant witness of thy grace. june the twenty-ninth _effectual prayers_ "_the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much._" --james v. - . or, as weymouth translates it, "the heartfelt supplication of a righteous man exerts a mighty influence." prayer may be empty words, with no more power than those empty shells which have been foisted upon the turks in their war with the balkan states. firing empty shells! that is what many professed prayers really are; they have nothing in them, and they accomplish nothing. they are just forged upon the lips, and they drop to the earth as soon as they are spoken. effectual prayers are born in the heart; they are stocked with heart-treasure, with faith, and hope, and desire, and holy urgency, and they go forth with power to shake the world. what are my prayers like? _if i were god, could i listen to them?_ are they mere pretences at prayer, full of nothing but sound? is there any reasonable ground for assuming that they can accomplish anything? or are my prayers weighted with sincere desire? do they comprehend my brother's good as well as my own? are they spoken in faith? do they go forth in great expectancy? then do they surely "exert a mighty influence," and they become fellow-labourers with all god's ministries of grace. the greatest thing i can do is greatly to pray. june the thirtieth _god my strength and song_ "_the lord is my strength and my song._" --psalm cxviii. - . yes, first of all "my strength" and then "my song"! for what song can there be where there is languor and fainting? what brave music can be born in an organ which is short of breath? there must first be strength if we would have fine harmonies. and so the good lord comes to the songless, and with holy power he brings the gift of "saving health." "and my song"! for when life is healthy it instinctively breaks into song. the happy, contented soul goes about the ways of life humming its satisfactions to itself, and is now and again heard by the passer-by. the lord fills the life with instinctive music. when life is holy it becomes musical with his praise. so here i see the appointed order in christian service. it is futile to try to make people joyful unless we do it by seeking first to make them strong. first the good, and then the truly happy! first the holy, and then the musical. first god, and then the breath of his holy spirit, and then "the new song." july the first _the life or the light of men_ "_in him was life._" --john i. - . not merely a pool of life, but the well-spring. all rivers of enriching vitality have their source in him. nowhere is there a crystal stream which was not born at the fountain. let us make our claim for the lord all-comprehensive and inclusive. whatever energizes body, mind, or soul, has its origin in our sovereign king. "all our springs are in thee." "thou of life the fountain art." "_and the life was the light of men._" and what did he not light up? his amazing rays streamed down the darkest ways of men, and illumined the vast, sombre chambers of human circumstance. he lit up sin and showed its true colour! he lit up sorrow, and transfigured it! he lit up duty, and gave it a new face. he lit up common work, and glorified it. he lit up death, and we could see through it! but, above all, he lit up god, and "the people that sat in darkness saw a great light." "_and the darkness apprehended it not._" the darkness could not lay hold of it and quench it! it was not overwhelmed and eclipsed by the murkiest fog of prejudice, or by the dingiest antagonism of sinful pride. "the light showeth in the darkness," inviolable and invincible! july the second _light and lightning_ "_and the spirit of the lord shall rest upon him._" --isaiah xi. - . and the spirit is one of light! all the doors and windows are open. his correspondences are perfect and unbroken. he is of "quick understanding," keen-scented to discern the essences of things, alert to perceive the reality behind the semblance, to "see things as they are." all the great primary senses are awake, and he has knowledge of every "secret place." "_he shall smite ... with the rod of his mouth, and with the breath of his lips shall he slay._" the spirit of light follows a crusade of holiness. the light becomes lightning! the "breathing," which cools the fever-stricken, can also become a hot breath, which wastes and destroys every plant of evil desire. it is an awful thing, and yet a gracious thing, that "our god is a consuming fire." it was foretold of our lord that he should baptize "with fire." and this crusade of holiness is in the ministry of peace. he will burn away all that defileth, in order that he may create a profound and permanent fellowship. when his work is done, there will be a mingling of apparent opposites, and antagonisms will melt into a gracious union. "the sucking child will play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den." july the third _my elder brother_ hebrews ii. - . and doth my lord call me one of his brethren? let me leisurely think upon it, until my very soul moves amid my affairs in noble and hallowed dignity. if i steadily remember "who i am," it will assuredly transfigure "what i am." i lose the sense of my high kinship, and then i am quite content to be "sent into the fields to feed swine." and my elder brother came to "destroy the works of the devil." that is the entire ministry of destruction. nothing beautiful does he destroy, nothing winsome: only the insidious presences which are the foes of these things. he will destroy only the pestiferous microbes which ravage the vital peace of the soul. our lord is the enemy of the deadly, and therefore of "him that had the power of death--that is, the devil!" and in this holy ministry of destruction he can defend my soul as "one who knows," himself "having been tempted." he knows the subtlety of the devil, and where the soul is most perilously exposed, and he is therefore "able to succour them that are tempted." july the fourth _emptying oneself_ "_he emptied himself._" --philippians ii. - . in mr. silvester horne's garden a very suggestive scene was one day to be witnessed. a cricketer of world-wide renown was playing a game with mr. horne's little four-year-old son! and the fierce bowler "emptied himself," and served such gentle, dainty little balls that the tiny man at the wickets was not in the least degree afraid! and the lord of glory "emptied himself," fashioning himself to our "low estate," and in his unspeakably gentle approaches we find our peace. and i, too, am to seek a corresponding lowliness of mind in order that i, too, may be of service to my weak and needy brother. it is for me to empty myself of the pride of strength, the brutal aggressiveness of success, the sometimes unfeeling obtrusiveness of health; i must empty myself, and "get down" by the side of weakness and infirmity, and in gentle fellowship humbly proffer my help. and if the mind is to be in me "which was also in christ jesus," it is needful for me to commune with him "without ceasing." his gentleness can make me great. july the fifth _the discipleship that tells_ "_he that followeth me._" --john viii. - . yes, but i must make sure that i follow him in spirit and in truth. it is so easy to be self-deceived. i may follow a pleasant emotion, while all the time a bit of grim cross-bearing is being ignored. i may be satisfied to be "out on the ocean sailing," singing of "a home beyond the tide," while all the time there is a piece of perilous salvage work to be done beneath the waves. to "follow jesus" is to face the hostility of scribes and pharisees, to offer restoring friendship to publicans and sinners, to pray in blood-shedding in gethsemane, to brave the derision of the brutal mob, and to be "ready" for the appalling happenings on calvary! therefore, following is not a light picnic; it is a possible martyrdom! but if i set my face "to go," the lord himself will visit me with "_the light of life_." and the resource shall not be broken and spasmodic: it shall be mine without ceasing. "be thou faithful ... and i will give thee ... life." that life will flow into my soul, just as the oxygenating air flows down to the diver who is faithfully busy recovering wreckage from the wealth-strewn bed of the mighty sea. let me be faithful, and every moment the lord will crown me with his own vitalizing life! july the sixth _life as a voice_ john i. - . this man humbly desires to be "_a voice_." he has no ambition to receive popular homage. he does not covet the power of the lordly purple. he does not crave to be a great person; he only wants to be a great voice! he wants to articulate the thought and purpose of god. he is quite content to be hidden, like a bird in a thick bush, if only his song may be heard. and in order that he may be a voice he retires into the silent solitudes of the desert. he will listen before he speaks. come thou, my soul, into his secret! the air is clamorous with speech behind which there has been no hearing. men speak, and in their words there is no pulse of the infinite. in their consolations there is no balm. in their reproaches there is no sword. their words are empty vessels, full of sound! let my voice be hushed until i have heard the voice of the highest. "he that hath ears to hear, let him hear." and when he spake, it was in clear and definite testimony, "behold the lamb of god!" the "voice" succeeded, for men began to look away from the herald to the herald's lord. in forgetting john they found the king. they passed the _signpost_, and arrived at _home_! july the seventh _in the golden age_ isaiah xl. - . and so these things are to happen when the lord has come to his own, and his decrees are honoured in our midst. certain _inequalities_ are to be ended. valleys are to be exalted, and mountains are to be made low. there is to be a levelling! men are to be equal in freedom and opportunity. certain _crookednesses_ are to be ended. they are to be "made straight." society has become warped with the heat of lust, and the fierce fever of competition, and the hot, devouring fires of greed. when the lord is enthroned the fires will be put out, the heat will pass, and the twisted fellowships will be rectified. certain _roughnesses_ are to be ended. class works against class with jagged edge, like the teeth of a saw. they tear and rend one another, and the family of god is always bleeding. these "rough places" are to be "made plain." we are to "work in to one another," smoothly, congenially, in a frictionless peace. and this lord is coming, coming every day, and "his arm shall rule for him." "say unto the cities of judah--behold your god!" july the eighth _what manner of man?_ matthew xi. - . there are some men who are only as _desert reeds_! they move to the breath of the desert wind. they bend before it, no matter in what way it may be blowing. they never resist the wind. they never become "hiding places from the wind," stemming a popular drift. they are the victims of passing opinions, and are swayed by the current passions. and some men are "_clothed in soft raiment_"! they shrink from the rough fustian, the labourer's cotton smock, the leather suit of george fox. they are ultra-"finicky." they are afraid of the mire. they touch the sorrows of the world with a timid finger, not with the kindly, healing grasp of a surgeon. and other men are "_prophets_"! they have a secret fellowship with the infinite. when we listen to them it is like putting one's ear to the seashell: we catch the sound of the ocean roll. "the voice of the great eternal dwells in their mighty tones." and others are "_children of the kingdom_." they are greater than the old prophets, because the mystic voice has become a presence, and they have "seen the lord." the veil has been rent, and they "walk in the light" as "children of light." july the ninth _scholars in christ's school_ "_he taught his disciples._" --mark ix. - . and my lord will teach me. he will lead me into "the deep things" of god. there is only one school for this sort of learning, and an old saint called it the academy of love, and it meets in gethsemane and calvary, and the lord himself is the teacher, and there is room in the school for thee and me. but the disciples were not in the mood for learning. they were not ambitious for heavenly knowledge, but for carnal prizes, not for wisdom, but for place. "they disputed one with another who was the greatest." and that spirit is always fatal to advancement in the school of christ. our petty ambitions close the door and windows of our souls, and the heavenly light can find no entrance. we turn gethsemane into "a place of strife," and we carry our clamour even to calvary itself. from this, and all other sinful folly, good lord, redeem us! they who would be great scholars in this school must become "as little children." through the child-like spirit we attain unto god-like wisdom. by humility is honour and life. july the tenth _the great renunciation_ matthew xvii. - . what if the transfiguration was the type of the purposed consummation of every life? if we had remained "without sin," it may be that we should have gradually ripened up to a moment when we should have become transfigured, and in the surpassing brilliance have been translated to higher planes of being. perhaps our lord had reached this material consummation, and was now on the wonderful border land, and could by choice slip into "the glory!" but he made another choice. and this was, of a truth, the "great renunciation!" he turned his back on the glory, and deliberately faced the darkening way which led to calvary and the grave. i do not wonder that his mysterious visitors spake with him "of the decease which he should accomplish at jerusalem." he could talk about nothing else! he "set his face to go." and in my master's choice of death i find my hope of life. through "the dark gate" i can find "the mount." my transfiguration is made possible in his humiliation. if my lord had never descended i could never have ascended. if he had abode on the mount i should have remained in my sin. he has "opened to me the gates of righteousness." july the eleventh _the friend of the bridegroom_ "_he that hath the bride is the bridegroom._" --john iii. - . we ministers sometimes speak of "my church." i occasionally read of mr. so-and-so's church! i know that the phrase is colloquially used, but nevertheless, it is unfortunate. words that are perversely used tend to pervert the spirit. and this phrase tends to displace the bridegroom. it helps to make us obtrusive, unduly aggressive, when we ought to be reverently hiding our faces with our wings. the bride is his! "_but the friend of the bridegroom._" that is my place, and that is my dignity. and what a title it is, making me a member of the finest and most select aristocracy in heaven or on earth! the "friend of the bridegroom" used to carry messages to the bride, to share in the wooing, and to help to bring the wedding about. and that, too, is my gracious office, to be a match-maker for my lord, to testify concerning him, to speak his praises, until the soul "fall in love" with him. "_he must increase, but i must decrease._" yes, when the sun is rising the moon becomes dim! when the glory of the bridegroom breaks upon the bride he becomes "all in all," "the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely." july the twelfth _preparing his servants_ john i. - . our lord does not stumble upon his disciples by accident. his discoveries are not surprises. he knows where his nuggets lie. before he calls to service he has been secretly preparing the servant. "i girded thee, though thou hast not known me." he knew all about simon. "_thou art simon_"--just a _listener_, not yet a strong, bold doer: a man of many opinions not yet consolidated into the truth of experimental convictions. "_thou shalt be called peter._" simon become peter! loose gravel become hard rock! hear-says become the "verilies" of unshakable experience! the lord proclaims our glorious possibilities. and he knew all about nathanael. "_when thou wast under the fig-tree i saw thee._" "in that secret meditation of thine, when thy wishes and desires were being born, 'i saw thee!'" "when others saw nothing, i had fellowship with thee in the secret place." and he knows all about thee and me. "i know my sheep." we do not take him by surprise. he does not come in late, and find the performance half over! he is in at our beginnings, when grave issues are being born. "i am alpha." july the thirteenth _plain glass_ "_they were fishers._" --matthew iv. - . and so our lord went first to the fishing-boats and not to the schools. learning is apt to be proud and aggressive, and hostile to the simplicities of the spirit. there is nothing like plain glass for letting in the light! and our lord wanted transparent media, and so he went to the simple fishermen on the beach. "god hath chosen the foolish things of the world." and by choosing labouring men our master glorified labour. he himself had worn the workman's dress, and the garment which the king wears becomes regal attire. yes, the workingman, if he only knew it, is wearing the imperial robe. he is one of the kinsmen of the lord of glory! our lord took the fisherman's humble calling, and made it the symbol of spiritual service. "_i will make you fishers of men._" and he will do the same for thee and me. he will turn our daily labour into an apocalypse, and through its ways and means he will make us wise in the ministry of the kingdom. he will make the material the handmaid of the spiritual, and through the letter he will lead us into the secret places of the soul. july the fourteenth _the possibilities of the unlikely_ matthew ix. - . a disciple from among the publicans! in what waste places our lord jesus finds his jewels! what exquisite possibilities ruskin saw in a pinch of common dust! what radiant glory the lapidary can see in the rough, unpolished gem! the lord loves to go into the unlikely place, and lead forth his saints. "in the wilderness shall waters break out!" we must prayerfully cultivate this sacred confidence in the possibilities of the unlikely. we can never be successful helpers of the lord unless we can see the diamond in the soot, and the radiant saint in the disregarded publican. it is a most gracious art to cultivate, this of discerning a man's possible excellencies even in the blackness of his present shame. to see the future best in the present worst, that is the true perception of a child of light. "o give us eyes to see like thee!" well, this is the medium of vision:--"blessed are the pure in heart, for _they shall see_ god," and the god-like, even in the wilderness of sin. "anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou may'st see!" july the fifteenth _the daily cross_ luke ix. - . our lord never bribes his disciples by promising them ways of sunny ease. he does not buy them with illicit gold. he does not put the glittering crown upon the entrance-gate, and hide the cross behind the wall. no: on the very first stage of the sacred pilgrimage there falls "the shadow of the cross." "_let him take up his cross daily, and follow me._" and yet, the lord's blessing is hidden in the apparent curse. in the act of bearing the cross we increase our strength. that is the heartening paradox of grace. virtuous energies pass from our very burdens into our spirits, and thus "out of the eater comes forth meat." we bravely shoulder our load, and lo! a mystic breath visits the heart, and a strange facility attends our goings! the dead cross becomes a tree of life, and a secret vitality renews our souls. how foolish, then, o heart of mine, to avoid and evade thy cross! refuse the burden, and thou declinest the strength! ignore the duty, and thou shalt feel no inspiration! carefully husband thy blood, and thou shalt remain for ever anæmic! but lose thy life, and thou shalt find it! july the sixteenth _the vine and the branch_ john xv. - . i need the lord. what can a branch do apart from the vine? it may retain a certain, momentary greenness, but death is advancing apace. and there are multitudes of professing christians who are like detached branches; their spiritual life is ebbing away: they do not startle the beholder and cause him to exclaim, "how full of life!" they do not _strike_ at all! they have no splendid "_force_ of character," and they therefore exercise no arresting witness for the king. they are not "abiding" in the eternal, and therefore there is no powerful pulse from the infinite. "apart from me ye can do nothing!" and my lord needs me. for the vine has need of the branch! the vine expresses itself in the branch, and comes to manifestation in leaf, and flower, and fruit. and my lord would manifest himself in me, and cause my branch to be heavy with the glorious fruits of his grace. and if i deprive him of the branch, and deny him this means of expression, i am "limiting the holy one of israel." "my son, give me thine heart!" lord, help me to abide in thee! save me from the follies of a fatal independence! good lord, "abide in me." july the seventeenth _the dying of self_ john xii. - . "except a corn of wheat ... die!" yes, it is through death we pass to life. discipleship in which there is no death can never be truly alive. the nipping winter is essential to the green and flowery spring. no tomb, no resurrection glory! in every life there must be a grave, and self must be buried within it. we must die to self _in our prayers_. in many prayers self is obtrusive and aggressive from end to end. it is self, self, self! that self must be crucified. we must make more room for others in our supplications. on our knees the egotist must die, and the altruist be born. and "if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit"! there are multitudes of professing christians who would experience a wonderful resurrection if they were more "given to hospitality" in their communion with the lord. and if self die in our prayers, nowhere else will it be seen. that which is truly slain when we are upon our knees will not reassert itself when we return to common ways of work and service. and, therefore, let the corn of wheat fall into the ground and die! july the eighteenth _the mesmerism of the world_ matthew xix. - . material possessions multiply our spiritual difficulties. it is hard for a rich man "_to enter into the kingdom of heaven_." for what is the kingdom? it is "righteousness, and peace, and joy in the holy ghost." it is easy for a rich man to appear respectable, but how hard is it to be holy! he may surround himself with comforts, but how hard to get into peace! he may move in the cold gleam of a glittering happiness, but how hard to get into the rich, warm quietness of an abiding joy! yes, our material possessions so easily range themselves as ramparts between us and our destined spiritual wealth. and if we find that any material thing so mesmerizes us that we are held in fatal bondage, we are to sacrifice it. "if thine eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee!" whatever interposes itself between us and our lord must go! it is a hard way, but it leads to a sound and boisterous health. we verily "receive an hundredfold!" we lose "a thing," and gain a grace. we lose fickle sensations and gain abounding inspiration. we lose the world, and gain the lord! july the nineteenth _the wrath of the lamb_ john ii. - . the narrative of the cleansing follows the story of the wedding-feast. in the one the lord has taken the spirit of the sanctuary into a worldly feast, and thereby illumined and glorified the feast. in the other, the spirit of the world has invaded the sanctuary, and thereby defiled and dishonoured it. the spirit of worldliness, like an unclean, insurgent flood, would enter and possess the entire realm of human life and service. and here it converted a legitimate convenience into an unhallowed business. it transformed a needful expedient into an unholy end. it fixed its tables in the very courts of the temple, and exalted the quest of money above the worship of god. "_and he made a scourge of cords._" and is this "the lamb of god"? yes, "the lamb of god" is also "the lion of judah." the mild sunshine can become focussed into scorching flame! as soon as blessings touch sin they become curses. "for this was the son of man manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." my soul, remember thou the scourge of thy lord, and do not trifle in his holy place! seek thou the clean hands and the pure heart, and the thunders of sinai shall come to thee as beatific music from the hill. july the twentieth _defiling the holy place_ mark xi. - . it was a teaching of the old rabbis that no one should make a thoroughfare of the temple, or enter it with the dust upon his feet. the teaching was full of sacred significance, however far their practice may have departed from its truth. let me not use the temple as a mere passage to something else. let me not use my religion as an expedient for more easily reaching "the chief seats" among men. let me not put on the garments of worship in order that i may readily and quickly fill my purse. let me not make the sanctuary "a short cut" to the bank! and let me not carry the dust of the world on to the sacred floor. let me "wipe my feet." let me sternly shake off some things--all frivolity, easeful indifference, the spirit of haste and self-seeking. let me not defile the courts of the lord. and let me remember that "the whole earth is full of his glory." everywhere, therefore, i am treading the sacred floor! lord, teach me this high secret! then shall i not demean the temple into a market, but i shall transform the market into a temple. "lo, god is in this place, and i knew it not!" july the twenty-first _purifying the sanctuary_ chronicles xxix. - , - . worship has vital connections with work. there are nerve-relationships between the heart and the hand. the condition of the sanctuary is reflected in the state of the empire. if there is uncleanness in "the holy place," there will be blight and degeneracy among the people. the fatal seeds of national instability and decay are not found in economics; they are found in the sanctuary. "until i went into the sanctuary ... then understood i!" hezekiah cleansed "the house of the lord." he cast forth the filthiness out of the holy place. he ushered in his golden age with the reformation of worship. he recalled exiled and white-robed piety to her appointed throne. he began the re-establishment of right by recognizing the rights of god. he gave the lord his due! all our rights are born out of our "being right" with god! we begin to be rich when we cease to rob god! "_and when the burnt offering began, the song of the lord began also._" that is ever so. our real songs begin with our sacrifices. we enter the realm of music when we enter the realm of self-surrender. a willing offering, on a clean altar, introduces the soul into "the joy of the lord." july the twenty-second _visions and tasks_ chronicles xxxiv. - . josiah "_began to seek after god_." the other day i saw a young art student copying one of turner's pictures in the national gallery. his eyes were being continually lifted from his canvas to his "master." he put nothing down which he had not first seen. he was "seeking after" turner! and thus it was with josiah. his eyes were "ever toward the lord!" he studied the "ways" of the lord, in order that he might incarnate them in national life and practice. wise doings always begin in clear seeing. we should be far more efficient in practice if we were more diligently assiduous in vision. it is never a waste of time to "look unto him." looking is a most needful part of our daily discipline. "what i say unto you, i say unto all, _watch_!" and because josiah saw the holiness of the lord he saw the uncleanness of the people. he had a vision of god's holy place, and he therefore saw the defilement of the material worship. "_in the twelfth year he began to purge judah._" yes, that is the sequence. the reformer follows the seer. we shall begin to sweep the streets of our own city when we have gazed upon the glories of the holy city, the new jerusalem. july the twenty-third _a great soul at prayer_ chronicles vi. - . let me reverently study this great prayer in order that, when i go to the house of god, i may be able to enrich its ministry by the wealth of my own supplications. solomon prayed that the eyes of the lord might be open toward the house "day and night." like the eyes of a mother upon her child! like the eyes of a lover upon his beloved! and therefore it is more than protective vision; shall we reverently say that it is _inventive_ vision, devising gracious surprises, anticipating needs, preparing love-gifts; it is sight which is both insight and foresight, ever inspecting and prospecting for the loved one's good. and solomon prayed that god's ear might be open to the cry of his people's need. "_hear thou from thy dwelling-place._" he prayed that the house of god might be the place of open communion. that is ever the secret of peace, and therefore of power. if i know that i have correspondence with the holy one, i shall walk and work as a child of light. if god hear me, then i can sing! and solomon prays for the grace of forgiveness. he prays for the sense of sweet emancipation which is the gift of grace. it is the miracle of renewal, and it ought to happen every time we open the doors of the sanctuary. july the twenty-fourth _love of the sanctuary_ psalm lxxxiv. gracious is the strength of this man's desire for the holy place. he covets the privilege of the very sparrow which builds its nest beneath the sacred eaves! when he is away from the temple its worship and music haunt his mind and soul. it wooes him in the market-place. its insistent call is with him by the fireside. yes, "in his heart are the highways to zion!" and the permanency of this devotional mood transfigures every place. it turns "_the valley of weeping_" into "_a place of springs_." the colour of any place is largely determined by our moods. it is surprising what treasures we find when our soul is full of light. what discoveries old scrooge made when the christmas mood possessed his own heart! when we carry about the spirit of the sanctuary, we convert every spot into rich and hallowed ground. "_i had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my god than to dwell in the tents of wickedness._" better to have the temple-spirit, even as a menial, than the unhallowed heart in the glittering high places of sin. "god's worst is better than the devil's best." july the twenty-fifth _no temple therein_ "_and i saw no temple therein!_" --revelation xxi. - . and that because it was all temple! "every place was hallowed ground." there was no merely localized presence, because the presence was universal. god was realized everywhere, and therefore the little meeting-tent had vanished, and in place of the measurable tabernacle there were the immeasurable and god-filled heavens. even here on earth i can measure my spiritual growth by the corresponding enlargement of my temple. what is the size of my sanctuary? am i moving toward the time when nothing shall be particularly hallowed because all will be sanctified? are the six days of the week becoming increasingly like the seventh, until people can see no difference between my monday manners and my sunday mood? and how about places? do i still speak of "religion being religion," and "business being business," or is something of the sanctuary getting into my shop, and is the exchange becoming a side-chapel of the temple? "_and the lamb is the light thereof._" when we have done with the local temple we can dispose of its candles. when we pass out of the twilight into the morning "the stars retire." the fore-gleams will change into the wondrous glory of the ineffable day. july the twenty-sixth _the wells of salvation_ john iii. - . the springs of our redemption are found in infinite love. "god is love!" redemption was not inspired by anger, but by grace. we do not contemplate an angry god, demanding a victim, but a compassionate father making a sacrifice. at one extreme of our golden text is eternal "love," and at the other extreme is "eternal life." what if the two are one? etymologically, "love" and "life" are akin. what if they are only two names for the same thing? to "believe" in the love is to receive the life. for when i believe in a person's love i open my doors to the lover. and to believe in the love of god is to let the heavenly lover in. and with love comes a wonderful tropical air--light, and warmth, and air; and "all things become new!" it is the letting in of the spring, and things which have been in wintry bondage awake, and arise from their graves. and so i "_enter into the kingdom of god_." i become a native of a new and marvellous country. i begin to be acclimatized in the realm of the blest. and i "_see_ the kingdom of god." spiritual perceptions become mine, and i gaze upon the mystic glories of the home of god. july the twenty-seventh _the work of faith_ john v. - . and so by belief _i find life_. i do not obtain the vitalizing air through controversy, or clamour, or idle lamentation, but by opening the window! faith opens the door and window of the soul to the son of god. it can be done without tears, it can be done without sensationalism. "if any man will open the door, i will come in." "and he that hath the son hath the life." and by belief _i gain my victories_. "who is he that overcometh ... but he that believeth?" it is not by flashing armour that we beat the devil, but by an invincible life. on these battlefields a mystic breath does more destruction than all our fine and costly expedients. to believe is to obtain the winning spirit, and every battle brings its trophies to our feet. and by belief _i gain assurance_. "he that believeth ... hath the witness in him." so many christians fight in doubt and indecision, and their uncertainty impairs their strength and skill. it is the man who can quietly say "i know" who is terrible in battle and who drives his foes in confusion from the field. july the twenty-eighth _all things new!_ corinthians v. - . here is a new constraint! "the love of christ constraineth me." the love of christ _carries me along like a crowd_. i am taken up in its mighty movement and swept along the appointed road! or it _arrests me_, and makes me its willing prisoner. it lays a strong hand upon me, and i have no option but to go. a gracious "necessity is laid upon me." _i must!_ and here is a new world. "_old things are passed away._" the man who is the prisoner of the lord's love will find himself in new and wonderful scenery. everything will wear a new face--god, man, self, the garden, the sky, the sea! we shall look at all things through love-eyes, and it is amazing in what new light a great love will set familiar things! commonplaces become beautiful when looked at through the lens of christian love. when we "walk in love" our eyes are anointed with "the eye-salve" of grace. and here is a new service. "we are ambassadors ... for christ." when we see our lord through love-eyes, and then our brother, we shall yearn to serve our brother in christ. we shall intensely long to tell the love-story of the lord our saviour. what we have seen, with confidence we tell. july the twenty-ninth _names and natures_ romans viii. - . men will recognize my christianity by the sign of the spirit of christ. and they will accept no other witness. i saw a plant-pot the other day, full of soil, bearing no flower, but flaunting a stick on which was printed the word "mignonette." "thou hast a name to live and art dead." the world will take no notice of our labels and our badges: it is only arrested by the flower and the perfume. "if any man hath not the spirit of christ he is none of his." and in the spirit of christ i shall best deal with "_the things of the flesh_." there are some things which are best overcome by neglecting them. to give them attention is to give them nourishment. withdraw the attention, and they sicken and die. and so i must seek the fellowship of the spirit. that friendship will destroy the other. "ye cannot serve god and mammon." if i am in communion with the holy one the other will pine away, and cease to trouble me. lord, make my spirit a kinsman of thine! let the intimacy be ever deeper and dearer. "draw me nearer, blessed lord," until in nearness to thee i find my peace, my joy, and my crown. july the thirtieth _sin as poison_ numbers xxi. - . and this is the familiar teaching, that sin is a serpent. it possesses a deadly poison. we may give it pleasant names, but we are only ornamenting death. a chemist might put a poison into a chaste and elegant flask, but he has in no wise changed its nature. and when we name sin by philosophic euphemisms, and by less exacting terminologies--such as "cleverness," "smartness," or "fault," or "misfortune," we are only changing the flask, and the diabolical essence remains the same. and, then, sin is a serpent because it is so subtle. it creeps into my presence almost before i know it. its approaches are so insidious, its expedients so full of guile. "therefore, i say unto all, watch!" but in christ the old serpent is dead! christ "became sin," and in him sin was crucified. the thing that bit is bitten, and its nefarious power destroyed. but out of christ the serpent is still busy and malicious, claiming what he presumes to call his own. let me, then, dwell in christ, where sin "has no more dominion." "whosoever believeth shall not perish but have life." july the thirty-first _the clean flame of love_ john iv. - . this aged apostle cannot get away from the counsels of love. all his mental movements circle about this "greatest thing in the world." once he would "call down fire upon men"; now the only fire he knows is the pure and genial flame of love. beautiful is it when our fires become cleaner as we get older, when temper changes to compassion, when malice becomes goodwill, when an ill-controlled conflagration becomes a homely fireside. and all the love we acquire we must get from the altars of god. "we love because he first loved us." we can find it nowhere else. "love is of god." why, then, not seek it in the right place? why seek for palms in arctic regions, or for icebergs in the tropics? god is the country of love, and in his deep mines there are riches "unsearchable." and the gracious law of life is this, that every acquisition of love increases our powers of discernment. "he that loveth knoweth...!" it is as though every jewel we find gives us an extra lens for the discovery of finer jewels still. and thus the love-life is a continual surprise, and the surprise will be eternal, for the object of the wonder is the infinite love of god. august the first _god as our ally!_ romans viii. - . "if god is for us!" but we must make sure of that. is god on the field, taking sides with us? have we been so busy with our preparations, so concerned with many things, and everybody, that we have forgotten our greatest possible ally? is he on the field, and on which side! my soul, go on thy knees, and settle this in secret. that purpose of thine! that choice of thine! that work of thine! is it hallowed with thy lord's approval and seal? and "if god is for us, who can be against us?" nothing else counts. it is ever a foolish and futile thing to count the heads in the opposing ranks. "god is always on the side of the big battalions!" it is a black lie of the devil! we need not fear the big battalions if only we are securely in the right. we are not to count heads, but to weigh and estimate causes. which of the causes provides a tent for the lord of hosts? where has the truth its waving flag? stand near that flag, my soul, and thou wilt be near thy lord! and nothing shall separate thee from his love, and leave thee weak and isolated on the field. thou shalt be "more than conqueror" in him who loves thee, and will love thee for evermore. august the second _by jacob's well_ john iv. - . a weary woman and a weary lord! but the lord was only weary in body; the woman was dry and exhausted in soul. her heart was like some charred chamber after a destructive fire. all its furniture was injured, and some of it was almost burnt away. for sin had been blazing in the secret place, and had scorched the delicacies of the spirit, and the inward satisfaction was gone. and now she was very weary, and her daily walk had become a most tiresome march. and the lord, with sympathetic insight, discerned the inward dryness. there was no sound of holy contentment, no melody of joyful, spiritual desire. there was only the cold, clammy silence of death. "he knew what was in man." and there was no "river of water of life" making glad the streets of this woman's soul. and so he would bring to her the waters of spiritual satisfaction, the holy well of eternal life. "in the wilderness shall waters break out, and springs in the desert." the lord is about to work a miracle of grace, changing dull pang into healing peace, and suffocated desire into soaring fellowship with god. he is about to transform an outlawed woman into one of the "elect saints." how will he do it? let us watch him. august the third _changing asking into thirsting_ "_go, call thy husband!_" --john iv. - . i never supposed that the transformation would begin here. i thought that there were some words which would remain unspoken. but here our master speaks a word which only deepens the weariness of the woman, and irritates the sore of her galling yoke. what is he doing? he is seeking to change the sense of wretchedness into the sense of sin! he is seeking to change weariness into desire! _he wants to make the woman thirst!_ and so he puts his finger upon her sin. he cannot give the heavenly water to lips that merely ask for it. "sir, give me this water!" no, it cannot be had for the asking, only for the thirsting! and so the gracious lord turns the woman's eyes upon her own sinful life, in order that in the heat of a fierce shame she might cry out, "i thirst for god, for the living god!" and sure i am that, before the lord had done with her, this quiet, lone cry leapt from her lips, and in immediate response to the cry she was given a deep draught from the eternal well. and, good lord, arouse my sense of my sin that i, too, may thirst for thy water! now, make me thirst for it, and in the thirst receive it! august the fourth _hidden manna_ "_i have meat to eat that ye know not of._" --john iv. - . and what sort of meat is this? the lord found secret refreshment in feeding other people. in vitalizing the woman of samaria he restored his own soul. the disciples were amazed when they returned to find that the weariness had gone out of his face, and that he looked like one who had been at a feast! and that is the law of life. "_my meat is to do the will._" there is a secret nutriment in the bread we give away. the lord gives us to eat of the "hidden manna" whenever we are seeking the refreshment of our fellows. distributed bread has a sacramental efficacy for our own souls. the man who feeds the hungry shall himself be "satisfied as with marrow." and these ways of service are open on every side. there are millions of weary people waiting, like the woman at the well. "_lift up your eyes, and look on the fields: for they are white already to harvest!_" be it mine to be a minister in the mighty service, and in the ways of obedience let me find delights and delicacies for my own soul. "bread of heaven, feed me till i want no more!" august the fifth _brooks by the way_ isaiah xii. the wells of the lord are to be found where most i need them. the lord of the way knows the pilgrim life, and the wells have been unsealed just where the soul is prone to become dry and faint. at the foot of the hill difficulty was found a spring! yes, these health-springs are lifting their crystal flood in the cheerless wastes of evil antagonisms and exhausting grief. sometimes i am foolish, and in my need i assume that the well is far away. i knew a farmer who for a generation had carried every pail of water from a distant well to meet the needs of his homestead. and one day he sunk a shaft by his own house door, and to his great joy he found that the water was waiting at his own gate! my soul, thy well is near, even here! go not in search of him! thy pilgrimage is ended, the waters are at thy feet! but i must "_draw_ the water out of the wells of salvation." the hand of faith must lift the gracious gift to the parched lips, and so refresh the panting soul. "i will _take_ the cup of salvation." stretch out thy "lame hand of faith," and take the holy, hallowing energy offered by the lord. august the sixth _waters of contentment_ isaiah lv. - . the refreshing waters are offered to "everyone" that is thirsty. the evangel is like some clear bugle peal, sounded on some commanding upland, and which is heard alike in palace and cottage, in school and at the mill, by the child of plenty and by the child of want. "ho, everyone!" the appeal is to the common heart, whether the setting be squalor or splendour, whether the soul faints in the glare of the prosperous noon, or under the chill of the burdensome night. "ho, everyone that thirsteth!" and the waters may be ours "without money and without price." we have not to earn them by the sweat of body, mind, or soul. we have not to make a toilsome pilgrimage, on bleeding feet, to some distant lourdes, where the sacred healer abides. no, we are asked to pay nothing, and for the simple reason that we "have nothing wherewith to pay." the reviving grace is given to us "freely," and all that we have to present is our thirst. and yet we spend and spend, we labour and labour, but we buy no bread of contentment, and the waters of satisfaction are far away. the satisfying bread cannot be bought; it can only be begged. the water of life cannot be taken from a cistern; it must be drunk at the spring. august the seventh _rivers from the snow_ revelation xxii. - , - . the water of life flows out of the throne. grace has its rise in sovereign holiness. this river is born amid the virgin snow. all true love springs out of spotless purity. "love" from any other source is illegitimately wearing a stolen name. "holy, holy, holy is the lord!" that is the first note in the song of redemption. in that burning whiteness i discern the possibility of my own sanctification. for the grace which flows out of sovereign holiness is a minister of the holy lord to make me holy. if it were not perfectly pure it would itself be an agent of defilement. but it is "clear as crystal," and therefore it purifies and fertilizes wherever it flows. rare trees grow upon its banks, and grace-fruits make every season beautiful. "everything shall live whither the river cometh." but without the river my soul shall be "as an unwatered garden." my life shall be a realm of perpetual drought. things may begin to grow, but they shall speedily droop and die. the heavenly husbandman shall find no fruit when he walks amid the garden in the cool of the day. and therefore, my soul, look to the river which flows from the throne! "there is a river, the streams whereof make glad the city of god," and that river is for thee! august the eighth _the scarlet sin_ isaiah i. - . how can we deal with glaring sin, with sin that is "scarlet," that is "red like crimson"? and when the red stain has soaked into the very texture of the character, and every fibre is stupefied, what can we do then? let me listen. "_wash you._" but ordinary washings will not suffice. the ministry of education will fail. art, and literature, and music will leave the internal stain undisturbed. they may impart a polish, but the polish shall be like the gloss on badly-washed linen. and the ministry of work will fail. work never yet made a foul soul clean. there is "a fountain opened for all uncleanness." i must wash "in the blood of the lamb." that red sacrifice can wash out the deep red stain. "_cease to do evil._" yes, i must turn my back on the roads of defilement. there must be a sharp decision, and an immediate reversal of my ways. "halt!" "right about turn!" "quick march!" "_learn to do well!_" yes, let me diligently learn, like a child at school, until the deliberative becomes the instructive, and "practice makes perfect." august the ninth _god's requirements_ "_what doth the lord require of thee?_" --micah vi. - . "to do justly." then i must not be so eager about my rights as to forget my duties. for my duties are just the observance of my neighbour's rights. and to see my neighbour's rights i must cultivate his "point of view." i must look out of his windows! "look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others." "_and to love mercy._" and mercy is justice _plus_! and it is the "plus" which makes the christian. his cup "runneth over." he gives, like his lord, "good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over." there is always "a little extra" for christ's sake! and "blessed are the merciful." "_and to walk humbly with thy god._" and there i am at the root of the two graces which have been enjoined upon me. the lowly friend of the lord will most surely be both just and merciful. he cannot help it. the fragrance will cling to him as the fragrance of the orange clings to him who labours in the fruitful groves of spain. august the tenth _good fruit_ luke vi. - . my lord seeks "good fruit." it must be sound. no disease must lurk within it. my virtues are so often touched with defilement. there is a little untruth even in my truth. there is a little jealousy even in my praise. there is a little superciliousness even in my forbearance. there is a little pride even in my piety. it is not "whole," not holy. god demands sound fruit. and "good fruit" demands "a good tree." we must not look for truth from an untrue soul. if the bullet-mould is deformed, all the bullets will share its deformity. first get the mould right, and every bullet will share its rectitude. when the soul is "true," all our words, and deeds, and gestures will be "of the truth," and will be true indeed. "make the tree good." and that is just what our lord proclaims his willingness to do. he does not begin with effects, but with causes; not with fruit, but with trees. he does not begin with our speech, but with the speaker; not with conduct, but with character. and, blessed be his name, he can transform "corrupt trees" into "good trees," until it shall be said: "he that hath turned the world upside down has come hither also." august the eleventh _the consecration of the will_ john v. - . my lord demands my will in the ministry of healing. "_art thou willing_ to be made whole?" he will not carry me as a log. when my schoolmaster put a belt around me, and held me over the water with a rope, and taught me to swim, i had to use my arms. the condition of help was endeavour. and so in my salvation. i have always will-power sufficient to pray and to try. in the effort of faith i open the door to the energies of god. grace flows in the channels of the determined will. "o, god, my heart is set!" and my lord demands my will in the living of the consecrated life. "sin no more!" i must "will" to be whole, and i must will to remain holy. and here is the gracious law of the kingdom, that every time i exercise my will i add to its power. every difficulty overcome adds its strength to my resources. every enemy conquered marches henceforth in my own ranks. i go "from strength to strength." "god worketh in me to will!" the gracious lord ever strengthens the will that is willing. he transforms the frail reed into an iron pillar, and makes trembling timidity bold as a lion. "mighty spirit, dwell with me, i myself would mighty be." august the twelfth _my life and hope_ john v. - . here is my reservoir. "_the son hath life in himself._" all vitality has its source in him. he is the enemy of death and the deadly. i can paint the dead to look like life; i can use rouge for blood, and make the white lips red, but it all remains clammy and cold. i can galvanize, but i cannot vitalize. i can "break the ball of nard," and make perfume, "but still the sleeper sleeps." "in him is life." "in christ shall all be made alive!" and here is my hope. "_the son also quickeneth._" he is not only a reservoir, he is a river. he is "the river of water of life." and his blessed purpose is to flow into desolate places, converting deserts into gardens, and making wildernesses to blossom as the rose. and he will come my way if only i will "hear" and "believe." there is a flippant hearing which, while it listens, laughs him to scorn. there is a cheap hearing which will venture nothing on his counsel. and there is the hearing of faith, which simply "takes him at his word," and in the glorious venture experiences the unsealing of the fountain of eternal life. "whosoever will, let him take of the water of life freely." august the thirteenth _the inner rooms_ john v. - . what should i think of a man who was contented to remain in the outer halls and passages of windsor castle, when he was invited into the royal precincts to have gracious communion with the king? and what shall i think of men who are contented to "search the scriptures" and "will not come" to the lord? they spend their life exploring the lobbies, when the host and the feast are waiting in the upper room! and some men spend their days in criticism and they never advance to worship. they are like unto one who should give his strength to the deciphering of some time-worn inscription on the outer wall of some grand cathedral, and who never treads the sacred floor in fruitful and enriching awe. and some men live in the senses, and not in the conscience, in the awful presence of the great white throne. they are for ever seeking sensations, and avoid the fellowship of duty. they ride about in the channel, and they never come to the harbour. they have no settled moral home. my lord, help me to regard all good things as merely passages leading to thee! let all good things bring me into intimate fellowship with thee. august the fourteenth _the paralysis of the soul_ luke v. - . the miracle done in the body is purposed to be a symbol of a grander miracle to be wrought in the soul. "_that ye may know that the son of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, then saith he...!_" he heals the paralyzed body that we may know what he can do with a paralyzed soul. he liberates the man who is bound by palsy that we may know what he can do for a man who is bound by guilt. we are to reason from the less to the greater, from the material type to the spiritual reality. and so it is with all my lord's doings in nature. they are a glorious symbolism of what he will do in the spirit. "that ye may know how beautiful the son of man can make the heart of man, then saith he to the seeds of the spring-time, come forth!" and so nature becomes a literature, in which we see our possible inheritance in the spirit. but on our side it is all conditioned by faith. "there he could do no mighty works because of their unbelief." even in the miracles of the spirit our faith must co-operate. divine grace and human faith can transfigure the race. "lord, increase our faith!" and everywhere, let palsied souls be delivered, and attain to glorious freedom! august the fifteenth _withered limbs_ mark iii. - . there are withered limbs of the spirit as well as of the body. there are faculties and powers which are wasting away, sacred endowments which have lost their vital circulation. in some lives the will is a withered limb. in others it is the conscience. in others, again, it is the affections. these splendid moral and spiritual powers are being dried up, and they hang comparatively limp and useless in the life. they have been withered by sin and sinful negligence. and the lord is the healer of withered limbs. he can deal with imprisoned affections as the warm spring deals with the river which has been locked in ice. he can minister to a stricken will, and make it as a benumbed hand when the circulation has been restored. he can give it grip and tenacity. and so with all our powers. he, who is the life, can vitalize all! but here again the remnant of our withered endowment must be used in the healing. we must surrender to the healer. we must obey. if the lord says: "stretch forth thy hand," we must attempt the impossible! in this region the impossible becomes possible in sanctified endeavour. august the sixteenth _the church as an infirmary_ luke xiii. - . what infirmities gather together in the synagogue! what moral and spiritual ailments are congregated in every place of worship! if the veil of the flesh could be removed, and the inward life revealed, how we should pity one another, and how we should pray! in how many lives should we behold a spirit "bound together," who "could in no wise lift herself up!" wills like crushed reeds, consciences like broken vocal chords, hopes like birds with injured wings, and hearts like ruined homes! but the blessed lord still goes into the synagogue; nay, he anticipates our coming. and he is present "to heal the broken in heart," and to "bind up his wounds." his touch "has still its ancient power." still does the gracious master speak with authority. "woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity!" and immediately she is "made straight." then why do so many spiritual cripples leave the synagogue cripples still? because they do not give the healer a chance. no one can remain crooked and broken in conscience and will who grips the hand of the lord of life. august the seventeenth _the psalm of praise_ psalm cvii. - . the miracle of deliverance must be followed by the psalm of praise. there are multitudes who cry, "god be merciful!" who never cry, "god be praised!" "there were none that returned to give thanks save this samaritan." ten cleansed, and only one grateful! "oh, that men would praise the lord for his goodness!" many a blessing becomes stale because it is not renewed by thanksgiving. graces that are received ungratefully droop like flowers deprived of rain. yes, gratitude gives sustenance to blessings already received. therefore "in everything give thanks." but emancipated lives are not only to break into praise before god, they must exercise in confession before men. "let the redeemed of the lord say so!" unconfessed blessings become like the dead sea; refused an outlet they lose their freshness and vitality. i am found by the lord in order that i, too, may be a seeker. i receive his peace in order that i may be a peacemaker. i am comforted in order that i "may comfort others with the comfort wherewith i am comforted of god." have you ever received a blessing; "pass it on!" tell the story of thy deliverance to the enslaved, that he, too, may find "the iron gate" swing open, and so attain his freedom. august the eighteenth _the church of the firstborn_ "_pray for the peace of jerusalem._" --psalm cxxii. and my jerusalem is "the church of the living god." do i carry her on my heart? do i praise god for her heritage, and for her endowment of spiritual glory? and do i remember her perils, especially those parts of her walls where the defences are very thin, and can be easily broken through? yes, has my church any place in my prayer, or am i robbing her of part of her intended possessions? and is the _entire_ jerusalem the subject of my supplication? or do i only think of a corner of it, just that part where my own little synagogue is placed? i am a congregationalist; do i remember the anglican? i am an anglican; do i remember the quaker? am i thus concerned only with a small section of jerusalem, or does my intercession sweep the entire city? "_they shall prosper that love thee._" i cannot be healthy if i am bereft of fellowship. if i ignore the house of prayer i impoverish my home. the peaceful glow of the fireside is not unrelated to the coals upon the common altar. the sacrament is connected with my ordinary meal. to love the church of christ is to become enriched with "the fulness of christ." august the nineteenth _in green pastures_ psalm xxiii. this little psalm has been called the nightingale of the psalms. it sings "in the shade when all things rest." it makes music in the darkness; it gives me "songs in the night." and what does it sing about? it sings of god's bounty in food and rest. "_green pastures_"; "_still waters_." my lord knows when my heart is faint, when it needs his reviving food. he knows when my heart is tired and needs his sweet rest. "_he restoreth my soul._" and it sings of the god-appointed way across the hill. "_he leadeth me in paths of righteousness._" he makes the right way clear. he walks the path of duty with me. "_yea, though i walk through the valley of the shadow i will fear no evil, for thou art with me._" and it sings of the feast which the lord serves in the very midst of my foes. "_he spreadeth a table before me in the midst of mine enemies._" he gives me the fat things of grace in the very presence of frowning circumstances. and it sings of the providence _which guards the rear_. "goodness and mercy shall follow me!" god's grace comes between me and my yesterdays. it cuts off the heredity from the old adam, and no far-off plague comes nigh my dwelling. august the twentieth _feeding the flock_ isaiah xl. - . here is the gracious promise of provision. "_he shall feed his flock like a shepherd._" he knows the fields where my soul will be best nourished in holiness. i am sometimes amazed at his choice. he takes me into an apparent wilderness, but i find rich herbage on the unpromising plain. and so i would rest in his choice even when it seems adverse to my good. and here is the gracious promise of gentle discrimination. "_he shall gather the lambs in his arm, and carry them in his bosom._" says old trapp, "he hath a great care of his little ones, like as he had of the weaker tribes. in their march through the wilderness he put a strong tribe to two weak tribes, lest they should faint or fail." yes, "he knoweth our frame." he will not lay upon us more than we can bear. at the back of every commandment there is a promise of adequate resource. his askings are also his enablings. the big duty means that we shall have a big lift. and when we are tired he will lead on gently. such is the grace and tenderness of the lord. august the twenty-first _satisfaction_ "_my people shall be satisfied with my goodness._" --jeremiah xxxi. - . and how unlike is all this to the feasts of the world! there is a great show, but no satisfaction. there is much decorative china, but no nutritious food or drink. "every one that drinketh of this water shall thirst again." we rise from the table, and our deepest cravings are unappeased. "why art thou cast down, o my soul?" we know. we have had a condiment, but no meat; a showy menu-card, but no reviving feast. nothing but the goodness of the lord can satisfy the soul. whatever else may be on the table of life, if this be absent we shall go away unfed. we may have money, and pleasure, and success, and fame, but they are all delusive husks if the grace of the lord be absent. this is the real furnishing of the feast. there are vast multitudes of things i can do without if only i have the holy bread of life in the gracious presence of my lord. in this sphere it is the guest who makes the table! "thou, o christ, art all i want!" "having him we have all things." a glorious satisfaction possesses the soul, and though we may not increase our worldly possessions, we do something better, we "grow in grace and in the knowledge of our lord and saviour jesus christ." august the twenty-second _the sick and the lost_ ezekiel xxxiv. - . surely everybody is included in this redemptive purpose of the lord! he is looking for everybody, for everybody finds a place in his holy quest. he is seeking the "_lost_" sheep. the one that has wandered far away, and now no longer hears the sound of the shepherd's voice! the one that is carelessly nibbling the herbage on the very edge of perdition! he is looking for this one. is he therefore looking for thee and me? he is seeking "_that which was driven away_." some hireling, some enemy of the shepherd, drove it far away from the fold. "a thief and a robber," for his own purposes, hath done this. and the lord's sheep are driven away by "principalities and powers," and by the violence of wicked men. some impure and unworthy professor of religion can drive a whole household from the fellowship of the church. and the good shepherd is seeking these. is he therefore looking for thee or me? and he is seeking "_that which was sick_." and some of the lord's sheep are sickly. the chill of disappointment, or failure, or bereavement has blown upon them, and they are "down." or they have been feeding on illicit pleasure. and the lord is seeking such. is he therefore seeking thee or me? august the twenty-third _not lost in the flock_ "_i know my sheep, and am known of mine._" --john x. - . there is mutual recognition, and in that recognition there is confidence and peace. "_i know my sheep._" he knows us one by one. my knowledge of the individual wanes in proportion as the multitude is increased. the teacher with the smaller class has the deepest intimacy with her scholars. the individual is lost in the crowd. but not so with our lord. there are no "masses" in his sight. however big the crowd, even though it be "a multitude which no man can number," we still remain individuals, known to the lord by name, and face, and personal need. if thou art away from the fold, thy face is missed, and the shepherd is away in search of thee! "_and i am known of mine._" and the knowledge deepens with every day's experience. there are false shepherds who can subtly mimic the good shepherd, and in my early discipleship i am liable to be deceived. the devil himself can array himself like a shepherd, and imitate the very tones of the lord. therefore must i watch, and ever watch. but here is my hope and inspiration. every day i spend with my good shepherd sharpens my discernments, enables me to see through the outer show of things, and to discriminate between the false and the true. august the twenty-fourth _the lord's body_ "_i have finished the work which thou gavest me to do._" --john xvii. - . this quiet confession is in itself a token of our lord's divinity. the serenity in which he makes his claims is as stupendous as the claims themselves. "finished," perfected in the utmost refinement, to the last, remotest detail! nothing scamped, nothing overlooked, nothing forgotten! everything which concerns thy redemption and my redemption has been accomplished. "it is finished!" "_and now ... i come to thee._" the visible presence is withdrawn. there is no longer in our midst a jesus whose body we can bruise and crucify. "_but these are in the world._" yes, and his disciples are now his body. he becomes reincarnated in them. if they refuse him a body, he has none! he looks through their eyes, listens through their ears, speaks through their lips, ministers through their hands, goes on sacred pilgrimages with their feet! "know ye not that ye are the body?" does my discipleship offer my lord a limb? can he communicate with the world through me? does my discipleship multiply his powers of expression? has he more eyes, more ears, more hands because i am a member of his church? or----? august the twenty-fifth _impotent enemies_ "_who shall separate us from the love of christ?_" --romans viii. - . who can get between the love of christ and me? what sharp dividing minister can cleave the two in twain, and leave me like a dismembered and dying branch? terrible experiences cannot do it. "_tribulation, distress, persecution, famine, nakedness, peril, or sword!_" all these may come about my house, but they cannot reach the inner sanctuary where my lord and i are closeted in loving communion and peace. they may bruise my skin, nay, they may give my body to be burned, but no flame can destroy the love of jesus which enswathes my soul with invisible defence. and terrible ministers cannot do it. "_angels, nor principalities, nor powers._" these mysterious agents of darkness, for they must be the legions of the evil one, are unable to quench the light and fire of my saviour's love. the devil can never blow out the lamp of grace. and terrible death itself cannot do it. death does not separate me from jesus; death is the lord's minister to lead me into deeper privilege and ripe experiences of grace and love. therefore, "i will lay me down in peace, and take my rest." august the twenty-sixth _missing the lord_ "_thou knowest not the time of thy visitation._" --luke xix. - . yes, that has been my sad experience. i have wasted some of my wealthiest seasons. i have treated the hour as common and worthless, and the priceless opportunity has passed. there have been times when my lord has come to me, and i have turned him away from my door. he so often journeys "incognito," and if i am thoughtless i dismiss him, and so lose the privilege of heavenly communion and benediction. he knocks at my door as a carpenter, and the humble attire deceives me, and i treat him with scant courtesy, and sometimes with contempt. i know not the time of my visitation. he comes to me in the guise of needy people--as sick, or hungry, or a stranger, and i cannot be troubled with his presence. i dismissed him as a pauper, little knowing that i was turning away a millionaire! i knew not the time of my visitation! "i was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat," and so we missed the bread of life. and so there is nothing for it, but to be always "on the watch." i must treat everybody as though everybody was the christ. and i must treat every commonplace moment as though it were the home of the eternal. august the twenty-seventh _what about to-morrow?_ joshua xxiv. - . it is not mine to worry about the coming day, but to fill the immediate moment with radiant duty. my lord is the pioneer, the great maker of roads, and he will see to the appointments and provisions of the way. he has his scouts, his advance guard, his miners and sappers opening the highway across the waste! "i will send mine angel before thee!" "i will send hornets before you!" yes, the lord will look after the road. what, then, am i called to do? let me find the answer in the th verse. "_fear the lord!_" the lord must be the sovereign thought in my life. all true and well-proportioned living must begin in well-proportioned thought. god must be my biggest thought, and from that thought all others must take their colour and their range. "_put away the gods._" my supreme homage must not be shared among many, it must be given to one. when the lord is enthroned as king all usurpers must be banished. when he comes to his own the others go into exile. "_serve ye the lord._" my strength must be enlisted with my loyalty. i must not merely shout; i must work. i must not merely clap my hands when the king goes by, i must consecrate those hands in sacrificial service. august the twenty-eighth _wisdom and understanding_ "_the fear of the lord, that is wisdom._" --job xxviii. - . mere learning will not make me wise. the path to wisdom is not necessarily through the schools. the brilliant scholar may be an arrant fool. true wisdom is found, not in mental acquisitions, but in a certain spiritual relation. the wise man is known by the pose of his soul. he is "_inclined toward the lord_!" he has returned unto his rest, and he finds light and vision in the fellowship of his lord. "_to depart from evil is understanding._" yes, i need the lens of purity if i am to see the secrets of things. a dirty lens is the explanation of much ignorance and obscurity. i do not think i can ever see a flower if my lens is defiled. much less can i see "the things of others." and still less again can i enjoy "the secret of the lord." what we want is not so much a theological training as a right spirit, not so much to go to school as to "_depart from evil_." when i leave an evil habit worlds unseen begin to show their glory. "blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see god." august the twenty-ninth _the riches of spirituality_ proverbs iv. - . let me review some of these riches which are conferred upon the man who has made his soul the guest-room of spiritual religion. "_love her, and she shall keep thee._" spirituality is to be my true defence. all other ramparts are vulnerable. they are the happy hunting-ground of the ravages of time; they fail in the crisis; they are the sure victims of moth and rust. but spirituality keeps me from childhood to age, and its shields are invincible, even in the hour of death. "there shall no evil befall thee." "_exalt her, and she shall promote thee._" she will lead me in the paths of progress. every day she will lead me to new conquests, and in constantly enriching character i shall move towards life's appointed goal. holiness is the only success worth having. other successes are like lamps whose trembling flames are blown out in the first gusty, stormy night. "but the path of the just is as a shining light that shineth more and more even unto perfect day." "_she shall give to thine head an ornament of grace._" yes, and her adornments are always beautiful. no beauty ever steals into the human face comparable with the delicate presence of spirituality. it makes plain features lovely, and transfigures them with "the glory of the lord." august the thirtieth _how to delight in the word_ psalm cxix. - . a man may measure his growth in grace by his growing delight in the speech of the lord. when his words are unwelcome in my ears, when they are an intrusion which mars my pleasures, it is clear i am still in the far country of revolt. but if his words make "music in my ears," if the lord's conversation is the very marrow of the feast, then i have entered into the circle of his intimate friends. when his words taste sweet, even with a bare board, i am "in heavenly places with christ." and how can i attain unto this spiritual delight? well, first of all i must make "_his testimonies my meditations._" our doctors tell us that the only way to taste the real savour of food is to masticate it well. bolted food never unlocks its essences. and meditation is just mental mastication. to "turn the word over" in my mind will help to disburden its treasure. and then i must diligently put the word into practice. "_i have not departed from thy judgments._" there is nothing like obedience for setting free a spiritual essence. "the secret of the lord is with them that fear him." august the thirty-first _the real gains and losses_ "_godliness with contentment is great gain._" -- timothy vi. - . and so i must go into my heart if i would make a true estimate of my gains and losses. the calculation is not to be made in my bank-books, or as i stride over my broad acres, or inspect my well-filled barns. these are the mere outsides of things, and do not enter into the real balance-sheet of my life. we can no more estimate the success of a life by methods like these than we can adjudge an oil-painting by the sense of smell. what is my stock of godliness? that is one of the test questions. what are my treasures of contentment? what about peace and joy, and hallowed and blessed carelessness? how much pure laughter rings in my life? how much bird-music is heard in the chambers of my heart? is the note of praise to be found in the streets of my soul? am i rich in these things or pathetically poor? "by these things men live," and therefore of these things will i make my balance-sheet and reckon up my gains. september the first _the virtue of proportion_ matthew vi. - . i must put first things first. the radical fault in much of my living is want of proportion. i think more of pretty window curtains than of fresh air, more of "nice" wallpaper than of the moving pageant of the skies. i magnify the immediate desire and minimize the ultimate goal. and so "things do not come right!" how can they when the apportionment is so perverse, when everything is topsy-turvy? if i want things to be firm and durable i must revere the divine order, and must put first things first. "_seek ye first the kingdom of god and his righteousness._" and, therefore, i must seek holiness before success. i am to esteem holiness with apparent failure as infinitely better than success with stain and shame. i must seek character before reputation. the applause of the world must be as nothing compared with the approbation of god. the favouring "voice from heaven" must be sweeter to my ears than the noisy cheers of the crowd. and i must seek righteousness before quietness. the way of disturbance is sometimes the way to peace. i must not be so concerned for a quiet life as for a life that is "right with god." september the second _prayer and revolution_ john iv. - . this miracle began in a prayer. the nobleman went unto jesus "_and besought him_." in such apparently fragile things can mighty revolutions be born! "prayer," said tennyson, "opens the sluice-gates between us and the infinite." it brings the frail wire into contact with the battery. it links together man and god. prayer was corroborated by belief. "_the man believed the word that jesus spake unto him._" by our faith we cut the channels along which the healing energy will flow. faith "prepares the way of the lord." our faith is purposed to be a fellow-laborer with grace, and, if faith be absent, grace "can do no mighty works." the healing begins with the faith. "_it was at the same hour in which ... he himself believed._" these "coincidences" are inevitable happenings in the realm of the spirit. when we offer the believing prayer, god's mighty energies begin to besiege the life for which the prayer is made. mr. cornaby, the methodist missionary, declares how conscious he is in far-away china when someone is interceding for him in the home-land! the power possesses him in vitalizing flood! hudson taylor's mother shuts herself in a little room to pray, and eighty miles away her son is converted. september the third _my share in the miracle_ john ii. - . our lord always demands our best. he will not work with our second-best. his gracious "extra" is given when our own resources are exhausted. we must do our best before our master will do his miracle. we must "fill the water-pots with water"! we must bring "the five loaves and two fishes"! we must "let down the net"! we must be willing "to be made whole," and we must make the effort to rise! yes, the lord will have my best. our lord transforms our best into his better. he changes water into wine. he turns the handful of seed into a harvest. our aspirations become inspirations. our willings become magnetic with the mystic power of grace. our bread becomes sacramental, and he himself is revealed to us at the feast. our ordinary converse becomes a divine fellowship, and "our hearts burn within us" as he talks to us by the way. and our lord ever keeps his best wine until the last. "greater things than these shall ye do!" "i will see you again," and there shall be grander transformations still! "the best is yet to be." "dreams cannot picture a world so fair." "eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which god hath prepared for them that love him." september the fourth _a portrait of a great suppliant_ matthew viii. - . here we have _the grace of sympathy_; one man troubled about the sickness of another. we are drawing very near to the lord when our soul vibrates responsively to another man's need. we can measure our likeness to the lord by the range of our sensitiveness to the world's sorrow and pain. our god is the "father of _pities_"; he is sensitive in every direction, no side is numb, and we are putting on his likeness in proportion as we attain an all-round responsiveness to the cries of human need. and here we have _the grace of humility_. "i am not worthy!" our pride always blocks "the way of the lord." our humility makes us porous to the divine. the "poor in spirit" are already in the kingdom, and the gracious powers of the kingdom are commanded to attend their bidding. and here we have _the grace of faith_. "only say the word!" the centurion conceives the lord's words as soldiers attending on the lord's will. let one be spoken, and at once the mission is executed. and so it is. "the words that i speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life." his words are vehicles of power, and when they are spoken, miracles are always wrought. "the entrance of thy word giveth light." september the fifth _faith and ridicule_ matthew ix. - . and, so one man's faith is more than a match for many people's scorn. the steady trust of the ruler was not shaken by the rude flippancy of the artificial mourners, and his daughter was brought from the dead. "this is the victory that overcometh, even our faith." everything bows, like fragile reeds, before the march of a victorious faith. scorn, and hatred, and all manner of devilry, and death itself, all lose their power in the presence of a belief which remains steady and steadfast. "said i not unto thee that, if thou wouldst believe, thou shouldst see the glory of god?" and what an infinite reservoir of power is waiting to be tapped by the hand of faith! a ruler believes and his daughter is vitalized. a poor woman, bent and broken, reaches out her thin, frail hand, and lo! she is erect and graceful as the pine! and "my sufficiency is of god!" all that i may need is in the same wonderful reservoir of grace. that healing flood is like the ocean fulness, and it will fill every bay, and cove, and creek in the wide-stretching shore of human need. "the healing of his seamless dress is by our beds of pain, we touch him in life's throng and press, and we are whole again." september the sixth _contemptuous words_ matthew xv. - . i wonder if this word "dogs" was my saviour's word, or had he picked it up from the disciples that he might cast it away again for ever? did he use it that he might reveal its ugliness, and so banish it from human speech? as jesus and his disciples came along the road the master walked before them. "and behold, a canaanitish woman came out from those borders!" and the disciples whispered to one another, "here comes one of the dogs!" and the master overheard it, and his tender spirit grieved. and there and then he resolved to help the woman and at the same time cleanse the men. is there not therefore something half-ironical in our saviour's use of the word? when he spake of the woman as a "dog," and of the disciples as "the children," would there not be something significant in his very looks and tones? these cold, unfeeling men "the children," and this tender yearning woman the "dog"! when the lord used the disciples' word they began to be ashamed, and in the fire of their shame their self-conceit was consumed. he turned with impatient longing to the woman, "o, woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt." september the seventh _experiment and experience_ hebrews xi. - . i like the marginal rendering of the introductory sentence of this great chapter. "_faith is the giving substance to things hoped for._" faith converts cloudy castles into substantial homes. faith substantiates the unseen. faith sucks the energy out of splendid ideals, and incorporates it in present and immediate life. faith unfolds the eternal in the moment, the infinite in the trifle, the divine in the commonplace. faith incorporates god and man. yes, faith gives substance to "things hoped for," it brings them out of the air, and gives them reality and movement in the hard and common ways of earth and time. and faith is also "_the test of things not seen_." by a test faith gains a conquest. by an experiment faith acquires an experience. by a great speculation faith makes a great discovery. "try me now herewith, and prove me!" it is an invitation to humble and sincere assumption. try if it works! make a hallowed experiment with the powers of grace. lord, incline me to make the gracious test! let me stake my all upon the venture! let me dare all in order that i may gain all! let me sow bountifully, and so reap a bountiful harvest. september the eighth _the bracing air of publicity_ romans x. - . there is a belief which never registers itself in confession. it never exercises itself in the strong, bracing air of publicity. it is a cloistered belief, and suffers from want of ventilation. such christians are always anæmic; indeed, they are always puny, and never get beyond the stage of spiritual babyhood. "ye are yet babes!" belief which is never oxygenated by open confession can never nourish the soul into vigorous and exhilarant health. but there is a belief which expresses and confirms itself in confession. "_with the mouth confession is made unto salvation._" such confession is a means of moral and spiritual health. and confession in the early days meant risk, venture which exposed the life to the shedding of blood. it meant a frank defiance of the world, and an eager challenge of the devil. and it is on such fields of open encounter for the lord that muscle is made, and the soul goes "from strength to strength," and "from glory to glory." my soul, art thou secretly ashamed of thy lord? art thou afraid to "lift high his royal banner"? then thou wilt always be as a feather-bed soldier, and the trophies of the honourable war are not for thee. stand out in the open, and boldly testify, "as for me and my house, we will serve the lord!" september the ninth _dealing with sin_ psalm xxxii. here is the burden of unconfessed sin. "_when i kept silence my bones waxed old._" there is nothing brings on premature age like secret sin. it keeps the mind in perpetual unrest, and a troubled mind soon makes the body old. the real nourisher of the body is a quiet and radiant soul. but let the soul be in chaos, and the body will soon be a ruin. and here, too, is the healthy act of confession. "_i acknowledged my sin unto thee, and mine iniquity have i not hid._" he retained no single germ of the whole unclean brood. he brought them out into the light one by one, as though he were emptying a noisome kennel. he brought them out, and named them, in the awful presence of the lord. and here is the ministry of forgiveness, and therefore the miracle of restored health. let me mark the rich variety of the descriptive words. "_forgiven!_" "_covered!_" "_imputed not!_" it is all removed and obliterated, and the place of defilement and profanity becomes the holy temple of the lord. september the tenth _criticism and piety_ "_thinkest thou, that judgest them that do such things, that thou shalt escape?_" --romans ii. - . that is always my peril, to assume that by being severe with others i exculpate myself. i go on to the bench, and deliver sentence upon my brother, when my proper place is in the dock. and this is the subtlety of the snare, that i regard my criticisms and condemnations of other people as signs of my own innocence. this is the last refinement in temptation, and multitudes fall before its power. the way to moral and spiritual health is to direct my criticisms upon myself. i must stand in the dock, and hear the grave indictment of my own soul. unless i pass through the second chapter of romans i can never enter the fifth and sixth, and still less the glorious forgiveness of the eighth. "there is therefore now no condemnation to them that are in christ jesus." i pass into that warm, cheery light through the cold road of acknowledged guilt and sin. "if we confess our sins he is just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." september the eleventh _a fatal divorce_ "_they feared the lord, and served their own gods._" -- kings xvii. - . and that is an old-world record, but it is quite a modern experience. the kinsmen of these ancient people are found in our own time. men still fear one god and serve another. but something is vitally wrong when men can divorce their fear from their obedience. and the beginning of the wrong is in the fear itself. "fear," as used in this passage, is a counterfeit coin, which does not ring true to the truth. it means only the payment of outward respect, a formal recognition, a passing nod which we give on the way to something better. it is a mere skin courtesy behind which there is no beating heart; a hollow convention in which there is no deep and sacred awe. but the real "fear of god" is a spiritual mood in which virtue thrives, an atmosphere in which holy living is quite inevitable. "the fear of the lord is _clean_." it is not lip-worship, but heart-homage, a reverence in which the soul is always found upon its knees. and so "the fear of the lord is to hate evil"; it is an indignant repulsion from all that is hateful to god. it is the sharing of the spirit of the lord. there cannot be any true fear where the soul does not worship "in spirit and in truth." september the twelfth _the garments of the soul_ joel ii. - . i am so apt to think that the rending of an outer garment is a token of true penitence and amendment of life. but it is the inner garments i must deal with, the raiments and habits of the soul. some of these robes--such as vanity and pride--are as gay and showy as a peacock; others are dirty and leprous, and we should not dare to bring them to the door, and display them in the light. but all need severe treatment; they must be torn, fibre from fibre, and reduced to rags. but "rending" must be accompanied by "turning." "_turn unto the lord your god._" for the lord our god is gracious, and his love will not only provide a new wardrobe, but a swift furnace in which to burn the remnants of the old. yes, his "great kindness" will burn away the filth of my alienation, and will "bring forth the best robe" and put it on me. the good lord will give me new habits. he will "cover me with the robe of righteousness, and the garment of salvation." september the thirteenth _the clean heart_ psalm li. what will the lord do with my sin, if in true humility i come into his presence? let me hear the music of the evangel. he will "_blot out my transgression_." he will so erase it that even his own holy eyes can see no stain or shame. he will blot it out, as i have seen a gloomy cloudlet blotted out, and there has been nothing left but radiant sky. and he will "_wash me throughly from mine iniquity_." yes, and that not like the washing of the hands, but like the washing of clothes, not like the washing of a surface, but the removal of uncleanness from a fabric, the ousting of every germ lurking in the innermost cells of the stuff. when the lord washes a soul it is "throughly" done, and every strand is white in holiness. so will he give me "_a clean heart_"; so will he "_renew a right spirit within me_." the very atmosphere of my life shall be as the air after deluges of cleansing rain. it shall be sweet, and clean, and clear! i shall walk in a new inspiration, and i shall "behold the land that is very far off." september the fourteenth _the sense of want_ "_this man went down to his house justified rather than the other._" --luke xviii. - . the master sets the pharisee and publican in contrast, and his judgment goes against the man who has made some progress in moral attainments, and favours the man who has no victories to show, but only a hunger for victory. the dissatisfied sinner is preferred to the self-satisfied saint. the pharisee had gained an inch, but had lost his sense of the continent. the publican had not pegged out an inch of moral claim, but he had an overwhelming sense of the untrodden universe. so this, i think, is the teaching for me. we are justified by the penitent sense of want and not by the boastful sense of possession. our sense of lack is the measure of our hope, and our measure of hope determines the poverty or fulness of our communion with the lord. the pharisee had no "beyond," no realm of admiration, no hope! aspiration was dead, and therefore inspiration had ceased. our possibilities nestle in our cravings. september the fifteenth _restoring a ruined life_ psalm ciii. - . could there be a sweeter chime than the opening music of this psalm? "_who forgiveth all thine iniquities._" he receives me back home again, interrupts the broken story of my sin, and drowns my sobbings in his rejoicings. "_who healeth all thy diseases._" he takes in hand the foul complaints which i acquired in "the far country," and with his powerful medicines, and his wonderful "bread of life," he drives the foul things from my soul. "_who redeemeth thy life from destruction._" yes, with his own blood he buys me back from a midnight servitude, strikes every chain and shackle from my limbs, and makes me dance in "the glorious liberty of the children of god." "_who crowneth thee with loving-kindness and tender mercy._" he encircles me with the invulnerable army of his own love. henceforth if the devil would get at me he must deal with god. "as the mountains are round about jerusalem, so the lord is round about his people." "_who satisfieth thy mouth with good things._" he sets before me a glorious table, and enlivens my spirits with glorious fellowship. that so i can be no other than "satisfied," and my heart is at rest in the lord. "thou, o christ, art all i want!" september the sixteenth _the steadfastness of the lord_ "_my covenant shall stand fast._" --psalm lxxxix. - . such a divine assurance ought to make me perfectly quiet in spirit. restlessness in a christian always spells disloyalty. the uncertainty is born of suspicion. there is a rift in the faith, and the disturbing breath of the devil blows through, and destroys my peace. if i am sure of my great ally, my heart will not be troubled, neither will it be afraid. and such a divine assurance ought to make me bold in will and majestic in labour. i ought to be inventive in chivalrous enterprise, and i ought to covet the hardest parts of the field. if the mighty ally will never fail, i should never be afraid of the marshalled hosts of wickedness. "one with god is in a majority." "he always wins who sides with god." "the lord is on my side, whom shall i fear?" and such a divine assurance ought to give me a kingly demeanour. the members of the court acquire a certain stateliness by their lofty fellowship. and, surely, one who walks with god should be characterized by something of the divine glory, and men should know that his acquaintances are found in the courts of heaven. september the seventeenth _the never-withering leaf_ jeremiah xvii. - . let me look at "the blessed man" in the interpreting symbol of this healthy and graceful tree. the blessed life is a life of vast resource. "_as a tree planted by the waters, and that spreadeth out her roots by the river._" it is not watered by an occasional shower, it is unceasingly bathed by the vitalizing flood. its rootlets are always drinking the nutritious waters of grace. the blessed life is planted on the banks of that wonderful river which takes its rise in the great white throne. and just because of these boundless supplies, the blessed life is undisturbed in times of grave crisis and emergency. "_he shall not see when heat cometh._" he shall be cool when the unblessed are hot and fever-stricken. he shall "keep his head" in times of general panic. his powers of endurance shall make the world wonder! he shall "hold out" when everybody else is faint. so shall there be nothing "sere and yellow" about him. "_his leaf shall be green._" his faith, and hope, and love shall remain fresh and beautiful even in "the dark and cloudy day." september the eighteenth _the all-round defence_ "_thou hast beset me behind._" --psalm cxxxix. - . and that is a defence against the enemies which would attack me in the rear. there is yesterday's sin, and the guilt which is the companion of yesterday's sin. they pursue my soul like fierce hounds, but my gracious lord will come between my pursuers and me. his mighty grace intervenes, and my security is complete. "thou hast beset me ... _before_." and that is a defence against the enemies which would impede my advance and frighten me out of the heavenly way. there is fear--fear of the morrow, fear of consequences, fear of death! and my lord will come between me and them, and their menace shall be destroyed. the fiery darts shall be quenched before they reach my soul. "_and laid thine hand upon me._" and that is a defence against the enemies which may lie in ambush in present and immediate circumstances: the sudden temptation to passion, or the temptation to panic, or the temptation which would snare me to criminal ease. but my lord's hand is all-sufficient! and so on every side my defence standeth; "the angel of the lord encampeth round about them that fear him." september the nineteenth _the needs of the body_ john vi. - . the lord who came to save his people was sensitive to his people's hunger. in the presence of the supreme need the smaller need was not forgotten. he honoured the body as well as the soul. he ministered to the transient as well as the eternal. and that is ever the characteristic of true kingliness; it has a kingly way of doing the smaller things. i can measure my own progress toward the throne by my sovereign attention to scruples. "he that is faithful in that which is least, the same also is great." the lord is not oppressed by the multitude of his guests. "he himself knew what he would do." we need not jostle one another for his bounty. we shall not crowd one another out. "there is bread enough and to spare." even in the material realm this is true, and everybody would have his daily bread if the will of the lord were done. there is no straitness in the gracious host! it is the greed of the guests which mars the satisfaction of the feast. and how careful the lord of glory was to "gather up the fragments"! our infinitely wealthy lord is not wealthy enough to "throw things away." he cannot afford to waste bread. can he afford to lose a soul? "he goeth out after that which is lost until he find it"! september the twentieth _the pathetic multitude_ mark viii. - . my lord has "_compassion upon the multitude_." and (shall i reverently say it?) his compassion was part of his passion. his pity was always costly. it culminated upon calvary, but it was bleeding all along the road! it was a fellow-feeling with all the pangs and sorrows of the race. and a pity that bleeds is a pity that heals. "in his love and in his pity he redeemed us." and the multitude is round about us still, and the people are in peril of fainting by the way. there is the multitude of misfortune, the children of disadvantage, who never seem to have come to their own. and there is the multitude of outcasts, the vast army of publicans and sinners. and there are the bewildering multitudes of africa, and india, and china, and they have "nothing to eat"! how do i regard them? do i share the compassion of the lord? do i exercise a sensitive and sanctified imagination, and enter somewhat into the pangs of their cravings? my lord calls for my help. "how many loaves have ye?" "bring out all you have! consecrate your entire resources! put your all upon the altar of sacrifice!" and in reply to the call can i humbly and trustfully say, "o, lamb of god, i come!" september the twenty-first _life as bread_ mark viii. - . it is gracious to know that my lord is "the bread of life," and that i can feed on him. it is fearful to know that i, too, am bread, and that others are feeding on me. am i the nutriment of vice or the sustenance of virtue? am i an evil leaven, like the pharisees, or a holy leaven like the lord? when little children feed on my presence do they grow in strength and beauty? or do they become relaxed and demoralized? who will feed upon me to-day, and what will be the end of it? if i would have my life to be as hallowed and hallowing leaven i must regularly feed upon the bread of life. if i am sustained by the lord, i too shall be a sustainer of all who aspire after a true and holy life. my very character will itself become heavenly bread, and men will be nourished by it even when i am unconscious of the ministry. when they have spent a brief hour in my company they will go away refreshed. "lord, evermore give us this bread!" so feed us with thyself that we may share thy nature. let "virtue" go forth from us, and let it be as holy bread to all who are heavy-laden, and ready to faint. september the twenty-second _the handful of meal_ kings xvii. - . what marvellous "coincidences" are prepared by providential grace! the poor widow is unconsciously ordained to entertain the prophet! the ravens will be guided to the brook cherith! "i have commanded them to feed thee there." our road is full of surprises. we see the frowning, precipitous hill, and we fear it, but when we arrive at its base we find a refreshing spring! the lord of the way had gone before the pilgrim. "i go to prepare ... for you." but how strange that a widow with only "a handful of meal" should be "commanded" to offer hospitality! it is once again "the impossible" which is set before us. it would have been a dull commonplace to have fed the prophet from the overflowing larder of the rich man's palace. but to work from an almost empty cupboard! that is the surprising way of the lord. he delights to hang great weights on apparently slender wires, to have great events turn on seeming trifles, and to make poverty the minister of "the indescribable riches of christ." the poor widow sacrificed her "handful of meal," and received an unfailing supply. and this, too, is the way of the lord. "whatever, lord, we lend to thee, repaid a thousand fold will be." september the twenty-third _the dedication of substance_ kings iv. - . here is a man recognizing the sacredness of his substance. he saw the seal of the lord upon his harvest, and he offered the first-fruits in token of its rightful owner. men go wrong when the only name upon their field is their own. "_my_ power, and the strength of _my_ hand hath gotten me this wealth." it matters nothing what the wealth may be--material substance, mental skill, or business sagacity. it becomes unhallowed power when we attach our own label to it, and erase the name of god. this man dedicated his substance, and the hunger of his fellows was appeased. that is a great principle in human life. one man's satisfaction is dependent on another man's fidelity. his want is to be filled with my fulness. if i am selfish he remains hungry. if i acknowledge "the rights of god," and therefore "the rights of man," he has "enough and to spare." if i hoard my treasure i rob both god and man. my gracious lord, remove the scales from my eyes. help me to be sensitive to the obligations of all wealth. let my plenty call me to the children of need. let me acknowledge my stewardship, and be thy fellow minister in the service of man. september the twenty-fourth _after the triumph!_ matthew xiv. - . after the great miracle of feeding the multitude our lord "_went up into a mountain to pray_." may we reverently wonder if it was a season of temptation? did they want to make him a king? was our human lord assailed by "the destruction that wasteth at noonday"? and did he shut himself up with the father? i am so disposed to pray _up_ to my successes, and to cease to pray _in_ them! i remember god in my struggles, i forget him in my attainments. i hold fellowship with him on the road, i part company with him when i arrive. i become a practical atheist in the midst of my successes. my only security is to go up into a mountain apart and pray. unless i become closeted with god, and see all things in their true colours and proportion, i shall be lifted up in most unholy and destructive pride. and let me notice that our lord returned from his privacy with the father to do even greater miracles still. he had appeased the pangs of hunger; now he appeases the passion of the sea. and so in my degree shall it be with me. if in all my triumphs i remain the humble companion of the lord, my triumphs shall be repeated and enriched. "greater works than these shall ye do." september the twenty-fifth _the sense of grace_ psalm cvii. - . a vital part of all devotion is the remembrance of the goodness of god. such a remembrance keeps my soul in the realm of grace. i am so inclined to proclaim my personal rights rather than glorify the favour of god, so inclined to exhibit my own prowess rather than god's most gracious bounty. and whenever i lose the sense of grace i become a usurper and take the throne. our salvation is "not of works, lest any man should boast." and such a remembrance would keep my soul in the mood of humility. "nothing in my hands i bring." i can no more claim the glory of salvation than a child, who has cut a shallow trench on the sands, can claim the glory of initiating the roll of the ocean-tide. i owe all my desires and all my hopes and all my present attainments to the boundless goodness of god. and such a remembrance would keep my soul in the dispensation of love. i cannot quietly and steadily contemplate the goodness of the lord without my soul being kindled into loving response. without high contemplations love smoulders, and will eventually die out. but god's goodness inflames the soul, and communicates its own most gracious heat. "we love because he first loved us!" september the twenty-sixth _my lord as my bread_ john vi. - . our life's bread is a person. we may have much to do with christianity and nothing to do with christ. the other day i was in a great and wonderful bakery, but i never ate nor touched a morsel of bread. i touched the machinery. i was absorbingly interested in the processes, but i ate no bread! and i may be deeply interested in the means of grace, i may be familiar with all "the ins and outs" of ecclesiastical machinery, and i may never handle nor taste "the bread of god." our religion is dead and burdensome until it becomes a personal relation, and we have vital communion with christ. "thou, o christ, art all i want." we find everything in him. everything else is preliminary, preparatory, subordinate, and to be in the long run dropped and forgotten. a ritual is only a way to "the bread," and by no means essential, and very often undesirable. the heart can find the lord with a look, with a cry, and needs no obtrusion of ritual or priest. but how pathetic! to be contented to potter about among the ritual and never to find the bread! to be in the house and never to see the host! "ye search the scriptures ... and ye will not come to me." september the twenty-seventh _take and eat_ john vi. - . there is, first of all, _appropriation_. i must "stretch out" "lame hands of faith"; and "take" before i "eat." in the lives of many christians there is too much asking and too little taking. if it were only rightly regarded, prayer is companionship as well as petition, and companionship is literally significant of the sharing of bread. in every season of communion a part must be assigned to the taking of the things for which we have prayed. "_receive ye_ the holy ghost." and there is _assimilation_. we must "eat" as well as "take." it is in the exercises of obedience that we digest and incorporate the bread of life. without our obedience the living lord never becomes "part of ourselves." we never "become one in the bundle of life" with the lord our god. and truth which is not assimilated becomes a drug. instead of being a "savour of life unto life," it becomes a "savour of death unto death." and there is _vitalization_. the assimilated bread of life makes everything alive. every faculty in my being feels the touch of divine inspiration. it is native bread for native power, and everything is renewed. september the twenty-eighth _the daily manna_ "_i will rain bread from heaven for you._" --exodus xvi. - . and this gracious provision is made for people who are complaining, and who are sighing for the flesh-pots of egypt! our lord can be patient with the impatient: he can be "kind to the unthankful." if it were easy to drive the lord away i should have succeeded long ago. i have murmured, i have sulked, i have turned him out of my thoughts, and "he stands at the door and knocks!" i yearn for "the flesh-pots," "he sends me manna," "was there ever kindest shepherd half so gentle, half so sweet?" "_and they gathered it every morning._" and that i think is the best time to gather the heavenly food. at night i am weary, my body is craving sleep, and i am not vitalized in the fields of grace. but in the morning i am refreshed, and i can go to the heavenly fields and gather "the things which god hath prepared for them that love him." i can be fed as the day begins, and i can set out to my daily work with the taste of god in my mouth, and his mighty grace in my heart, and i shall delight to "walk in the paths of his commandments." september the twenty-ninth _the fountain_ john v. - . my lord is "the fountain of life." "this life is in his son." the springs are nowhere else--not in elaborate theologies, or in ethical ideals, or in literary masterpieces, or in music or art. "in him was life." it is so easy to forget the medicinal spring amid the distractions of the fashionable spa. there are some healing waters at scarborough, but they have been almost "crowded out" by bands and entertainments. it is possible that the secondary ministries of the church may crowd out the church's lord. i do not object to the entertainment if only it opens out on to the spring! to have the son is to have life. nothing else is needed. "thou, o christ, art all i want." ritualisms, and ecclesiasticisms, and formal theologies are not requisite. we can be saved without an academic knowledge of "the plan of salvation." many a gamekeeper's little child knows all the roads on the estate, although she would be quite "at sea" in explaining "the plan of the estate" which hangs in the house of the steward. "this is life eternal, to know thee and jesus christ whom thou hast sent." september the thirtieth _white robes in the streets_ john xvii. - . the man who has been fed with the "bread of life" must remain "in the world." the lord gives no countenance to the life of the ascetic. our sanctification is not to be gained by withdrawal and retreat. at the best, that would be a holiness sickly and anæmic, a coddled virtue devoid of firm muscle and iron nerve. our lord purposes a holiness which shall wear white robes in the streets, and shine like virgin snow in the market, and keep itself chivalrous and stately in the common fellowships of men. "in the world," but "_not of the world_." the man who is fed on "the bread of life" is endowed with powers of resistance against "the noisome pestilence." the germs of worldly epidemics find no nutriment in him. "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." when an evil microbe finds no foothold it withers away. if i am not "of the world" i shall quite naturally and instinctively be able to resist "all the wiles of the devil." and my lord purposes me to have this positive, masculine holiness in order "_that the world may believe_." he wants disciples who will arrest the world by their glorious health, and by their invincible moral defences. he wants my purity to advertise his grace; he wants my faith to increase "the household of the faith." october the first _a wonderful unbelief_ psalm lxxviii. - . "they believed not in god ... though he had----" let everyone finish that sentence out of his own experience. how much grace can our unbelief withstand? the lord had made the rock like unto a spring of water, and yet these people believed not! what has he done for thee and me? let us retrace the pilgrimage of our own years. let us recall the blessings by the way--the streams in the desert, the pillar of fire that led us in the night. and yet what is the quality of our faith? it is often weak and reluctant, riddled with timidities, or moth-eaten with worldly ease. it is not mighty and daring, riding forth every morning like a chivalrous knight to inevitable conquest. it creeps along, like mr. halting, and miss much-afraid, and mr. little-faith. "he marvelled at their unbelief." the lord jesus wondered that men and women, seeing what they had seen, did not immediately spring to the life and service of faith. perhaps we do not give time for faith to be born! perhaps we do not see because we do not look. perhaps we are blind to his mercies and are therefore dead to the faith. and therefore, perhaps, our first prayer should be, "lord, that i might receive my sight," and then the prayer, "lord, increase my faith." october the second _humbling our pride_ job xxxviii. - . "i will demand of thee, and answer thou me." when our god begins to ask questions our pride is soon humbled, for the limits of our knowledge and power are speedily reached. the mist is very close to our doors, and in a very few steps we are lost on a trackless moor. who can trace the real springs of a tear and lay his hand on the emotion that gave it birth? who can lead us into the bright realm where smiles are born? who knoweth the way of a frown, or who can uncover the secrets of fear? no living man can explain his own breathing, or can unravel the mysterious decree which moves his own finger! and as there is so much mystery, it must be surely true that mystery is a very gracious thing. uncertainty is the divine ministry of blessedness. if it were not so, he would have told us! "i have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." if it were best for us that the mist should be removed, he would roll it up like a garment and give us the light of unclouded day. but the mist remains, the home of blessing. "he cometh in a thick cloud." "the clouds drop fatness." october the third _watching the creator_ jeremiah x. - . "he hath made the earth by his power." and he is making it still. even in the material world "his mercies are new every morning." james smetham used to speak of going into his garden "to see what the lord is doing." he would stand on the top of highgate hill on a blustering night "to watch the goings of the lord in the storm." and all this means that to james smetham creation was not merely a single event, but a _process_ whose countless events are still going on. he watched his lord at work! every sunset was a new creation from the almighty maker's hands. to many of us the creator is remote from his works. he is not immediately near. and so he no longer "walks in the garden in the cool of the day." the garden is no longer a holy place. let us recover the sacredness of things. let us "practise the presence of god." let us link his love and power to every flower that blows. and so shall we be able to say, as we move amid the glories of the natural world, "the lord is in his holy temple." october the fourth _creator and creature_ isaiah xl. - . let me mark the range of this teaching. "who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand.... he shall feed his flock like a shepherd." and let me mark it again. "the creator of the ends of the earth ... giveth power unto the faint." almightiness offers itself to carry my burden! the creator offers himself to re-create me! i can engage the forces of the universe to help me on my journey. emerson counselled us to hitch our wagon to a star. we can do better than that. we can hitch it to the maker of the star! we have something better than an ideal; we have the light of the world. we are not left to a radiant abstraction; we have a gracious god. the water flows from the welsh hills to every house in birmingham. rich and poor alike share the bounty of the mountains. the wealth of the mountains comes to the common thirst. and everybody, too, may have the water from the everlasting hills. "the water that i shall give him shall be in him." the river of life will flow to every soul of man. october the fifth _the soul and nature_ psalm cxlviii. "praise ye the lord." and the psalmist calls upon the creation to join in the anthem. and that is the gracious purpose of our god, that the world should be filled with harmonious praise. it is his will that the character of man should harmonize with the flowers of the field, that the beauty of his habits should blend with the glories of the sunrise, and that his speech and laughter should mingle with the songs of birds and with the melody of flowing streams. but man is too often a discord in creation. the flowers put him to shame. the birds make him sound harsh and jarring. he is "out of tune." what then? "tune my heart to sing thy praise." we must bring the broken strings, the rusted strings, the jarring strings to the repairer and tuner of the soul. it is the glad ministry of his grace to re-awaken silent chords, to restore broken harps, to "put new songs" in our mouths. he will make us the kinsfolk of all things bright and beautiful. we shall "go forth with joy," and "all the trees of the field shall clap their hands." october the sixth _he knoweth our frame_ psalm ciii. - . "he knoweth our frame." the bible abounds in such gracious and tender words. "he remembereth us in our low estate." "i have many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." "he will not permit you to be tempted above that ye are able." the burden is suited to our strength. the revelation is determined by our experience. the pace is regulated by our years. "he carrieth the lambs in his arms." he "leads on softly." nothing is done in ignorance. "the lord is mindful of his own. he remembereth his children." and so i must practise the belief in god's compassionate nearness. in my childhood i used to sing "there's a friend for little children, above the bright blue sky." i know better now. he is nearer to me than i can dream. i used to sing "there is a happy land, far, far away." now i sing, "there is a happy land, _not_ far away." the good father and his home are not in some remote realm. they are very, very near to me, and he knows all about me. "he knoweth our frame." october the seventh _needing and wanting_ acts xvii. - . "as though he needed anything." "he may not need us; but does he want us?" such is the question i heard dr. parker ask as he preached upon these words. and he took up a handful of flowers which he had upon the pulpit, and said: "these flowers were gathered for me by little hands in a devonshire lane. did i need them? no. did i want them?... your little girl kissed you before you left for business this morning. did you need it?... did you want it?" and so almightiness may not need our weakness, but the loving father wants his children. "we are his offspring." our father delights in the love of his children. the saviour said to a samaritan woman, "give me to drink." and perhaps it is within the scope of our holy privilege to refresh the heart of our lord. perhaps we can give him to drink of the well of our affections, and he will see of "the travail of his soul and be satisfied." october the eighth _god's glorious purpose_ "_i have created him for my glory, i have formed him; yea, i have made him._" --isaiah xliii. - . that is surely a superlative honour! "i have created him for my glory." i stood before one of turner's paintings, and a man of fine judgment said to me, "that is turner's glory!" he meant that in that picture the genius and the power and the grace of turner were most abundantly expressed. and it is the will of god that man should express his glory, and by his righteousness and goodness witness to the great creator's power and love. amid all the wonders and sublimities of earth, and sky, and sea, man is to be the almighty's "glory." the contrast is pathetic when we turn from the creator's purpose to our immediate life. there is so much that is shameful, crooked, and perverse. there is little or nothing of "glory." but, blessed be god! the purpose abides, and the creator's work goes on. in his redemptive grace he has made provision for marred work, for spoilt and perverted life. "the crooked shall be made straight." "i will bring again that which is out of the way." "where sin abounds grace doth much more abound." october the ninth _the larger waters_ thessalonians iv. - . death is not an end; it is only a new beginning. death is not the master of the house; he is only the porter at the king's lodge, appointed to open the gate, and let in the king's guests into the realms of eternal day. "and so shall we be ever with the lord." and so the range of three score years and ten is not the limit of our life. our life is not a land-locked lake enclosed within the shore-lines of seventy years. it is an arm of the sea, and where the shore-lines seem to meet in old age they open out into the infinite. and so we must build for those larger waters. we must lay our life plans on the scale of the infinite, not as though we were only pilgrims of time, but as children of eternity! we are immortal! how, then, shall we live to-day in prospect of the eternal morrow? october the tenth _our refuge and strength_ psalm xlvi. "god is our refuge and strength." and in the varied conflicts and perils of life we need both these resources. we need the "refuge." there are times when our mightiest warfare is to lie passive, to shelter quietly in the strong defences of our god. our finest strategy is sometimes to "rest in the lord and wait." we can slay some of our enemies by leaving them alone. we can "starve them out." they can be weakened and beaten by sheer neglect. we feed their strength, and give them favoured chances, if we go out and face them actively, "marching as to war." the best way is to hide, and keep quiet; and "god is our refuge." but we also need the "strength." this is positive equipment for active service. the defensive is changed to the offensive, and in the "strength" of the lord we advance against the foe. we "ride abroad, redressing human wrongs." we "tread upon the lion and the adder, the young lion and the dragon we trample under foot." we meet our enemy on the open field, and we slay him in his pride! and so our god is our resource in the double warfare of active and passive crusade. in him we can take refuge, and the enemy withers. in him we can find fighting strength, and the enemy is overthrown. october the eleventh _the old companion on the new road_ "_get thee out ... and i will show thee." "so abram departed ... and the lord appeared._" --genesis xii. - . we must bring these separated passages together if we would appreciate the graciousness of the lord's call. they are like the two sides of the same shield. they answer each other as voice and echo. when i move in obedience the lord moves in inspiration. he never lets me go on my own charges. "all things are now ready." before he makes me hunger the bread is prepared. before i thirst the water is at hand. before he calls me he has opened springs in difficult places and arbours of rest along the road. when abram set out from his own country the lord went before him. and so i need not fear the arduous call. the very measure of its difficulty is also the measure of the riches of the divine provisions. "as thy day so shall thy strength be." at every turning of the winding way the lord will appear unto us. at every new demand we shall discover new bounty, and everywhere in the unfamiliar road we shall gaze upon the familiar and friendly face of the lord. october the twelfth _round-about ways_ acts vii. - . "unto a land that i will show thee." but what mysterious windings there often are before that land is reached! but god's windings are never wasteful and purposeless. the apparent deviations are always gracious preparations. we are taken out of the way in order that we may the more richly reach our end. george pilkington yearned to go to the foreign field, and god sent him to a dairy farm in ireland. but the irish dairy farm proved to be on the way to uganda; and all the experience and knowledge which pilkington picked up in this strange business proved invaluable when he reached his appointed field. "he bringeth the blind by a way that they know not." so i will remember that the "short cut" is not always the finest road. god's round-about ways are filled with heavenly treasure. every winding is purposed for the discovery of new wealth. what riches we gather on the way to god's goal! "the hill of zion yields a thousand sacred sweets before we reach the heavenly fields or walk the golden streets." october the thirteenth _the royal air_ galatians iii. - . emerson says somewhere that he has noticed that men whose duties are performed beneath great domes acquire a stately and appropriate manner. the vergers in our great cathedrals have a dignified stride. it is not otherwise with men who consciously live under the power of vast relationships. princes of royal blood have a certain great "air" about them. the consciousness of noble kinships has an expansive influence upon the soul. the jews felt its influence when they called to mind "our father abraham." so is it with men and women of glorious kinships in the realm of faith. their souls expand in the vast and exalted relations. "the children of faith" have vital communion with all the spiritual princes and princesses of countless years. they have blood-relationship with the patriarchs, and psalmists, and prophets, and they dwell "in heavenly places" with paul, and augustine, and luther, and wesley. surely, such exalted kinship should influence our very stride, and set its mark upon our "daily walk and conversation." it ought to make us so big that we can never speak a mean word, or do a petty and peevish thing. october the fourteenth _commonplace people_ john i. - . our lord delights to glorify the commonplace. he loves to fill the common water-pots with his mysterious wine. he chooses the earthen vessels into which to put his treasure. he calls obscure fishermen to be the ambassadors of his grace. he proclaims his great gospel through provincial dialects, and he fills uncultured mouths with mighty arguments. he turns common meals into sacraments, and while he breaks ordinary bread he relates it to the blessing of heaven. and "this same jesus" is among us to-day, with the same choices and delights. he will make a humdrum duty shine like the wayside bush that burned with fire and was not consumed. he will make our daily business the channel of his grace. he will take our disappointments, and, just as we sometimes put banknotes into black-edged envelopes, he will fill them with treasures of unspeakable consolation. he will use our poor, broken, stammering speech to convey the wonders of his grace to the weary sinful souls of men. october the fifteenth _the call and the equipment_ luke v. - . matthew was very weary, and the all-seeing lord read the signs of his spiritual dissatisfaction and unrest. as jesus "passed by" nothing escaped his watchful eye. he saw a look in matthew's eye as of some caged creature longing for freedom. matthew's office, the contempt of his fellows, and perhaps his own self-contempt held him in imprisoning disquietude. the lord knew it all, and one word from him and the iron gate was open, and the prisoner was free! "follow me! and he left all, rose up, and followed him." with the lord's command was conveyed the ability to obey, and matthew stepped into "the glorious liberty of the children of god." and this is the master's way. his calls are always equipments. every received commandment is also the vehicle of requisite grace. god's decrees are also promises, nay, they are immediate endowments. if we reverently open one of his callings we shall find it a store-house of needed strength. and therefore we need not fear the calls of the lord. they are not the harsh commandments of a tyrant, they are the loving invitations of a friend. if we obey them we shall taste the grace of them, and "his statutes will become our songs." october the sixteenth _the inspirations of the past_ isaiah li. - . here is a sentence from lord morley: "if a man is despondent about his work the best remedy i can prescribe for him is to turn to a good biography." he counsels him to go into the yesterdays to find inspiration for the life of to-day. other men's attainments are bugle-calls to me. "look unto abraham, your father." look unto the blessings which waited upon his obedience! see how springs of refreshment broke out in the troubled way! god "called him and blessed him." rekindle your hope at his radiant triumph. strengthen your will in his glorious persistence. here do i see god's mercy in the gift of memory and in the witness of history. i can turn to the yesterdays for light and quickening. "do ye not remember the miracle of the loaves?" yes, i can recall the grace that met me in my need, the power that made the crooked straight and the rough places plain. and i am privileged to turn the pages of other men's testimonies and read the record of the lord's dealings with them. and so do memory and history come as helpful angel-presences to my soul. "his love in time past forbids me to think he'll leave me at last in trouble to sink." october the seventeenth _no quest of god_ "_he inquired not of the lord._" -- chronicles x. - . that was where saul began to go wrong. when quest ceases, conquests cease. "he inquired not"; and this meant loss of light. god will be inquired after. he insists that we draw up the blinds if we would receive the light. if we board up our windows he will not drive the gentle rays through our hindrance. we must ask if we would have. the discipline of inquiry fits us for the counsel of the lord. "he inquired not"; and this meant loss of sight. when light fails, sight fails. the ponies in our pits become blind. when a spiritual power is not exercised in the heavenly, it is deprived of its appointed functions. and the tragedy is this, that the blind are deceived into thinking that they still retain their sight. "ye say, we see!" "he inquired not"; and this meant loss of might. for "the light of life" is not only illumination; it is inspiration too. it is both light and heat; it confers guidance and dynamic. when a man, therefore, refuses the light he becomes a weakling, and he will meet with disaster in the first tempestuous day. october the eighteenth _unanimity in the soul_ "_a double-minded man is unstable in all his ways._" --james i. - . if two men are at the wheel with opposing notions of direction and destiny, how will it fare with the boat? if an orchestra have two conductors both wielding their batons at the same time and with conflicting conceptions of the score, what will become of the band? and a man whose mind is like that of two men flirting with contrary ideals at the same time will live a life "all sixes and sevens," and nothing will move to purposeful and definite issues. if the mind flirt with satan and christ, life will be filled with disastrous instability and confusion. the first thing we need, therefore, for influential and impressive living is unanimity. unanimity in the mind is the primary factor in a forceful life. to bring "all that is within me" into concord, to make every instrument of the soul bow to one conductor, to lead all the powers into homage to the lord--this is the unanimity which assures the perfection of holiness. "unite my heart to fear thy name." that is the mood which wins life's prize, "the prize of the high calling of god in christ jesus." october the nineteenth _ready!_ "_let your loins be girded about._" --luke xii. - . loose garments can be very troublesome. an oriental robe, if left ungirdled, entangles the feet, or is caught by the wind and hinders one's goings. and therefore the wearer binds the loose attire together with a girdle, and makes it firm and compact about his body. and loose principles can be more dangerous than loose garments. indefinite opinions, caught by the passing wind of popular caprice, are both a peril and a burden. many people go through life with loose beliefs and purposes, and they never arrive at any glorious goal. "let your loins be girded about." bind your loose thinkings together with the girdle of truth into firm and saving conviction. "_and your lights burning._" be ready for the emergency. when the darkness falls, don't have to hasten away to buy oil. look after your resources, and be competent to meet the crisis when it comes. let the light of conscience be burning with clear flame, like a brilliant lighthouse on a dangerous shore. let the light of love be burning, like a lamp which sends its friendly, cheery beams to the pilgrims of the night. "our sufficiency is of god," and the oil of grace will keep the lights burning through the longest night. october the twentieth _the lord as the servant_ "_jesus, knowing that the father had given all things into his hands, and that he came forth from god, and goeth to god_...." --john xiii. - . and how shall we expect the sentence to finish? what shall be the issue of so vast a consciousness? "_he took a towel, and girded himself ... and began to wash the disciples' feet._" so a mighty consciousness expresses itself in lowly service. in our ignorance we should have assumed that divinity would have moved only in planetary orbits, and would have overlooked the petty streets and ways of men. but here the lord of glory girds himself with the apron of the slave, and almightiness addresses itself to menial service. and that is the test of an expanding consciousness. we may be sure that we are growing smaller when we begin to disparage humble services. we may be sure we are growing larger when we love the ministries that never cry or lift their voices in the streets. when a man begins to despise the "towel," he is losing his kingly dignity, and is resigning his place on the throne. "i have given you an example that ye also should do as i have done to you." october the twenty-first _the contrite heart_ isaiah lvii. - . let us look at this description of the dwelling-place of the eternal god. "_i dwell with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit._" and who are the contrite? in the original word there is the significance of pieces of rock or lumps of soil having been crumbled into the finest powder. have i not sometimes heard the phrase--"he's just a lump of pride"? well, that pride has to be broken down into the finest powder, until not a bit of stubborn self-conceit remains. and then the contrite become the humble! our gracious lord has sometimes to use heavy hammers in the destruction of this hard and stony pride: the shock of calamity, the battering of disappointment and defeat! our pride _must_ be ground to powder. then he will come in and dwell with us! and what then? he will "_revive the spirit of the humble, and revive the heart of the contrite ones_." our broken pride shall be as broken soil in which our lord will grow the flowers and fruits of the spirit. the death of pride shall be followed by a revival of all things sweet and beautiful. when pride is laid low, it is a "day of resurrection." the wilderness shall "blossom as the rose." october the twenty-second _the true standard of greatness_ matthew xviii. - . here is our lord's estimate of true greatness. how infinite is the contrast between his standard and the standards of the world! the world measures greatness by money, or eloquence, or intellectual skill, or even by prowess on the field of battle. but here is the lord's standard--"_whosoever, therefore, shall humble himself as this little child, the same is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven._" those people are greatest who are most like god. we become partakers of the divine nature through a child-like relationship to god. the grace and power of god pour into our souls when we wait upon him like a little child. child-likeness opens the doors and windows to the incoming of the almighty. the child-like is the trustful, and no barriers of cynical suspicion block the channels of spiritual communion. and the child-like is the docile, and no boulders of arrogance or self-conceit block the channel of the invigorating waters of life. and so the child-like become the god-like, and, of course, they are the greatest among the sons of men. the little child enshrines the secret of the god-man, and we should be infinitely wise if we had the little child always in our midst. october the twenty-third _masters and servants_ matthew xx. - . it is always our peril that we hunger for place more than for character, for position more than for disposition, for a temporal sceptre more than for a majestic self-control. these disciples coveted places on the right and left of the lord, and they had little or no concern about their worthiness for the posts. temporalities eclipsed spiritualities, fleeting fireworks hid the quiet stars. they wanted to be great and prominent, the lord wanted them to be pure and good. they longed to be prime ministers, the lord purposed that they should be glad to be ministers, working contentedly in an obscure place. now mark our lord's response. "_are ye able to drink of the cup that i drink of?_" they wanted to be the king's cup-bearers; he offers them to drink of his cup. they call for sovereignty: he asks for sacrifice. they crave sweetness: he offers them bitterness. they seek a life of "getting": he demands a life of "giving." who has a cup of bitterness to drink? go and share it with him! where are the morally and spiritually anæmic? go and give them thy blood! "whoever shall lose his life shall find it." through self-sacrifice we pass to our throne. october the twenty-fourth "_push_" _and_ "_pull_" luke xiv. - . the world canonizes "push." it eulogizes the "man of push." it loves to see a man elbowing his way through the jostling crowd, and gaining for himself a "chief seat" at life's feast. he is proclaimed a "successful" man, and he rises in "the chief seat," and amid loud hurrahs he responds to the toast of his health. yes, "push" is the word of the world, but "pull" is the word of the lord, and between the two there is the difference of darkness and light. "push" is selfish and exclusive: "pull" is inclusive and neighbourly. "push" takes as its motto, "the weakest to the wall!" "pull" takes as its motto, "bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of christ." the final verdict upon life will be founded, not upon our own success in gaining a chief seat, but upon our success in encouraging the faint and the weakling, and in "helping lame dogs over stiles." my gracious lord, help me to put on "a heart of compassion" that by neighbourly feeling and ministry i may lead my fellows to the choice places of life's feast. october the twenty-fifth _the robe of humility_ peter v. - . let me, therefore, learn this lesson, that if my lord should give me prominence in his church it is not to feed my lust of dominion, but in order to strengthen and extend the influence of the church's life. "_neither as lording it over the charge allotted to you, but making yourselves ensamples to the flock._" the only truly imperial purple is the robe of humility. any other sort of attire may appear to be kingly, but it has none of the glorious significance which belongs to our sovereign lord. when a man puts on the robe of pride, he immediately belittles his manhood. when a man puts on the robe of humility, he becomes a greater man. but humility is more than an imperial robe, it is a complete armour. it is fine for defence! the devil cannot get at the man who is "clothed in humility." there is no chink or crevice through which his deadly rapier can pierce. and it is equally fine for offence! wearing this armour we can go out "redressing human wrongs." the stroke of pride is ever futile. when the humble man deals a blow, the power of the almighty is in his right hand. "humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of god." october the twenty-sixth _the lust of the external_ matthew xxiii. - . pharisaism is the lust of externalities, and the utter negligence of the inward sanctities of the spirit. it thinks more of decorum than of holiness, more of etiquette than of equity, more of ritualism than of "the robe of righteousness and the garment of salvation." pharisaism lives in the streets: it does not dwell in the inner chambers of our mystic life. pharisaism thirsts for the homage of men and not for the approbation of god. it is far more alert to the "rabbi! rabbi!" of the crowd than it is to the secret callings of the lord. the path between itself and the highest is unfrequented and grass-grown; the path between itself and the multitude is a well-trodden and barren road. my lord, let me be warned! let me not pervert the ministries of religion to the aggrandizement of self. let me not, in appearing to worship thee, be seeking the worship of men. give me singleness of mind. give me purity of heart. and may i discover true greatness in seeking greatness for others. october the twenty-seventh _paying homage to the king_ proverbs iii. - . "acknowledge him." but not with a passing nod of recognition. i must not merely glance at him now and again, admitting his existence on the field. to acknowledge him is to acknowledge him as king, with the right to control, and as predominant partner in all the affairs of my life, even the right to give the determining voice in all my decisions. no, it is not the recognition paid to an acquaintance, it is the homage paid to a king. and if i thus acknowledge him, he will direct my paths. life shall always be moving on to its purposed end and glory. the path chosen will not always be the most alluring one, but it will be the right one, and therefore the safe one, and there will be wonderful discoveries on the uninviting track. how will he let me know which path to take? i cannot say. we can never anticipate god's ways of dealing with us. but if my life is bent to the loving acknowledgment of his will, he will assuredly find a way to make his will known. the light will always reach the willing mind. october the twenty-eighth _pleasantness and peace_ "_her ways are ways of pleasantness, and all her paths are peace._" --proverbs iii. - . in the ways of the lord i shall have feasts of "pleasantness." but not always at the beginning of the ways. sometimes my faith is called upon to take a very unattractive road, and nothing welcomes me of fascination and delight. but here is a law of the spiritual life. the exercised faith intensifies my spiritual senses, and hidden things become manifest to my soul--hidden beauties, hidden sounds, hidden scents! faith adds a mysterious "plus" to my powers, and "all things become new." and in the ways of the lord i shall also find the gracious gift of peace. not that the road will be always smooth, but that i may be always calm. i can be unperturbed when "all around tumultuous seems." i can journey in holy serenity, because the lord of the road is with me. for peace consists, not in friendliness of circumstances, but in friendship with the lord. october the twenty-ninth _the story of the past_ deuteronomy xxxi. - . and no ears are more receptive to spiritual story than the ears of a little child. it is not needful to open the gate of interest; it is wide ajar already. and imagination also is there, ready to busy itself about the story. and so, too, is the spirit of homage and adoration. the children are ready for the king! "suffer little children to come unto me, for of such is the kingdom of heaven." and, therefore, we have need of wise tellers of the story, who know the story themselves. and in these delicate regions i must ever remember how much my spirit shares in the story i tell. my spirit is a friend or a foe to my power. my words may be well chosen, but they may all be light as empty shells, devoid of all vitality. my words have just the power of their spiritual contents. "you cannot fight the french with , red uniforms," said carlyle; "there must be men inside them." and we cannot engage in the evangelization with mere uniforms of words. there must be spirit inside them, even the spirit of pure and consecrated lives. october the thirtieth _a testimony meeting_ psalm xxxiv. - . this is a little testimony meeting, in which each of the witnesses tells the story of the lord's gracious dealings with him. let me listen to them. "_he delivered me from all my fears._" his fears held him in dungeons. even the noontide was as darkness round about him, and there was no song in his soul. and the lord broke open the prison-gate and let him out to light, and joy, and belief. "_they looked to him and were lightened._" they looked upon the grace of the lord, and were lit up, just as i have seen humble cottage windows ablaze with the glory of the rising sun. i must "set my face" towards the lord, and i, too, shall catch the radiance of his glory. "this poor man cried ... _and the lord saved him out of all his troubles_." and these troubles were what i should call "tight corners," when the life is hemmed in by unfortunate circumstances, and there seems no way of escape. disappointment shuts us in. sorrow shuts us in. lack of money shuts us in. let me cry unto the lord. he is a wonderful friend in the tight corner, and he will bring my feet into "a large place." october the thirty-first _two great mysteries_ psalm lxxxi. this is an unutterable mystery, that a man can close his life against god. "_israel would have none of me._" we can shut out god as we can shut out the pure air. we can bar his entrance just as we can exclude the light from the chamber. and then the pity is, we can deceive ourselves into believing that the air is perfectly fresh and that the room is flooded with light. we lose our fine discernment, and we call evil good, and the darkness we call day. if we "refuse to have god" in our thoughts god gives us over to a "reprobate mind." and it is an equally unutterable mystery that a man can open his life to the entertainment of almighty god. "i will dwell with them!" that is my supreme honour, that the lord will be my guest. i can "hearken" to him, and "talk" to him, and "walk" with him. and he offers me protection. he will "subdue my enemies." and he offers me unfailing provision. the guest becomes the host! i put my little upon the table, and lo! i find that "the cruse of oil fails not, and the meal in the barrel is not consumed!" november the first _in the days of youth_ ecclesiastes xii. - . in my university days at edinburgh there was a young medical student named macfarlane. he was one of our finest athletes, and everybody liked him. one day he was stricken with typhoid, which proved fatal. macfarlane in his days of boisterous health had neglected his lord, and when one of his friends, visiting him in his sickness, led his thoughts to the saviour, he turned and said, "but wouldn't it be a shabby thing to turn to christ now?" "yes," replied his friend, "it will be a shabby thing, but it will be shabbier not to turn to him at all!" and i believe that poor macfarlane turned his shame-filled soul to the lord. but it is shabby to offer our lord the mere dregs in life's cup. it is shabby to offer him the mere hull of the boat when the storms of passion have carried its serviceableness away. let me offer him my best, my finest equipment, my youth! let me offer him the best, and give him the helm when i am just setting sail and life abounds in golden promise! "remember now thy creator in the days of thy youth." november the second _leading to christ_ "_suffer little children to come unto me._" --mark x. - . "unto _me_!" we must not keep them at any half-way house. we are so prone to be satisfied if only we bring them a little way along the road. if we get them to pray! if we get them to attend the lord's house! if we get them to be truthful and gentle! all of which is unspeakably good. it is a blessed thing to be in "the ways of zion"; it is a far more blessed thing to be in the palace with zion's king and lord. when we are dealing with little children, every road must lead to jesus, and not until the road is trodden and we arrive at him must we think our ministry accomplished. and, therefore, if i am talking to the little ones about samuel, or david, or paul, i must always see the short lane which leads to the lord. "suffer the little children to come unto _me_!" and once they really own him, we may trust their instincts for the rest. the heart in the child will leap to the love of the lord, "for of such is the kingdom of heaven." when a little one sees the saviour, it is "love at first sight"! november the third _the lord's own_ john xv. - . the "lord's own" possess the lord's love. "_i have loved you._" and love is not a beautiful sentiment, a passive rainbow stretched over the realm of human life. it is a glorious, active energy, infinitely more powerful than electricity, and always besieging the gates of the soul, or ministering to its manifold needs. love is the greatest force in the world. and the "lord's own" are taken into the inner circle of intimacy, where the deepest secrets dwell. we are not kept on the door-step, or left standing in the hall, or limited to one or two "public rooms"; we are privileged to enter the king's privacy, and be nourished at the king's table, and listen to the king's table-talk concerning "all things" which he has heard of the father. we have "the glorious liberty of _the children_ of god." and the "lord's own" will experience the world's hatred. "_therefore the world hateth you._" our very friendship with the lord pronounces judgment on the world, and its hostility is aroused. if we are "partakers of the glory" we shall most assuredly be "partakers of the sufferings of christ." november the fourth _the holy spirit as witness_ john xv. --xvi. . the holy spirit is to be a witness of jesus. "_he shall testify of me._" he shall be "the friend of the bridegroom," and he shall sing the bridegroom's grace, and goodness, and prowess, in the eager ear of the bride. and the early love of the bride shall become deeper and richer as more and more she enters into "the unsearchable riches of christ." and the holy spirit is thus to be a strengthener of the friends of the lord. he will be my "_comforter_." by his gracious advocacy he will make my faith and hope invincible. the best service which can be rendered me is not to change my circumstances, but to make me superior to them; not to make a smooth road, but to enable me to "leap like an hart" over any road; not to remove the darkness, but to make me "sing songs in the night." and so i will not pray for less burdens, but for more strength! and this is the gracious ministry of "the comforter." holy spirit, strengthen me! transform my frail opinions into firm convictions, and change my fleeting, dissolving views into abiding visions! november the fifth _the temple of the body_ romans xii. - . the lord wants my body. he needs its members as ministers of righteousness. he would work in the world through my brain, and eyes, and ears, and lips, and hands, and feet. and the lord wants my body as "_a living_ sacrifice." he asks for it when it is thoroughly alive! we so often deny the lord our bodies until they are infirm and sickly, and sometimes we do not offer them to him until they are quite "worn out." it is infinitely better to offer them even then than never to offer them at all. but it is best of all to offer our bodies to our lord when they are strong, and vigorous, and serviceable, and when they can be used in the strenuous places of the field. and so let me appoint a daily consecration service, and let me every morning present my body "a living sacrifice" unto god. let me regard it as a most holy possession, and let me keep it clean. let me recoil from all abuse of it--from all gluttony, and intemperance, and "riotous living." let me look upon my body as a church, and let the service of consecration continue all day long. "know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the holy spirit?" november the sixth _peace in tribulation_ john xvi. - . here is a strange medley of experiences! i am to enjoy the gift of peace, and yet i am to be smarting under tribulation! when the holy spirit is my guest i am to enjoy the gift of peace. "_these things i said unto you that ye might have peace._" the life of the soul is to move without jar or discord. it shall be like a quiet engine-house, in which every wheel co-operates with every other wheel, and there is no waste or friction in the holy place. "all that is within me" blesses god's holy name. and yet, while peace reigns within, there may be tribulation without! "_in the world ye shall have tribulation._" here is a peace which is not broken by the noise and assault of brutal circumstance. the most tempestuous wind cannot disturb the quiet serenity of the stars. when the world stones me, not one grain of its gritty dust need enter the delicate workings of my soul. that was the peace of my lord, and it is my lord who says to me: "my peace i give unto you!" so "_be of good cheer_," my soul! thy lord has "_overcome the world_," and thou shalt share his victory. november the seventh _rejected love_ isaiah lxiii. - . if i refuse the friendship of the holy one i inevitably invite his hostility. "_but they rebelled, and vexed his holy spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them._" and so, if i reject the forces of grace i do not turn them from my gate, i convert them into foes. malachi teaches me that rejected sunshine becomes like a burning oven. the epistle to the hebrews teaches me that rejected love becomes "a consuming fire." holiness nourishes virtue, it withers vice. if i offer my lord a tender aspiration, his breath wooes it like the balmy air of the spring; if i come before him with the weeds of ignoble dispositions, he blights them as with the nipping of the frost. and is it not well, for thee and me, that our lord is thus fiercely hostile to our sins? is not this "consuming fire" the friend of my soul? may i not pray: burn on, burn on, pure flame, until all the refuse and rubbish of my life are utterly consumed; burn on, burn on, until fierce flame becomes mild light, flinging its genial radiance over a transfigured desert? november the eighth _the organ of spiritual vision_ corinthians ii. - . our finest human instruments fail to obtain for us "_the things which god hath prepared for them that love him_." art fails! "_eye hath not seen._" the merely artistic vision is blind to the hidden glories of grace. philosophy fails! "_neither hath ear heard._" we may listen to the philosopher as he spins his subtle theories and weaves his systematic webs, but the meshes he has woven are not fine enough to catch "the deep things of god." poetry fails! "_neither hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive._" poetic imagination may stretch her wings, and soar, but she fails to enter the guest-chamber of the lord, and take an inventory of "the things prepared." all these gracious ministries fail to reach life's glorious and purposed end. "_but god hath revealed them unto us by his spirit._" when art, and poetry, and philosophy all pitiably fail, the spirit unveils to us the bewildering feast. and so the unlearned has the same ultimate advantage as the learned, and the cottager has equal privilege with the monarch. the greatest things are not the perquisites of culture, but the endowments of humility and holy faith. the poor man has access to the "many mansions," and finds a place at the king's feast. november the ninth _the holy spirit as emancipator_ corinthians iii. - . in the holy spirit i experience a large emancipation. "_where the spirit of the lord is, there is liberty._" i am delivered from all enslaving bondage--from the bondage of literalism, and legalism, and ritualism. i am not hampered by excessive harness, by multitudinous rules. the harness is fitting and congenial, and i have freedom of movement, and "my yoke is easy and my burden is light." and i am to use my emancipation of spirit in the ministry of contemplation. i am to "_behold, as in a glass, the glory of the lord_." my thought has been set free from the cramping distractions devised by men, and i am now to feast my gaze upon the holy splendours of my lord. it is like coming out of a little and belittling tent, to feast upon the sunny amplitude of the open sky! i can "cease from man," and commune with god. and the contemplation will effect a transformation. "_we are changed into the same image from glory to glory._" the serene brightness of the sky gets into our faces. the lord becomes "_the health of our countenance_," and we shine with borrowed glory. november the tenth _nevertheless!_ luke v. - . here is obedience in spite of the night of failure. "_nevertheless, at thy word i will let down the net._" that word "nevertheless" has always made history. it has been spoken after scourgings, after "bonds and imprisonments." ten thousand times has it been heard in the chamber of bereavement, the first sound to break the awful silence. "at evening my wife died.... in the morning i did as god commanded me." and may it be true of me! may my "nevertheless" of willing obedience rise like a lark above the storm. and because there was obedience there came vision. in the wonderful answer to his faith peter beheld the glory of his lord. and so i never know where the unenticing road of obedience will lead me. at the end of the dull road there will be some gracious surprise! it is the rugged path which leads to the summit! the panorama comes as the reward of the toilsome climb! always, in the realm of the spirit, the dogged "nevertheless" will lead to the "shining tableland to which our god himself is moon and sun." november the eleventh _foiling the enemy's plots_ luke xxii. - . i do not meet my tempter alone. the engagement has been foreseen by my lord. "_simon, simon, satan hath desired to have you!_" the tempter's plots, and wiles, and ambuscades are all clearly perceived. my lord has got the enemy's maps, and his plan of campaign, for all things are open to the eyes of him with whom we have to do. i do not fight a lonely warfare on a dark and unknown field. my lord himself both scouts and fights for those who are his own. and one great means of his co-operation is the mighty ministry of intercession. "_but i have prayed for thee._" that "but" is the massing of the forces of heaven against the black and subtle hordes of hell. let me ever remember that the lord's prayers are always the conveyers of holy power to those for whom he prays. it is as when christian met apollyon in the valley of humiliation: there comes a sudden accession of strength to the bleeding warrior, and apollyon retires wounded and beaten from the field. and the only way to preserve the fruits of a triumph is by helping other warriors to gain a similar conquest. "_when thou art converted strengthen thy brethren._" i shall retain the hard, muscular limbs of a soldier if i am willing to share my blood with the entire army. november the twelfth _the fashioning of a denial_ luke xxii. - . from peter's denial i would learn the peril of the first cowardly surrender to sin. surely peter must have "trimmed" many times in the days which preceded his actual discipleship. great crises do not make men, they reveal them. the men have been made in the smaller issues which go before. we march to our crises by a gradient, every step of which is a moral decision. the interior of the tree is secretly eaten away by white ants; the tempest reveals and completes the destruction. and i would learn from peter's denial the cumulative power of sins. one sin widens the road for a bigger one to follow. the second denial will be more vehement than the first. the third will add the element of blasphemy. yes, every sin is a miner and sapper for a larger army in the rear. it not only does its own work, it prepares the way for its successor. but i will connect this "dark betrayal night" with that sweet after-morning when the lord and his denier met face to face by the lake. and that sweet morning of reconciliation is a possible experience for all the deniers of the lord, and it is therefore possible for thee and me. november the thirteenth _a transformed fisherman_ "_simon peter saith unto them, i go a fishing._" --john xxi. - . simon peter had often gone a fishing, but never had he gone as he went in the twilight of that most wonderful evening. he handled the ropes in a new style, with a new dignity born of the bigger capacity of his own soul. he turned to the familiar task, but with a quite unfamiliar spirit. he went a fishing, but the power of the resurrection went with him. this action of simon peter's is the only true test of the reality of any spiritual experience. how does it fit me for ordinary affairs? a spiritual festival should do for the soul what a day on the hills does for the body--equip it for the better doing of the duties in the vale. this action is also a preparative to a renewal of the gracious experience. the road of common duty was just the way appointed for another meeting with his lord, for in the morning-light there came a voice across the waters: "children, have ye any meat?" "and that disciple whom jesus loved saith unto peter: 'it is the lord.'" november the fourteenth _the purification of love_ john xxi. - . "lovest thou me?" there was a day, only a little while back, when simon peter's love was not yet purified, and it indulged itself in loud and empty boasts. true love never blusters and brawls. it is like a stream of water flowing silently underground, and secretly bathing the roots of things, and keeping their heads fresh, and cool, and sweet. the boast has now dropped out of the love! it is now ashamed of words! "lord, thou knowest that i love thee!" yes, true love expresses itself, not in clamorous boastfulness, but in quiet services. it ministers to the lord's sheep and the lord's lambs. it spends its strength on the mountains, "seeking that which is lost," and it does this in the darkness, where there is no applauding crowd. the true lover does not ask for some dramatic scene where he can die for the beloved; he delights in obscure services, the feeding and tending of the sheep of the flock. but the love that does the humbler thing will be ready for the greater sacrifice whenever the day shall demand it. some day the once boastful denier shall lay down his life for his saviour, and through martyrdom he shall pass to his crown. november the fifteenth _the music of reconciliation_ psalm lxxxv. let me listen to this psalm of reconciliation, as it makes music for my soul to-day. it tells me of the divine favour. "_lord, thou hast been favourable to thy land._" as i write these words, the sun has just slipped out from behind the cloud. it has been there all the time, but the ministry of the cloud was needed, and so it appeared as though there would be sun and spring no more. "behind a frowning providence he hides a smiling face." and it tells me of the divine forgiveness. "_thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people._" yes, when the sun appears, he loosens the frozen earth and streams, and turns the bondage into liberty. the soul that was imprisoned in freezing guilt attains a joyous freedom. and it tells me of revival. "_wilt thou not revive us again?_" it is the next step in the returning spring. the sleeping, benumbed things will all awake! "the flowers appear on the earth." where grace reigns, graces spring! forgiveness is attended by renewal, and the wilderness begins to "blossom like the rose." november the sixteenth _the making of a brave man_ acts iv. - . here is a marvellous transformation! i have been wondering at the littleness of the denier, and now this same denier is making the world wonder by his majestic boldness! his one resource is now the risen christ, and his one moral standard is "whether it be right!" once he quailed before an accusing maid; now he stands undaunted before the rulers of the earth. how has it all come about? he has been to the empty tomb. the awe of the resurrection is upon his spirit. through the once blind cul-de-sac of the grave he has seen the king and the great white throne. and he has been by the lake on the morning of reconciliation. the live coal from the altar of his lord's love has touched him and has purged away the uncleanness of his denial. and he has been in the upper room at pentecost, and the mighty spirit has come upon him like wind and flame, endowing him with forceful and enthusiastic character. now he can dare for god, now he can work for god, now he can burn for god! and this is how he has been transformed. november the seventeenth _if god be for us----!_ romans viii. - . who else is worth naming? how much does anybody count? if the sun be on my side, why should i be dismayed at any icy obstacle that may rear itself in my way? sun _versus_ ice! god _versus_ my impediments! why should i fear? if the atmosphere is on my side, then even the opposing strength of iron will rust away into powder. "the breath of the lord bloweth upon it," and if the holy breath, god's holy spirit, is for us, then the apparently invincible obstacle will crumble away into dust. but we are deceived by mass, and we are forgetful of spirit. mere size affrights us. we are dismayed by numbers. we forget the quiet, pervasive, all-powerful ministry of the spirit of god. we are overwhelmed by the phenomena of tempest and earthquake and fire, and we forget that almightiness hides in the "still, small voice," in "the sound of a gentle stillness." god's breath is more than the fierce threatenings of embattled hosts. "if god be for us, who can be against us?" i will hide myself in his holy fellowship, and "none shall make me afraid." november the eighteenth _exhilarant spirits_ "_he maketh my feet like hinds' feet._" --psalm xviii. - . i think of wordsworth's lines, in which he describes a natural lady, made by nature herself: "she shall be sportive as the fawn that wild with glee across the lawn or up the mountain springs." and it is this buoyancy, this elasticity, this springiness that the lord is waiting to impart to the souls of his children, so that they may move along the ways of life with the light steps of the fawn. some of us move with very heavy feet. there is little of the fawn about us as we go along the road. there is reluctance in our obedience. there is a frown in our homage. our benevolence is graceless, and there is no charm in our piety, and no rapture in our praise. we are the victims of "the spirit of heaviness." and yet here is the word which tells us that god will make our feet "like hinds' feet." he will give us exhilaration and spring, enabling us to leap over difficulties, and to have strength and buoyancy for the steepest hills. let us seek the inspiration of the lord. "it is god that girdeth me with strength, and maketh my way perfect." november the nineteenth _the armour of god_ ephesians vi. - . the word describes the armour, and it directs us to the armoury. the description would oppress me if the directions were absent. if i have to forge the armour for myself i should be in despair. but i can go to the armoury of grace, where there is an ever-open door and abundant welcome for every person who fain would be a knight-errant of the lord. the lord will provide me with perfect equipment suitable for every kind of contest which may meet me along the road. there are no favourites among the pilgrims except, perhaps, the neediest, and to them is given "more abundant honour." sometimes one of the lord's knights loses one piece of armour, and he must at once repair to the armoury. perhaps he has lost his helmet, or his shield, or even his breastplate, and the enemy has discovered his vulnerable place. we must never continue our journey imperfectly armed. the evil one will ignore the pieces we have, and he will direct all his attack where there is no defence. back to the armoury! back to the armoury, that we may "put on the _whole_ armour of god." the lord is waiting; let us humbly and penitently ask for the missing piece. november the twentieth _the real aristocracy_ "_abraham, my friend._" --isaiah xli. - . i think that is the noblest title ever given to mortal man. it is the speech of the lord god concerning one of his children. it is something to be coveted even to enjoy the friendship of a noble man; but to have the friendship of god, and to have the holy god name us as his friends, is surely the brightest jewel that can ever shine in a mortal's crown. and such recognition and such glory may be the wonderful lot of thee and me. "abraham, my friend." the lord of hosts found delight in human friendships. he comes in to sup with us. he drinks of the cup of our delights. for, surely, it is one of the supreme characteristics of true friendship that it rejoices at the other's joy. and my heavenly friend is glad in my gladness as well as sympathetic in the day of sadness and tears. yes, he comes in to sup with me, and i may sup with him. "abraham, my friend." and he shares his sweets with his friend, in inward counsels, and in tender revelations of his purposes and in the gifts of joy and peace. there is perfect openness between these friends; nothing is hid. they have the run of each other's hearts. "i tell him all my joys and fears, and he reveals his love to me." november the twenty-first _the early builders_ kings viii. - . it is always a healthy means of grace to link my own accomplishments with the fidelity and achievements of the past. solomon traced his finished temple to the holy purpose in the heart of david his father. i lay the coping-stone, but who turned the first sod? i lead the water into new ministries, but who first dug the well? there is the temple of liberty. in our own day we are enriching it with most benignant legislation, but we must not forget our dauntless fathers, in whose blood the foundations were laid. when i am walking about in the finished structure, let me remember the daring architects who "did well" to have it in their hearts. such retrospect will make me humble. it will save me from the isolation and impotence of foolish pride. it will confirm me in human fellowship by showing me how many springs i have in my fellow-men. and such retrospect will make me grateful to my god. noble outlooks always engender the spirit of praise. the fine air of wide spaces quickens the soul to a song. november the twenty-second _recovering lost strength_ kings viii. - . in this portion of this great prayer i discern the unalterable mode in which nations and individuals recover their moral health and strength. how do they lose it? two words tell the story. they "_sin_" and are "_smitten_." it is an inevitable sequence. every sin is the minister of disease. sometimes we can see it, when the disease flaunts its flags in the flesh; lust and drunkenness have glaring placards, and we know what is going on within. but even when sin makes no visible mark the wasting process is at work. it is as true of falsehood as of drunkenness, of treachery as of lust. "evil shall slay the wicked." and how do we recover our lost estate? there are three words which tell the story. "_turn!_" "_confess!_" "_make supplication!_" the words need no exposition. i must turn my face to my despised and neglected lord; i must tell them all about my miserable revolt, and i must humbly crave for his restoring grace. and the answer is sure. such humble exercise sets the joy-bells ringing, and the rich forgiveness of the lord fills the soul with peace. "o taste and see how gracious the lord is." november the twenty-third _the stranger_ kings viii. - . yes, indeed, what space has "the stranger" in my supplications? has he any place at all? are my intercessions private enclosures, intended only for the select among my friends? do i ever open the door to anyone outside my family circle? are my ecclesiastical sympathies large enough to include "outsiders" from afar? what do i do with "the stranger"? there is nothing which keeps prayer sweet and fresh and wholesome like the letting in of "the stranger"! to let a new guest sit down at the feast of my intercession is to give my own soul a most nutritious surprise. it is a most healthy spiritual habit to see to it that we bring in a new "stranger" every time we pray. let me be continually enlarging the circle of hospitality! let some new and weary bird find a resting-place in the branches of my supplications every time i hold communication with god. a prayer which has no room for "the stranger" can have little or no room for god. november the twenty-fourth _the prayer which ends in sacrifice_ kings viii. - . and that is the healthy order of all true worship. it begins in spacious supplication in which "the stranger" finds a place. then there is a lavish consecration of self and substance. and then the wedding-bells begin to ring, and "the joy of the lord is our strength!" "_they went unto their tents joyful and glad of heart for all the goodness that the lord had done._" but so many suppliants miss the middle term, and therefore the gladness is wanting. supplication is not followed by consecration, and therefore there is no exultation. it is a fatal omission. when we are asking for "the gift of god" our request must be accompanied by the gift of ourselves to god. if we want the water we must offer the vessel. no gift of self, no bounty of god! no losing, no finding! "when the burnt offering began, the song of the lord began." "take my life, and let it be consecrated, lord, to thee." november the twenty-fifth _after the prayer the fire!_ "_when solomon had made an end of praying the fire came down from heaven._" -- chronicles vii. - . and the fire is the symbol of the holy god. pure flame is our imperfect mode of expressing the incorruptible. this burning flame is heat and light in one. and when solomon had prayed, the holy flame was in their midst. but not only is the flame the symbol of the holy; it also typifies the power which can make me holy. we have no cleansing minister to compare with fire. where water fails fire succeeds. after an epidemic water is comparatively impotent. we commit the infested garments to the flames. it was the great fire of london which delivered london from the tyranny of the plague. and so it is with my soul. god, who is holy flame, will burn out the germs of my sin. he will "purify jerusalem with the spirit of burning." "our god is a consuming fire." come to my soul, o holy flame! place thy "burning bliss" against my wickedness, and consume it utterly away! november the twenty-sixth _unconsecrated souls_ "_this house which i have sanctified will i cast out of my sight, and will make it a proverb and a by-word among all nations._" -- chronicles vii. - . and thus am i taught that consecrated houses are nothing without consecrated souls. it is not the mode of worship, but the spirit of the worshipper which forms the test of a consecrated people. if the worshipper is defiled his temple becomes an offence. when the kernel is rotten, and i offer the husk to god, the offering is a double insult to his most holy name. and yet, how tempted i am to assume that god will be pleased with the mere outsides of things, with words instead of aspiration, with postures instead of dispositions, with the letter instead of the spirit, with an ornate and costly temple instead of a sweet and lowly life! day by day i am tempted to treat the almighty as though he were a child! nay, the bible uses a more awful word; it says men treat the lord as though he were a fool! from all such irreverence and frivolity, good lord, deliver me! let me ever remember that thou "desirest truth in the _inward_ man." "in the hidden parts" help me "to know wisdom." november the twenty-seventh _the value of reverence_ romans xiii. - . when i pay honour to honourable ministers i not only honour my god, but i enrich and refine my own soul. one of the great secrets of spiritual culture is to know how to revere. there is an uncouth spirit of self-aggression which, while it wounds and impoverishes others, destroys its finest spiritual furniture in its own ungodly heat. the man who never bows will never soar. to pay homage where homage is due is one of the exercises which will help to keep us near "the great white throne." i know my peril, for i recognize one of the prevalent perils of our time. some of the old courtesies are being discarded as though they belonged to a younger day. some of the old tokens of respect have been banished to the limbo of rejected ritual. dignitaries are jostled in the common crowd. "one man is as good as another!" and so there is a tendency to strip life of all its reverences, and venerable fanes become stables for unclean things. my soul, come thou not into this shame! move in the ways of life with softened tread, and pay thy respect at every shrine where dwells the grace and power of god. november the twenty-eighth _how to fight evil_ "_overcome evil with good._" --romans xii. - . for how else can we cast out evil? satan cannot cast out satan. no one can clean a room with a filthy duster. the surgeon cannot cut out the disease if his instruments are defiled. while he removed one ill-growth he would sow the seed of another. it must be health which fights disease. it will demand a good temper to overcome the bad temper in my brother. and therefore i must cultivate a virtue if i would eradicate a vice. that applies to the state of my own soul. if there be some immoral habit in my life, the best way to destroy it is by cultivating a good one. take the mind away from the evil one. deprive it of thought-food. give the thought to the nobler mood, and the ignoble mood will die. and this also applies to the faults and vices of my brother. i must fight them with their opposites. if he is harsh and cruel, i must be considerate and gentle. if he is grasping, i must be generous. if he is loud and presumptuous, i must be soft-mannered and self-restrained. if he is devilish, i must be a christian. this is the warfare which tells upon the empire of sin. i can overcome evil with good. november the twenty-ninth _transforming our foes_ matthew v. - . "love your enemies." it must be the aim of a christian to make his enemy lovely. it is not my supreme business to secure my safety, but to remove his ugliness. he may only annoy me, but he is destroying himself. he may injure my reputation; but far worse, he is blighting his own character. therefore must i seek to remove the greater thing, the corrosive malady in his own soul. i must make it my purpose to recover his loveliness, and restore the lost likeness of the lord. and only love can make things lovely. revenge can never do it. even duty will fail in the gracious work. there is a final touch, a consummate bloom, to which duty can never attain, and which is only attainable by love. all love's ministries are creative of loveliness. wherever her finger rests, something exquisite is born. love is a great magician: she transforms the desert into a garden, and she makes the wilderness blossom like the rose. but where shall we get the love wherewith to make our enemy lovely? from the great lover himself. "we love, because he first loved us." the great lover will love love into us! and we, too, shall become fountains of love, for our lord will open "rivers in the high places, and fountains in the midst of the valleys." november the thirtieth _the spring and the river_ "_with the lord there is mercy._" --psalm cxxx. that is the ultimate spring. all the pilgrims of the night may meet at that fountain. we have no other common meeting-place. if we make any other appointment we shall lose one another on the way. but we can meet one another at the fountain, men of all colours, and of all denominations, and of all creeds. "by thy mercy, o deliver us, good lord!" "_there is forgiveness with thee._" that is the quickening river. sin and guilt scorch the fair garden of the soul as the lightning withers and destroys the strong and beautiful things in woodland and field. the graces are stricken, holy qualities are smitten, and the soul languishes like a blasted heath. but from the fountain of god's mercy there flows the vitalizing stream of his forgiveness. "there is a river the streams whereof shall make glad the city of god." it is the mystic "river of life, clear as crystal." "everything shall live whither the river cometh." "_with him is plenteous redemption._" salvation is not merely a recovered flower, it is a recovered garden. it is not the restoring merely of a withered hand; "he restoreth my soul." god does not make an oasis in a surrounding desert; he makes the entire wilderness to "rejoice and blossom as the rose." december the first _a faithful friend_ proverbs xxvii. - . "_a faithful friend is a strong defence._" he is a gift of god, and therefore a "means of grace." the lord's seal is upon his ministry. how we impoverish ourselves by separating these precious gifts from their giver? we desecrate many a fair shrine by emptying it of god. we turn many a temple into just a common house. when we think of our friend let us link him to our father, and fall upon our knees in grateful praise. he is god's minister in his encouragements. when he cheers me, it is "the sun of righteousness who rises with healing in his wings." all radiant words are just lamps for "the light of life." all genial speech carries flame from the altar fire of heaven. and he is god's minister in his reproofs. he uses a clean knife: there is no poison on the blade. and when he does surgeon's work upon me, it is clean work, healthy work, the relentless enemy of disease. some men cut me, and the wound festers. there is malice in the deed. my friend wounds me in order that he may give me a larger, sweeter life. december the second _the lord as a friend_ john xv. - . "ye are my friends!" in my lord's friendship there is _the ministry of sacrifice_. "greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." this great friend is always giving his blood. it is a lasting shame when professed christians are afflicted with spiritual anæmia. and yet we are often so fearful, so white-faced, so chicken-hearted, so averse from battle, that no one would think us to be "the soldiers of the lord." we need blood. "except ye drink my blood ye have no life." and in my lord's friendship there is the _privilege of most intimate communion_. "all things that i have heard of my father i have made known unto you." he takes us into his confidence, and tells us his secrets. it is his delight to lift the veil, and give us constant surprises of love and grace. he discovers flowers in desert places, and in the gloom he unbosoms "the treasures of darkness." he is a friend of inexhaustible resource, and his companionship makes the pilgrim's way teem with interest, and abound in the wonders of redeeming grace. december the third _arms and the man!_ thessalonians v. - . what wonderful armour is offered to me in which to meet the insidious assaults of the devil! there is "_the armour of light_." sunlight is the most sanative energy we know. it is the foe of many a deadly microbe which seeks a lodging in our bodies. light is a splendid armour, even in the realm of the flesh. and so it is in the soul. if the soul is a home of light, the eternal light, evil germs will die as soon as they approach us. they will find nothing to breed on. "the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me." and there is the armour of "_faith and love_." the opposite to faith is uncertainty, and the opposite to love is cynicism, and who does not know that uncertainty and cynicism are the very hotbeds for the machinations of the evil one? when faith is enthroned the soul is open to the reception of grace, and when love shares the throne the sovereignty is invincible. and there is the armour of "_hope_." even in a physical ailment a man has a mighty ally who wrestles in hope. and when a man's hope is in the lord his god all the powers in the heavenly places are his allies, and by his hope he shall be saved. december the fourth _children of light_ thessalonians v. - . can we think of a more beautiful figure than this--"_children of light_"? as i write these words i look out upon a building every window of which is ablaze with light, every room the home of attractive brightness. and my life is to be like that! and i look again and i see a lighthouse sending out its strong, pure, friendly beams to guide the mariner as he seeks his "desired haven." and my life is to be like that! and i look once more, and i see a common road lamp, sending its useful light upon the busy street, helping the wayfarer as he goes from place to place. and my life is to be like that! and if my soul is all lit up in friendly radiance for others, the light will be my own defence. light always scares away the vermin. lift up a stone in the meadow, let in the light, and see how a hundred secret things will scurry away. and light in the soul scares away "the unfruitful works of darkness"; they cannot dwell with the light. light repels the evil one; it acts upon him like burning flame. yes, we are well protected when we are clothed in "the armour of light." but how can we become "children of light," holy homes of protective and saving radiance? happily, it is not our lot to provide the light, it is ours to provide the lamp. if we offer the lamp the lord will give the flame. december the fifth _the second-best for god_ chronicles xvii. - . so the best was for man, and the second-best for god! the cedar for self-indulgence, and the curtains for the home of worship! it is a marked sign of spiritual awakening when a man begins to contrast his own indulgences with the rights of god. there are so many of us who are lavish in our home and miserly in the sanctuary. we multiply treasures which bring us little profit, and we are niggardly where treasure would be of most gracious service. "i dwell in a house of cedar," and yet i am thoughtless about god's poor! for i must remember that the poor are the arks of the lord. "i was naked, and ye clothed me not." "i dwell in a house of cedar"; my liberties are many and spacious; and yet there are tribes of god's people held in the tyranny of dark and hopeless servitude. i dwell in england, but what about the folk on the congo? i dwell in a land of ample religious freedom, but what about armenia? do my sympathies remain confined within my cedar walls, or do they go out to god's neglected ones in every land and clime? december the sixth _the grace of lowliness_ chronicles xvii. - . it is by such lowliness that we arrive at our true sovereignty. all spiritual treasures are hidden along the ways of humility, and it is meekness which discovers them. the uplifted head of pride overlooks them, and its "finds" are only pleasure of the passing day. lowliness is the secret of spiritual perceptiveness. i find my sight in lowly places. the sacred word speaks of "the _valley_ of vision." i usually associate vision and outlook with mountain summits, but in spiritual realms the very capacity to use the heights is acquired in the vale. lowliness is the secret of spiritual roominess. it is only the humble man who has any room for the lord. all the chambers in the proud man's soul are thronged with self-conceits, and god is crowded out. our lord always finds ample room for himself wherever the heart bows in humility and says: "i am not worthy that thou shouldst come under my roof." december the seventh _chosen as builders_ "_take heed now, for the lord hath chosen thee to build._" -- chronicles xxviii. - . and how must he take heed? for it may be that the lord hath also chosen me to build, and the counsel given to solomon may serve me in this later day. let me listen. "_serve him with a perfect heart._" god's chosen builders must be characterized by singleness and simplicity. he can do nothing with "double" men, who do things only "by half," giving one part to him and the other part to mammon. it is like offering the stock of a gun to one man and the barrel to another; and the effect is nil. no, the entire gun! the "perfect heart"! "_and with a willing mind._" for the willing mind is the ready mind, and god can do nothing with the unready. i never know just when he will call me to add another stone to the rising walls of the new jerusalem, and if i am "otherwise engaged" i am a grievous hindrance to his gracious plans. he must be willing and ready who would be a builder of the walls of zion. and to that man the lord will entrust the privilege of responsibility. december the eighth _judged by our aspirations_ "_thou didst well, it was in thine heart._" -- chronicles vi. - . and this was a purpose which the man was not permitted to realize. it was a temple built in the substance of dreams, but never established in wood and stone. and god took the shadowy structure and esteemed it as a perfected pile. the sacred intention was regarded as a finished work. the will to build a temple was regarded as a temple built. and hence i discern the preciousness of all hallowed purpose and desire, even though it never receive actual accomplishment. "thou didst well, it was in thine heart." and so the will to be, and the will to do, is acceptable sacrifice unto the lord! "i wish i could be a missionary to the foreign field," but the duties of home forbid. but as a missionary she is accepted of our god, even though she never land on distant shore. our purposes work, as well as the work itself. desire is full of holy energy as well as fruition. the wish to do good is good itself; the very longing is a minister in the kingdom of our god. if, therefore, we are to be judged by our aspirations, there are multitudes of apparent failures who will one day be revealed as clothed in the radiance of spiritual victory. december the ninth _national blessedness_ "_blessed is the people that know the joyful sound._" --psalm lxxxix. - . blessed is the people who love the sound of the silver trumpet which calls to holy convocation! blessed is the people who are sacredly impatient for the hour of holy communion! blessed is the people "in whose heart are the highways to zion." and in what shall their blessedness consist? in illumination. "_they shall walk, o lord, in the light of thy countenance._" the favour of the lord shall shine upon them when they walk through rough and troublous places. there shall always be a sunny patch where the soul is in communion with its lord. in exultation. "_in thy name shall they rejoice all the day._" there is nothing like sunshine for making the spirits dance! light is a great emancipator, a great breaker-up of frozen bondages. it thaws "the genial currents of the soul," and the stream of life sings in its progress. in exaltation. "_in thy righteousness shall they be exalted._" they will be lifted up above their enemies. in elevation they will find their safety. god lifts us above our passions, above our cares, above our little fears and tempers, and we find our peace upon the heights. december the tenth _the only wise beginning_ "_the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom._" --psalm cxi. if i want to do anything wisely i must begin with god. that is the very alphabet of the matter. every other beginning is a perverse beginning, and it will end in sure disaster. "i am alpha." everything must take its rise in him, or it will plunge from folly into folly, and culminate in confusion. if i would be wise in my daily business i must begin all my affairs in god. my career itself must be chosen in his presence, and in the illumination of his most holy spirit. and in the subsequent days nothing must be done that is not rooted and grounded in him. if i would be wise as a teacher i must begin with god. i must not merely call him in to bless my lesson when my labour is done. the very beginnings of my thinkings must be in him. our lord will not write an appendix to a volume about which he has never been consulted. "they who seek me _early_ shall find me." and so it is with the varied activities of our multitudinous life. if we would have them shine with quiet wisdom we must light them at the sun of glory. december the eleventh _the speech of the incarnation_ "_he hath spoken to us in his son._" --hebrews i. and that blessed son spake my language. he came into my troubled conditions and expressed himself out of my humble lot. my surroundings afforded him a language in which he made known his good news. the carpenter's shop, the shepherd on the hill, the ladened vine, a wayside well, common bread, a friend's sickness, the desolation of a garden, the darkness of "the last things"--these all offered him a mode of speech in which he unveiled to me the heart of god. he came as the son to make me a son. for i had made myself a slave, and called my bondage freedom. i wore my badge of servitude with unholy pride. but when he came and spake to me, my lost inheritance dawned upon my wondering eyes, and i knew myself to be enslaved. but his was the glorious mission not only to awake but to emancipate, not only to unveil lost splendour but to recover it. he came to set us free, "and if the son shall make you free ye shall be free indeed." "this my son was lost and is found." has that great word been spoken concerning me in the father's home of light? "lord, i would serve, and be a son. dismiss me not, i pray." december the twelfth _relating everything to god_ "_whether therefore ye eat, or drink, or whatever ye do, do all to the glory of god._" -- corinthians x. - . and so all my days would constitute a vast temple, and life would be a constant worship. this is surely the science and art of holy living--to relate everything to the infinite. when i take my common meal and relate it to "the glory of god," the common meal becomes a sacramental feast. when my labour is joined "unto the lord," the sacred wedding turns my workshop into a church. when i link the country lane to the saviour, i am walking in the garden of eden, and paradise is restored. the fact of the matter is, we never see anything truly until we see it in the light of the glory of god. set a dull duty in that light and it shines like a diamond. set a bit of drudgery in that light and it becomes transfigured like the wing of a starling when the sunshine falls upon it. everything is seen amiss until we see it in the glory! and, therefore, it is my wisdom to set everything in that light, and to do all to the glory of god. december the thirteenth _the holy and the profane_ "_put difference between the holy and the unholy._" --leviticus x. - . the peril of our day is that so many of these differences are growing faint. the holy merges into the unholy, and we can scarcely see the dividing line. black merges into white through manifold shades of grey. falsehood slopes into truth through cunning expediences and white lies. lust merges into purity through conviviality and geniality and good-fellowship. so is one thing losing itself in another, and vivid moral distinctions are being obscured and effaced. there is only one way to keep these native contrasts in vivid relief, and that is by living in the unsullied light of god's holy presence. "in thy light shall we see light." things are seen in their true colours only when we bring them before the great white throne. fabrics seen in the gas-light reveal quite other shades when we bring them into the light of day. we must not make our distinctions in the gas-light of worldly standard and expediency; we must take them into his presence before whose radiance even the angels veil their faces, and we shall see things as they are, and we shall know "the difference between the holy and the profane." december the fourteenth _the sacred use of liberty_ "_take heed lest this liberty of yours becomes a stumbling-block._" -- corinthians viii. - . that is a very solemn warning. my liberty may trip someone into bondage. if life were an affair of one my liberty might be wholesome; but it is an affair of many, and my liberty may be destructive to my fellows. i am not only responsible for my life, but for its influence. when a thing has been lived there is still the example to deal with. if orange peel be thrown upon the pavement, that is not the end of the feast. the man who slips over the peel is a factor in the incident, and my responsibility covers him. i am, therefore, to consider both my deeds and their influence. how does my life trend when it touches my brother? in what way does he move because of the impact of my example? towards liberty or towards license? to the swamps of transgression or to the fields of holiness? these are determining questions, and i must not seek to escape or ignore them. my brother is a vital part of my life. i must never shut him out of my sight. how is he influenced by my example? "if meat make my brother to stumble, i will eat no flesh while the world standeth." december the fifteenth _what is my tendency?_ "_whether we live, we live unto_...." --romans xiv. - . unto what? in what direction are we living? whither are we going? how do we complete the sentence? "we live unto _money_!" that is how many would be compelled to finish the record. money is their goal, and their goal determines their tendency. "we live unto _pleasure_!" such would be another popular company. "we live unto _fame_!" that would be the banner of another regiment. "we live unto _ease_!" thus would men and women describe their quests. "unto" what? that is the searching question which probes life to its innermost desire. "for whether we live, we live _unto the lord_." that was the apostle's unfailing tendency, increasing in its momentum every day. he crashed through obstacles in his glorious quest. he sought the lord through everything and in everything. when new circumstances confronted him, his first question was this--"where is christ in all this?" he found the right way across every trackless moor by simply seeking christ. december the sixteenth _the greatest wonders_ hebrews xi. - . the greatest wonders are not in nature but in grace. a regenerated soul is a greater marvel than the marvel of the spring-time. a transfigured face is a deeper mystery than a sun-lit garden. to rear graces in a life once scorched and blasted by sin is more wonderful than to grow flowers on a cinder-heap. if we want to see the realm of surpassing wonders we must look into a soul that has been born again and is now in vital union with the living christ. even the angels watch the sight with ever-deepening awe and praise. as the spiritual is the home of wonders, so also is it the field of brightest exploits. it is not what men have done by the sword that counts in the esteem of heaven--such deeds mean little or nothing; it is what they have done "by faith." weak, frail men and women have put their faith in god, and have done the impossible! faith unites the weakling with almightiness! faith makes a lonely soul one with "the spirits of just men made perfect," and with them he shares "the power and the glory" of the eternal god. december the seventeenth _god's presence our defence_ exodus xv. - . when we invent little devices to protect us against the evil one, he laughs at our petty presumption. it is like unto a child erecting sand ramparts against an incoming sea. the only thing that makes the devil fear is the presence of god. our money can do nothing. our culture can do nothing. our social status can do nothing. only god can deal with devils. "by the greatness of thine arm they shall be still as a stone." when thou art with me "i will fear no evil"; the fear shall be with my foes. it is, therefore, the divine in anything which endows it with a strong defence. if the holy god dwells in our culture, then our culture becomes like an invulnerable fort. if god abides in our recreations, then our very sports are armed against our foes. if "the joy of the lord" is in our festivity, then our very merriment is proof against the invasion of the world. when the lord is in us, fear dwells in the opposite camp. "therefore will not we fear though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be shaken in the heart of the seas." december the eighteenth _the sinner's guest_ "_he is gone to be guest with a man that is a sinner._" --luke xix. - . it was hurled as an accusation; it has been treasured as a garland. it was first said in contempt; it is repeated in adoration. it was thought to reveal his earthliness; it is now seen to unveil his glory. our saviour seeks the home of the sinner. the best desires to be the guest of the worst. he spreads his kindnesses for the outcasts, and he offers his friendship to the exile on the loneliest road. he waits to befriend the defeated, the poor folk with aching consciences and broken wills. he loves to go to souls that have lost their power of flight, like birds with broken wings, which can only flutter in the unclean road. he went to zacchæus. yes, the lord went to be "guest with a man that is a sinner," and he changed the sinner into a saint. the worldling found wings. the stone became flesh. gentle emotions began to stir in a heart hardened by heedlessness and sin. restitution took the place of greed. the home of the sinner became the temple of the lord. "to-day is salvation come to this house forasmuch as he also is a son of abraham." december the nineteenth _the sun of righteousness_ "_a light to lighten the gentiles._" --luke ii. - . that was the wonder of wonders. hitherto the light had been supposed to be for israel alone; and now a heavenly splendour was to fall upon the gentiles. hitherto the light had been thought of as a lamp, illuming a single place; now it was to be a sun, shedding its glory upon a world. the "people that sat in darkness" are now to see "a great light." new regions are to be occupied; there is to be daybreak everywhere! "the sun of righteousness is arisen, with healing in his wings." "to lighten the gentiles!" and thus the heavenly beams have come to thee and me, to europe and america, and to all the nations of the earth. the amazing privilege is our personal inheritance. we are born to glorious rights in christ jesus. but a wealthy heir may neglect this inheritance. we may have the light and neglect our garden. we may have all the favours of a blessed clime, and yet our life may be like a wilderness. the gentiles may have the light, and may yet be children of the darkness. it is ours to believe in the light that our lives may become "light in the lord." december the twentieth _the coming of the lord_ john i. - . my lord came as "_the word_." he came as the expression of the mind of the eternal god. ordinary words could not have carried the "good news." ordinary language was an altogether inadequate vessel for this new wine. and so the mighty news was spoken in the incarnation of the lord. my lord came as "life." "_in him was life._" but not a mere cupful of life, or even a cup running over. he came as "the fountain of life." nay, if i had the requisite word i must get even behind and beyond this. for he was the creator of fountains. "the water that i shall give him shall be _in him a well_." yes, he was the fountain of fountains! the lord came as "light." "_the life was the light._" true light is always the child of life. our clearest light comes not from speech or doctrine, still less does it emerge from controversy. it is the fine, subtle issue of fine living. and my light is to "shine before men" by reason of the indwelling life of the christ. and my lord came as "power." "_to them gave he power._" all the power i need for a full, holy, healthy life i can find in him. every obligation has its corresponding inspiration, and i am competent to do his will. december the twenty-first _the lord of working men_ luke ii. - . and so the good news was told to shepherds, to working men who were toiling in the fields. the coming king would hallow the common work of man, and in his love and grace all the problems of labour would find a solution. the lord of the christmas-tide throws a halo over common toil. even christian people have not all learnt the significance of the angels' visit to the lonely shepherds. some of us can see the light resting upon a bishop's crosier, but we cannot see the radiance on the ordinary shepherd's staff. we can discern the hallowedness of a priest's vocation, but we see no sanctity in the calling of the grocer, or of the scavenger in the street. we can see the nimbus on the few, but not on the crowd; on the unusual, but not upon the commonplace. but the very birth-hour of christianity irradiated the humble doings of humble people. when the angels went to the shepherds, common work was encircled with an immortal crown. and it is in the lord jesus that all labour troubles are to be put to rest. if we work from any other centre we shall arrive at confusion confounded. "i have the keys." december the twenty-second _the lord of the worshipper_ luke ii. - . and so the good news was taken to the worshipper bowing within the gates of the temple. the soul of old simeon was filled with holy satisfaction and peace. the cravings of the heart were quieted, and its desires found the coveted feast in the holy child of god. and thus the lord jesus was not only to dignify the body but to gratify the soul. he was to be most efficient where he was most needed. and this has been the unfailing experience of the years. there is a hunger in my soul for which i can find no satisfying bread. i have tried many breads; i have tried nature, and art, and music, and literature, and i have tried human fellowship and social service. but my soul is hungry still! and the lord jesus comes to me, as i reverently grope in the vast temple, and he "satisfies the hungry soul" with good things. his "bread of life" is very wonderful; it lifts the soul into the restfulness of strength, and gives me a strange buoyancy, and "the glorious liberty of the children of god." "my soul, wait thou only on him!" he is thy hope, thy strength, and thy salvation! he is "the desire of all the nations." december the twenty-third _the lord of the students_ matthew ii. - . and so the good news came to "wise men," shall we say to students, busying themselves with the vast and intricate problems of the mind. and the evangel offered the students mental satisfaction, bringing the interpreting clue, beaming upon them with the guiding ray which would lead them into perfect noon. yes, our wise men must find the key of wisdom in the lord. in a wider sense than the meaning of the original word it is true that "the fear of the lord is the beginning of wisdom." to seek mental satisfactions and leave out jesus is like trying to make a garden and leave out the sun. "without me ye can do nothing," not even in the unravelling of the problems which beset and besiege the mind. if my mental pilgrimage is to be as "a shining light shining more and more even unto perfect day," i must begin with jesus, and pay homage to his kingly and incomparable glory. i must lay my treasures at his feet, "gold, and frankincense, and myrrh." then will he lead me "into all truth," and "the truth shall make me free." december the twenty-fourth _entering in at lowly doors_ "_unto us a child is born._" --isaiah ix. - . how gentle the coming! who would have had sufficient daring of imagination to conceive that god almighty would have appeared among men as a little child? we should have conceived something sensational, phenomenal, catastrophic, appalling! the most awful of the natural elements would have formed his retinue, and men would be chilled and frozen with fear. but he came as a little child. the great god "emptied himself"; he let in the light as our eyes were able to bear it. "_unto us a son is given._" and that is the superlative gift! the love that bestows such gift is all-complete and gracious. and the son is given in order that we may all be born into sonship. it is the son's ministry to make sons. "now are we the sons of god," and we are of his creation. "lord, i would serve, and be a son; dismiss me not, i pray." december the twenty-fifth _christmas cheer_ "_good will toward men!_" --luke ii. - . the heavens are not filled with hostility. the sky does not express a frown. when i look up i do not contemplate a face of brass, but the face of infinite good will. yet when i was a child, many a picture has made me think of god as suspicious, inhumanly watchful, always looking round the corner to catch me at the fall. that "eye," placed in the sky of many a picture, and placed there to represent god, filled my heart with a chilling fear. that god was to me a magnified policeman, watching for wrong-doers, and ever ready for the infliction of punishment. it was all a frightful perversion of the gracious teaching of jesus. heaven overflows with good will toward men! our god not only wishes good, he wills it! "he gave his only begotten son," as the sacred expression of his infinite good will. he has good will toward thee and me, and mine and thine. let that holy thought make our christmas cheer. december the twenty-sixth _daybreak in the soul_ isaiah ix. - . it is a lonely and a chilling experience to sit in the darkness. and the gloom and the cold are all the more intense when there is death in the house. in such conditions we are in great need of light and fire. and that is how the children of men were feeling before the saviour came. they "_sat in darkness_" and in "_the shadow of death_." the world was cold, and sin and death were in it, and they longed for light and cheer. and "the great light came," and his wonderful presence not only illumines the house but banishes the fear of sin and death. "_they that dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined._" where can we get this living light except in the lord jesus christ? everything else is candle-light! it fails us in the midnight. it flickers amid conflicting currents. it goes out in the rough blast. the light of art and of literature fails me when i need them most. when i sit in the darkness, with death in the house, these kindly ministers have no effective beams. i turn to the master, and he shines upon me, and it is daybreak in the soul! december the twenty-seventh _the sunny side of things_ john i. - . i have just come out of a gloomy room into a sunny room to write these words. i had my choice. i could have stayed in the sombre room, but i choose to come into the sun-lit room and the warm, cheering beams are even now falling upon my page. "walk in the light!" and i make my choice, and how often i choose to walk without christ in the unfertilizing and unfruitful gloom of self-will! in the light of the lord i could have a garden of eden; how often i choose the dingy wilderness where i can grow neither flowers nor fruits. "walk in the light." the lord's companionship always makes the sunny side of the street. it may be that the way is rough and stony and difficult, but in his company there is light that never fails, compared with which the world's noontide is only as the gloomiest night. and the souls that "walk in the light" gather "sacred sweets" all along the way. heavenly fruits grow for the children of light, fruits of love and joy and peace, and the favoured pilgrim plucks them as he goes along. "all i find in jesus." the way of light is the way of delight, and "the joy of the lord is our strength." december the twenty-eighth _in him was life_ john i. - . i have heard men speak of "wanting to see a bit of life," and i found that what they meant was to see a bit of death. it is as if a man should go to the hospital to see a bit of health, or as if he should go to a gory battlefield to see the human frame. it is like going to a refuse-heap to see a bit of garden. life is not found in fields of license; it is not found among the wild oats of a dissipated youth. life is found only in christ, and if we want to see a bit of life we must go to him. "in him was life"; and that not merely to be looked at but to be shared. he is the well to which everybody can bring his pitcher, and take it away filled. and my pitcher is just my need. "all the fitness he requires is to feel our need of him." the life is all-sufficient for the needs of the race. this life can vitalize all that is withered and dead; it can make decrepit wills muscular and mighty, and it can transfigure the leper with the glow and purity of perfect health. "thou of life the fountain art, freely let me take of thee." december the twenty-ninth _the love of god_ john iv. - . let me more assiduously think of god's love. let me sit down to it. in the national gallery can be seen two sorts of people. there are the mere vagrants, who are always "on the move," passing from picture to picture, without seeing any. and there are the students, who sit down, and contemplate, and meditate, and appropriate, and saturate. and there are vagrants in respect to the love of the lord. they have a passing glimpse, but the impression is not vital and vitalizing, and there are the students, who are always gazing, and who are continually crying, "o the depth of the riches of the love of god in christ!" "his riches are unsearchable!" and god's love is the creator of my love. "while i muse the fire burns." i am kindled into the same holy passion. that is to say, contemplation determines character. we acquire the hues of the things to which we cling. to hold fellowship with love is to become loveful and lovely. "we love because he first loved us." and then, in the third place, it is through my love that i know my lord. "_everyone that loveth knoweth god._" love is the lens through which i discern the secret things of god. december the thirtieth _the blessedness of forgiveness_ "_blessed is he whose transgression is forgiven._" --psalm xxxii. it is the blessedness of emancipation. the boat which has been tethered to the weird, baleful shore is set free, and sails toward the glories of the morning. the man, long cramped in the dark, imprisoning pit, is brought out, and stretches his limbs in the sweet light and air of god's free world. black servitude is ended; glorious liberty begins. it is the blessedness of education. for when we are freed we are by no means perfected. we are liberated babes; and our emancipator does not desert us in our spiritual infancy. the foundling is not abandoned. "having loved his own he loved them unto the end." he begins with us in the spiritual nursery, and he will train and lead and feed us until we are "perfect in christ jesus." therefore is it the blessedness of exultation. the babe is resting on the bosom of the lord, and "the joy of the lord is his strength." it is not my emancipation that ensures my joy; it is the abiding presence of the emancipator. december the thirty-first _the rear-guard_ "_goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life._" --psalm xxiii. but why "_follow_" me? why not "go before"? because some of my enemies are in the rear; they attack me from behind. there are foes in my yesterdays which can give me fatal wounds. they can stab me in the back! if i could only get away from the past! its guilt dogs my steps. its sins are ever at my heels. i have turned my face toward the lord, but my yesterdays pursue me like a relentless hound! so i have an enemy in the rear. but, blessed be his name, my mighty god is in the rear as well as my foe. "goodness and mercy shall follow me!" no hound can break through that defence. between me and my guilt there is the infinite love of the lord. the loving lord will not permit my past to destroy my soul. i may sorrow for my past, but my very sorrow shall be a minister of moral and spiritual health. my lord is lord of the past as well as of the morrow, and so to-day "i will trust and not be afraid." * * * * * devotional ================================================================== _robert f. horton_ the triumphant life: life, warfare and victory through the cross mo, cloth, net c. the author, one of the most influential preachers and devotional writers, presents an attractive volume of brief counsels on faith and duty. _charles brown_ lessons from the cross mo, cloth, net c. a volume of remarkable spiritual power which will also prove an incentive to further study of this great subject. _milford hall lyon_ for the life that now is mo, cloth, net c. 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