7)EV07JONAL 'READINGS •TOI{A TEAR^ W-L-WATICINSON- K tihvaxy of t:he trheolojvcal ^emmarjp PRINCETON • NEW JERSEY PRESENTED BY The Estate of Harold McAfee Robinson, D.D. BV 4811 .W37 Watkinson, W. L. 1838-1925. The gates of dawn L^* n THE GATES OF DAWN W. L. WATKINSON, P.P. The Gates of Dawn Devotional Readings for a Year. . . net, $1.25 Life's Unexpected Issues and other Papers on Character and I Conduct net, $1.00 The Fatal Barter and other Sermons net, $1.00 The Supreme Conquest and other Sermons Preached in Amer- ica net, $1.00 The Duty of Imperial Thinking and other Essays on Themes Worth While net, $1.00 The Bane and the Antidote and other Sermons net, $1.00 Lessons of Prosperity and other Addresses on Personal Conduct net, 500. Mistaken Signs and other Addresses on Christian Experience net, 50c. Noon Day Addresses on Themes Affecting Life net, 50c. Inspiration in Common Life net, 3SC. INTERNATIONAL LEADERS' LIBRARY Frugality in the Spiritual Life and other Themes for Meditation, net, 50c. The Blind Spot and other Sermons net, soc. Studies in Christian Character net, 50C. Studies in Life and Experience net, 50C. THE ^^5:2^LS?^ GATES OF DAWNT devotional IReaMnge for a l?ear BY W. L. WATKINSON, D.Do WITH A SHORT SERIES OF PRAYERS BY THE Rev. LAUCHLAN MACLEAN WATT, M.A., B.D. New York Chicago Toronto Fleming H. Revell Company London and Edinburgh January 1 Scripture Reading — Ps. xxvii. Thought for the Day "Examine me, Lord, and prove me; try my reins and my heart." — Ps. xxvi. 2 IT is indeed well on the first day of the New Year thus to submit our heart to the Divine criticism. We do not know where the weak spot may be. Somewhere in London there is a museum of broken materials used in engineering work. This organised testing laboratory is to examine materials which have failed, and by practical tests to show why they failed. The museum contains hundreds of broken pieces of steel, iron, brass, wood, stone, and cement, and the reason for their failure is revealed. The Psalmist daringly, trustingly, brings his reason and heart into the laboratory of God, and demands that any secret flaw therein shall be detected and exposed. The metallurgist cannot always determine the cause of failure ; again and again he is brought face to face with the inscrutable; but the Divine heart- searcher infallibly penetrates to the hidden weakness, the blind spot, the diseased fibre. Let us, with the Psalmist, solicit "the eyes of glory," which at once reveal and cleanse. THE GATES OF DAWN January 2 Scripture Reading— Phil. ii. i-ii Thought for the Day "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted A/w?."— Phil. ii. 9 THIS is the object on which we must fix our eye. The descent of our Lord into the sphere of time and sense is a solemn fact to be celebrated with wonder and gratitude, but His exaltation is cause of endless exultation to all His ransomed worshippers. The crown of thorns glows into gold and multiplies into diadems ; the marred face makes the sun dim ; the pierced hand grasps the universal sceptre ; the cross towers and expands into a throne based on the jasper and girdled by the rainbow. Do we think enough, anything like enough, of the royalty of our Master ? In all the days when we have the sense of impotence and struggle, let us remember whose we are and whom we serve. In every season of need and solitude let us remind our- selves that our Lord was parted from His disciples whilst blessing them, and although carried up into heaven, He has never ceased that blessing. And let us expect His coming again in like manner. As Andrew Bonar writes: "How seldom the ex- pression ' going to heaven ' is used in the Bible ! It is rather going to be ' with the Lord,' as if the Lord wanted to keep our eye on Himself as the heart and soul of heaven." THE GATES OF DAWN January 3 Scripture Reading — Ps. xvi. Thought for the Day "Thou wilt shew me the path of life; in Thy presence is fulness of Joy." — Ps. xvi. ii THE "path of life" may be rough, dark, steep, or long; but, seeing that it is the path of life, nothing else is of serious concern. If only I am on the right path, all the rest matters little. There is a path that seemeth right, but the end thereof are the ways of death. What shall I be profited if I follow this path, even if I have roses and music all the way ? " Thou wilt shew me." God is the safe pathfinder. Left to ourselves, we mistake at every step ; directed by others, we are beguiled into false ways — we are lured into by-paths which mock, we plunge into a wilderness of briers. How blest is a teachable and obedient disposition ! " I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel." " In Thy presence is fulness of joy." Whatever the path may be, it is forgotten in the charm of the Guide. In the midst of the roughest sea I am in port with the Pilot of Galilee. " At thy right hand are pleasures for evermore." The path, royal; the pathfinder, infallible j the prize, sublime and sure. THE GATES OF DAWN January 4 Scripture Reading — Isa. Iv. 6-13 Thought for the Day "There is forgiveness with Thee, that Thou may est be feared." Ps, cxxx. 4 H E will abundantly pardon," It is strengthen- the Divine compassion and clemency. Nothing less than a sense of infinite mercy and grace can meet the case of the true penitent, with his sense of the infinity of sin. Whenever grace is shown by society to an offender, it is finely calculated and qualified. Says the master: " I condone the fault this time, but it will not again be overlooked." Grudgingly one friend complains of another, " I forgive, but I do not forget." The magistrate inclining to forbearance, " The prisoner is discharged, but must come up for judgment when called upon." The prison authorities open the gates, but the liberated convict is a " ticket-of-leave " man, who must periodically report himself. When the capital sentence is stayed, the reprieved one is " detained at the King's pleasure." The lifted thunder still rumbles and threatens. How pure and absolute the mercy of God ! He forgives all, hopes for all. How comforting is this in the light of the guilty past ! And what an obliga- tion it imposes upon us for the future ! How can we sin against such magnanimity ? THE GATES OF DAWN January 5 Scripture Reading— Matt. x. 1-15 Thought for the Day "Freely ye have receiued, freely give." — Matt. x. 8 NOTHING is of our creation, and so we have no property. How free are all the great blessings of nature — the air, rain, sunlight, the precious things of the garden, vineyard, and field ! And yet selfish men begrudge us these things, and withhold them when they have opportunity. Recently a writer told us that one day he climbed a steep path in the neighbourhood of Lynmouth, to enjoy a view from the top. There, however, he found a board bearing the inscription in large letters : " This Outlook is Private." Ah ! there are men who would make a private path of the Milky Way, claim all rights in the rainbow, and proclaim the ocean their heirloom. If Nature is thus free, how much more the higher gifts which we have in Christ ! All the riches of the Gospel are freely given of God. Will any one dare to inscribe on the crest of Calvary, " This Outlook is Private " ? Every gift of life is a free gift, the " un- speakable " gift most 01 all. " Freely give." Ask for nothing in return — no renown, no appreciation, no gratitude. Let me be content to bless, finding my whole reward in the joy of blessing. THE GATES OF DAWN January 6 Scripture Reading — Isa. xxxv. Thought for the Day "Say to them that are of a fearful heart, Be strong, fear not." — Isa. xxxv, 4 STRENGTH for every duty and trial is ours in Christ. One of the greatest of chemical discoverers, M. Berthelot, pressed on the attention of scientists the question of the possibility of tapping the central heat of the earth and making use of it as a perennial source of energy. If this should ever come to pass there will be power enough for all possible purposes. Power to drive unlimited en- ginery, to illuminate the mightiest cities, to remove mountains. But revelation shows a far grander thing — it shows how the central blue has been tapped, and how the fulness of the heavenly power has become available for the moral uses of man. The Old Testament caught sight of this great truth ; the New Testament shows how it has been fully realised in the gift of Pentecost. Let me not then faint. With the power of Christ perfected in my weakness, I am equal to every temptation, competent for every duty, equipped for every struggle, the master of every fear. THE GATES OF DAWN January 7 Scripture Reading— Luke xxi. 5-15 Thought for the Day "/ will glue you a mouth and wisdom, which all your ad versan'es shall not be able to gainsay nor resist" — Luke xxi. 15 FROM time to time one might think that the world was going to pieces ; and it often seems as if the Church was on the verge of destruction, with back- slidings, heresies, schisms, infidehties, and persecutions. Cataclysms and cyclones give the hue of tragedy to all history. But, whatever is destroyed, something better is substituted. " The end is not immediately," perhaps, but it is sure. The hurricanes of history have purified the world, and the rough purification proceeds. The Church from time to time is dissolved, only to give place to a worthier. "The Temple adorned with goodly stones and offerings " perished, to be succeeded by the Christian Church ; and defective Christian societies are yet being dissolved to secure a worthier representation. Through the ages of conflict and sorrow Christ will give His people patience ; He will inspire with wisdom and strength ; He will keep alive their courage and hope. " Unmoved above the storm they lie. They lodge in Jesu's breast," THE GATES OF DAWN January 8 Scripture Reading — Acts iv. 32; v. 11 Thought for the Day "And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul," — Acts iv. 32 TRUE brotherhood is realised in the power oi the Holy Ghost. The multitudes of them that believed were of one heart and one soul, because of the spiritual grace that rested on them. When the tide is low the coast is a scene of agitation ; a thousand savage splinters of rock jut out, and the shore is girdled with angry foam. But when ocean's tide, rolling in fullest pride, returns, the disturbing debris is buried in the depths and the sea becomes smooth as glass. So the divisive things of the world are obliterated in a great tide of heavenly purity, love, and power. An old writer says : " God sometimes writes in shorthand." And in this union of hearts and com- munity of goods in the primitive Church we may see, writ brief and small, what will come to pass on a world-wide scale when all men believe in Christ. But let me observe the order. Too many dream of a rich and contented world, whilst ignoring the moral conditions of such a millennial state. This glorious flower can only grow from a pure spiritual root ; otherwise, the blossom will be dust. THE GATES OF DAWN January 9 Scripture Reading — Prov. xii. Thought for the Day " The wicked is snared by the transgression of his lips."— Trov, xii. 13 WE ought to be on our guard against the fatal power of words. We often count words as light as air, and yet how tremendous their significance ! By our words we are justified, by our words we are condemned. " Thou lovest all devouring words, O thou deceitful tongue." Have I ever thought of the destructive influence of the speeches which fall so glibly from my lips ? Bitter words, unkind words, mischievous words, words of spitefulness, deceit, and falsehood, are " devouring words," " words of swallowing up." As a French writer justly observes : " Insults, harsh words, threatening utterances kill morally those who give expression to them." He who thinks to deceive another is himself deceived ; he who slanders another wrongs his own soul; he who wounds another by harsh words commits moral suicide. " Keep, O Lord, the door of my lips." Other doors are to keep my enemies outside ; this door is to save me from being mine own enemy." THE GATES OF DAWxN January 10 Scripture Reading— Ps. cxxxix. 1-12 Thought for the Day '* There is not a word in my tongue; but lo, Lord, Thou hnowest it altogether." — Ps. cxxxix. 4 '' '' I ^HERE is not a word in my tongue ; but lo, O J^ Lord, Thou knowest it altogether." We feel it must be so. He must know every atom of the globe, every vibration of the air, every flake of the snow ; and, by virtue of His omniscience and omni- presence. He must know the finest film of character, the lightest word we breathe. A recent aeronaut tells us that when far up in the heavens he could hear the whispering of the leaves as they were stirred by the wind. Our faintest word reaches higher still, and is judged above the sky. How great my task to be offenceless in word ! An old writer tells of an illiterate saint who came to someone to be taught a psalm. Having learnt the single verse, " I said I will take heed to my ways, that I offend not with my tongue," he went away, saying that was enough if it were practically acquired. When asked six months and again many years after why he did not come to learn another verse, he answered that he had never been able truly to master this. Rejoice ! The things impossible with men are possible with God. 10 THE GATES OF DAWN January 11 Scripture Reading — Acts v. 29-42 Thought for the Day "^Ne ought to obey God rather than men." — Acts. v. 29 THE counsel of Gamaliel is a fine specimen of the reasoning of the worldly wise, the logic of the politic. On the face of it it is plausible in the extreme, but duly examined it is proved tempor- ising and cowardly. We do not wait to see the issue of a thing before we form an opinion of it. Usually we have to decide and act at once. Gamaliel's reasoning was the sophistry by which cowardice is made to counterfeit statesmanship. How different the temper of the Apostles ! " We ought to obey God rather than men." No waiting to see how the thing turns out. No policy here, only obedience to what they knew to be the will of the Lord. Gamaliel had a reed for a spine ; the Apostles belonged to the true backbone family. Let me make life clear and simple by first obtain- ing the knowledge of God's will, and then securing the daily strength by which I shall render prompt obedience. It is well sometimes to have "the courage of our opinions," but it is better to have the courage of our convictions, wise, firm, tender. II THE GATES OF DAWN January 12 Scripture Reading — Matt. x. 16-22 Thought for the Day "Fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to hill the soul." — Matt. x. 28 " T T shall be given you in that hour." We are not J_ subjected to the same kind of trial as were the first disciples. We are not delivered up to councils, not scourged in synagogues, not brought before governors and kings, but in these modern days for the sake of Christ His followers endure great tribula- tion. In various ways our work, bread, fortune, health, promotion, family, yea, life itself, is put in jeopardy by our faithfulness. Life has a place for compromise, but when duty becomes clear there must be no tampering with it. The wet hand may be plunged with impunity into metal if it is only white hot, and we are held harmless as we directly brave unrighteous opposition in its extreme wrath. Conciliation is sometimes admirable, but we may be stung because we fail to grasp our nettle. As R. L. Stevenson puts it : " No man is of any use until he has dared everything." Our Master is with us. " The goldsmith is never far away when the gold is in the fire." Let me then be calm and confident. In "the same night," in "the same day," in "the same hour," I shall find Him strong to deliver and good to redeem. 12 THE GATES OF DAWN January 13 Scripture Reading— i Peter iii. 8-18 Thought for the Day "If ye suffer for righteousness' sake, happy are ye."—i Peter iii. 14 THE attitude in which we should deal with trial and hostility is here described. Compassionate, loving as brethren, tender-hearted, humble-minded, returning blessing for reviling — it is thus we should meet criticism, injustice, impatience, persecution. There is a kind of iron that is known as " passive iron " — such is the true saint, yielding and gentle in spirit whilst firm as heaven's pillars. Describing the force of the waves which beat on the Eddystone lighthouse, a writer goes on to say, " But without a quiver the lighthouse supports these terrible attacks. Yet it bends toward them as if to render homage to the power of its adversaries. The summit of the tower describes an arc of more than a yard in extent. For the rest, this very pliancy may be regarded as a pledge of durability. Towers built after this fashion are, in fact, reeds of stone which bend before the wind ; but, like the reeds, they raise their heads again as soon as the hurricane is past." Let me then meet the storms of life with the fixedness and plasticity with which the lighthouse overcomes the wild tempest. 13 THE GATES OF DAWN January 14 Scripture Reading — Acts vi. 1-15 Thought for the Day "He that is greatest among you shall be your servant."^ Matt, xxiii. 11 HOW forcibly does this teach the need of the highest character and gifts for the right discharge of Hfe's lowHest duties ! The Apostles could not at the same time minister in two spheres successfully; they therefore confined themselves to their spiritual work: yet the ministry of tables was in no wise depreciated by their action. They chose men of good report, full of faith, wisdom, and of the Holy Spirit. The commonest duties of life demand the highest qualities, and, indeed, they can be fulfilled perfectly- only with the soul at its best. Some gardeners, it is said, can grow orchids better than wallflowers ; and society abounds in dilettante people who court great places and things, despising homelier posts and callings. When princes like Stephen were thus made stewards of carnal things, let me not forget the sovereign and sacramental character of the secular, or that the utmost saintliness and wisdom are necessary for the ordinary routine life. 14 THE GATES OF DAWN January 15 Scripture Reading — Heb. xi. i-io Thought for the Day "He loohed for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." — Heb. xi. lo WE are strangers and pilgrinms, as all our fathers were; and we, with them, look for a city which hath foundations whose builder and architect is God. I do well to lay to heart the fugitiveness of human life, and the passing of all the things of wealth, beauty, and joy in which the natural man delights. Delitzsch renders Isa. xxxviii. 12, "Mine home is broken up, and is removed from me as a shepherd's tent." How soon must I thus bemoan myself! It is a fact, a fact it is folly to hide or forget. Yet this thought is not to embitter the present life, only to enlarge and enrich it by causing me to realise eternal ideas. Three weeks before his death Corot exclaimed, " You have no idea of the things I could paint now. I see what I have never seen before. Ah ! if I could show you these immense horizons." Let me' live in full sight of these "immense horizons " ; so shall this passing life be greatly inspired, and clothed with strength and grandeur. 15 THE GATES OF DAWN January 16 Scripture Reading— Heb. xil. i-ii Thought for the Day "Let U3 run with patience tlie race that is set before us," — Heb. xii. i THE impatience which has its root in unbelief was shown by Israel at every period of its history. It took centuries for the working out of God's great design in His people, and again and again they became impatient, and in despair did desperate things. How much room there is for patience, both in regard to things personal and things of the Church ! And what do we gain by discontent and fretfulness ? A Malabar proverb gives an excellent hint, " By running in the boat, do we come to land ? " No worry on our part hastens things. Neither our own canoe, nor the ark of Christ's Church, go a whit faster for our feverish oscillations between stem and stern. Far better to bend the oar, to hoist the sail, and sweetly trust the Pilot. " Ye have heard of the patience of Job, and have seen the end of the Lord." The " end of the Lord " ! Our God is great in His endings, and in His faith- fulness round about Him. To patient faith the prize is sure. i6 THE GATES OF DAWN January 17 Scripture Reading— Ps. Ixxxix. 7-16 Thought for the Day "Blessed is the people that hnovu the joyful sound." — Ps. Ixxxix. 15 THE fear of God brings joy to the individual, and peace to the commonwealth. " Blessed are the people to whom the solemn sounding of trumpets is a familiar sound." One might fancy- reading of "cornet, flute, harp, sackbut, psaltery, dulcimer, and all kinds of music," that all the instruments of jubilation belonged to Babylon ; but Jerusalem also was rich in trumpets, psalteries, and harps, which accompanied purer festivals and dis- coursed nobler music. Felicity of spirit is the prerogative of the saints, peace and joy are ours beyond all worldly dreaming. Says R. L. Stevenson : " I do not call that by the name of religion which fills a man with bile." There is nothing in daily discipleship with Christ calculated to create bile ; and any fretfulness, bitter- ness, or melancholy on our part wonderfully discredits our religion. The colouring of our moods depends largely upon ourselves. Whether we walk on the sunny or the sunless side of the street is much a matter of choice. 17 THE GATES OF DAWN January 18 Scripture Reading — Isa. Hi. i-io Thought for the Day "All the ends of the earth shall see the saluation of our God." — Isa. lii. lo WHEREVER the messengers of Christ go, teaching His holy Word and working in His loving spirit, flowers spring in their footsteps. The advent of the adventurer is not always a blessing to the native. Not that of the soldier, not that of the trader, but the feet of the missionary are always beautiful, bearing the message of peace and salvation. How gloriously is this prophecy fulfilled before our eyes in the Acts of the Apostles ! " There was great joy in that city" — joy in every city that received the anointed messengers. Ever since that period the missionary has waved wide the torch, scattering the darkness ; he has sown the germs of life, causing the wilderness to blossom. The grandest thing in the history of the world is Christ's effort to save the world. The richest solace of good men is the thought of the unresting growth of the kingdom of righteousness and peace. This shall be a pure, beautiful, happy world yet, Am I to share in the glory of helping to make it so? Let me think, give, work, prayl i8 THE GATES OF DAWN January 19 Scripture Reading— i Cor. \. 18-31 Thought for the Day "God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty." — i Cor. i. 27 WE must not be faint-hearted because we are consciously poor instruments. Something certainly depends upon an instrument, but, after all, the main question is the mastery of him who uses it. It would be a poor fiddle indeed that Paganini could not bring music out of; a poor pencil with which Raphael could not create a masterpiece; and the power of the Spirit behind the least gifted can work to glorious issues. A science writer observes : " Nature and Art abound with cases where a little energy, rightly directed, controls energy infinitely greater in quantity. Often in a chemical compound the poise of attrac- tion is so delicate that it may be disturbed by a breath, or by a note from a fiddle, and the substance explodes." It is far more wonderful what a little talent or energy may accomplish in the moral world ; there a note of warning, a breath of prayer, a shake of the hand may bring about the mightiest change in men's hearts and lives. Let me put myself wholly at God's service, what- ever I may be; greatness is not called for, but "meetness" for the Master's use. 19 THE GATES OF DAWN January 20 Scripture Reading — Acts viii. 26-40 Thought for the Day "/ believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God." — Acts viii. 37 P ON BERING the great blessing of salvation which came to this officer, we are first arrested by the fact of his readiness for the blessing. He " had come to Jerusalem for to worship ; and he was returning and sitting in his chariot, and was reading the prophet Isaiah." Attention, predisposition, sympathy, expec- tation. All high blessing is ours as we await it in a certain state of preparedness, ripeness, susceptibility, and desire. We often hear of men lighting accidentally on great discoveries. Newton luckily observed the falling apple, and the grand truth of gravitation flashed upon him ; so we are assured the grandest discoveries and inventions are usually the consequence of the veriest accident. But it will always be found that it was by a prepared, pondering, sympathetic mind that the great truth was discovered, seized, proclaimed. Others can- not see, hear, or understand. Let my mind be intent on spiritual things, my heart open and longing, my will inclined to obedience. Let my soul be sensitive as the photographic plate is to the unseen stars ; wistful as the eye that watches for the morning ; eager and acquisitive as the flower to the pollen. 20 THE GATES OF DAWN January 21 Scripture Reading — Isa. liii. ; Acts viii. 32-35 Thought for the Day " The Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all. " — Isa. liii. 6 WHEN the New Testament thus interprets the Old, we may be very certain about the real signification. That we cannot understand all that is implied in Christ suffering in our stead, dying for our sins, need not blind us to the precious fact. Thousands of thinking men to-day believe in the doctrine of evolution, that all the higher forms of life were evolved from lower forms, but they confess them- selves unable to understand how Nature proceeds in her work of development. I am not able to give an account to myself of the way in which Christ's death becomes the basis of my salvation ; but I see the law of vicariousness operative everywhere, and why should I not believe in Calvary as its supreme illustration? It satisfies my conscience ; it wins my heart ; it becomes a sublime law for my own life that I shall suffer for others. Living the vicarious life, I shall perhaps the better understand the doctrine of vicariousness, the central doctrine of the New Testament. 21 THE GATES OF DAWN January 22 Scripture Reading — Ps. cxix. 9-18 Thought for the Day "Open Thou mine eyes that / may behold wondrous things out of thy law." — Ps. cxix. 18 REALLY, so far as spiritual vision is concerned, the angels must look upon this earth as a big blind asylum. We see close to us, but not afar off; we see the surface, and miss the depths ; we see not as wide awake, but as those who rub their eyes hardly knowing whether they wake or sleep. Have I seen the " wondrous things " out of God's law ? The things which accompany salvation. Many feel the intellectual interest of God's Word, enjoy its eloquence, extol its moral worth, or they ap- preciate its prudential wisdom, like Napoleon, who put it in the political section of his library ; but they do not grasp its spiritual, saving message. They gather shining pebbles and painted shells, and overlook the pearl of great price. Oh ! to see the wondrous depths of redeeming love! Whilst I study systems of theology and search the commentaries of exegetes, do I sufficiently remember the promised Revealer and wait His illumination ? " Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and know all things." 22 THE GATES OF DAWN January 23 Scripture Reading— i Tim. vi. 9-19 Thought for the Day "God loueth a cheerful giuer," — 2 Cor. ix. 7 WE must combine a life of unselfishness with a spirit of graciousness ; constantly doing helpful things in a fine, free, rejoicing temper. Friends at weddings sometimes dash the confetti so violently into the face of the bridal party as to bring tears into their eyes ; and it is quite possible to bestow blessings so ungraciously that we wound those we relieve. Giving a " cup of cold water " in the name of the Master we do not lose the reward. But note that the water must be cold; herein lies its beauty and merit. In a burning clime the host has been considerate and gives his guest a chilled draught. A water-pot full to the brim on which no care has been bestowed counts for little ; it is the emptied cup that expressed thoughtfulness and love that the King fills with gold. A warm heart tenders cold water. Let us take care in all our helpfulness that the spirit in which it is done is lovely, multiplying the value of the gift and service a hundredfold. Let nothing be cold, except the water. 23 THE GATES OF DAWN January 24 ScRiPTDRE Reading — Matt. xxv. 31-40 Thought for the Day "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.'* — Gal. vi. 2 THE spirit of love realised in Christ and reveal- ing itself in the law of self-sacrifice is the determining line between the saved and the lost. What a truly solemn thought ! How many people cunningly and persistently contrive to shift their burden to the shoulders of their neighbours ! They are not particular as to whom they saddle with their duty and care, but they determine to bear as little of it themselves as is possible. In youth somebody must fag for them ; they treat their friend as a valet ; their public life is parasitical ; as husband or wife, they shuffle the whole weight of responsibility on their partner. The ingenuity of the ignoble to make themselves comfortable at other people's expense is no small part of the comedy and tragedy of human life. How different the spirit of Christ ! Let me man- fully accept my own burden ; and then, by thought, sympathy, influence, and substantial aid, let me lighten the burden of my neighbour. My Master was the great burden bearer of the race. Let me drink in His spirit and follow in His steps. 24 THE GATES OF DAWN January 25 Scripture Reading— Gal. vi. i-io Thought for the Day "As we haue therefore opportunity, let us do good unto all men." — Gal. vi. io " '' I ^O work that which is good towards all men " X is a simple and sublime canon. We have special reason to succour them that are of the house- hold of faith, but after that the field is wide— all are brothers, all have a brother's claim. So " then, as we have opportunity." What a great thing it is in life to seize the opportunity ! An Eastern traveller tells us that "the Arab is never ready." If a gazelle is surprised it generally makes good its escape whilst he is fumbling for his gun. How much like the majority of us in regard to the chances of life ! But if we are unready to get, are we not, too, often strangely blind to the opportunity to give, help, bless ? Our most genuine sorrow is again and again oc- casioned by the knowledge that we let a gracious opportunity slip. We see, too late, what we might have done if we had only been awake. May I this day be alive to the golden chance of doing good ! Let me be ready to buy up the oppor- tunity. Blessing is missed for want of thought as well as want of heart. 25 THE GATES OF DAWN January 26 Scripture Reading — 2 Cor. viii. 1-9 Thought for the Day "// there be first a willing mind, it is accepted according to that a man hath and not according to that he hath not." — 2 Cor. viii. 12 THE feeling obtains widely even among sincere people, that we do so little good because we have little resource. We dream of the vast things we should have accomplished with talent and fortune. Yet is not the whole history of Christianity de- signed to teach the contrary idea, the wealth of the poor, the power of the feeble? He who had not where to lay His head, has made us all rich. His Apostles without silver and gold dowered men with health and salvation. The churches of Macedonia in affliction found abundance of joy, and in deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality. The race has been helped most by benefactors who struggled with narrow means. The degree in which I bless the world is far more a question of what I am than of what I have. Power is determined chiefly by personality. Sixteen ounces of gold are sufficient to gild a wire that would encircle the earth ; but faith, love, and prayer make a very small bit of gold do far greater wonders in the moral and spiritual life of mankind. Shakespeare made a few scraps of knowledge go a long way, but grace effects more than genius ; faith, love, and prayer make of slenderest intellectual gifts instruments of measure- less blessing. 26 THE GATES OF DAWN January 27 Scripture Reading— 2 Tim. ilL Thought for the Day "// any man suffer as a Christian, let him not be ashamed."— 1 Pet. iv. 16 NO man need be ashamed who has suffered as a soldier. The leg or arm lost for his country's sake is his glory. No man need be ashamed who has suffered in the interests of society. Many cripples emerge out of the army of industry as well as from the field of battle, and the blindness and mutilation of such are tokens of honour moving the spectator's admiration and sympathy. The physician who has suffered in the interests of humanity has only pride in his scars. How much more if we are counted worthy to suffer for Christ's sake ! That is to suffer for the race in the highest sense of all. Christ suffered joyfully. He wore the crown of thorns as if it were a wreath of roses; He went to Calvary with a hymn on His lips — " I delight to do Thy will, O my God." Am I a partaker of t/iese sufferings? Is any part of my tribulation anxiety, pain, and loss on account of others ? Do I voluntarily undertake services for humanity which involve sacrifice and sorrow ? Do I rejoice that I am thus partaker of Christ's suffering? If "we suffer with Him we shall also reign with Him." 27 THE GATES OF DAWN January 28 Scripture Reading. — Acts vii. 54 ; viii. 4 Thought for the Day "They that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word." — Acts viii. 4 THE distribution of plants is to the scientist a most engrossing study ; how the wind, tides, and birds carry the seed to widely-sundered shores is a veritable romance. Even more mysterious are the manifold ways by which the knowledge of Christ has been, diffused throughout the nations. It took root in the red streets of Jerusalem ; it sprang as by magic in the fields of Samaria; it blossomed like a rose in the desert in the Ethiopian chamberlain ; its first-fruits were gathered in Asia, and directly harvested in Europe. Gardeners often have a piece of spare ground which they use for the trial of seedlings. Let us put to proof the gracious truths of revelation in our own heart and experience ; and then, having proved how precious and beautiful they are, let us become sowers of the germs of life, scattering them by tongue, pen, and influence wherever we go. 28 THE GATES OF DAWN January 29 Scripture Reading. — Prov. xxiii. 29-35 Thought for the Day " Wine is a mocl